Squeeze - Some Fantastic Place (1993)

Note: this release was originally purchased as a cassette tape, later replaced by a CD. (What was I doing still buying cassettes in '93?)

I'm a huge Squeeze fan, but this isn't their best. Even so, average Squeeze is better than many other bands at their best. It was a big disappointment to me because the band's previous album, 1991's Play, had marked a return to form for the band. Unfortunately, this release marked the beginning of the end for the group. They would hang on for two more below-average releases before a 12 year recording hiatus started in 1998. Squeeze was never much of a radio band and by 1993, their sound was totally incompatible with the grunge and hip-hop that had taken over the airwaves.

Press of the time:

• Billboard: "the best tunes are lusciously irresistible"
• Q Magazine (4 out of 5): "Another fine Squeeze album"
• Stereo Review: "The Difford and Tilbrook songwriting team is still razor-sharp here."
• Vox (7 out of 10): "Difford and Tillbrook [sic] exhibit their usual mastery of pop dynamics"
• Chicago Tribune (3 out of 4): "[Difford and Tilbrook] have brightened up musically while maintaining the crown as pop-rock's most tuneful and trenchant observers of romantic breakdowns."

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #182 (Oct 2, 1993)

Tracks: Everything In The World is a good opener, followed by the title track which Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook have called their favorite Squeeze song. The song is about the death of Chris and Glenn's longtime friend Maxine Barker, at one time Glenn's fiancee, who encouraged him to answer Chris' ad without which there would be no Squeeze. Third Rail is great piece of power pop. Loving You Tonight is a rework of the group's hit, Tempted, and is good but not as good as Tempted (that's a tall order to fill). Even so, Paul Carrack sings the vocals to make the comparisons inevitable. Then, the album takes a turn for the worse. Of the remaining 7 tracks, only Talk To Him and Images Of Loving sound like typical Squeeze tunes. Ever come across a tune that you can't figure out? Do I like it or don't I? This album's closer, Pinocchio, is like that for me.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I can't think of anything. 1993 was a year of transition for me: I quit my job, moved to San Antonio, and, most importantly, my wife and I welcomed our first child. It is easy to see how a CD could get lost in all that.