GRAHAM PARKER

In today's frantic world, you need steady nerves. And to get your required dosage of modern musical excitement, you need Steady Nerves, the new LP by Graham Parker and the Shot.

Graham Parker, is a man who needs no introduction. For nearly a decade now, his passionate, powerful records have combined the freewheeling drive of classic rock'n'roll with a distinctive personal vision. When Parker is thrilled with a new LP, you know you're in for something special.

A logical extension of Parker's early work, Steady Nerves is, at the same time, a departure for him. It's his debut for Elektra Records and the first time he's played such a major role in shaping the actual sound of a record, co-producing with Willaim Wittman (associate producer and engineer of Cyndi Lauper's She's So Unusual). "I was credited as co-producer on Another Grey Area," he recalls, "but this one was the real thing. Although I didn't know a decibel from an eq, I knew I wanted more of the attack of Squeezing Out Sparks than I'd had on my last few records. Bill was very sympathetic to that and did a great job of helping me bring out the ideas in the songs, rather than trying to impose a producer's stamp."

Steady Nerves also marks the first time in a while that he's worked with an 'official' backing band. Though the Shot is technically a new group, its members will all be familiar to seasoned Parker observers. Brinsley Schwartz (lead guitar) comes from GP's original group, the Rumour, while George Small (keyboards), Michael Braun (drums), and Kevin Jenkins (bass) each contributed to his more recent efforts. Why the Shot? 'When you say, 'Graham Parker and the Shot,' it' s got some rhythm," he observes.

Steady Nerves is just the latest chapter in a career that has produced one compelling LP after another. Parker burst onto the London rock scene in the mid-seventies, right at the dawn of punk. His urgent style of rock'n'roll initially reminded some of a younger, angrier Van Morrison, but it soon became clear Graham was his own man. Joining forces with the Rumour, comprised of veterans of pub-rock bands Ducks Deluxe, Brinsley Schwarz, and Bontemps Roulez, Parker signed with Mercury and released three hot studio LPs, Howlin' Wind, Heat Treatment, and Stick to Me, as well as a live set, The Parkerilla.

Parker switched to Arista at the end of the decade and recruited producer Jack Nitzsche for Squeezing Out Sparks, a widely acclaimed LP that signalled to many his maturity as an artist. "Jack and I rearranged the the way the band played to get a really hard edge," he remembers. "It was a lot more controlled than Stick to Me, but it still rocked." This tougher, leaner approach continued on The Up Escalator, which he describes as "still pretty fierce, though not with as much direction or purpose as Squeezing Out Sparks."

Parker subsequently shifted directions again by parting company with the Rumour. Explaining the separation, he says, "When the backing band thinks their records are more important than yours, it's time to split." For his next two LPs, Parker worked with session musicians and a couple of "star" producers, collaborating with Jack Douglas (John Lennon, Aerosmith, etc.) on Another Grey Area and tapping David Kershenbaum (Joe Jackson) for The Real Macaw. Both records retained his white-heat intensity but also displayed new polish, placing greater emphsis on the melodic side of his singing and songwriting.

Graham Parker signed with Elektra last year before beginning work on Steady Nerves. He says choosing the label was easy, commenting, "Elektra Chaiman Bob Krasnow believes in my music. He wanted to sign me back when he was with Warner Bros. and has stayed interested in what I'm doing over the years."

In Parker's own words, here's what you get on Steady Nerves:

"Break Them Down"--"This is about an American Fundamentalist organization operating in Venezuela called the New Tribes.Mission, which is converting the Indians in the jungle to Christianity and destroying their culture. It's probably the most 'finger pointing' song I've ever written."

"Mighty Rivers"--"Just a love song."

"Lunatic Fringe"--"I wrote the chorus in my sleep. It's a collection of images you can take any way you like. I wouldn't want to pin the meaning down--in fact, I don't really know what it's about myself."

"Wake Up (Next to You)"--"A totally romantic love ballad, but it isn't sentimental or slushy. I don't deal in that."

"When You Do That to Me"--"A sex song, pure and simple. It's an upbeat tune based around acoustic guitar, with quite a strange arrangement."

"The Weekend's Too Short"--"The only thing I can compare it to is a modern 'Soul Shoes' (from 1976's Howlin' Wind). It's got lines like, 'Bust that bottle, let the liquor run/ Before they raise the drinking age to 21.' It's a youth song, a party song."

"Take Everything"--"Very pop. A confusing song. I don't know what it's about beyond the simple idea of greed. Quite often, I'll look at.a song when I'm finished composing it and say, 'I didn't know I was writing about that! Where did that come from?'"

"Black Lincoln Continental"--"A rockabilly thing. Each line of the lyrics means more individually than all of them do as a whole. It relates to the first time I came to America and the record company sent a Lincoln Continental to to pick me up at the airport."

"Canned Laughter"--"I'm poking fun at canned laughter on TV. It was inspired by a comedy show in England starring Rowan Atkinson, who used to be on 'Not the Nine O'Clock News'."

"Everyone's Hand Is On The Switch"-- "There's a party atmosphere surrounding executions in America. I can almost see people opening bottles and eating popcorn, watching on TV."

"Locked Into Green"--"Snooker is an incredibly intense thing in England. The championships are on TV and everybody watches. This song deals with a guy named Hurricane Higgins, a genius Irish snooker player with great style. A real commercial subject, as you can see."

The CD edition of Steady Nerves also contains "Too Much Time to Think," which Parker calls "a wild song about confusion in New York City."

Although Steady Nerves is Parker's current musical obsession, it's not the only exciting thing to happen in his life lately. Graham recently became a proud parent. Does this suggest we should get ready for a more sedate Graham Parker? "No," he laughs, "I'm always getting worked up about things. I'm crazy as ever. I'm just a lot happier, that's all.

"Steady Nerves should dispel any suspicion that I've mellowed out. It attacks in a way my last few albums haven't, and I think it sounds great. " But," Parker adds with typical candor, "people will have to listen and make up their own minds."

3/85

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