Parker was a much critically acclaimed musician when I was becoming a fan myself in the 80s.
Like Elvis Costello, he had several good albums, so multiple albums would show up on Best Album Ever lists- it could be 76s debut Howlin Wind, 76s follow up Heat Treatment or the general consensus (and my favroite) 79s Squeezing Out Sparks.
Parker never quite crossed over like Costello (or Joe Jackson), despite some attention and minor hits (1985s Wake Up Next you You and 1988s Get Started, Start a Fire barely denting some charts), he mostly remains a bit of a cult figure.
By the time I got to him, his contemporary work was getting mixed reviews- 88s Mona Lisa’s Sister and 91s Struck by Lightning
It worked out well for me then that Parker’s oeuvre got well represented with 93s Passion is No Ordinary Word anthology.
I never obsessed with Parker as I might have with Costello but here was a career where there certainly are enough gems (like another contemporary Nick Lowe) in with some rubble - it is a pretty solid condensation of a career.
By the end of the 90s, I was still chasing after Parker though media attention was fleeting. He had released 14 albums when I last had followed him with 96s Acid Bubblegum (which didn’t include his numerous live albums- at least two being treated as major works)
Parker had always been prolific and he has remained so, though he has slipped under the radar in a way that Costello (or even Lowe or Jackson) never did.
I was never going to be surprised if he did resurface in a big way and 2023s Last Chance to do the Twist was a minor explosion- getting tons of buzz in a brave new world of social media conversation and online alternative broadcasting options.
“Twist” is a fun record of a veteran songwriter having a nice late career resurrection.
Album 23 by most counts of a 47 year career
Is it one of his best works? I would hesitate to go that far- it's a pretty solid, though not outstanding record- but I wouldn’t argue if someone thought so. There are some highlights for anyone plotting a career anthology. It is a perfect bookend (hopefully new launching point) for a reappraisal of a real talent. It is also ironic that the man critics always called the 'angry young man' always struck me all his career as a cranky 73 year old, he is only reaching that age now.
Even in its weird moments though -they aren’t out of place - a love song to Cannabis, the reggae rap of Dem Bugs, the Spanish Inquisition joke in Wicked Wit.
Though I would not say its his best work, I think this is the comeback we all hoped for, and fans of his previous albums will be plenty pleased. (If you want the late period Parker classic album in my opinion- I will put in a suggestion for 2007 Don’t Tell Columbus but you may have to wait a bit for that story).
2023 - Big Star Records
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