Graham Parker Live In San Francisco 1979 captures Parker live in concert with his great band The Rumour on the Squeezing Out The Sparks tour.
Graham Parker should have been huge with his high energy, caustic R&B inspired songs. Even though it was the time of punk rock, few acts could match the intensity he built up in concert.
Graham Parker & The Rumour really were “the best kept secret in the West” as he sings in Mercury Poisoning as he rants against his previous record company.
I believe this album was only released in 2010. I bought it as soon as I saw it.
Graham Parker Live In San Francisco 1979 – Overall Rating 29/30
My Overall Rating – 28 out of 30 – an excellent live album that should not be overlooked.
Average Amazon Customer Rating – %%AVERAGERATING%% Stars
Graham Parker Live In San Francisco 1979 Set List 10/10
- Discovering Japan – 3:37 (Squeezing Out The Sparks)
- Local Girls – 3:43 (Squeezing Out The Sparks)
- Thunder And Rain – 3:30 (Stick To Me)
- Don’t Get Excited – 3:49 (Squeezing Out The Sparks)
- Back To School Days – 2:50 (Howlin’ Wind)
- Passion Is No Ordinary Word – 4:52 (Squeezing Out The Sparks)
- Mercury Poisoning – 3:13 (added to Squeezing Out The Sparks as a bonus)
- Heat Treatment – 3:22 (Heat Treatment)
- Stick To Me – 3:37 (Stick To Me)
- You Can’t Be Too Strong – 3:43 (Squeezing Out The Sparks)
- Love Gets You Twisted – 3:13 (Squeezing Out The Sparks)
- Clear Head – 3:17 (Stick To Me)
- Hey Lord, Don’t Ask Me Questions – 5:54 (Howlin’ Wind)
- Saturday Night Is Dead – 3:22 (Squeezing Out The Sparks)
- Nobody Hurt You – 4:07 (Squeezing Out The Sparks)
- Protection – 4:45 (Squeezing Out The Sparks)
- Soul Shoes – 3:31 (Howlin’ Wind)
- I Want You Back – 3:11 (cover of the Jackson 5 single)
- Pouring It All Out – 4:48 (Heat Treatment)
- New York Shuffle – 3:40 (Stick To Me)
Ten songs from the great Squeezing Out the Sparks album and four from the previous Stick To Me album means that this set list is very different from the earlier Graham Parker & The Rumour live albums Live at Marble Arch and The Parkerilla.
Performance Rating 10/10
What remains consistent over these albums is the intensity and passion of the performance.
Listening to Graham Parker live is thrilling. Bruce Springsteen allegedly said that Graham Parker was the only artist he’d pay to see live. That’s how good he and his band were.
The Rumour had the following members with very solid pub rock connections:
- Brinsley Schwarz (lead guitar, ex Brinsley Schwarz)
- Bob Andrews (keyboards ex, Brinsley Schwarz),
- Martin Belmont (rhythm guitar, ex Ducks Deluxe)
- Andrew Bodnar (bass)
- Steve Goulding (drums).
The band rocks hard and insistently as it rattles through the set list. There’s no let up at all.
Here are some videos of Graham Parker performing live in 1979 so you can get a feel for the magic.
Local Girls
Howlin’ Wind (not on Live In San Francisco sadly)
Heat Treatment
Protection
Nobody Hurts You
I love listening to Graham Parker and I wish I’d seen him in the late 1970s. I don’t have any memories of him touring near me.
Atmosphere & Authenticity – 8/10
There’s no doubt that you’re listening to a live album and Graham Parker and the Rumour were still very much in their hot streak which lasted through another studio album, The Up Escalator.
However the weakness is that there’s little interaction with the crowd and you don’t get to hear Parker’s personality.
Overall Rating – 28/30
I believe that this is one of the greatest live albums ever released.
I think it’s terrific and it’s the best of a good bunch of live recordings from Graham Parker.
The world missed a master when it decided to overlook Graham Parker and the Rumour.
What Other People Say About Graham Parker Live In San Francisco 1979
Graham Parker was cool in 1976 just before punk rock exploded when critics raved about his first two albums Howlin’ Wind and Heat Treatment and Squeezing Out The Sparks represented another critics favourite in 1979.
Unfortunately I haven’t seen Graham Parker records on any greatest live albums lists.
This is crazy.
Live he is hot and steaming.
Fortunately there is a bit more sense in the Amazon reviewers.
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Buying Live In San Francisco 1979 by Graham Parker & The Rumour
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What Do You Think About Graham Parker Live In San Francisco?
I love this record although it is a tough decision to decide which is the best of the early Graham Parker & The Rumour live albums.
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If You Like This…
If you like Graham Parker & The Rumour, I think you’ll also like Van Morrison, Bruce Springsteen, Southside Johnny, Elvis Costello, J Geils Band
The Best Live Albums Of All Time
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