The best thing about Bruce Springsteen is that without him, it's very likely neither of these albums would have happened. Both of these artists are touted as the "British Springsteen," a comparison which, though it has a certain amount of feasibility, doesn't give either enough credit.
Parker is a master performer with a commanding presence on album which buoys mediocre material to high standards of listenability and, when confronted by a truly great tune (he writes about three per LP), shines. His third record, produced by Nick Lowe, is his best and most consistent to date.
Also, under the wing of said Lowe is Elvis Costello, currently the rage in the land of lobsterbacks and a fine artist in his own right. Costello's debut album carries with it an incredible amount of style and charisma, in addition to four or five of the best songs recorded all year. There's a certain amount of crudeness to My Aim Is True — possibly due to their use of an eight-track machine to record it on. However, the guitar sounds shrill and trebly but not necessarily in a bad way. There's a heavy debt to Van Morrison, Phil Spector, and just about everybody except the Beatles here, but all in all a very pleasing and inspired record, a must for any true rocker.
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