Tidy Tunes 2019 #6/28 Protection - Graham Parker and The Rumour

Protection - Graham Parker and The Rumour
Vertigo (UK)/Arista (USA)
Released February 1979

There are so many great singles and albums that hit the 40 Years Old mark this year and one of my many favourites from back when I was a little 16 year old lad is this one from Graham Parker and The Rumour.

Graham Parker was always one of those guys you thought had the promise of being a huge star but for one reason or another his record sales never translated into massive sellers. That's not because his music was bad, that's so far from the truth as to be a totally ridiculous accusation, but for reasons unknown he wasn't taken to heart by the masses. I have put a load of links down below so give the man a shot if you've never really listened to him before.

The Protection single never even charted in the UK which I found quite surprising. The album from which it sprung from, 'Squeezing Out Sparks' didn't manage to break into the Top 20 UK Album Chart, stalling at #22! He only ever had three chart placings with his singles: Hold Back The Night ( #24 The Pink Parker EP 1977), Hey Lord, Don't Ask Me Questions (#32 1978) and Temporary Beauty (#50 1982). As for his albums, his first two in 1976 Howlin' Wind and Heat Treatment never charted in the UK; Stick To Me (#35 in 1977); The Parkerilla (#14 in 1978); The Up Escalator (#36 in 1980); Another Grey Area (#98 in 1982); The Real Macaw (#57 in 1983); and the last album to chart (#81) was in 1988 with The Mona Lisa's Sister. Since then he has released a further 14 studio albums and numerous live albums which have not got anywhere near to the charts in the UK!

A Wee Bonus:

To celebrate the up and coming 

40th Anniversary 

of  

Squeezing Out Sparks

 you can listen to the whole album below.

Squeezing Out Sparks - Graham Parker and The Rumour
Vertigo

Produced by Jack Nitzsche
Released March 1979
UK Chart #22
US Chart #40