BBC Live 1977-1991

This compilation of live performances by Graham Parker with and without his backup band, the Rumour, draws from five separate concerts held between March 1977 and May 1991. But that range is slightly deceptive, since 12 of the 17 tracks are derived from just two shows, an April 1979 gig featuring the Rumour and promoting the acclaimed Squeezing Out Sparks LP and an April 1982 "solo" appearance in connection with the release of Another Grey Area. In his caustically humorous liner notes, Parker recalls being excoriated by "the British Musical Gutter Press...probably quite rightly" for splitting from the Rumour, moving to America, and recording "a slick, crystalline, seamless piece of work" with American session musicians. However, his backup band on the 1982 show heard here has identical instrumentation to the Rumour and even features Rumour guitarist Brinsley Schwartz, so the aural difference is minimal. The big change comes after the 14th track, "Endless Night," fades out and is followed by two real solo tracks from 1990 and 1991 featuring just Parker and his acoustic guitar. The track listing is full of Parker favorites -- including "Howling Wind," "Discovering Japan," and "Passion Is No Ordinary Word" -- and the performances are typically fervent. There are many Parker compilations and many live recordings, and this is not the best of them. But it is very good, and it gives an excellent sense of what all the fuss was about back in the late '70s and early '80s. [Originally released in the U.K. in 1996 by Windsong, BBC Live in Concert came out in the U.S. on Fuel 2000 on July 18, 2000.] ~ William Ruhlmann