SQUEEZING OUT SPARKS personnel: Graham Parker (vocals, guitar); Brinsley Schwarz, Martin Belmont (guitar, background vocals); Bob Andrews (keyboards, background vocals); Andrew Bodnar (bass); Steve Goulding (drums, background vocals).

SQUEEZING OUT SPARKS producer: Jack Nitzsche.

SQUEEZING OUT SPARKS engineer: Mark Howlett.

SQUEEZING OUT SPARKS was recorded at Lansdowne Studios, London, California. Originally released in 1979.

LIVE SPARKS was recorded live in San Francisco, California on April 9, 1979 and Chicago, Illinois on April 28, 1979.

Includes liner notes by Graham Parker and Ira Robbins.

Personnel: Graham Parker (vocals); Brinsley Schwarz (guitar, background vocals); Bob Andrews (keyboards, background vocals); Steve Goulding (drums, background vocals); Martin Belmont (background vocals).

Audio Mixer: Ron Wolfe.

Liner Note Authors: Graham Parker; Ira Robbins.

Recording information: Chicago, IL (04/09/1979-04/28/1979); Lansdowne Studios, London, England (04/09/1979-04/28/1979); San Francisco, CA (04/09/1979-04/28/1979).

Photographers: David Gahr; Chris Gabrinowski.

Generally regarded as Graham Parker's finest album, Squeezing Out Sparks is a masterful fusion of pub rock classicism, new wave pop, and pure vitriol that makes even his most conventional singer/songwriter numbers bristle with energy. Not only does Parker deliver his best, most consistent set of songs, but he offers more succinct hooks than before -- "Local Girls" and "Discovering Japan" are powered by quirky hooks that make them new wave classics. But Parker's new pop inclinations are tempered by his anger, which seethes throughout the hard rockers and even his quieter numbers. Throughout Squeezing Out Sparks, Graham spits out a litany of offenses that make him feel like an outsider, but he's not a liberal, he's a conservative. The record's two centerpieces -- "Passion Is No Ordinary Word" and the anti-abortion "You Can't Be Too Strong" -- indicate that his traditionalist musical tendencies are symptomatic of a larger conservative trend. But no one ever said conservatives made poor rock & rollers, and Parker's ruminations over a lost past give him the anger that fuels Squeezing Out Sparks, one of the great rock records of the post-punk era. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Graham Parker's heat and fury turn past the boiling part on SQUEEZING OUT SPARKS. At this point, Parker had transformed his traditional roots into a sound of his own, equal parts pub band and bone-deep desperation. The results help make this the definitive Graham Parker document. It's also an unsettling album, at times scary.

The churning opener, "Discovering Japan," is the sound of dislocation, of isolation in a whirlwind. "Local Girls" places the bitterness right in your hometown with a killer radio-friendly hook. Though the centerpiece, "You Can't Be Too Strong," scalds everything in its path, it's still the most quiet moment on the album. An unflinching tale of an abortion, the song reverberates with emotional sinkholes. The Arista reissue includes a bolstered sound, typically rewarding liner notes from Parker himself, and an additional live CD of the album in its entirety.

Graham Parker's heat and fury turn past the boiling part on SQUEEZING OUT SPARKS. At this point, Parker had transformed his traditional roots into a sound of his own, equal parts pub band and bone-deep desperation. The results help make this the definitive Graham Parker document. It's also an unsettling album, at times scary.

The churning opener, "Discovering Japan," is the sound of dislocation, of isolation in a whirlwind. "Local Girls" places the bitterness right in your hometown with a killer radio-friendly hook. Though the centerpiece, "You Can't Be Too Strong," scalds everything in its path, it's still the most quiet moment on the album. An unflinching tale of an abortion, the song reverberates with emotional sinkholes. The Arista reissue includes a bolstered sound, typically rewarding liner notes from Parker himself, and an additional live CD of the album in its entirety.

Arista remastered Graham Parker's masterpiece, Squeezing Out Sparks, for CD reissue, adding the previously promotional-only live album Live Sparks as an added bonus. Though it is somewhat disconcerting to hear the same songs in the same order in a row, it's an excellent addition for hardcore collectors, especially since the sound on the original album is considerably improved. And, Live Sparks is a nervy, energetic live recording, especially with the addition of "I Want You Back (Alive)" and "Mercury Poisoning." ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine