Under Parr

Background

Under Parr was released four years after Parr's last studio album Man With a Vision, which had seen a small amount of chart success in Europe. Like Parr's previous album, Under Parr was only released in certain counties within Europe, largely via the record label Blue Martin and K-Tel International (Switzerland) AG. Without a release in America or the UK, the limited European release received little promotion and did not gain any charting success, whilst neither did the album's three singles. The album was recorded in various recording studios within London, New York and Los Angeles. It was mastered at Greenwood Studios. The model who appears on the front cover is Claudia Vass. The album was Parr's last studio album for over a decade until 2011 when he released his new album "Letter To America" after a long legal battle that kept Parr from recording.

Three singles were released from the album; "The River Runs Deep," "Size of the Boat" and "Secrets". The German single "The River Runs Deep" was released by Koch International as a CD maxi-single. It featured three other tracks; "Family Tree" (an album track), and two exclusive tracks "A Few Good Men" and "The River Runs Deep (Retro Mix)". "Size of the Boat" was released in Germany via Bud Music, and featured five tracks in total. The featured track was a "Radio Edit" of "Size of the Boat", whilst the following tracks, all exclusive to the single, are; "Size of the Boat (Director's Cut)," "Time II," "Out of Faze (Instrumental)" and "Size of the Boat (TV-Express Cut)". "Secrets" was the third and final single, featuring a "Radio Edit" of the track, as well as a "Directors Cut" and the album track "Makin' Love to Your Answer Machine".

In a June 2011 interview by Mark Taylor for the Get Ready to Rock! website, Parr was asked why there was no further releases after Under Parr for over a decade. Parr responded "I was dead in the water long before "Under Parr". From the nineties onwards I was locked in the litigation. I was ducking and diving doing little deals here and there to try and stay afloat. All my income was frozen for almost twenty years so I had to really bob and weave. "Man with a Vision" was really a bunch of demos but as there were no deals on the table I was forced to release it through Blue Martin a small label in Switzerland - it was the only game in town - on the up side the owner of that company Martin Scheiss and AR Sue Beherendt became lifelong friends. Even though we had very little exposure due to the court case - they invested in "Under Parr". I told them not to unless they could afford to promote it properly. In the end they spent a ton of money making the record and had little left to promote it. I walked away from music for the next ten years. It broke my heart. I was making records that only my family and friends heard - some of my best work I think, that nobody was going to hear. The guitar stayed untouched in the box for ten years and I never sang a note."

Release

In Germany the album was released on CD, via Bud Music. This release was licensed from K-Tel International (Switzerland) AG, distrusted by Kiosk Audio Video Cassetten GmbH, whilst the copyright was held by Kiosk, (phonographic copyright by Blue Martin Records). In recent years the album has been issued as an MP3 download on iTunes.

As the album, including the Man with a Vision album did not receive a UK release, both albums were issued together circa 2010 in the UK and Europe as a two-disc CD set compilation, under the title Man in Motion. This was via Ambitions.

In 2011, Parr released a double album titled Letter to America which featured various previous material and some new recordings. Although various Man with a Vision album tracks were included, only "Time" and "Secrets" from the Under Parr album was included.

Track listing

All songs written by John Parr unless noted.

1. "Bad Blood" - 5:23
2. "Ball and Chain" - 4:42 (Frank Langer; Alan Roy Scott)
3. "Secrets" - 5:41
4. "Makin' Love To Your Answer Machine" - 5:13
5. "Forgiveness" - 0:54 (Ian Lynn, Alison Lynn; John Parr)
6. "We All Make Mistakes" - 3:30 (John Parr; David MacKay)
7. "Time" - 5:05
8. "Hours, Minutes and Sex" - 5:30
9. "4 Letter Word" - 4:35
10. "Family Tree" - 4:36 (Frank Langer; John Parr)
11. "It Ain't The Size Of The Boat'" - 4:23 (John Parr; David MacKay)
12. "The River Runs Deep" - 3:58 (Frank Langer; Alan Roy Scott)

Personnel