Graham Parker – The Real Macaw

Real Macaw is Graham Parker’s second studio album since his split from Rumour, released in 1983.

Rolling Stone magazine described The Real Macaw as “a propulsive, brilliantly sung LP.” Trouser Press, on the other hand, called it “a softer-sounding record that should have been harder” while PopMatters wrote that “even with the keyboards with an expiration date, it ranks among the best pop-oriented rock albums of all time.”

Graham Parker must have realized that replacing a band as solid as Rumour would not be easy, after they parted ways and the heavy-duty recordings made for his first solo album Another Gray Area either couldn’t or shouldn’t have summoned the passion and soul that Parker’s music demanded, and with the album’s pulpy production not helping matters.

Real Macaw, however, is a significant development for Parker. The musicians, which include former Rumour guitarist Brinsley Schwarz and Squeeze drummer Gilson Lavis, sound tight and full, and if the album rarely sounds as hard as one might expect from Parker. The up-tempo beats of “Just Like A Man” and “The Last Couple On The Dance Floor” suggest that the band could literally blast them if the situation called for it, but even the quieter songs still display a strong, if subdued, energy.

While David Kershenbaum’s production is more or less in the mid-’80s stereotype, it does so to its advantage in several places, especially with the occasional use of percussion and keyboards, giving the songs a bright, audible surface that supports them quite well. Parker has pulled out a batch of diamonds this time. After his recent marriage, human relationships seem to be clearly on his mind, with much to say about their ups and downs and the simple hard work that love creates, sentiments that range from the melancholic “Can’t Take Love For Granted” and the bitterly self-punishing “Just Like A Man” to “Life Gets Better,” one of the most overtly optimistic tunes he’s ever allowed himself to write. After the disappointment of his last album with Rumor and his first solo album, he’s certainly had room to wonder if he’d simply run out of steam, but The Real Macaw makes it clear that Parker’s muse is still at work, working hard to get him back on track.

From this excellent album, I select the track “Sounds Like Chains.”

Tracklist

A1. You Can’t Take Love For Granted 4:36
A2. Glass Jaw 3:16
A3. Just Like A Man 2:40
A4. Passive Resistance 3:20
A5. Sounds Like Chains 4:41
B1. Life Gets Better 3:13
B2. A Miracle A Minute 3:10
B3. Beyond A Joke 4:49
B4. Last Couple On The Dance Floor 3:04
B5. Anniversary 2:57
B6. (Too Late) The Smart Bomb 3:27