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Graham Parker
Live Alone: Discovering Japan ** 1/2 music central critic | |
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Like too many artists, Graham Parker is stubbornly blind to his strengths. Want the definitive live Parker show? He should release his 1979 radio broadcast from L.A.'s Roxy with his bristling backing band, the Rumour. Even Live Sparks can't touch the power and passion unleashed there. But the typical "I don't look back, I look forward" attitude instead brings us the new solo concert album, Live Alone: Discovering Japan (though "new" is misleading, as this was released overseas back in '93 as Live Alone In Japan). There are some curios here that Parker fans will want; just the closure of hearing him sing "Discovering Japan" in a Tokyo nightclub with subtle electric guitar accompaniment is almost worth the price. Credible covers of Bob Marley's "No Woman No Cry" and Billy Idol's "Sweet 16" are included. He obviously hasn't given up on the old material - note the reworked "Watch the Moon Come Down" and an acoustic "Don't Ask Me Questions".
Fans should also look for Live! Alone in America, a companion disc recorded in
Philadelphia and released domestically in '89, featuring "Don't Let It Break You Down" and
"You Can't Be Too Strong". Unfortunately he's still blind to his recent strengths as well. His
acoustic versions of "The Mona Lisa's Sister" and "Success" were stunning on tour but appear on
neither album.
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