Squeeze: Classic Or Dud

― Robin Carmody, Monday, 29 January 2001 01:00 (12 years ago) Permalink

― Mark Richardson, Wednesday, 31 January 2001 01:00 (12 years ago) Permalink

― Tom, Thursday, 1 February 2001 01:00 (12 years ago) Permalink

― JM, Thursday, 1 February 2001 01:00 (12 years ago) Permalink

― the pinefox, Tuesday, 20 February 2001 01:00 (12 years ago) Permalink

anyway, they were classic in their first incarnation -- after east side story, the quality drops off even faster than post-dance gary numan. what made squeeze pretty interesting is how they were at their best when they had one foot in the pub and the other in the studio, as opposed to being strictly one or the other. which may be why i like the first two (but esp. cool for cats) best -- they sound exactly like a bar-band that's been let loose in a fancy studio, only it works ("slap and tickle," "take me i'm yours," "goodbye girl.")

― Little Big Macher (llamasfur), Tuesday, 21 October 2003 06:11 (9 years ago) Permalink

― dave q, Tuesday, 21 October 2003 06:16 (9 years ago) Permalink

― Little Big Macher (llamasfur), Tuesday, 21 October 2003 06:20 (9 years ago) Permalink

Only briefly. Their mid 80s output hardly consisted of masterpieces, but their, mostly overlooked, 90s output was mostly just as brilliant as the "Cool For Cats"/"Argybargy"/"East Side Story" trilogy

Of course, "hipsters" would accuse them of sounding dated, which is bullshit because they were kind of retro oriented already during the late 70s.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Tuesday, 21 October 2003 13:33 (9 years ago) Permalink

― Mike Ouderkirk (Mike Ouderkirk), Tuesday, 21 October 2003 17:08 (9 years ago) Permalink

― Matthew Perpetua (Matthew Perpetua), Tuesday, 21 October 2003 18:43 (9 years ago) Permalink

― 10 Roddington Place, Tuesday, 21 October 2003 19:45 (9 years ago) Permalink

― Felcher (Felcher), Tuesday, 21 October 2003 19:49 (9 years ago) Permalink

― Ann Sterzinger (Ann Sterzinger), Tuesday, 21 October 2003 21:02 (9 years ago) Permalink

― Chris Ott (Chris Ott), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 01:52 (9 years ago) Permalink

― the squeezefox, Sunday, 22 August 2004 23:32 (8 years ago) Permalink

― Daniel DiMAGGIO (Daniel DiMAGGIO), Sunday, 22 August 2004 23:56 (8 years ago) Permalink

Question:

Are U.K. Squeeze and Squeeze the same?

― jim wentworth (wench), Monday, 23 August 2004 00:17 (8 years ago) Permalink

― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Monday, 23 August 2004 05:33 (8 years ago) Permalink

― mclaugh (mclaugh), Monday, 23 August 2004 12:04 (8 years ago) Permalink

― the bellefox, Thursday, 26 August 2004 09:43 (8 years ago) Permalink

are the first couple of albums worth getting?
which one *specifically*?

― piscesboy, Thursday, 26 August 2004 10:22 (8 years ago) Permalink

― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Sunday, 28 May 2006 22:29 (6 years ago) Permalink

― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Sunday, 28 May 2006 22:55 (6 years ago) Permalink

― chaki (chaki), Sunday, 28 May 2006 23:43 (6 years ago) Permalink

― pleased to mitya (mitya), Monday, 29 May 2006 00:53 (6 years ago) Permalink

And the band is CLASSIC of course.

― zeus (zeus), Monday, 29 May 2006 12:32 (6 years ago) Permalink

Because we've never met. I have each Squeeze albums until 'Babylon And On', plus 'Ridiculous'. It's a fact, though, that after 'East Side Story' their songwriting quality gets worse.

― zeus (zeus), Monday, 29 May 2006 12:34 (6 years ago) Permalink

― bernard snow (sixteen sergeants), Monday, 29 May 2006 12:42 (6 years ago) Permalink

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Monday, 29 May 2006 12:49 (6 years ago) Permalink

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Monday, 29 May 2006 12:49 (6 years ago) Permalink

― chaki (chaki), Monday, 29 May 2006 19:54 (6 years ago) Permalink

― neustile (neustile), Monday, 29 May 2006 20:21 (6 years ago) Permalink

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Monday, 29 May 2006 20:42 (6 years ago) Permalink

― Billy Dods (Billy Dods), Monday, 29 May 2006 20:51 (6 years ago) Permalink

― s1ocki, Monday, 16 April 2007 13:14 (6 years ago) Permalink

I hardly know any of their music. I do like "Up The Junction", though.
-- Robin Carmody, Monday, 29 January 2001 01:00 (6 years ago) Bookmark Link

^^^this dude was drinking some Incorrect Juice when he made this post.

"Pulling Mussels From A Shell" is a banger, though.

― Dom Passantino, Wednesday, 16 January 2008 15:36 (5 years ago) Permalink

Classic, of course.

― Alex in NYC, Wednesday, 16 January 2008 17:38 (5 years ago) Permalink

just heard up the junction
ca-lassic

― Meteor Crater (jdchurchill), Thursday, 10 December 2009 23:44 (3 years ago) Permalink

up the junction does really interesting things with the idea of time-lapse in narrative within the context of the 3-minute pop-song, no joke

― 102. LJ: British. 5. (acoleuthic), Thursday, 10 December 2009 23:44 (3 years ago) Permalink

also yeah it is k-classic although goodbye girl might be even better

― 102. LJ: British. 5. (acoleuthic), Thursday, 10 December 2009 23:45 (3 years ago) Permalink

i started screaming tempted in staples a while back. many heads turned

― FACK, Thursday, 10 December 2009 23:51 (3 years ago) Permalink

Hmmm, just listening to their BBC Sessions...surprised to find myself really liking the opening handful of tracks, which keep reminding me (in a general way) of a mishmash of Vapors, Vibrators, and maybe early Adam Ant. Less aggressive, for sure, but definitely in that vein.

― dlp9001, Friday, 11 December 2009 03:31 (3 years ago) Permalink

I absolutely love Squeeze. Up the Junction is amazing - yes. Also love Annie Get Yr Gun, Goodbye Girl, Another Nail in my Heart all of the big singles really.

― ★彡☆ ★彡 (ENBB), Friday, 11 December 2009 03:34 (3 years ago) Permalink

true story: my dad and my uncle gigged with squeeze and lent them their stuff

― 102. LJ: British. 5. (acoleuthic), Friday, 11 December 2009 03:36 (3 years ago) Permalink

Slap & Tickle is my jam, Cool For Cats is my album. Love it but never warmed to the others beyond the singles.

― sleeve, Friday, 11 December 2009 03:45 (3 years ago) Permalink

Some people turn their nose up at them simply due to the Jools Holland connection, which is a shame. Far less consistent than the likes of XTC, yet their finest material - most of which is non-singles, believe it or not - more than compensates for the intermittent failed pop experiments and stylistic wrong-turns.

― PaulTMA, Monday, 28 December 2009 15:31 (3 years ago) Permalink

Heard Up the Junction in the car today and god damn that is one of the best songs ever, no question. <3 <3 <3

― ★彡☆ ★彡 (ENBB), Thursday, 31 December 2009 02:59 (3 years ago) Permalink

Classic for the "Hourglass" video alone

― Mr. Snrub, Thursday, 31 December 2009 03:22 (3 years ago) Permalink

Itunes tells me i've listened to This Summer 22 times (and never skipped it) in the last two years, which feels like a fairly healthy amount. Such. A. Tune.

― what kind of present your naked body (Upt0eleven), Thursday, 31 December 2009 03:32 (3 years ago) Permalink

I'm the only guy in the world who likes Sweets From a Stranger; Difford & Tilbrook don't even like it last I heard. Still some great stuff there, reminds me of high school road trips.

― mojitos (a cocktail) (Cave17Matt), Thursday, 31 December 2009 03:39 (3 years ago) Permalink

The non-Squeeze Squeeze album Difford & Tilbrook and Cosi Fan Tutti Frutti are really the low point of their career. Sweets From a Stranger is plenty alright.

― Johnny Fever, Thursday, 31 December 2009 04:39 (3 years ago) Permalink

Just wrote some thoughts on their debut album here:

Rolling Past Expiry Hard Rock 2010

― xhuxk, Monday, 4 January 2010 15:31 (3 years ago) Permalink

Sweets From A Stranger has I've Returned, His House Her Home, The Elephant Ride and Points Of View in it's favour, with some dodgy moments like Stranger Than The Stranger On The Shore and The Very First Dance which are unpleasantly weird enough to derail the album's credibility.

I've always liked Cosi Fan Tutti Frutti, massively flawed as it is. 'Domino' is the real dregs and a sad end to their career.

― PaulTMA, Monday, 4 January 2010 16:12 (3 years ago) Permalink

Chris Difford & Glenn Tilbrook badmouth Sweets from a Stranger:

GT: I was particularly headstrong on this record and it resulted in some of it sounding awful.

Out of Touch
CD: [The unreleased version recorded with Paul Carrack] stands head and shoulders above this one. This is really naff. There's no personality to it whatsoever and to follow East Side Story with this was shooting ourselves in the foot. It's a ridiculous sounding song.... Those synthetic drums sound horrendous. Listening to it now I just wince.
GT: ...it sounds very much of its time and not in a good way.

I Can't Hold On
CD: ...it's not a great moment for me lyrically because it doesn't say anything. I was beginning to lose the plot here.

Points of View
GT: This is a great band performance marred by a slightly poncey vocal performance by me.
(To be fair, CD has nothing but praise for GT's vocal on this one.)

Stranger than the Stranger on the Shore
CD: I have to apologize to Glenn for not punching him when he played the ocarina on this... I said "OK, if you think this is good I'm getting out of here because this is crap."

Onto the Dance Floor
CD: This does nothing for me at all.

Black Coffee in Bed
GT: It's far too ponderous. It could never be a fast song, but it certainly had the opportunity to be slightly perkier. My vocal is mannered and not very good at all, and I can't stand to listen to it now.

His House Her Home
CD: This is my Peter & Gordon number... This is me trying to be sophisticated, but just sounding camp.

The Very First Dance
CD: This is atrocious. ...there's no passion in it.
GT: I sounds a little ponderous to me.

Quotes from the book "Squeeze: Song by Song." Contrary to the quotes above, they do have some good things to say about certain songs and performances, but on the whole CD and GT both consider it one of their worst albums.

― Hideous Lump, Tuesday, 5 January 2010 04:36 (3 years ago) Permalink

Heard Up the Junction in the car today and god damn that is one of the best songs ever, no question. <3 <3 <3

it really is. someone tells a story in another thread about the song being on the radio while he was driving his mom around, and she started to cry when it was finished she thought it so sad.

― Cunga, Tuesday, 5 January 2010 04:55 (3 years ago) Permalink

What were their favorite creations, H.L.?

― Cunga, Tuesday, 5 January 2010 04:57 (3 years ago) Permalink

What were their favorite creations, H.L.?

I'll skim the book and post some things tomorrow.

They've both said at one time or another that the song "Some Fantastic Place" is the best thing they've ever done.

― Hideous Lump, Tuesday, 5 January 2010 05:08 (3 years ago) Permalink

cool. I would really enjoy more excerpts if you have time tomorrow!

― Cunga, Tuesday, 5 January 2010 05:59 (3 years ago) Permalink

If it's in there, I'd love to know what they think about "Letting Go."

― Johnny Fever, Tuesday, 5 January 2010 06:29 (3 years ago) Permalink

Interesting read, that. I love it when artists badmouth their own songs. How could anybody hate "Black Coffee in Bed"?? "Ponderous"? Fucking "ponderous"?

― Mr. Snrub, Tuesday, 5 January 2010 15:55 (3 years ago) Permalink

Actually, "Black Coffee" does sometimes wear out its welcome after 6 minutes. They usually up the tempo a bit on stage.

Well, skimming the book turned into rereading the whole thing, so give me another day or two. I just checked, and they both say that "Letting Go" is one of the best things they ever did.

― Hideous Lump, Thursday, 7 January 2010 05:02 (3 years ago) Permalink

Can you tell me what's essentially said about "Vanity Fair" or "Up the Junction"?

― Cunga, Thursday, 7 January 2010 08:50 (3 years ago) Permalink

Up the Junction
CD: When I wrote this it was Dylanesque and was much longer, with about 16 verses... [ Who Killed Davey Moore ] inspired me to write in a seamless way, like I was narrating a story, with no chorus.
GT: I was thinking of something like Dylan's Positively 4th Street as a template when I wrote the music.

Surprisingly, A&M Records recognized the potential for the song early on, when the band was originally playing it in a slower, folkier arrangement, and asked them to make it poppier.

Difford also suggests a future ILM thread: "Incidentally, there aren't many songs that end with the title as the last line. Two spring to mind: Up the Junction and Virginia Plain."

Vanity Fair
GT: I wrote a piano part for this but when it came to playing with the orchestra I bottled out, to my eternal shame.
CD: This has an absolutely stunning melody and beautiful arrangement. It's one we never really did live which was, in retrospect, a lost opportunity.

In the back of the book, they print the lyrics of a number of songs which are evidently their picks for the best:

Strong in Reason
Take Me I'm Yours
Slap and Tickle
Up the Junction
Slightly Drunk
Goodbye Girl
Cool for Cats
Pulling Mussels (from the Shell)
Another Nail in My Heart
I Think I'm Go Go
Separate Beds
If I Didn't Love You
Vicky Verky
Tempted
Piccadilly
Someone Else's Bell
Woman's World
Is That Love?
Labelled With Love
When the Hangover Strikes
Black Coffee in Bed
King George Street
Last Time Forever
No Place Like Home
Tough Love
The Prisoner
Striking Matches
The Waiting Game
Peyton Place
Slaughtered, Gutted and Heartbroken
She Doesn't Have to Shave
Love Circles
Melody Motel
Letting Go
The Truth
Walk a Straight Line
Wicked and Cruel
There Is a Voice
Some Fantastic Place
Third Rail
It's Over
Loving You Tonight
Cold Shoulder
Electric Trains
Walk Away
I Want You
Daphne
The Great Escape
To Be a Dad
Without You Here

They don't do a song-by-song analysis of the "Difford & Tilbrook" album, but do make note of Love's Crashing Waves, On My Mind Tonight and The Apple Tree.

On some of the songs listed above their opinions are split--yes, Tilbrook really does call Black Coffee in Bed "ponderous," adding "My vocal is mannered and not very good at all, and I can't stand to listen to it now."

One thing that crops up a lot in the book, particularly from Tilbrook, is statements like this:
GT: [ Rose I Said ] falls into the same category as If It's Love in that I like the song and the performance of it, which is very spirited, but it doesn't distinguish itself in any way.

Tilbrook also seems to distrust the simpler pop songs; Grouch of the Day is "a fun song without any importance attached to it." Vicky Verky is "lyrically slightly twee in the way that Up the Junction isn't, which makes it less interesting to me. Musically, I don't think it's very good either." Trust Me to Open My Mouth is "quite an ordinary song really, although I liked it more at the time." Is it that he finds these songs too easy, or that they don't do anything new?

Difford does it too: Farfisa Beat is "crap... It's an album filler at best... It was probably just stuck on the album because it was uptempo."

― Hideous Lump, Monday, 11 January 2010 03:44 (3 years ago) Permalink

thank you!

― Cunga, Monday, 11 January 2010 04:16 (3 years ago) Permalink

weird discovery: although I've heard it >50 times as a boy, 'If I Didn't Love You' is fucking amazing, like seriously a candidate for best Squeeze and one of the better pop songs of its era

― stoke for the shawcross (acoleuthic), Sunday, 28 February 2010 19:47 (3 years ago) Permalink

seriously it's so great when you rediscover a piece of music you once knew off by heart but it still blows your mind

― stoke for the shawcross (acoleuthic), Sunday, 28 February 2010 19:48 (3 years ago) Permalink

"If I didn't love you, I'd hate you."

― Mr. Snrub, Sunday, 28 February 2010 21:48 (3 years ago) Permalink

Tilbrook: If I Didn't Love You was "musically inspired by Talking Heads. The line 'The record jumps on a scratch' was such a gift that I had to use it, so we sang 'If I, If I, If I, If I.'"

Difford: "I love Glenn's slide guitar solo. When he first did it I thought 'This guy's out of his tree. What's he doing?,' but it's brilliant."

"'Singles remind me of kisses / Albums remind me of plans.' They are my favorite lines on the whole album. When I used to have girls back to my flat I'd go through my record collection and find the album which had the longest side... I knew that by a certain point on the record if I didn't have my hand down her pants then it wasn't going to happen because I'd have to get up and change the record over... The best album for this purpose was Something/Anything by Todd Rundgren, because it had one side that was 30 minutes long. I'd put it on and get down to business and knew that I had a couple of minutes at the end of the album to lie on my back and then I'd have the excuse to get up and change the record."

― Hideous Lump, Monday, 1 March 2010 00:55 (3 years ago) Permalink

Now, some 35 years later, Squeeze have re-recorded 14 of their classic tracks for Spot the Difference, an album of all their classic hits re-recorded in a way so painstakingly faithful to the originals that they challenge you to spot the difference.

― scott seward, Thursday, 20 May 2010 21:18 (3 years ago) Permalink

dumbest...idea...ever.

― scott seward, Thursday, 20 May 2010 21:18 (3 years ago) Permalink

in general, i kinda hate (and avoid) re-recordings of old stuff, but this goes beyond that. this is demented. in the metal world people will re-record albums cuz when they were young they only had five dollars to spend on making an album and now they have ten dollars. i kinda understand that. even if i never want to listen to the results.

― scott seward, Thursday, 20 May 2010 21:21 (3 years ago) Permalink

I wouldn't mind hearing their first album re-recorded. Peel sessions are much better sounding. Other than that, no interest in this, I don't think...

― dlp9001, Friday, 21 May 2010 01:33 (3 years ago) Permalink

Hmmmmmm. I really really love Squeeze but that just sounds like a pointless effort.

― Aqua Backrat (ENBB), Friday, 21 May 2010 01:42 (3 years ago) Permalink

I was just wondering today if there were any remasters of squeeze's stuff. their 80s recordings sound a little thin and wouldn't it be nice to give them a little attack. but this is not what I had in mind.

― Face Book (dyao), Friday, 21 May 2010 01:55 (3 years ago) Permalink

In the past year or so they've redone Argybargy, Sweets from a Stranger, Frank and Ridiculous, but they're only available as imports in the U.S. Three of them have the appropriate b-sides plus unreleased stuff from each album, except Ridiculous, which for some reason has none of the b-sides that it should. Argy is a double with a concert on the 2nd disc.

This is the perfect opportunity to get all those b-sides in the right place, not doled out piecemeal on 17 redundant Greatest Hits records. Don't piss me off, guys, or I'll... get all sullen and bitch about it on the internet.

Tilbrook has also released 3 of a planned 5 volumes of demos from the Squeeze years.

― Hideous Lump, Friday, 21 May 2010 03:41 (3 years ago) Permalink

DeepDiscount has the deluxe Argy for $23.38, and it was well worth it. Nice remaster, bonus tracks and great sounding live recording. I hope they do East Side Story next.

― Fastnbulbous, Friday, 21 May 2010 03:54 (3 years ago) Permalink

"New recordings - improved sound quality"

― Tied Up In Geir (Geir Hongro), Friday, 21 May 2010 08:09 (3 years ago) Permalink

i wouldn't mind hearing it if it means improved sound quality (not that classic squeeze sounded *bad* per se -- it isn't as if they started off as some no-budget crusty-punk band). but if their idea of "improved sound quality" is the "compressed-to-an-inch-of-its-life" junk that too often passes for remastering then i can live w/t it.

― keine Macht für dich mehr! (Eisbaer), Sunday, 23 May 2010 14:16 (2 years ago) Permalink

If you're a Squeeze fan and you *haven't* heard the 1992 BBC Session of Take Me I'm Yours, please do yourself a favour...

http://open.spotify.com/track/3YDGxXzhoTJdtF5mPn5jBq

― piscesx, Friday, 15 October 2010 03:53 (2 years ago) Permalink

And when you're done with that, here's a song from Tilbrook's last solo album Pandemonium Ensues:

― Hideous Lump, Friday, 15 October 2010 04:31 (2 years ago) Permalink

I think you guys missed the point of the "Spot the Difference" album. They re-recorded those tracks so they'd have the rights to them and could license those out instead of the ones controlled by their record company.

― frogbs, Thursday, 23 June 2011 13:48 (1 year ago) Permalink

oh yeah, I bumped this because I was wondering if it's worth going past "Argybargy"

― frogbs, Thursday, 23 June 2011 13:48 (1 year ago) Permalink

oh yeah, I bumped this because I was wondering if it's worth going past "Argybargy"

Well certainly "East Side Story." And I think "Play" is the equal of "Cool/Argy/East," although it took some time to reveal itself--it's definitely not as poppy as any of those.

Listen to my picks of better later Squeeze here:

The ILM Fan-made BEST OF/ANTHOLOGY Compilation project -- POST Tracklists, Cover Art, Liner notes, editorials, spotify links and/or otherwise LEGALLY obtained streaming album lists HERE!

― Hideous Lump, Friday, 24 June 2011 04:08 (1 year ago) Permalink

There's something inexplicably great about the lines "I'd beg for some forgiveness / but beggings not my business" in Up The Junction.

― textbook blows on the head (dowd), Friday, 24 June 2011 07:13 (1 year ago) Permalink

my favorite song by them right now is "Goodbye Girl", such a wonky time

― frogbs, Friday, 24 June 2011 13:40 (1 year ago) Permalink

It's great!

― the pinefox, Monday, 27 June 2011 07:34 (1 year ago) Permalink

Melody Motel is so weird.

― Kim, Wednesday, 29 June 2011 20:36 (1 year ago) Permalink

Tempted is among the worst songs ever written. Utter crap, and every copy on earth should be destroyed, similar to what happened with smallpox virus.

― Poliopolice, Sunday, 19 February 2012 16:56 (1 year ago) Permalink

― wolf kabob (ENBB), Sunday, 19 February 2012 18:14 (1 year ago) Permalink

How's the Difford-Tillbrook solo album?

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Monday, May 29, 2006

I heard an excerpt a few months ago -- sounds like the boys decided to record a Hall & Oates album and failed.

― Exile in lolville (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Sunday, 19 February 2012 18:38 (1 year ago) Permalink

The live at the Hammersmith Odeon, March 9, 1980 set on the deluxe edition of Argy Bargy is just super hot.

― timellison, Monday, 21 May 2012 05:04 (1 year ago) Permalink

i really like squeeze, but i cant abide jools holland's superfluous boogie woogie breakdowns. 'cool for cats' is a prime example. needless.

― dextor ellis bextor, Monday, 21 May 2012 05:11 (1 year ago) Permalink

Where? There's an instrumental break in that song and then a melodic solo at the end. Neither of them strike me as "boogie woogie."

― timellison, Monday, 21 May 2012 05:22 (1 year ago) Permalink

the instrumental break. it just seems crowbarred in.

― dextor ellis bextor, Monday, 21 May 2012 05:33 (1 year ago) Permalink

I think that's how people educated by message boards describe piano playing on a Squeeze album

― Morrissey & Clunes: The Severed Alliance (PaulTMA), Monday, 21 May 2012 19:03 (1 year ago) Permalink

Just listened to that live set (I always had it, just never really bothered with it for some reason), you're right, this is really fun

I mean these guys have nothing on XTC or whoever they're usually compared to, but they are one of the most likeable bands ever, so there's that

― frogbs, Friday, 25 May 2012 15:15 (11 months ago) Permalink

I listen to Another Nail in my Heart on repeat sometimes.

― Trip Maker, Friday, 25 May 2012 15:29 (11 months ago) Permalink

Squeeze are a fucking class act, man. so much excellence.

― some dude, Friday, 25 May 2012 15:41 (11 months ago) Permalink

I LOVE SQUEEZE.

I listen to Another Nail in my Heart on repeat sometimes.

― Trip Maker, Friday, May 25, 2012 11:29 AM (12 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I do that too, sometimes.

Oh and guess what? I'm going to see them in July! :D

― wolf kabob (ENBB), Friday, 25 May 2012 15:42 (11 months ago) Permalink

I was just going to say something about Up the Junction being one of the best songs ever but thought to C&P myself first and, well:

Heard Up the Junction in the car today and god damn that is one of the best songs ever, no question. <3 <3 <3

― ★彡☆ ★彡 (ENBB), Wednesday, December 30, 2009 9:59 PM (2 years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

― wolf kabob (ENBB), Friday, 25 May 2012 15:44 (11 months ago) Permalink

they're pretty killer live. i mean they did that album a couple years back where they did virtually identical re-recordings of old songs, they can play everything perfectly and Tilbrook's voice hasn't really aged any.

― some dude, Friday, 25 May 2012 15:45 (11 months ago) Permalink

Awesome. I'm really excited. They're opening for the B-52s who will be fun to see and all but I bought the (fairly expensive) tickets pretty much for Squeeze alone.

― wolf kabob (ENBB), Friday, 25 May 2012 15:46 (11 months ago) Permalink

Up The Junction is my all-time favorite Squeeze song, no joke.

― Brony! Broni! Broné! (Phil D.), Friday, 25 May 2012 15:49 (11 months ago) Permalink

i'm like the only person who likes Squeeze that doesn't really get the song. I appreciate the craft of it but I prefer the big shameless chorus stuff.

― some dude, Friday, 25 May 2012 15:52 (11 months ago) Permalink

Saw them play several times in the Argybargy/E Side Story period.

Alfred, I have an autographed Difford-Tillbrook solo album if you want to make me an offer!

― World Congress of Itch (Dr Morbius), Friday, 25 May 2012 16:05 (11 months ago) Permalink

I haven't listened to anything past Argybargy but right now I don't think they've topped "Goodbye Girl", such a cool, wonky tune

― frogbs, Friday, 25 May 2012 16:05 (11 months ago) Permalink

"Vicky Verky" is the classic for me

― some dude, Friday, 25 May 2012 16:06 (11 months ago) Permalink

^Yeah, I love that one, too.

― Trip Maker, Friday, 25 May 2012 16:08 (11 months ago) Permalink

ok this Hammersmith Odeon set is good but jesus Difford singing "Mess Around" stfu

― some dude, Friday, 25 May 2012 16:25 (11 months ago) Permalink

Tempted is a very, very bad song.

― Poliopolice, Friday, 25 May 2012 16:26 (11 months ago) Permalink

I really love Cool For Cats, Argybargy and East Side Story, and a few selections here and there from what came after. I remember quite liking Glenn Tilbrook's solo record Transatlantic Ping Pong, too.

The first album is quite interesting though, and some of the stories surrounding its making are quite funny. John Cale apparently was so off his face he passed out during the sessions, so Jools Holland wrote "I am a cunt" on his forehead in marker. Apparently Mr. Cale was none the wiser and came into the studio STILL wearing the same slogan on his head the next day. Once he found out what the band were laughing at, he was understandably not amused and apparently he made life hell for the band for the rest of the studio time they had.

― The Jupiter 8 (Turrican), Friday, 25 May 2012 16:36 (11 months ago) Permalink

Tempted is a very, very bad song.

It's not their greatest, but it's not terrible when Tilbrook sings it. Paul Carrack always felt like an invader in this band, and that's the reason I have issues with both East Side Story and Some Fantastic Place.

― Johnny Fever, Friday, 25 May 2012 17:46 (11 months ago) Permalink

I'd rather Carrack had sang the whole thing, he's a far superior singer to Tilbrook. Tilbrook's strengths is in the way he puts his chord sequences together. Stuff like 'King George Street' features a maddening amount of chords.

― The Jupiter 8 (Turrican), Friday, 25 May 2012 17:52 (11 months ago) Permalink

Guess who I'm gonna see tonight? :D

― (✿◠‿◠) (ENBB), Wednesday, 11 July 2012 18:09 (10 months ago) Permalink

i saw them open for the b-52's two weeks ago and they were both so so good

― radical ferry (donna rouge), Wednesday, 11 July 2012 18:36 (10 months ago) Permalink

just gonna warn you now tho: glenn tillbrook's facial hair is really unfortunate

― radical ferry (donna rouge), Wednesday, 11 July 2012 18:36 (10 months ago) Permalink

They are opening for the B-52s tonight! I'm excited about both but a little more so about Squeeze tbh. LOL re Tillbrook's facial hair. I checked out a recent clip on youtube and noticed that myself. NAGL!

― (✿◠‿◠) (ENBB), Wednesday, 11 July 2012 18:39 (10 months ago) Permalink

They are playing for free in Coney Island on the 20th, with The Romantics opening.

aforementioned UFH:

http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2012/07/2012_seaside_su.html

― Pangborn to be Wilde (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 11 July 2012 20:20 (10 months ago) Permalink

band I was in opened for Squeeze in 1982.

― schicksalsschlag (doo dah), Thursday, 12 July 2012 01:30 (10 months ago) Permalink

That is assume doo dah! Ok so that was awesome. They sounded great but a) donna r otm that beard is so so bad and b) middle aged white people cutting loose is sort of horrifying to watch.

― (✿◠‿◠) (ENBB), Thursday, 12 July 2012 02:23 (10 months ago) Permalink

Like really cringe worthy and the worst part is that I AK not sure how to avoid turning into that or if it is even possible. :/

― (✿◠‿◠) (ENBB), Thursday, 12 July 2012 02:25 (10 months ago) Permalink

I am not I AK.

― (✿◠‿◠) (ENBB), Thursday, 12 July 2012 02:26 (10 months ago) Permalink

Poor Glen, one he had the good fortune to have John Lennon's looks and way with a pop song. Now he looks like Col Sanders on a bad beard day

― Dr X O'Skeleton, Tuesday, 16 October 2012 21:16 (7 months ago) Permalink

that Docu was great on the bbc over the weekend. they had some MENTAL issues though.

― piscesx, Tuesday, 16 October 2012 21:21 (7 months ago) Permalink

The beard is gone now btw

― 'Separate Lives', by Phil Collins & Marilyn Manson (PaulTMA), Wednesday, 17 October 2012 11:26 (7 months ago) Permalink

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=pYUOJxXdrXM

Youtube link for the documentary

― 'Separate Lives', by Phil Collins & Marilyn Manson (PaulTMA), Wednesday, 17 October 2012 11:28 (7 months ago) Permalink

i thought chris difford looked great considering all his past indulgences.

― stirmonster, Wednesday, 17 October 2012 11:30 (7 months ago) Permalink

Here's the legit link, higher quality and with the correct aspect ratio -

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01n8kmq

― TracerHandVEVO (Tracer Hand), Wednesday, 17 October 2012 12:08 (7 months ago) Permalink

New single 'Tommy' is streaming, now:
http://soundcloud.com/squeezeofficial-1/01-tommy

― 'Separate Lives', by Phil Collins & Marilyn Manson (PaulTMA), Friday, 9 November 2012 18:05 (6 months ago) Permalink

My favourite Squeeze story is still the one where Jools Holland wrote 'I am a cunt' on the forehead of a passed-out John Cale during the first album sessions. I noticed THAT story was absent from the recent documentary! Hehehehe!

― The Jupiter 8 (Turrican), Sunday, 11 November 2012 20:34 (6 months ago) Permalink

Every so often (like tonight) I'll find myself digging out Cosi Fan Tutti Fruitti in an attempt to listen to it with fresh ears and see if I manage to catch anything I've missed or possibly find something in it that I never have before, but I always end up coming to the same conclusion: 'King George Street' and 'Last Time Forever' = keepers, rest of the album = does nothing for me.

I also really am not too keen on the production on Cosi, either - which is strange because Laurie Latham (who produced Cosi) worked on The Stranglers' Aural Sculpture only the year before, and I think that album sounds absolutely fine!

― The Jupiter 8 (Turrican), Thursday, 29 November 2012 04:08 (5 months ago) Permalink