This came out in 2002 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
First we didn’t hear from new wave troubadour Graham Parker for years; now he’s making up for lost time.
This is the second disc of vintage live Parker issued in the past year. That’s just fine with me; back in the ’70s, Parker’s sneering, literate lyrics defined him as the smartest songwriter since Costello, while his crack R&B combo The Rumour established him as possibly the most dynamic live performer this side of Springsteen. This set doesn’t quite live up to that billing — it was recorded in 1983, after Parker had disbanded The Rumour. But it does find the singer-songwriter leading a sharp ensemble through a jittery, energetic set divided equally between tracks from his then-current disc The Real Macaw and old faves like Thunder and Rain, Fool’s Gold, Local Girls, Saturday Night is Dead and Discovering Japan. It may not be his finest hour, but it’ll do until next time.
