Stick to Me

For the album's title track, see Stick to Me (song).

Stick to Me is the third studio album by English singer-songwriter Graham Parker and the Rumour, released in 1977.^[1]

Stick to Me
Studio album by Graham Parker and the Rumour
Released	October 1977
Recorded	Eden, London
Genre	Rock
Length	36:44
Label	Vertigo, Mercury
Producer	Nick Lowe
Graham Parker chronology
Heat Treatment (1977) Stick to Me (1977) The Parkerilla (1978)

Background

Parker, interviewed by Steve Hammer, recalled the making of the album:

...for Stick to Me, we had an 80-piece string section playing. But the whole album had to be scrapped because the master tape was leaking oxide or something. The producer, again, didn't seem to spot it. We saw this black stuff coming off the tapes but he didn't notice it. When we came to mix it, it was un-mixable. The hi-hat was leaking through all the tracks. It was a nightmare, because we had a tour coming up. In those days I had a manager, and managers are always saying, "We have to play in Sweden now," like that's the most important thing to do. So we re-made the record in a week with Nick Lowe. It's not what I wanted at all. It's a very intense, grungy-sounding record, but I kind of like it now for that reason. I think people are trying to get that sound now, and have been since the late '80s, when we finally got rid of that Phil Collins drum sound and got real again. If a band made a record like that now, it would be hailed as a great low-fi record. But in those days, of course, the American press panned it. They thought I should sound like Boston or Journey or something. They thought I should have a slicker sound. But they had a point.^[2]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
Christgau's Record Guide	A−[4]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[5]
Q	[6]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[7]
Spin Alternative Record Guide	8/10[8]
Uncut	[9]

Rolling Stone critic Dave Marsh found that Stick to Me lacks highlights on the level of the best songs from Parker's previous releases and criticized its production, which he said "obscures the songs' drive and power, making murky some of the most lucid music around."^[10]

Critical opinion of Stick to Me generally ranks it below their first two albums, Howlin' Wind and Heat Treatment. An undeniable shortcoming is the sound: the sessions suffered from a production mishap.^[3] The original recording was ruined, and all the songs needed to be rerecorded hastily. This accounts for the absence of bonus tracks on reissues – there weren't any leftovers.

Track listing

All songs written by Graham Parker except as indicated.

1. "Stick to Me" – 3:29
2. "I'm Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down" (Earl Randle) – 3:26
3. "Problem Child" – 3:25
4. "Soul on Ice" – 3:01
5. "Clear Head" – 2:58
6. "The New York Shuffle" – 2:58
7. "Watch the Moon Come Down" – 4:49
8. "Thunder and Rain" – 3:15
9. "The Heat in Harlem" – 7:00
10. "The Raid" – 2:39

Personnel

• Graham Parker – vocals, guitar
• Brinsley Schwarz – guitar
• Bob Andrews – organ, piano, keyboards, backing vocals
• Martin Belmont – guitar, backing vocals
• Andrew Bodnar – bass guitar
• Steve Goulding – drums, backing vocals

Additional personnel

• John Altman – saxophone
• Ray Beavis – saxophone
• David Bedford – arrangements
• John Earle – saxophone
• Chris Gower – trombone
• Dick Hanson – trumpet
• Darryl Leeque – percussion

Charts

Chart (1977–78)	Peak position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[11]	35
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[12]	17
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[13]	29
UK Albums (OCC)[14]	19
US Billboard 200[15]	125