Shoot me down in flames, Sting, but no other white British band really nailed adapting that Jamaican off-beat to their own purposes the way Graham Parker and the Rumour did.
Which is to say that Steve Goulding and Andrew Bodnar (curiously the best preserved of this veteran ensemble) were always a better rhythm section than Stewart Copeland and Gordon Sumner. During a set that ranged from the title track of debut album Howlin' Wind to an encore of Hey Lord, Don's Ask Me Questions, that was one thought I hadn't planned on having. Because Parker and the Rumour were an R&B band, surely, our Springsteen and the E Street Band?
The comparison is still valid - and nothing on the reunited outfit's new Three Chord Good album marks a radical change in direction - but the accomplished sextet's musicality is more sophisticated, with the contrasting guitar styles of Brinsley Schwarz and Martin Belmont and Hammond and piano of Rob Andrews stretching to the US-conquering Discovering Japan, as the Costello-esque Don't Get Excited, as well as the more straightforward pub-rock of Lady Doctor and Hotel Chambermaid. Long Emotional Ride, Snake Oil Capital of the World and Old Soul, from the new disc, are worthy additions to that catalogue.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article