Stick to Me

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For the album's title track, see Stick to Me (song).

Stick to Me
Studio album by
Graham Parker and the Rumour
ReleasedOctober 1977
RecordedEden Studios, London
GenreRock
Length36:44
LabelVertigo, Mercury
ProducerNick Lowe
Graham Parker chronology
Heat Treatment
(1977) 		Stick to Me
(1977) 		The Parkerilla
(1978)

Stick to Me is the third studio album by English singer-songwriter Graham Parker and the Rumour, released in 1977.[1]

Background[edit]

Parker, interviewed by Steve Hammer, recalled the making of the album:

...for Stick to Me, we had an 80-piece string section playing. But the whole album had to be scrapped because the master tape was leaking oxide or something. The producer, again, didn't seem to spot it. We saw this black stuff coming off the tapes but he didn't notice it. When we came to mix it, it was un-mixable. The hi-hat was leaking through all the tracks. It was a nightmare, because we had a tour coming up. In those days I had a manager, and managers are always saying, "We have to play in Sweden now," like that's the most important thing to do. So we re-made the record in a week with Nick Lowe. It's not what I wanted at all. It's a very intense, grungy-sounding record, but I kind of like it now for that reason. I think people are trying to get that sound now, and have been since the late '80s, when we finally got rid of that Phil Collins drum sound and got real again. If a band made a record like that now, it would be hailed as a great low-fi record. But in those days, of course, the American press panned it. They thought I should sound like Boston or Journey or something. They thought I should have a slicker sound. But they had a point.[2]

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Christgau's Record GuideA−[4]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[5]
Q[6]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[7]
Spin Alternative Record Guide8/10[8]
Uncut[9]

Rolling Stone critic Dave Marsh found that Stick to Me lacks highlights on the level of the best songs from Parker's previous releases and criticized its production, which he said "obscures the songs' drive and power, making murky some of the most lucid music around."[10]

Critical opinion of Stick to Me generally ranks it below their first two albums, Howlin' Wind and Heat Treatment. An undeniable shortcoming is the sound: the sessions suffered from a production mishap.[3] The original recording was ruined, and all the songs needed to be rerecorded hastily. This accounts for the absence of bonus tracks on reissues – there weren't any leftovers.

Track listing[edit]

All songs written by Graham Parker except as indicated.

  1. "Stick to Me" – 3:29
  2. "I'm Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down" (Earl Randle) – 3:26
  3. "Problem Child" – 3:25
  4. "Soul on Ice" – 3:01
  5. "Clear Head" – 2:58
  6. "The New York Shuffle" – 2:58
  7. "Watch the Moon Come Down" – 4:49
  8. "Thunder and Rain" – 3:15
  9. "The Heat in Harlem" – 7:00
  10. "The Raid" – 2:39

Personnel[edit]

Additional personnel

Charts[edit]

Chart (1977–78) Peak
position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[11] 35
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[12] 17
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[13] 29
UK Albums (OCC)[14] 19
US Billboard 200[15] 125

References[edit]

  1. ^ Tucker, Ken (8 October 1983). "A Dizzying Career". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. C3.
  2. ^ Hammer, Steve (June 1997). "Graham Parker: Back and better than ever". NUVO. Archived from the original on 26 December 2002. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  3. ^ a b Ruhlmann, William. "Stick to Me – Graham Parker & the Rumour / Graham Parker". AllMusic. Retrieved 5 March 2006.
  4. ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Graham Parker: Stick to Me". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor and Fields. ISBN 0-89919-026-X. Retrieved 5 March 2006.
  5. ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). "Parker, Graham". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
  6. ^ "Graham Parker and the Rumour: Stick to Me". Q. No. 180. Summer 2001. p. 125.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ "Graham Parker and the Rumour: Stick to Me". Uncut. No. 52. September 2001. p. 102.
  10. ^ Marsh, Dave (1 December 1977). "Stick to Me". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  11. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 229. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  12. ^ "Charts.nz – Graham Parker & the Rumour – Stick to Me". Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  13. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Graham Parker & the Rumour – Stick to Me". Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  14. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  15. ^ "Graham Parker Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
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