The Album Review Club - Week #193 (page 1300) - East Side Story - Squeeze

A quick thank you as ever to one and all for giving my offering some of your time.
I thought it may have been devisive, as per The Streets, but had assumed that it had a little more melody to in in parts to give it a bit more appeal.
Overall, just glad it provoked a little discussion which was nice.
And for those of you that didnt like it I hope it induced as much pain as I had to suffer the other Sunday!
 
mrbelfry said:
the only album i know is cool for cats. checking out their wiki nothing seems to be immediately obvious

edit: oh fog's guess is probably right
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I’d prefer if you were right if only because I think Up The Junction is one of pop’s great songs. But all I’ve heard by them is the Singles 45 and Under record which me and my friends (especially the girls) absolutely wore out in high school.
 
FogBlueInSanFran said:
East Side Story
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Correct. Here's what @journolud had to say:-

There’s been a bit of discussion about the differences between UK and US indie. Not that we came to any conclusions as far as I can remember. And that’s without even considering Aussie Indie (of which we’ve had a couple recently) and New Zealand indie. Anyway, this week’s pick is nothing to do with all of that. Apart from the fact that I think it’s quintessentially English.

Things were much simpler when we moved from punk to new wave. Well possibly. The learned members of the rock evolution thread may well have already given Squeeze in general and this album in particular it’s due. I feel a bit bad that I haven’t really frequented that thread much but by this stage I think rather than dive in I’ll wait for the book.

Anyway, to Squeeze. The early versions of Squeeze were a bit laddish really but knocked out some gems, like the sublime Goodbye Girl and most notably Up the Junction, a story of a relationship from start to finish perfectly told in just over 3 minutes. By the time they came to their third album Argy Bargy their songwriting craft was developing nicely and that album saw two great singles in Pulling Mussels (from the shell) and Another Nail in My heart plus my favourite Squeeze story in a song the ridiculously bright yet sad Vicky Verky.

But it was with East Side Story that they really hit their stride and probably their peak. With honky tonk pianist Jools Holland (I’ve nothing against him, I’m sure he’s a lovely fella but for some reason I find his voice and his piano playing quite annoying) being replaced by the altogether cooler and more mature sound and voice of Paul Carrack, Squeeze expanded their outlook, flirted with various genres yet delivered an album that was nigh on pop perfection.

Quintessentially English though? Yes, I think so. I mentioned Squeeze a long time ago in one of the music threads as being the spiritual heirs of… someone. I can’t remember who to be honest but thinking about it now they are part of a tradition that I think includes the Kinks, the Jam and more latterly Pulp that somehow bring the mundane everyday lives of people to life in a way that is sympathetic to the struggles and the little joys that encompasses.

East Side Story comprises of 14 songs from the songwriting duo of Chris Difford (lyrics) and Glenn Tilbrook (music). Although they flirt with different styles it hangs together well and produced at least three memorable hits in Is That Love, Tempted (with Paul carrack on vocals) and the country song, yes sorry the country song Labelled With Love. This latter is another that demonstrates what they are so good at, a story that takes a sympathetic but not maudlin look at a life.

Kitchen sink dramas was a description given to “plays or films in a post-war British style that was characterized by realistic depiction of drab or sordid subjects and used working-class domestic settings”. (Thank you google for the definition). There’s nothing drab nor sordid about the depictions on East Side Story but many critics have attached the label to it.

There’s no great story about my connection to this album. Coming out as it did in 1981 that does coincide with what I might melodramatically refer to as my wilderness years when all I had really was music. The height of New Wave was a great time and there are probably plenty of bands and artists I’ve forgotten from that time. Maybe I will dip into the Evolution thread but while I’m doing that I hope you’ll all appreciate this.
 
FogBlueInSanFran said:
I’d prefer if you were right if only because I think Up The Junction is one of pop’s great songs. But all I’ve heard by them is the Singles 45 and Under record which me and my friends (especially the girls) absolutely wore out in high school.
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East Side Story's got some classic tracks. My favourite probably Tempted.

Can't go wrong with Difford and Tilbrook.
 
threespires said:
East Side Story's got some classic tracks. My favourite probably Tempted.

Can't go wrong with Difford and Tilbrook.
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I think the girls considered Tempted the most “classic” of their tracks overall . . . but Up The Junction is pretty much perfect. Always been my favo(u)rite. That said, I will have more to say on a personal level because this band and Tempted especially brings back some particular memories of youth . . .
 
LGWIO said:
A quick thank you as ever to one and all for giving my offering some of your time.
I thought it may have been devisive, as per The Streets, but had assumed that it had a little more melody to in in parts to give it a bit more appeal.
Overall, just glad it provoked a little discussion which was nice.
And for those of you that didnt like it I hope it induced as much pain as I had to suffer the other Sunday!
Click to expand...
I knew it was a revenge pick.
 
FogBlueInSanFran said:
I think the girls considered Tempted the most “classic” of their tracks overall . . . but Up The Junction is pretty much perfect. Always been my favo(u)rite. That said, I will have more to say on a personal level because this band and Tempted especially brings back some particular memories of youth . . .
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I look forward to the lascivious details!

The timing of this nomination is a nice nod to Gilson Lavis who passed away just a couple of weeks ago.
 
De Le Soul - 3 feet high and rising

Firstly an extra point for picking this genre, our first Rap nomination ever ? unless we count The Streets - as much as Rap has never been my bag I'd like more of it to be nominated, I grew up with a lot of mates who loved Rap/Hip Hop back in the day, mainly the heavy gangster stuff Dre, Ice Cube, 50 Cent etc - as much as they played it, I could just never 'get it' , Oasis & Britpop was already in my blood and this was the complete opposite, they could talk all night about the West Coast v the East Coast, who shot who, who dissed who etc thank god for booze and weed back then. However, some of the big 'Pop' hits from these Artists I could enjoy , always had a soft spot for some of Eminem's hits, 'California Love' is a Rap classic, 'Still Dre', '99 problems' etc.
As mentioned earlier, the skits I find annoying after a couple of listens, thankfully with Spotify I could remove these and was left with the main tracks which worked, there's a constant groove throughout and a good blend, all credit I assume to Prince Paul, I also enjoyed checking some of the samples used and they worked well, some tracks go slightly into the Will Smith territory and has that 80's synth and scratch sound that felt dated although innovative at the time.
(3 Is) The Magic Number, 'Eye Know' and (Hall & Oates sample) 'Say No Go' especially were good tracks, liked the overall upbeat vibe and light lyrics.

5/10
 
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