A question for Roger Simian or any other musical genius

[Expertise]

I picked up a CD in a bargain bin the other day. When I saw it I had a vague recollection of them from highschool.

It was a CD by Squeeze (45's and singles) and even though it was oh so eighties I really like it. I am pretty sure they are british and from the late seventies early eighties.

My question to Roger or anyone else is this.Do you remember them? What category would these guys fall in to? Their stuff seems to be all over the map. Were they well regarded in thier day?

I guess it doesnt really matter since I enjoy listening to them but I would like to know a little more.

 

[Sparky Kronkite]

Squeeze......

Black Coffe In Bed, Pulling Muscles From A Shell, A Little Slap and Tickle.....

British - soulful new wave'ish pop band.

Great singer and keyboard player - would have to rack my brain and it's too early to remember thier names. Paul something.

Have three or four of their recordings including the one you just purchased. Good stuff.

 

[Gus]

Squeeze? -Yes

AH! Yes I remember them well!
A one hit band I think. Is "Labled with Love" on your CD? I think that it was their only hit although there is another niggling at the back of my mind.

 

[Guest]

Haven't got a clue, Expertise.....

 

[Gus]

Re: Squeeze? -Yes

Just remembered - "Cool for Cats"
There is a part where he "Takes her home to Mother and he 'gives the dog a bone'" next morning he finds "a nasty little rash"

 

[Sparky Kronkite]

Paul Carrack!

Can't remember the other guy's name.

 

[R Nitelight]

The important names are Glenn Tilbrook, Chris Difford, Jools Holland, and Paul Carrack.

 

[Expertise]

One hit wonders....really?

'Cool for Cats' was the one track I didn't really like. 'Pulling Muscles From A Shell', 'Tempted' and especially 'Another Nail For My Heart' I really enjoyed.

 

[Expertise]

Hmmmmm...

Paul Carrack is a name a sort of recognize. Did he have a solo career after them?

 

[R Nitelight]

Paul Carrack

I believe he was also the vocalist for Mike and the Mechanics (Silent Running, The Living Years)

 

[Guest]

Oh, fuck. I don't know if I like being refered to as a "musical genius". It's too much responsibility. I can feel my blood pressure rising. Squeeze? Shit! I'm starting to get performance anxiety, now. Oh, God.... the pressure's killing me. Uhm.... Squeeze. Oh, Jesus. SQUEEZE!! SQUEEZE!!

(What if I don't live up to their expectations? What if I disappoint them. STOP IT!! STOP IT!!! YOU'RE DESTROYING ME WITH ALL THOSE QUESTIONING EYES!!!!)

Uhm, yeah... Squeeze. Easy. They sang 'Up The Junction' and 'Cool For Cats'. Their original piano player Jools Holland presents British tv shows and ptinkles the ivories boogie-woogie style. He was asked to join The Police at one point in the mid-80s but refused 'cause he had his own band, The Millionaires. Difford and Tilbrook had a terrible side-project for a while.

I have to go rest now.

DON'T ANYBODY DARE ASK ME WHAT THE 39 STEPS IS!

 

[OUTSIDER]

Ok Sqeeze,

Started off as a pub band some time in the late 70's early 80's and most of the member's if not all come from London, I think mostly the South East of London, I know the pianist came from Blackheath and as has been said above now present's a music show, as to style errr I'd have to say London pub pop/rock and the first nine track's on their greatest hit's CD are personal favourite's and get a lot of air time in my house.

Good band and good song's, VERY London.

 

[OUTSIDER]

BTW.

If you want to know what London scumbag's (trailer trash) are like then you need to see a film called "Nil by mouth", I just watched it tonight and it's very real including the swearing ( you guy's will never look at us Brit's the same again ), and I should know it's all about the part of London where I live.

 

[RonG]

I feel like William Tell . . .

In the spring of 1981, I saw a concert with Squeeze and Elvis Costello. Paul Carrack had just joined the band for the tour after Jools left. He was introduced as the guy who wrote "How Long" for Ace and they played this song as part of their set. This would have been right after Argy-Bargy came out as a Squeeze album and before they recorded "Tempted". Actually, my favorite song by them was "Annie Get Your Gun"

The first time I ever saw these guys was the "Cool for Cats" video on Don Kirschner's Rock Concert. Now I am feeling really old.

Maid Marian on her tiptoed feet . . .

 

[Isabella Thorne]

Squeeze me in too, please!

Chandler darling ... looks like you picked yourself up a pretty good bargain ... that Squeeze CD is awesome! Hey why don't we snuggle up and listen to it together ... sure brings back memories for me ..

In the early 80's in Ontario, the British pop group had a top 10 hit with "Pulling Muscles from a Shell".

Squeeze song writer Chris Difford talked about it in an interview in 1992:

"That song was influenced really by The Small Faces. I used to adore the way they would write about English situations. Very British picture postcard situations really. I wanted to write about the experience that a lot of working class English people do of going to the seaside and what a day out for them would be. ... So you have the old people looking round the shops, and then in the chorus you have the young people who are trying to have sex with strangers behind the chalet on the beach."

Oh also, the Squeeze song "Tempted" was featured in the 1994 soundtrack to the movie "Reality Bites" and "This Road" is on the soundtrack to "The Truth About Cats and Dogs" (1996).
_________________
They do it down on camber sands
They do it at Waikiki
Lazing about the beach all day,
At night the crickets creepy
Squinting faces at the sky
Harold Robbins paperback
Surfers drop their boards and dry
And everybody wants a hat

But behind the Chalet
My holiday's complete
And I feel like William Tell
Maid Marian on her tiptoed feet
Pulling mussels from a shell

~Squeeze~

 

[Expertise]

Sure Isabella light a fire

I seem to have a great affinity for "Another Nail For My Heart".

Don't ask.

 

[Isabella Thorne]

Requests for the Piano Man

I would light a fire for you anytime, Chandler baby!

These Squeeze lyrics are for you darling. Imagine we are in the bar together ... and you slip the the piano man $5 to play one for us:

I've had a bad time
Now love is resigned
I've been such a fool
I've loved and goodbyed

So here in the bar
The piano man's found
Another nail for my heart
And here in the bar
The piano man's found
Another nail for my heart
_______________
ha ha Chester dear ...
we can take some comfort in knowing that we will be part of the "in crowd" at the old age home.

 

[Gus]

Re: One hit wonders....really?

'Cool for Cats' was the one track I didn't really like. 'Pulling Muscles From A Shell', 'Tempted' and especially 'Another Nail For My Heart' I really enjoyed.

To really appreciate 'Cool for Cats' one has to be a Londoner or someone who knows the accent.

 

[Expertise]

Hey Gus.... I got all the local slang and colloquialisms. Its just that the song sounds cheesy and contrived to me. It was, I realize, quite popular though.

 

[Expertise]

Thanks Isabella. I've had that song running through my head for two days now.

I've tried to be good
Is that not enough?
So play me the song
That makes it so tough
Another Nail For My Heart
Yes play me the song
That makes it so tough
Another Nail For My Heart

 

[OUTSIDER]

Ok I asked a mate....

and he told me that the group met when one of them put a card in a shop window asking for other's too help him form a band and he also told me that yes most of the group came from the Blackheath / Deptford area of London.

PS. "Cool For Cats" is a very London song and doesn't always travel well, but it is a goody