Howlin' Wind

Howlin' Wind
Howlin' Wind
Studio album by Graham Parker and the Rumour
Released	April 1976
Recorded	Eden Studios, London
Genre	Rock
Length	42:02
Label	Vertigo, Mercury
Producer	Nick Lowe
Graham Parker and the Rumour chronology

Howlin' Wind is the debut album by English singer-songwriter Graham Parker and his band the Rumour, released in 1976. The Rumour are mainly former pub rock scene musicians, including guitarist Brinsley Schwarz and keyboardist Bob Andrews of the band Brinsley Schwarz; Parker's recent jobs included pumping gas at a filling station. The music is a blend of rock and roll, R&B, reggae and folk music, behind Parker's searingly intelligent lyrics and passionate vocals. Critics likened Parker's spirit to British punk rock, then in its early stage, and retrospectively to that of singer-songwriters Elvis Costello and Joe Jackson, who would release their debut records within a few years of Howlin' Wind.

Many of the album's songs became live staples for the group, especially the reggae-tinged "Don't Ask Me Questions", which dismisses a malevolent God. "Back to Schooldays" demonstrates why Parker was categorised as "angry young man" by journalists throughout his career: Parker plans retribution against an education system that promised him that "it was like a film out here" when "it's a real horror show, boys". The title track "Howlin' Wind" bracingly announces Graham Parker's career aim: "I'm gonna howl". "Between You and Me" dates from 1975, when Parker, before meeting the Rumour, recorded demo versions of a few of his songs for Dave Robinson, future founder of Stiff Records. These tracks were shopped to labels and played on radio. The album's liner notes explain that "A subsequent recording of the song did not match the feel of the original ... here it is!"

Howlin' Wind was reissued in the United Kingdom in 2001 on Vertigo/Mercury, with one bonus track.

Critical reception[]

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[1]
Christgau's Record Guide	A^[2]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music	^[3]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	^[4]
Spin Alternative Record Guide	9/10^[5]
Uncut	^[6]

Reviewing Howlin' Wind for Rolling Stone, critic Teri Moris praised The Rumour's "raw efficiency" and "the directness of the playing and arranging", while concluding that the album primarily succeeds due to Parker's skills as a songwriter and arranger.^[7] Howlin' Wind finished fourth in The Village Voice's 1976 Pazz & Jop critics' poll of the year's best albums, following Parker's later released Heat Treatment in the second spot.^[8]

Track listing[]

All songs written by Graham Parker.

"White Honey" – 3:33
"Nothin's Gonna Pull Us Apart" – 3:21
"Silly Thing" – 2:51
"Gypsy Blood" – 4:37
"Between You and Me" – 2:25
"Back to Schooldays" – 2:54
"Soul Shoes" – 3:13
"Lady Doctor" – 2:50
"You've Got to Be Kidding" – 3:30
"Howlin' Wind" – 3:58
"Not If It Pleases Me" – 3:12
"Don't Ask Me Questions" – 5:38

Bonus Track (2001 Reissue)[]

"I'm Gonna Use It Now" – 3:11

Personnel[]

Graham Parker – vocals, acoustic guitar, Fender rhythm guitar
Brinsley Schwarz – guitar, Hammond organ, backing vocals
Bob Andrews – Lowrey organ, Hammond organ, piano, backing vocals
Martin Belmont – guitar, backing vocals
Steve Goulding – drums, backing vocals
Andrew Bodnar – Fender bass

Brass

Stewart Lynas – brass arrangement
Herschel Holder – trumpet
Dave Conners – first tenor saxophone
Brinsley Schwarz – second tenor saxophone
Danny Ellis – trombone
John "Viscount" Earle – baritone saxophone

Additional personnel

Paul Bailey – guitar on 5
Dave Otway – drums on 5
Paul Riley – bass guitar on 5
Noel Brown – slide guitar on 6, dobro on 11
Dave Edmunds – guitar on 6
Ed Deane – slide guitar on 7
Stewart Lynas – alto saxophone on 8

References[]

^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Howlin' Wind – Graham Parker / Graham Parker & the Rumour". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 March 2006.
^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Graham Parker: Howlin' Wind". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor and Fields. ISBN 0-89919-026-X. Retrieved 2 March 2006.
^ Larkin, Colin (2011). "Parker, Graham". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
^ Abowitz, Richard (2004). "Graham Parker". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 616–17. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8. Retrieved 8 January 2012.
^ Arnold, Gina (1995). "Graham Parker". In Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig (eds.). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. pp. 286–87. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
^ "Graham Parker: Howlin' Wind". Uncut. No. 52. September 2001. p. 102.
^ Morris, Teri (29 July 1976). "Howlin' Wind". Rolling Stone. No. 218. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
^ "The 1976 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll". The Village Voice. 31 January 1977. Retrieved 29 November 2010.

[1] Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Howlin' Wind – Graham Parker / Graham Parker & the Rumour". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 March 2006.

[2] Christgau, Robert (1981). "Graham Parker: Howlin' Wind". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor and Fields. ISBN 0-89919-026-X. Retrieved 2 March 2006.

[3] Larkin, Colin (2011). "Parker, Graham". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.

[4] Abowitz, Richard (2004). "Graham Parker". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 616–17. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8. Retrieved 8 January 2012.

[5] Arnold, Gina (1995). "Graham Parker". In Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig (eds.). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. pp. 286–87. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.

[6] "Graham Parker: Howlin' Wind". Uncut. No. 52. September 2001. p. 102.

[7] Morris, Teri (29 July 1976). "Howlin' Wind". Rolling Stone. No. 218. Retrieved 11 October 2020.

[8] "The 1976 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll". The Village Voice. 31 January 1977. Retrieved 29 November 2010.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

hide v Graham Parker & The Rumour
Bob Andrews Brinsley Schwarz Martin Belmont Andrew Bodnar Steve Goulding
Studio albums (Graham Parker & The Rumour)	Howlin' Wind (1976) Heat Treatment (1976) Stick to Me (1977) Squeezing Out Sparks (1979) The Up Escalator (1980) (2012) (2015)
Studio albums (Graham Parker)	Another Grey Area (1982) The Real Macaw (1983) Steady Nerves (1985) The Mona Lisa's Sister (1988) Struck by Lightning (1991)
Live albums	The Parkerilla (1978)
Songs	"Stick to Me" "Mercury Poisoning" "Protection" "Discovering Japan" "Local Girls" "You Can't Be Too Strong" "Passion Is No Ordinary Word" "Saturday Nite Is Dead" "I Want You Back (Alive)" "Stupefaction" "Endless Night" "Temporary Beauty" "Wake Up (Next to You)"