Graham Parker & the Rumour
This Is Live (Shout! Factory)
Reviewed by Jim Caligiuri, Fri., Dec. 13, 2013
Graham Parker & the Rumour
This Is Live (Shout! Factory)Judd Apatow's 2012 comedy This Is 40 featured a performance by Graham Parker & the Rumour. Reunited after 31 years and fresh off the release of new studio album Three Chords Good, the UK sextet – some of the angry young men of the late-Seventies British New Wave – filmed more than just one scene at the Belasco Theater in Los Angeles, however. This Blu-ray/DVD combo pack contains the entire show, which, at just under 55 minutes, runs entirely too short. Once you get past this, as well as the fact that the band members haven't aged well, you can concentrate on the music and it's first-rate. Parker continues to be a magnet onstage, and old faves like "Passion Is No Ordinary Word" and "Local Girls" retain their gut punch. New song "Stop Cryin' About the Rain" catches the ear in a way it didn't on disc. A delight for fans and a worthy discovery tool for anyone interested in hard-hitting, adult rock.