Squeeze - East Side Story (1981)

Note: this release was originally given to me as an LP, later replaced by a CD.

This album is generally considered to be Squeeze's best and it's hard to argue with that, even though this is probably the most uneven album the band recorded. You've got blue-eyed soul, rockabilly, psychedelic, delicate ballads, pop, ska, and country/western all represented somewhere in these 14 tracks. Rolling Stone magazine, which famously called Difford & Tilbrook new wave's Lennon & McCartney in its review of this album (below), placed this release at #82 in its list of the 100 Best Albums of the Eighties. That's far too low, guys.

Press of the time:

• Smash Hits (9 out of 10): "a little persistence is amply rewarded"
• Trouser Press: "far more ingenious than the average pop band."
• Robert Christgau (B+): "The songs are imaginative, compassionate, and of course hooky"
• Rolling Stone (★★★★): "Squeeze's finest hour"
• Stereo Review: "Plodding"
• Musician: "finely crafted and accessible pop"

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard Top 200: #44
• Billboard Rock: #10
• CashBox: #54
• Rolling Stone: #13

Tracks: It's all good. I've already documented that Tempted is one of my all-time top ten songs. In addition to Tempted, the best tracks are In Quintessence, Piccadilly, Is That Love, Someone Else's Bell, Vanity Fair, and Messed Around. Admittedly, some tracks are an acquired taste: There's No Tomorrow, Heaven, and F-Hole. But even these tracks grow on you after a few listens.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: Given this album by my friend Jim, it received many, many plays on my bedroom's turntable. By the time I figured out what the band was doing, I was in love with the album. And then I was a life-long Squeeze fan.

I've been told that Tempted should be listened to three times consecutively at a very loud volume.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Domino (1998)
Some Fantastic Place (1993)
Babylon and On (1987)
Difford & Tilbrook (1984)
Argybargy (1980)
Cool For Cats (1979)