Graham Parker & The Rumour
Heat Treatment

When we talk about those movements that preceded Punk and New Wave, Pub Rock is often forgotten, which, in my opinion, left a heavy legacy for many groups from the two aforementioned schools.

A special mention should certainly be made for Graham Parker & The Rumour. Starting in 1979, Graham Parker himself would become one of the leading figures of the more singer-songwriter Wave alongside Elvis Costello and Joe Jackson, the first of whom emerged from the same music scene with "Flip City".

After recording "Howlin' Wind" in 1976, "GP&TR" recorded "Heat Treatment", the album in question, produced by Nick Lowe, who would later, by chance, produce the first albums for the Damned and three for Elvis Costello.

Heat Treatment, coincidentally, is the process that steel undergoes to be tempered before a final treatment, almost as if they considered themselves a transitional means for something new to come.

It is no coincidence that the group skillfully and expertly (thanks also to the excellent and well-traveled guitarist Brinsley Schwarz) draws from and remixes at will from Stones school Rock'n roll sounds ("Hotel Chambermaid"), to folk ballads so dear to Dylan and The Band ("That's What They All Say"), to more intimate "Van Morrison's style" pieces, to Motown and Soul influenced vocals ("Black Honey"), all the way to highly personal and innovative (for the time) white reinterpretations of Reggae ("Don't Ask Me Question" on the first album) but with a significantly more "charged", lively, and fierce attitude.

The same operations were revisited and extensively revised by the emerging Wave and partly in attitude but not only by some Punk groups like the Clash (though here a long discussion should also be had on the 101'ers).

Graham Parker's lyrics demonstrate artistic maturity and a certain class consciousness that closely resemble that of his contemporary Bruce Springsteen across the ocean. The Boss himself said that if he had to spend two bucks on a concert, he would certainly use them for one by Graham Parker & The Rumours.... and if he says so, maybe brushing them off wouldn't be such a bad idea!