Personnel: Graham Parker (vocals, guitar); G. Love (harmonica); Pete Hayes, Peter Lind Hayes (drums); Mike Gent (guitar, drums, background vocals); Pete Donnelly (keyboards, bass guitar, percussion, background vocals); Scott Bricklin (keyboards); Jesse Honig (drums).
At a time when it seemed least likely, coming on the heels of a country album and after 15 years of optimists looking for the long-awaited heir to the classic SQUEEZING OUT SPARKS, Graham Parker made a successful return to his sharply rocking roots with 2005's SONGS OF NO CONSEQUENCE. While Parker's revisited his rock & roll past before, most notably in the mid-'90s with ACID BUBBLEGUM, he was never so obviously on point. His songwriting here is at its sharpest since the early '80s, no small thing for a man who made his reputation on acerbic wit and a winningly caustic worldview. He's supported here by members of the Figgs, who helped out on Parker's ACID BUBBLEGUM tour as well; and while no one can match the focused fire of the Rumour's backing on Parker's indispensable '70s recordings, SONGS OF NO CONSEQUENCE bears an unexpected amount of kick. Anyone scared off by the garish eyesore of an album cover is encouraged to brave the curious packaging for the musical gems that lay within.
Professional Reviews
Entertainment Weekly (No. 825, p.83) - "...[L]iterate songs that dissolve bitterness into sweet melodies.....[N]ot far removed from the glory days of the renowned rocker's mid-70s work." - Grade B plus
Uncut (p.94) - 4 stars out of 5 - "[The album] resurrects the stray-cat Stonesy rumble of '76's HOWLIN' WIND and '77's STICK TO ME..."
Magnet (p.106) - "[With] hooks that make the songs impossible to get out of your head. They're about real people...and Parker's anger is real..."
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