Graham Parker and Ian Hunter/2007 Releases

Graham Parker released "Don't Tell Columbus" earlier this year and Ian Hunter's "Shrunken Heads" is due in stores May 15. Graham Parker, no relation to Gram Parsons, released several great discs including "Heat Treatment" and "Howlin' Wind" in the late 70's. Ian Hunter is best known for leading the Dylan influenced glam-rock band Mott The Hoople in the early 70's and penning "Cleveland Rocks" which was re-recorded by some lame band I never listened to and used as the theme song for some TV show I never watched.

The two elder British statesmen serve up their take on America and politics, if not Americana, on their recent releases. You'd expect Graham Parker, the angry not-so-young-anymore man, to write songs like "Fuss About Nothin'" and "Soul Of America" except they are two tracks from Ian Hunter's "Shrunken Heads"! Both discs have been well received and garnered glowing reviews from various publications. If you've never heard of Graham Parker, "Don't Tell Comubus" and the lead-off track "I Discovered America" are not the place to start. Do yourself a favor and pick up the excellent compilation "Passion Is No Ordinary Word" and hear Graham "Discovering Japan" instead.

"Shrunken Heads", on North Carolina's YepRoc label, is definitely worth a spin or two or more. Hunter caught my ear on the first listen with the lyrics from "Fuss About Nothin'":

I got a bridge I can sell ya,
I got a pyramid,
I got a time-share in Florida,
How'd ya like a piece of it?

I'm feeling a bit nostalgic and I might have to dust off a Mott The Hoople disc and slap a slab of vinyl on the turntable......

Today's Trivia: Jeff Tweedy appears on "Shrunken Heads".