Arguably the band’s most critically acclaimed release, the album was produced by Elvis Costello and peaked at No.19 in the UK, where it earned Squeeze a second silver disc.Ī consummate pop record, with Difford and chief tunesmith Tilbrook firing on all cylinders, the diverse East Side Story featured enduring fan-favorites (and best Squeeze songs) including the sublime, infidelity-related radio hit “ Tempted” and the exuberant soul-pop of ‘In Quintessence,” while the country-flavored “Labelled With Love” swept up to No.4 on the UK singles chart. ![]() Another sparkling pop record, Argybargy included two popular 45s in Top 20 smash “Another Nail For My Heart” and “ Pulling Mussels (From The Shell)” – a vivid portrait of a British seaside vacation – along with vivacious cuts such as the wonderful “ Separate Beds,” wherein Difford’s brilliant lyric recounted the awkwardness of a young man staying over at his girlfriend’s parents’ house for the first time.Īrgybargy made it abundantly clear that Squeeze would outlast England’s new wave pop pack, but with Jools Holland leaving to embark on a highly successful career in television (he initially co-presented Channel 4’s The Tube with Paula Yates), talented ex-Ace keyboardist/vocalist Paul Carrack was recruited for 1981’s East Side Story. An eclectic treat, the LP included everything from saucy 60s-style pop (“It’s So Dirty”) to the synth-swathed, Giorgio Moroder-esque “Slap And Tickle,” while its two towering Top 10 hits, the cheeky, Ian Dury-ish “ Cool For Cats” and “ Up The Junction” – a superb and still-resonant portrait of a doomed relationship – showed that Difford was fast becoming an adept lyricist.Ĭool For Cats earned the band a silver disc in the UK, while February 1980’s Argybargy helped swell the band’s Stateside popularity, cracking the Top 75 of the Billboard 200 and going gold in Canada. Squeeze really got into their stride with April 1979’s Cool For Cats, wherein their natural, streetwise Cockney charm usurped the punky aggression of their debut. Highlights from the sessions included the aggressive “Sex Master,” the Velvets-esque “Strong In Reason” and the Eastern-influenced “Take Me, I’m Yours,” which provided the band with a Top 20 hit and their first appearance on Top Of The Pops. The fledgling band quickly laid down their self-titled debut LP (recently reissued on vinyl, along with 1980s Argybargy) with one of their heroes, ex-Velvet Underground star John Cale, producing. Selling a highly respectable 25,000 copies and significantly raising the band’s profile (they were invited to record a coveted Peel session on August 17), Packet Of Three led to Squeeze signing to major label A&M late in ’77. Featuring the fierce, atypically punky “ Cat On A Wall,” their initial Packet Of Three EP was released through Deptford Fun City, the independent imprint formed by Alternative TV frontman/ Sniffin’ Glue fanzine founder Mark Perry and the band’s manager Miles Copeland (brother of The Police’s Stewart). Squeeze made their vinyl debut in July 1977. After some line-up changes and a fanbase-building residency at The Bricklayers Arms in Greenwich, the band settled into their “classic” line-up, with Difford and Tilbrook supplemented by powerhouse drummer Gilson Lavis, bassist Harri Kakoulli (later replaced by John Bentley), and prodigiously gifted pianist Jools Holland. Hailing from Deptford, in southeast London, budding teenage singer-songwriters Difford and Tilbrook founded the band in 1974, taking their name from The Velvet Underground’s obscure final LP, recorded after the departure of mainstays Lou Reed and John Cale. Listen to the best Squeeze songs on Apple Music and Spotify. They can also boast of a dedicated following in North America, and, after a five-year break, returned sounding refreshed with 2015’s critically acclaimed Cradle To The Grave, based upon fellow South Londoner Danny Baker’s acclaimed autobiography Going To Sea In A Sieve. No strangers to life’s vicissitudes, they’ve split up and reformed twice, yet have regularly frequented the UK Top 40. ![]() Famous for their signature hits “Cool For Cats” and “Up The Junction,” the band originally rose to prominence as punk segued into New Wave. Guided by the redoubtable songwriting team of Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook, enduring South London quintet Squeeze have created one of the most covetable – and quintessentially English – catalogs in pop over the past four decades, as the best Squeeze songs show.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |