Most critics will want to point you to “Howlin’ Wind”, Graham Parker’s first album, as his definitive statement, but I strongly disagree. His second effort with the Rumour, titled “Heat Treatment”, is the better record. My opinion is not a casual observation. I’ve lived with both of these albums for decades and know both of them by heart.

They are both great examples of British pub rock just before the onset of punk, but I have no doubt that the band’s second album is a much more realized effort. Parker’s first album is a wonderful signpost of things to come and it contains some of his best songs, but a few of the lyrics on the first album were often awkward if not ridiculous (both “White Honey” and “Lady Doctor” are great songs rhythmically, but the words can make me blush with embarrassment), and some of the songs are placeholders (You’ve Got to Be Kidding” and “Not if It Pleases Me” sound unfinished), taking up space between the best material. On “Heat Treatment,” the lyrics are at least slightly less ridiculous, and there is no filler. All ten tracks have withstood the test of time.

In the mid-seventies, The Rumour sound like what might have happened if an English version of Little Feat got crossed with the Attractions, a bunch of mates shooting for stardom by playing for beer. They are energetic and lively, nimbly negotiating their way through complex arrangements while leaving space for interplay. “Pourin’ It All Out” and “Something You’re Going Through” are stunningly sophisticated examples of pub rock, with near-perfect interplay between the musicians, while Parker wails above the band with a nervous energy that adds tension to the mix.

Coming out only months after the debut, it’s hard to imagine that the band could whip up such extraordinary material in such a short time, but the sophomore slump is completely avoided on “Heat Treatment”. Thanks to gems like the title track, “Fool’s Gold” and “Hotel Chambermaid” (a much more palatable spin on the ‘Lady Doctor’ lyrics), the band sounds stronger and Parker sounds more confident.

Parker’s first two albums can (and probably should) be heard as England’s precursor to punk and its frothier offspring, new wave. Without Graham Parker serving as the pioneer, would Elvis Costello or Joe Jackson become as popular as they did? Parker was Great Britain’s first ‘angry young man’ to reach a modicum of success, and it certainly helped that he had one of England’s finest bands providing support for his songwriting.

Parker seemed to come from nowhere, but the Rumour already had a full resume. Bandmembers previously worked as Brinsley Schwarz (with Nick Lowe) and as Ducks Deluxe (a spinoff of Brinsley Schwarz) before signing on with Parker. It was an ideal match, as Parker had a wealth of material that required a mix of raw energy and sophistication.

While America worshipped airtight, overwrought, and self-conscious efforts like “Hotel California” (an album that defined the era by its faults more than its attributes), England spawned something more vital and rootsy. They weren’t punks, but if anybody writes a book on the British roots of the genre, a chapter should be dedicated to the first two albums by Graham Parker and the Rumour.

Featured Tracks:

Heat Treatment

hat's What They All Say

Turned Up Too Late

Black Honey

Hotel Chambermaid

Pourin' It All Out

Back Door Love

Something You're Going Through

Help Me Shake It

Fools' Gold

December 1976 - Billboard Charted #169