Graham Parker's The Real Macaw

In the early-80s, Graham Parker was clearly a man in search of a voice. Unfairly branded with the “rock’s angry young man” albatross at the beginning of his career, a lot of the furor over Parker’s amazing first two albums – 1976’s Howlin’ Wind and Heat Treatment – slipped away when his label failed to capitalize on the media buzz; subsequently a slightly less angry (and therefore more palatable) musical alternative in the form of Elvis Costello came along to steal Graham’s thunder.

Parker reached, perhaps, the commercial and critical peak of his career with 1979’s Squeezing Out Sparks, which rose to number 40 on the Billboard album charts. He followed that album’s success with 1980’s The Up Escalator, a solid effort but one that failed to meet the expectations created by its predecessor. Parker tried to shake things up by splitting with his long-time backing band the Rumour for 1982’s Another Grey Area, recording instead with a group of session musicians. The album’s overly-slick and tiring production (courtesy of Jack Douglas) failed to hit a comfortable stride, however, further reinforcing Parker’s gradual slide down the charts.

For 1983’s The Real Macaw, Parker brought in a couple of familiar faces – former pub-rock mate Brinsley Schwarz on guitar and Squeeze’s Gilson Lavis on drums – to help augment the studio band’s sound. It was a smart move, as Schwarz’s easy-going but deceptively complex fretwork proved a perfect match for Parker’s increasingly sunny lyrics, while Lavis’s subtle drum fills and steady rhythms supported Parker’s upbeat vocals. Parker had gotten married previous to the recording of The Real Macaw and obviously had romance and relationships in mind while crafting the album’s fine selection of songs. Coupled with sympathetic production by David Kershenbaum (Joe Jackson, Tracy Chapman), these songs really have a chance to take flight.

Beneath his perpetually angry façade, The Real Macaw proved Parker to be a real pussycat, a hopeless romantic helpless in the face of love. His budding relationship proved to be an invaluable muse, resulting in several strong songwriting efforts. The syncopated, energetic Sounds Like Chains features one of Schwarz’s most impressive performances, the guitarist delivering fluid leads and dynamic riffs behind Parker’s gruff vocals. Last Couple On The Dance Floor offers slightly rockabilly-tinged fretwork resting comfortably alongside the typical driving ‘70s-era Parker arrangement, the song’s celebratory lyrics reveling in the glow of new love behind a rockin’ R&B sound.

The album’s minor hit single, Life Gets Better, is, in my mind, one of Parker’s best songs from across his lengthy and impressive career as a wordsmith. The song’s arrangement is firmly new wavish as only the early-80s could muster, but the underlying framework is pure ‘60s soul, from Parker’s up-tempo vocal phrasing to the horns punching through the mix, with the singer unabashedly exploring the benefits of a romantic relationship with a Motown zeal. Miracle A Minute follows a similar tact, with an infectious ‘60s pop vibe punctuated by Mel Collins’ blazing sax.

The American Beat reissue of The Real Macaw features the live version of Parker’s take on the Jackson 5 classic I Want You Back. My old buddy Kent O had slapped this priceless gem on a mixtape for me 25 years ago, and I get the same feeling listening to it today that I did then…Parker’s vocal performance is solid, Grade ‘A’ soul, a magnificent adult perspective provided Michael Jackson’s tale of adolescent romance. The song is absolutely at home here when taken in context with the rest of material on The Real Macaw, a great addition to one of the more overlooked and underrated albums in the Graham Parker canon. (American Beat Records)

(Click on the CD cover to buy The Real Macaw from Amazon.com)