With convenient timing, the New Jersey-based Buy or Die label has released Piss & Vinegar: The Songs of Graham Parker, an excellent Graham Parker tribute album.
The album features an interesting and varied lineup, including Pat Dinizio (of the Smithereens), the Health and Happiness Show (featuring former Bongo James Mastro), the Figgs (who backed Parker on his most recent tour), Neal Casal and Agnelli & Rave among others. The twenty tracks on the album cover songs from throughout Parker's career, including some of his best-known songs such as "Fool's Gold," "Local Girls" and "Get Started, Start a Fire," as well as lesser-known numbers such as "The Kid With the Butterfly Net" and "Mr. Tender." The artists turn in consistently strong performances throughout the album. One of the things that makes the album so successful is that the artists don't merely copy the original version of the songs, but rearrange the songs and give them their own unique interpretations.
My favorite track on the album is "The Kid With the Butterfly Net" by Kings in Disguise. The song is done as a folk-rock number and features a strong vocal and some nice violin by Tim Carbone. This is actually better than Parker's own version of the song.
There are lots of other outstanding performances as well. 22 Brides contribute a haunting, electrified version of "You Can't Be Too Strong, " while the Figgs turn in a punked-up, speeded-up version of "Passion Is No Ordinary Word." On the rockabilly-oriented "Back to Schooldays" Lauren Agnelli and Dave Rave trade exuberant vocals while Jon Tiven lends some twangy guitar backing. Pat Dinizio offers a stripped-down, guitar-based arrangement of "That's What They All Say." Other highlights include "Mr. Tender" by Samuel St. Thomas, "Long Stem Rose" by the Rees Shad Band and "Crawling From the Wreckage" by the Marys.
All in all, an excellent tribute album to one of
rock 'n' roll's best songwriters.
(Buy or Die, 174 Main Street, Hackettstown, NJ 07840.)
Reproduced with kind permission from Geoff Cabin.
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