Graham Parker - Protection

[Jet094]

I wish there was some better audio quality for this.

[swanstoon]

Awesome song,love the lyrics especially the last verse. Is that Bob Andrews on keyboards? He went on to produce The Dugites,a wonderful band from Western Australia.

[animalvillage]

This dude needs to sue Shakira's songwriters

[wmw2525]

Magnificent ! .... They just don't make 'em much better than this !.

[sistawoman1]

forgot how good this is

[sistawoman1]

forgot how good this was, haven't heard it in years

[mblake1000]

I love Heat Treatment and Mona Lisa's sister as well by Graham..Heat Treatment is an awesome song and Squeesin out Sparks is the best

[Teddyb1939]

Great band,Magic stuff

[fluffydolly]

haven't seen this in 25 years......kool song and early vid.....great post!!!!

[BeverPung]

Why isn´t it posible to see the song "SOUL SHOES"?

Has anybody find that song with Graham Parker on youtube?

[BPavsner]

Between this and "Local Girls," I was just thinking: how many guys in the Rumour are there exactly?

[TheHughLundy]

Graham Parker the man with the razor edge wit and voice. Image wise as this proves he was in real deal true punk not punk rocker wise.As always Graham is ptophet out of time and has never recived to due acaim he richly deserves.Thankfuly we have the songs and videos to keep the fans happy. Shame some of the youngs guns in bands these days don;t study Graham more closely

[Sparta2310]

To hear G.P. at his very best get the live album "Graham Parker * Live! Alone in America"

Just him and a guitar, really good album. He does a good version of this track on it.

[ZLUGGO]

Fantastic song from his best album.

[MrSafetyfairy]

i spent my 18yh b'day at Festival Hall in Melbourne watching this band burn it up.

What a gig...

What a night!!!!!!!

[tvoh01]

all of them

[tvoh01]

try the lastest its a return to the cutting edge

[bloozeman101]

i really love i990's "Human Soul"

[rocktenniscat]

Can somebody recommend an album beyond 1995? Most recent albums I have are Twelve Haunted Episodes & Mona Lisa's Sister, which I like much better than 12 Haunted.....suggestions?

[Mouldytone]

@rocktenniscat

I like 2004s 'Your Country' recorded for the mainly alt country Bloodshot Label. 2005s 'Songs Of No Consequense' has lots of classic sharp GP lyrics. I haven`t heard all of it yet but his latest album 'Imaginary Television' has a wonderfully pared back production sound and more good writing. I recon GPs voice is getting better year by year.

Tony

[rocktenniscat]

@Mouldytone - Thanks for those recommendations. And, I sure hope Mr. Parker will come back up here sometime. I think it's been about years.

[thegunclub123]

@Mouldytone-Drive-By Truckers, The Beta Band, stuff like that

[rocktenniscat]

@Mouldytone -  'Sorry so late in my thank you! Appreciate the suggestions, and could SOMEBODY PLEASE SMUGGLE GP INTO CANADA? It's been YEARS....

[randomeddie]

@rocktenniscat - 'Acid Bubblegum' and 'Your Country'.

[jimlaregina]

@rocktenniscat

ACID BUBBLEGUM

YOUR COUNTRY

IMAGINARY TELEVISION

[matto902]

@rocktenniscat Live! Alone! in japan is really awesome. Idk if thats after 1995 but you should listen to it anyway ahah

[DasBlood]

Sounds a lot like Elvis Costello.

[rocktenniscat]

Well, I hope that's a compliment....GP is marvellous.

[DasBlood]

Just an observation, this is great stuff.

[underwwraps2]

What a superb song.

I wish I could be back in the 70s!!

Thanks so much for the upload!! UW2

[TruthAxe]

Like many songs from the period, there's material here, much to work with, but this one needed to be produced better.

And the engineering sounds awful, everything is mixed up front.

[Johnnyallucard]

Are you allowing for the 8th generation copy? Go buy the album. Twat.

[TruthAxe]

@Johnnyallucard You amuse.

I like how you sign your posts. The name fits you well.

Like most of his time, Parker lacked editing skills to make a great song.

Contrast the lengthened wankery heard here with Koka Kola by Joe Strummer and the Clash.

Oh and how nerdy and unoriginal, "dracula" spelled backward. Get real.

[Johnnyallucard]

It's not Dracula spelt backwards - Dracula has only one L :)

[TruthAxe]

@Johnnyallucard Yes, twat. You've suffered from reverse name spelling fail.

Oh how you amuse.

[db3dard]

2:20 what is goninng on with the rabbits in the shower

[sanfred]

He looks kinda like Norm MacDonald without his shades...

[ThisIsRuthie]

It's weird seeing GP without the dark glasses at the beginning. I've been a fan for 30 years and up to now I had no idea what he looked like. Thanks for posting.

[tbzeee]

oops! looks like you're right skin41, mutt lange did the parkerilla as well. my bad.

[tbzeee]

neil young's buddy jack nitzsche (RIP) produced squeezing out sparks (he worked w/spector back-in-the-day, too. strange cat.) mutt lange only did heat treatment. man, there's not a bad cut on this LP. graham takes his shades off in the local girls video, too.

[videostrategies]

Watch out . . . he bites! Graham's acid and wit, especially on Squeezing Out Sparks, is just about the best there is.  Too bad he toned it down on later releases.

[swrider5400]

Squeein' Out Sparks, damn, what an album. I know every word of every song. Graham pre-dates Elvis, Joe Jackson, and others. The original.....

[ath8]

Squeezing.....incredible album.Passion is no ordinary word....

[olaig]

Graham Parker was fantastic! I miss this kind of stuff!

[skin41]

Guess who produced? R.J.Lange? ie "Mutt Lange" thats why its so catchy also produced Parkarilla

[miguelpaleta]

Dead rabbits hanging in the shower (2:17) - WTF?!

[MisterDensity]

Shakira's "Whenever, Wherever" has a chorus that sounds like Protection's chorus. Graham's brilliant

[aussietv2]

wtf? are you serious?

[thesecretlivesofcats]

I have a bunch of Graham Parker records. You know this, but I have to say his record came out before Elvis Costello's. In any case...I wasn' there and too young, so feel free to refute me. My BIG Point is THIS...we see him without sunglasses in the very beginning of this videol...and I've never seen that...in videos or live performances...can you spot another time he had no sunglasses? No protection indeed.

[redinKC]

Maybe if he'd kept the glasses off the rest of the world would have seen how wonderful he is.

[thesecretlivesofcats]

Aw.

[11xzxzxz]

@redinKC  Not a bad point but I just like to think the world wants Rick Springfields Jessie Girl .... Rick is a poor man's Graham though he did a few good songs and even a poor mans .. is a compliment when you are talkin Graham Parker, genius

[huskerdu1661]

@11xzxzxz Generally love your music tastes, but comparing GP to ANYONE (other than Elvis Costello maybe) is crazy!!!! I like Rick Springfield, but has he (or anyone else for that matter) ever written a song like "You Can't Be Too Strong"????..Parker is one of a kind...(Do Love Me some Jesse's Girl though!!!!!!)..LOL!!!! Peace brother!!!!

[huskerdu1661]

@11xzxzxz 'Squeezing Out Sparks" is one of the top 50 records ever IMO!!!! (Do love Springfield's I've Done Everything For You though)!!!!! Peace 11xzxzxz!!!!!

[11xzxzxz]

@huskerdu1661 Yes top 50 and yes I like Springfield's singles. Also, like Don't Talk to Strangers and even Jessie's Girl at one time. I forgot to mention that Springfield admired Parker a lot.. What is your favorite Huskerdu or Bob Mould record?

[huskerdu1661]

@11xzxzxz Tough call on both....Always "Celebrated Summer" from "New Day Rising" is near the top of the Husker list....critics will tell you that "Zen Arcade" is thier masterpiece...and does have some amazing songs on it,. like "Whatever" and "Newest Industry"...Bob`s solo stuff is all over the place so it varies with my mood...can't go wrong with "Workbook"...there is a cool video someone made on Youtube for his song "Circles" that is terrific..great imagery!!!! He fronted Sugar too..all good!

[11xzxzxz]

@huskerdu1661 I agree with your Celebrated Summer over the critics "zen arcade". Liked Circles. Remember a fine song semi-hit by Sugar but can't find it with quick look. Read Bob might have been a character in the Almost Famous as he and Cameron Crowe are friends. My favorite band is The Replacements. Nice to see them both at the 7th street entry .. want to see a great performance,imo, watch the Replacements there doing Johnnys Gonna Die.

[huskerdu1661]

@11xzxzxz Never knew Mould and Crowe were friends(doesn't surprise me too much as Crowe has always been on the music scene...seattle vs. minneapolis..LOL!!!) I heart me some Replacements!!! Paul was(and still is) a genius, but his (and the band's) drinking interrupted what could have been a "Beatlesesque" career...He was that good of a songwriter!!!! Sad..but at least we have thier catalog of records to fall back on...I love the greasy version of "Gas Station Attendant"!!!!! :)

[11xzxzxz]

@huskerdu1661 Ha I will have to listen Gas Station Attendant .. numero uno fan doesn't even know all of their songs. Yeah I just think their production values were never going to get them anything like Beatleseque careers. I play them for people and hardly anyone likes them. Time to find new friends I guess. I read the Crowe and Mould tip in Wikipedia and they implied (I thought) that they were both gay ...

[huskerdu1661]

@11xzxzxz Mould definitely gay...so weird 'cuz so many of my musical faves turned out to be gay but I'm not...still at least I'm not homophobic but I still wonder what it says about me that so many of my favorute musicians turned out to be gay....maybe I'm overthinking things....meant to ask you about "The Move"...Is that Bev Bevan's band after ELO???? Liked what I heard of the songs you posted...always thought ELO's sound was solely Jeff Lynne...but this was definitely inflenced!!!

[11xzxzxz]

@huskerdu1661 OK .. most likely your musical tastes would not jell with gays so don't worry about it. I think gays would like a lot of musicals, Gaga, Justine Timberlake .. so if you like that stuff , then you worry. It matters not if you turn out to be gay anyway .. right? The MOVE preceded ELO .. Bev was just a great drummer by the Move was almost entirely Roy Wood and then the last record Roy and Jeffs.

[11xzxzxz]

@huskerdu1661 The best of the Move: Your Beautiful Daughter, Chinatown, The last thing on My Mind, Blackberry Way, This Moment On. Do Ya, imo. Roy also does 50 throwback stuff which I don't like. Take a look at one version of The Last Thing on my Mind was dedicated to once upon a time .. me and of course I probably made a lot of goofy remarks and still do..

[11xzxzxz]

@huskerdu1661 . heard that about Mould not Crowe (now married to Heart) (though Crowe was hurt so bad by Penny Lane in Almost Famous that he had no other choice .. hey remember at the end of the movie who visits him? the band guy comes over to his place set up by Penny Lane .. well I guess I am letting my imagination go ..

[godisatan]

Did you record this from Rage? The graphics look familiar. Remember the first time I saw this on Countdown all those years ago. Great song!!!

[Mouldytone]

Thanks for commenting on the clip. It was recorded off Rock Arena. Not sure if Rage was on air at the time (mid 1980s) or not.

[ANBtopcat]

@Mouldytone I saw the that Rock Arena show and went out and bought my first of many (all) GP records the next day at 78's. From memory Joe Jackson and Robert Palmer were the other featured artists on the show. What were the other GP songs shown on that night. Have you posted them?

[TheDrunkenBikeLlama]

I just found this album in me papas collection. great song on a great album

[biakeyholedave]

Most under-rated album of all time; my vinyl copy is almost worn out. The point is there's not a weak track on it - You can't be too strong / Love gets you twisted / Waiting for the UFOs etc.

A very true comment that Graham suffered a little from a similarity to Elvis Costello, but God they were both brilliant, and both under-rated at the time.

[howgain]

Never saw this video before, although I knew it existed. Thanks for posting!

[squeezebunt]

reasons i love graham parker---he repeats the phrase "sticking it in" multiple times in this song, and in stupefaction, just repeats the word "stupid" over and over and over to brilliant effect. love it love it love it love it.

[123F0RD]

So if you think thats funny Im not really laughing honey

Your love letters are confetti I ripped them up my hands were sweaty

I Friggen love this song

[SecretAgentSlothman]

Fucking fantastic!!!! I haven't seen this in years, I remember seeing it on Videowest, and I all I remembered of it was Graham walking with the dogs. I got real excited here seeing that!!!

Thanks for posting!

[asakurakleme]

stop fighting pls. make love not drama.

wow!! O.o sx

[brollast]

that was hella funny. u get 5 stars. m

[aimtrue45]

Squeezing Out Sparks is one of my favourite all time albums. G.P. was a great singer and songwriter, and I think deserved to be more famous, but was sort of squeezed out by his similarity to Elvis Costello.

[dnymny]

We can all complain that GP should of had more success,but the fact of the matter was,we listened to him and others because it wasn't the same boring shit on the radio. We had to stay up late and watch video shows, scour record stores and find like minded people who shared our tastes. You tube is great, but I miss the old days of finding great music without the help of commerical radio

[kernmount]

This is a hard hitting song. Raw and real. It ain't the knife in the heart that tears you apart, Just the thought of someone...sticking it in, sticking it in.

[californiacrude]

i remember watching this video on snl late night before the mtv days

[axecalibore]

I loved this!! I ran right out and bought the album during the old vinyl days. It was also the first time I ever saw Rotweilers. I thought "What the... heck are those dogs???"

[mojomama59]

love it, love it, love it....

[takinglibertys]

radios just pick up bad stations... If my memory serves me right, SOS (Squeezing Out Sparks) was beat out by "Afternoon Delight' - Starland/Starlight Vocal Group for a Grammy in '76 or '77. The 70's were so pathetic. GP, you surely deserved so much better.

[PC3900]

From the best album of the 70's - "Squeezing Out Sparks".

[freefleas]

You bet. Some good times were going down around this era

[Brakss]

Autentico. Muy bueno

[wokingfc2]

just cant get just cant get noooo protection

[7353johnh]

Awesome song and video Should have been massive Love it

[colinyung]

It was a BIG HIT with me anyway! Wicked tune.

[wokingfc2]

absolute classic tune i think thats howard devoto on keyboard a great song

[exile1965]

It's actually Bob Andrews on keyboards. That's his original backing band The Rumour which included Andrews, Brinsley Schwarz, Andrew Bodnar, Martin Belmont & Steve Goulding.

[starchaser77]

This is brilliant. Why was this never a hit?

[peterj62]

It was a hit .....