Graham Parker and the Rumour - Empty Lives

[aartman01]

Superb! This brings back many memories for me!  And I agree with BluegooseCT!

[aartman01]

Superb! This brings back many memories for me!

[CUNetstime]

GP could write and perform in such varied styles, and he still does. Taste is individual, so EP over GP or vice versa is meaningless. My taste is GP, from Sparks right through Invisible Television and all in between. Each album is unique and great. Songs of No Consequences, Up Elevator, etc., all terrific. His stuff dosen't get old. For me, Graham Parker is the best. Period.

[ensconse]

EC can sing and write circles around GP, as good as GP is.

[westcj]

Love GP, but I wished he had junked those sunglasses!

[AndoDouglas]

Somebody bottle this to teach future generations of drones what kickass tastes like

[cantonadenmark]

Fabolous....he should have had a career like Costello...he was his equal ever step of the way

[alto100]

This is such a wonderful piece of video... I was a fan of his in the late '70s and saw him live at UC Davis... what a polished showman and this song was by far his best composition because it really captured the obsessive/complusive nature of the early 80's and beyond when money was easy to make and drugs were everywhere to be found.... Miami Vice world... sorry you missed it...

[atomic6120]

BADASS!!!! Lyrical genius....

[Fenslodger]

If there is anyone else who could have put on a show like this, it could only be The SAHB with Faith Healer. GP+Rumour had everything except the worldwide total appreciation they deserved.

[brucec43]

Holy scheet

[wenedsday]

Parker is the greatest rocker of all time

[tvoh01]

Graham Parker is an excellant songwriter back then as well as today, his performance are still making this music sound fresh today

[navim49]

Amazing live band. Incorporated the anger of the age with a class unsurpassed. Thanks for posting!!

[tvoh01]

great vid thanks for reminding me why I love, love this band songs

[garylongden]

I saw GP&R in the late 70's, they were a classic live band whose studio albums never captured the magic. Sadly, firstly his brand of superior pub rock was blasted out of the water by Punk, and then Elvis Costello stole the "angry young man" mantle from GP and Joe Jackson.

[cabronte]

Joe Jackson, and mind you I like him, was hardly at the forefront of this. He was a follower. In fact he tried to compare his music to the Clash, not EC or GP. That's a fucking joke, yes?

[brucec43]

@garylongden Don't let GP hear you calling his music pub rock. He hates the term and says he never played in pubs.

[garylongden]

@brucec43

I saw him play in the "Hope & Anchor" in Islington.....................­.............

He was certainly amongst the Kursaal Flyers,Kilburn and the High Roads, Eddie & The Hot Rods, Be Bop Deluxe pack. They were certainly different to the Punk/ New wave crowd, but the Springsteeen direction, as evidenced by the Empty Lives album, didnt work for him.A great songwriter - but his strength was live.

[spideyfreak55]

Graham Parker was BEFORE Elvis Costello and his new CD is supposed to come out in april 2010.

[blatspanner]

i guess i'm not the first person to say this,or something like it : elvis costello. ring any bells,elvis? i've always been a big fan of costello's,but this is kind of shocking.

[FloydRobertson]

I remember Friday's, but not this performance. Funny thing, though, 29 years later and I can tell you exactly where I was when I first heard this song. It blew me away that much. My friend beat me to the punch and bought the album the day after it came out. Called me up and said "come over for some beers, I have something you have to hear"

[olaig]

What an incredible live band! Don't get me wrong, i love new bands and like to play recent stuff live.. But these guys are different class and put a lot of today's bands to shame!

[ICECHICK5]

I think this sounds as good live as it does on the album.One of my all time favourite songs!!!

[fotobart]

great !!!

[mattlela]

Oh man -- I actually saw this in high school when it originally aired. Fantastic.

[underwwraps2]

Was lady doctor on the performance? UW2

[iesus68]

this song rocks and Graham Parker is my hero.

[ludovica36]

Always was a big fan of GP.. nice to see this

[biedrzyckijoseph]

Insanely brilliant...It's ironic (I know that this has been stated before)...but I believe that GP always knew that he was doing just that...and loved every minute of it!

[RaiderMav]

Brilliant, and totally underappreciated. I listened to this album over and over, when it came out. Great stuff. This song should be an anthem of sorts. It is still relevant.

[BluegooseCT]

The fact that this guy NEVER got the fame of Elvis Costello or even Joe Jackson is one of the great insjustices of our time

[adrianpeterjohn]

fcukin brilliant bruce springsteen helped out on the album on the up escalator goin down the cracks

[7777srd]

Holy Shit!! Even the tacky camera effects don't detract.

Yeah... Costello doesn't even hold a candle to this guy.

[Radarspit]

Always great to see anything Parker related. My musical hero that blew contempories such as Costello into the weeds. Should be more widely acknowledged as a true great, especially his biting and passionate lyrics.

[Roadblock02]

red hot.

[rudedog1960]

Great song. Up Escalator was a great follow-up to the classic Squeezing Out Sparks. He's been filling up my empty life for a long time now.

[lolbox123]

GP is timeless. This stuff still rocks!

[buetisf]

Brilliant!!! Classic '80s vid effects at the end. Like this hard-ass performance needed it.

[Rawblah]

Great, takes me back. :-) Still so relevant too!

Cheers!

[cabronte]

Graham Parker is flat out one of my all time faves. The cross between Costello and Strummer, he was absolutely devastating with the Rumour. Brinsley was his Keef so after the split he's still a great songwriter but man when this group was together, as intense as the Clash.

[klarkbar]

this so intense! listening to graham parker is like eating a meal where youre constantly biting your lip and your tongue. he is excellently scathing and vicious... and other biting adjectives! he has no equals.

[cabronte]

appropriate

[grahampl]

GP and The Rumour = No Holding Back..

Now what about a tour boys ????

[ccyt]

wow.

[JohnEpi1973]

bravoo to whoever brought this up !

[gdash4]

It amazes me that Steve Goulding has been the drummer with two great bands: these guys, and the Mekons, who are still playing and recording (OOOH! and Journey to the End of the Night are two of the best CDs of this decade). A friend of mine, who has seen everyone, Hendrix, Dylan, the Clash, you name it, says the GP and the Rumour show he saw in 1979 stands above all others.

[cabronte]

Saw the Clash four times and GP twice that year. Tie. The Jam also come in for consideration for a hot show in Oakland, CA.

[tvoh01]

Goulding also played with garland Jeffreys as did the some of the other Rumour guys back in 82

[shingok2]

Thank you! Graham has been my No.1 hero since 1978 when I saw his live in Japan. This made my day too.

[surfcat60]

A great example of GP in his prime, although his prime has lasted decades....what kind of guts does it take to tell you audience, "Don't get me to fill up your empty lives?" reminds me of his contemporary, Elvis Costello who sang "I want to bite the hand that feeds me." The Rumour were one of the great bands and they play great here, especially Brinsley and I believe that's Nicky Hopkins on piano...

[PsyberTube]

Nicky Hopkins ... Oh yeah, you could be right. I'd forgotten no Bob Andrews by the time we get to The Up Escalator

[bigfatwhitecat]

oh wow - this is amazing. Never saw Graham Parker better. A truly underrated performer. Thanks for posting this - it made my day.

[Rockunstank]

great stuff.

[blairh1966]

Thanks so much for posting this! Can't get enough of GP & The Rumour