Search - Graham Parker :: Howlin' Wind

Breathtaking.

bdl803@bham.ac.uk | 03/07/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"First bought Howlin Wind in 78, which means punk had happened and a lot of this record`s sounds;blues,rockabilly and R and B were looked down on. Well very much of that period doesnt stand up now while this album does. In fact I like it better. the two tracks I thought were duff then, Lady Doctor and Not if it Pleases me can be appreciated as brilliant white English takes on musical styles most English musicians have never done well. The rest is sublime,pure and simple...the first four tracks on what used to be side two `Soul Shoes` onward are perhaps Parker`s finest medley of songs,with Howlin Wind and You Got To be kidding breathtaking takes on reggae and Dylan respectively. This album is the best rock singer ever with some of his best songs ever which crucially take on say The Stones and Van Morrison and are better than them, eg Gypsy Blood,Soul Shoes and White Honey. A vital album influencing--to me--Elvis Costello,The Boomtown Rats, The Clash and Joe Jackson especially. `Influenced`? Nah..they copied him...this was a new rock and roll blueprint. And the Rumour were a transcendent backing band...not too many dumb soloes,with great sounds and arrangements."

Desert Island Disc

Patrick Earley | Edmond, Oklahoma USA | 01/25/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is one of the great rock albums of the 70's, or any other decade. With the onset of the awful disco movement coming on, what a breath of fresh air this guy was. We had all the punk rockers out there who couldn't sing or play. But when this little English pub rocker came along with this album, it blew all those pretenders out of the water. He had a snarly voice that sounded like he just swallowed a mouthful of gravel, but he had SOUL! And that's all that really counts. With a chip on his shoulder a mile wide, he comes swinging out of the gate with that nasty little drug song called "White Honey". Whatta great rock song! When he sings "we're gonna hit white honey when the chips are down, we're gonna taste white honey when there's no one around", it sounds like he's been down that road before. Parker sings with more emotion than just about any singer can hope to achieve. He can be serious one minute, as in "Howlin Wind" or "Don't Ask Me Questions", or he can have some fun on songs like "Silly Thing" or Lady Doctor". Not many bands would be able to pull off the songs he wrote for this album, but Parker hired The Rumour, who were some of the best musicians England had to offer. I've always thought these guys were England's answer to Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band. They were THAT good. I can't say enough good things about this album. It's fantastic! Also, I highly recommend his second album "Heat Treatment". It comes a very very close second to this one. Good luck finding it."

This is how The Band's third album should've sounded

greyhoundude | Corvallis, OR | 01/22/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you enjoyed MUSIC FROM BIG PINK and THE BAND (the "brown" album) you are likely to enjoy HOWLIN' WIND. Rootsy, gutsy, soulful and only occasionally punkish. The "punk" aspect of this album mostly has to do with attitude, rather than music. Parker crafted an album that has aged very well and will undoubtedly sound terrific 10 years from now, and the remastered sound is terrific! Highest recommendation to fans of early-70's Van Morrison, early Springsteen and the aforementioned The Band."