''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 Pub rock is a rock music Rock music is a broad genre of popular music that originated as " rock and roll" in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of different styles in the mid-1960s and later, particu ...

scene musicians, including guitarist

Brinsley Schwarz Brinsley Schwarz were a 1970s English pub rock band, named after their guitarist Brinsley Schwarz. With Nick Lowe on bass and vocals, keyboardist Bob Andrews and drummer Billy Rankin, the band evolved from the 1960s pop band Kippington Lod ...

and keyboardist Bob Andrews of the band

; 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 Declan Patrick MacManus Order of the British Empire, OBE (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer-songwriter and record producer. He has won multiple awards in his career, including a Grammy Award in ...

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 Stiff Records is a British independent record label formed in London, England, by Dave Robinson and Jake Riviera. Originally active from 1976 to 1986, the label was reactivated in 2007. Established at the outset of the punk rock boom, Stiff ...

. 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

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. ''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.

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 An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

, Fender rhythm guitar ;The Rumour *

– guitar,

Hammond organ The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert and first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, Hammond organs generated s ...

, backing vocals * Bob Andrews – Lowrey organ, Hammond organ, piano, backing vocals *

Martin Belmont Martin Belmont (born 21 December 1948) is an English rock and country-blues guitarist, best known for being a founding member of Graham Parker & The Rumour. Life and career Belmont was born in Bromley, Kent, England. After working as a roadie ...

– guitar, backing vocals * Steve Goulding – drums, backing vocals * Andrew Bodnar – Fender bass ;Brass * Stewart Lynas –

brass arrangement Brass is an alloy of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), in proportions which can be varied to achieve different mechanical, electrical, and chemical properties. It is a substitutional alloy: atoms of the two constituents may replace each other wi ...

* Herschel Holder – trumpet * Dave Conners – first tenor saxophone *Brinsley Schwarz – second tenor saxophone *

Danny Ellis Daniel Ellis or Dan Ellis may refer to: *Daniel Ellis (botanist) (1772–1841), British physician, aerologist, botanist and author *Daniel Ellis (Unionist) (1827–1908), captain in the Union army during the American Civil War * Daniel David 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 Slide guitar is a technique for playing the guitar that is often used in blues music. It involves playing a guitar while holding a hard object (a slide) against the strings, creating the opportunity for glissando effects and deep vibratos tha ...

on 6,

dobro Dobro is an American brand of resonator guitars, currently owned by Gibson and manufactured by its subsidiary Epiphone. The term "dobro" is also used as a generic term for any wood-bodied, single-cone resonator guitar. The Dobro was originally ...

on 11 *

Dave Edmunds David William Edmunds (born 15 April 1944) is a Welsh singer-songwriter, guitarist and record producer. Although he is mainly associated with pub rock and new wave, having many hits in the 1970s and early 1980s, his natural leaning has alwa ...

– guitar on 6 * Ed Deane – slide guitar on 7 *Stewart Lynas –

alto saxophone The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments. Saxophones were invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in the 1840s and patented in 1846. The alto saxophone is pitched in E, smaller than the B tenor ...

on 8

References

{{Authority control Graham Parker albums 1976 debut albums Albums produced by Nick Lowe Mercury Records albums Reggae rock albums Vertigo Records albums