Music Wire
August 1996
by Barry Gutman

In describing his next album, due from Razor & Tie on October 1, angry rocker Graham Parker says, "Acid Bubblegum has all the typical Parker elements you would expect: extreme hostility ('Turn It Into Hate'), gardening tips ('Sharpening Axes'), flippancy disguised as extreme hostility ('Bubblegum Cancer'), completely impenetrable lyrics ('Impenetrable'), really twisted psycho-sexual situations ('She Never Let Me Down'), extreme hostility leveled at iconic soul singers ('Obsessed with Aretha'), accountancy ('Beancounter'), monkeys getting it by the first bridge ('Girl at the End of the Pier'), extreme hostility towards most of the musicians I've worked with ('Baggage'), breast feeding made angry ('Milk Train'), exceptionally twisted psycho-sexual situations ('Character Assassination'), and finally, extreme hostility towards everyone ('They Got it Wrong {as Usual}')."

Musically, Acid Bubblegum is in the rocking vein of Parker's greatest albums. In fact, he recruited bassist Andrew Bodnar, bassist in his former band, the Rumour, for the project, along with former Blondie keyboardist Jimmy Destri and drummer Gary Burke, who's worked with Joe Jackson, Marshall Crenshaw and Bob Dylan. In addition to writing and singing all of the songs, Parker produced the album and played all the guitar parts.