My Legends of Pop Music – Part Thirty-Eight – Squeeze

1st April 2022 Philthetestmanager 20th Century, Arts, History, Music 0

My Legends of Pop Music – Part Thirty-Eight – Squeeze

If get this right, there will be many cover versions by future bands. I shall try and link live versions if they exist from the tellybox or a film, the sound quality may not be the best, but there is nothing like watching a real talent live.

So, in a sort of chronological order, my thirty seventh eighth legends are: Squeeze.

For a band that never had a number one single or album, they were very successful indeed, producing some great tunes. The featured track “Up the Junction“, is a personal favourite of mine.

Courtesy of Wiki:

Squeeze are an English rock band that came to prominence in the United Kingdom during the new wave period of the late 1970s, and continued recording in the 1980s, 1990s and 2010s. In the UK, their singles “Cool for Cats“, “Up the Junction“, and “Labelled with Love” were top-ten chart hits. Though not as commercially successful in the United States, Squeeze had American hits with “Tempted“, “Pulling Mussels”, and “Hourglass”, and were considered a part of the Second British Invasion.

The vast majority of their material is composed of lyrics by Chris Difford and music by Glenn Tilbrook, who are guitarists and vocalists in the band. The duo were hailed as “the heirs to Lennon and McCartney‘s throne” during the band’s initial popularity in the late 1970s. The group formed in Deptford, London, in 1974, and first broke up in 1982. Squeeze then reformed in 1985 and disbanded again in 1999.
Julian “Jools” Holland of course went on to be quite controversial, but has calmed down in recent years and produces some marvellous music shows by getting some of the biggest names in the music world.

The band reunited for tours through the United States and United Kingdom in 2007. In 2010, they issued Spot the Difference, an album of newly recorded versions of older material. The band’s first album of all-new material since 1998, Cradle to the Grave, was released in October 2015, followed by another album, The Knowledge, in October 2017.

A full discography is here: Squeeze

Take Me I’m Yours from a BBC four show in 1978

Bang Bang (Peel Session) – far too punk for my liking, but I know some of you like this kind of stuff

Slap and Tickle – The Old Grey Whistle Test. Long intro form Jools on this

Another Nail In My Heart – Jools Holland’s Happening – great song this

Squeeze Live! – Pulling Mussels (From the Shell) Orpheum Theatre in 2019

Is That Love – 1981 television appearance.

Tempted (Live), Paul Carrack on the keyboards and vocals.

Black Coffee In Bed – early 80’s

853-5937 (1988, USA # 32, Enhanced) – heard this on the Babylon and On album, I like it.

Hourglass on the David Letterman show

Labelled With Love (TOTP 1981) – Awesome

One their more famous hits was of course Cool for Cats. Here they are playing live just a few months ago: Cool For Cats – o2 Arena, London 18/12/21

Singalong, enjoy and be happy!

Links to previous Legend articles:

1-Buddy Holly	2-Elvis Presley	3-Everly brothers	4-Cliff Richard	5-Joe Brown
6-Gerry and the Pacemakers	7-Roy Orbison	8-The Seekers	9-The Hollies	10-The Rolling Stones
11-Beach Boys	12-The Monkees	13-Rod Stewart	14-T-Rex	15-Slade
16-10CC	17-Pussycat	18-The Kinks	19-Blondie	20-Bryan Ferry/Roxy Music
21-David Bowie	22-Meatloaf	23-The Temptations	24-Dusty Springfield	25-Fleetwood Mac
26-Gilbert O’Sullivan	27-The Four Tops	28-Chas ‘n’ Dave	29-Diana Ross and The Supremes	30-Status Quo
31-Jim Reeves	32-The Small Faces	33-The Doobie Brothers	34-Manfred Mann	35-Creedence Clearwater Revival
36-Otis Redding	37-Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons	38-Squeeze