The Album Review Club - Week #194 (page 1303) - Ants From Up There - Black Country, New Road

For something that isn't at all my thing, this was a surprisingly pleasant 3 listens. Radio friendly 80s powerpop has never been for me, specially when it is glamdolled up and then immediately roughened round the edges a little. Or it might be the other way round, doesn't really matter. And when the so you would believe diy vocals 'aren't trying', but really they are.

What this however has that carries it is a great bass, and with a little bit of a decent drum too. Which both papers over the rest, but also intrigues in its own right. Is the album hinting at hiding a slightly darker side? Is it conflicted and forced down a cute presentable route when really there is a frustrated aspiring punk-pop album in there? Probably a decent one too, had they dared go there. I kind of wish they let themselves step into that a bit more, rather than feeling it is all designed to sell.

But yea overall, poppy and catchy, with a little bit of.. grit? Poignant here and there, predictable generally, but in a safe feeling way. Annoying vocals, but annoyingly not annoying enough to matter. Great bass. A solid 6, and a good one to have ticked off a list I wouldn’t otherwise have, to borrow a word from last week, sampled.
 
I remember Squeeze singles as being intelligent kitchen sink dramas. Well written and witty. I understand that this pick is their most critically accepted album albeit it didn't sell in the volumes their record company expected. It's surprising as the album, to me, was a really good showcase of what makes Squeeze, Squeeze.

The album was originally intended to be a double with Costello, Nick Lowe, McCartney and Dave Edmonds each producing a single side. The logistics of that didn't work (albeit all four were willing) so it was narrowed down to a single album with Elvis Costello as co-producer with Roger Bechirian. According to Bechirian Costello acted as a creative advisor to the band whilst he looked after the technical aspects of the production. Whatever happened it seemed to work as I found the production crisp and tight without diluting the essence of the band.

I particularly enjoyed the way they integrated a number of genres —British pop, soul, country, and new wave, into a unified album that still feels completely accessible and coherent. If I have a criticism, the vocals over the whole album did wear a bit and one or two tracks lagged behind the others but on the whole I enjoyed Difford and Tilbrook songwriting, the Englishness and cleverness of the songs and the competence of the playing. As I mentioned before, I recognised a heap of influences from the Beatles, (John Lennon was assassinated whilst the album was being made) The Kinks, some soul and country influences too. I will certainly listen to this again and it was a fine pick.

A strong 7/10
 
I think most of what you need to understand about Squeeze is encapsulated in the first eight bars of Is That Love. Straight at it, a hookiness that creates a sense of fun and a concise and pithy lyric. It’s only when you stop for a moment that you realise that the music is somewhat at odds with the lyrics. A slightly ambiguous dark heart veiled in a chirpy pop melody, the ring left by the soap suggests this is the lament of the wronged hubby but is it that simple? Should we buy his wounded narrative? I don’t know, I’m too busy dancing along to notice his casual misogyny.

The review I’ve enjoyed most so far is Foggy’s, largely because his recounting of youthful indiscretions has the same breezily tawdry charm that Squeeze themselves employ so well, no offence intended Fog :-)

To me it’s informative that when RT picked the tracks for his album 1000 Years of Popular Music, he chose a Squeeze song to sit alongside the likes of Henry Purcell, Hoagy Carmichael and Lennon & McCartney. Thompson and Squeeze both trade in the currency of the jaunty as a vehicle to explore the less than perfect side of life. They are both quintessentially British, masters of their craft but ones attracted to the soft and often conflicted underbelly of life and love. And like Thompson I occasionally wonder if they’ve gone too far and moved into the condemnatory rather than observational.

Unlike Belfry I would argue if the album version of Tempted has a problem at all it’s that it’s too soulful, or at least Carrack’s voice attempts to steer it that that way. Though my own joint favourite artist is a soul singer, I’m firmly of the view that an emotionally constipated nation should not distract itself with the futility of trying to emote when it already excels in snarky songs that take the piss out of its own barely repressed rage. Billy Paul is from Philadelphia, Glenn Tilbrook is from Woolwich and Difford from Greenwich way; Squeeze themselves recognise this fundamental truth but I’m not sure Elvis Costello does. Costello is an internationalist with famously eclectic tastes and the ability to absorb them into his music, but I think that sometimes comes at the cost of obviousness. As great a songwriter as he is, it’s pretty clear what he’s doing, there’s not too much subtext. He’s a man who wears his heart on his sleeve which often times I like, but Squeeze are a band who wear their heart up their sleeve encased in a snotty tissue because that’s what unhygienic Brits do. For all of Costello’s angry young man persona and the booze fuelled notoriety of his Colombus Ohio shame, it’s actually Difford and Tilbrook who have lived through day-to-day drug addiction; not glorifying this, simply pointing out they have experience of the wobblier side of life that I think informs their music more than might always be obvious. I never heard Carrack sing Tempted live, but I have heard Tilbrook do it and it leads me to believe there are times on this album when the sign on the studio wall should have been ‘let Squeeze be Squeeze’. Maybe not so had they got the four producers, but they didn't.

I do agree with Mr B that Labelled with Love doesn’t feel authentic but I think that's sort of the point; however that gets lost because the four producers/four genres structure didn't happen. In some places the genre shifts still hold despite the underlying concept having been compromised but the 'transition' from F-Hole to Labelled with Love is a step too far and the joke just doesn't work because presumably there's holes in the anticipated running order due to the failure to pull off the original plan. That this album is only partially realised yet still sounds as good as it does is credit to the song writing and, though I've had a moan about him, to Costello too. That said it does feel a bit like a halfway house that lacks the cohesion of the original idea. So though I’ve heard it often enough to just take it for what it is as a collection of mostly great songs, someone being confused by it I think makes perfect sense.

That said it is still a collection of mostly great songs so it gets 8/10 from me.
 
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One of those groups I find the singles enough for me.So I was pleasantly surprised in how much I liked this offering.
Lost it way a bit after labelled with love so a 7 from me.
Had a quick listen to Some fantastic place due to liking Ĺoving you tonight and really liked that one more.
Time for a listen to their albums more than their singles in the coming weeks.
 
threespires said:
I think most of what you need to understand about Squeeze is encapsulated in the first eight bars of Is That Love. Straight at it, a hookiness that creates a sense of fun and a concise and pithy lyric. It’s only when you stop for a moment that you realise that the music is somewhat at odds with the lyrics. A slightly ambiguous dark heart veiled in a chirpy pop melody, the ring left by the soap suggests this is the lament of the wronged hubby but is it that simple? Should we buy his wounded narrative? I don’t know, I’m too busy dancing along to notice his casual misogyny.

The review I’ve enjoyed most so far is Foggy’s, largely because his recounting of youthful indiscretions has the same breezily tawdry charm that Squeeze themselves employ so well, no offence intended Fog :-)

To me it’s informative that when RT picked the tracks for his album 1000 Years of Popular Music, he chose a Squeeze song to sit alongside the likes of Henry Purcell, Hoagy Carmichael and Lennon & McCartney. Thompson and Squeeze both trade in the currency of the jaunty as a vehicle to explore the less than perfect side of life. They are both quintessentially British, masters of their craft but ones attracted to the soft and often conflicted underbelly of life and love. And like Thompson I occasionally wonder if they’ve gone too far and moved into the condemnatory rather than observational.

Unlike Belfry I would argue if the album version of Tempted has a problem at all it’s that it’s too soulful, or at least Carrack’s voice attempts to steer it that that way. Though my own joint favourite artist is a soul singer, I’m firmly of the view that an emotionally constipated nation should not distract itself with the futility of trying to emote when it already excels in snarky songs that take the piss out of its own barely repressed rage. Billy Paul is from Philadelphia, Glenn Tilbrook is from Woolwich and Difford from Greenwich way; Squeeze themselves recognise this fundamental truth but I’m not sure Elvis Costello does. Costello is an internationalist with famously eclectic tastes and the ability to absorb them into his music, but I think that sometimes comes at the cost of obviousness. As great a songwriter as he is, it’s pretty clear what he’s doing, there’s not too much subtext. He’s a man who wears his heart on his sleeve which often times I like, but Squeeze are a band who wear their heart up their sleeve encased in a snotty tissue because that’s what unhygienic Brits do. For all of Costello’s angry young man persona and the booze fuelled notoriety of his Colombus Ohio shame, it’s actually Difford and Tilbrook who have lived through day-to-day drug addiction; not glorifying this, simply pointing out they have experience of the wobblier side of life that I think informs their music more than might always be obvious. I never heard Carrack sing Tempted live, but I have heard Tilbrook do it and it leads me to believe there are times on this album when the sign on the studio wall should have been ‘let Squeeze be Squeeze’. Maybe not so had they got the four producers, but they didn't.

I do agree with Mr B that Labelled with Love doesn’t feel authentic but I think that's sort of the point; however that gets lost because the four producers/four genres structure didn't happen. In some places the genre shifts still hold despite the underlying concept having been compromised but the 'transition' from F-Hole to Labelled with Love is a step too far and the joke just doesn't work because presumably there's holes in the anticipated running order due to the failure to pull off the original plan. That this album is only partially realised yet still sounds as good as it does is credit to the song writing and, though I've had a moan about him, to Costello too. That said it does feel a bit like a halfway house that lacks the cohesion of the original idea. So though I’ve heard it often enough to just take it for what it is as a collection of mostly great songs, someone being confused by it I think makes perfect sense.

That said it is still a collection of mostly great songs so it gets 8/10 from me.
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The commentary on Costello vs Difford-Tilbrook is some of the best and most thoughtful writing this thread has seen. Well done mate.
 
East Side Story - Squeeze

It’s so nice to get back to a band sound again. Just to let last week bleed into this week for a moment, something that occurred to me long after all the hoo-hah:

music is nothing without musicians

This week, you could have put forward Brian Cant and Floella Benjamin playing Playtime songs, and I’d have been more than happy.

Despite the fact that the opening of “In Quintessence” sounds uncomfortably like The Jam, this amateurism is soon cast aside, and we’re off and running with a catchy little ditty. “Tempted” is a great song with tasteful accompaniment. I never knew that Paul Carrack was in Squeeze – you learn something every day – and his vocals here are great.

“Heaven” is an oddball. It could have done with a decent singer, though. Looking at the vocals breakdown on Wikipedia, I assume the bad voice here is John Bentley? And I assume that they never let him near the microphone again? It’s partially redeemed by a nice bit of bouzouki or sitar or something on the end, although it doesn’t seem to be credited.

“Tempted” aside, the best songs here are when Glenn Tilbrook takes on lead vocal duties. “Woman’s World” has a bit of Crowded House about it, so I like this song. Similarly, “Is That Love”, “Someone Else’s Bell”, and “Mumbo Jumbo” all have that chipper quality that as @threespires has pointed out, go against the grain of the lyrics and vignettes being spun out.

The strings that carry “Vanity Fair” give it a different feel to what has come before, and it makes for a pleasant listen.

There are some negatives. “There’s No Tomorrow” is poor and three-quarters of “Heaven” is awful. Chris Difford doesn’t seem to be as a good a choice for vocals as Glenn Tilbrook, but they make a decent songwriting team. Welcome back, music, 7/10.
 
RobMCFC said:
East Side Story - Squeeze

It’s so nice to get back to a band sound again. Just to let last week bleed into this week for a moment, something that occurred to me long after all the hoo-hah:

music is nothing without musicians

This week, you could have put forward Brian Cant and Floella Benjamin playing Playtime songs, and I’d have been more than happy.

Despite the fact that the opening of “In Quintessence” sounds uncomfortably like The Jam, this amateurism is soon cast aside, and we’re off and running with a catchy little ditty. “Tempted” is a great song with tasteful accompaniment. I never knew that Paul Carrack was in Squeeze – you learn something every day – and his vocals here are great.

“Heaven” is an oddball. It could have done with a decent singer, though. Looking at the vocals breakdown on Wikipedia, I assume the bad voice here is John Bentley? And I assume that they never let him near the microphone again? It’s partially redeemed by a nice bit of bouzouki or sitar or something on the end, although it doesn’t seem to be credited.

“Tempted” aside, the best songs here are when Glenn Tilbrook takes on lead vocal duties. “Woman’s World” has a bit of Crowded House about it, so I like this song. Similarly, “Is That Love”, “Someone Else’s Bell”, and “Mumbo Jumbo” all have that chipper quality that as @threespires has pointed out, go against the grain of the lyrics and vignettes being spun out.

The strings that carry “Vanity Fair” give it a different feel to what has come before, and it makes for a pleasant listen.

There are some negatives. “There’s No Tomorrow” is poor and three-quarters of “Heaven” is awful. Chris Difford doesn’t seem to be as a good a choice for vocals as Glenn Tilbrook, but they make a decent songwriting team. Welcome back, music, 7/10.
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Ha, I never thought of the Crowded House connection but you’re right — CH does have a Squeeze vibe on some tunes.
 
Squeeze are supporting Madness 5/12 at the AO Arena - it's a Greatest Hits/Christmas show from both bands.

I have never seen Madness and this is probably a dozen times that I have seen Squeeze/Tilbrook solo/Tilbrook and Difford so I am more looking forward to finally seeing the Nutty Boys!

East Side Story is easily their best album, interestingly Chris Difford did a South East Side Story where he put his own music to his lyrics of their best known songs, it fell somewhere between quirky and awful, great concept/idea but it just came across as self indulgent.

I don't think that Glenn Tilbrook ever got over Elvis Costello favouring the Paul Carrack version of Tempted over Tilbrook's for the album.
 
SQUEEZE EAST SIDE STORY


Like a few of us I have the singles album ‘45’s and Under’ and always thought of Squeeze as a singles band ,so it was refreshing to hear a whole album.The variation in the tracks was quite a surprise as I always fund the singles jaunty little ditties albeit with melancholic lyrics.
I think LWL was them thinking let’s write a country song to add more variety to the album a bit like Gin Bloosoms did with ‘Cheatin’ although LWL is a far superior song.

High lights of the album apart from the singles, ‘In Quintessence’ and‘Piccadilly’
I’ve always like Glen Tilbrooks voice and although PC has the better voice, I prefer GT’s version of ‘Tempted’

All in all a good listen from a competent band with great songwriters.
Glad I finally got to listen to a full album.

Good pick @jornolud

7.5/10
 
horlock_was_super said:
Squeeze are supporting Madness 5/12 at the AO Arena - it's a Greatest Hits/Christmas show from both bands.

I have never seen Madness and this is probably a dozen times that I have seen Squeeze/Tilbrook solo/Tilbrook and Difford so I am more looking forward to finally seeing the Nutty Boys!
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I’m going as well :-)
Not seen either be-core
 
horlock_was_super said:
Squeeze are supporting Madness 5/12 at the AO Arena - it's a Greatest Hits/Christmas show from both bands.
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Is that score a 5 or a 12 (woah, Spinal Tap!) or 5/12?

Of course I jest, but a score is always welcome if the opinion is strong. Pop ins are always welcome here.
 
East Side Story - Squeeze

Squeeze to me during this time period in the early 80s was more of a singles/hits FM radio band, and the one song I do remember from this was the ever popular "Tempted". I too wasn't aware that Paul Carrack sang on this, but in sorting out the multi-singers they had, it makes sense now.

Many have touched on the themes I had also noticed including the strange abrupt ending to "F-Hole", the Beatles' era McCartney sounding songs and vocals of Glenn Tilbrook in "There's No Tomorrow", and the rockabilly sound to "Vanity Fair" to end the album.

What I wanted to recall was when I saw Squeeze open up for Boy George last year in going for the latter as a request from my better half, is what they took from this album. I really enjoyed Squeeze's portion of the show, and it turns out the 3 songs they played live were my favourites from this album, including "Tempted" (Tilbrooks sang of course), "Someone Else's Heart", and "Is That Love?". What stood out to me was the strong bass playing and presence on the 2nd mentioned. Chris Difford's gravelly baritone sound was also a unique sound of this band, and that was on full display in seeing and hearing them in concert. "Labelled With Love" was a nice country swing of the bat as well, definitely a hit.

There was some songs that didn't click as much, such as too much frog-sounding vocals from Difford in "Heaven", that didn't seem to work for me. "Mumbo Jumbo" as a song seemed almost like Elvis Costello said "here, take this song of mine I've been working on that I can't find a home for". I did enjoy hearing their overall output here, and I know I've listened to this more than 5 times, so this was an enjoyable week and a strong 6.5/10. Thanks to @journolud for a nice flashback into a deeper dive into an album of theirs. I'm glad I got to see them for the first time last year too.
 
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FogBlueInSanFran said:
Your love for those two is a light that never goes out :)
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Oh boy, wait until you see the 1986 thread start up in less than a week over in Rock Evolution!

A few of you not yet really seen over there are due up in the early 90's as an Intro Writer too. I can't wait to see what that brings us too, though nothing beats an OB1 rhymin' start to the year.
 
Thanks @RobMCFC and @journolud . In many ways this album could be a spiritual successor to East Side Story if the members of Squeeze were self harming. Not the normal clues for album and artists rather a menagerie of clues that relate to the albums lyrics as befitting the fandom who often identify themselves by quoting liberally

2469.webpAoMRT_Greek_Zeus.webpchaos-thousand-sons-rubric-marines-aspiring-sorcerer-hand-a--7576-p.jpgConcorde-cover.webpnsl715c9fv421.jpg
 
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