Thursday, January 14, 2010

Lost Tracks: Volume 2



It wouldn't be uh...ridiculous to say that Squeeze's 1996 release "Ridiculous" is a lost album. Though no longer churning out radio hits and heavily-rotated videos for MTV, Squeeze continued to make consistently solid music, with the modern day Lennon and McCartney, Glenn Tilbrook & Chris Difford, still going strong as one of the best writing teams in pop music. I think "Ridiculous" stands up as strongly as their best work found on classics like "Argybargy" and "East Side Story."

"Temptation For Love," Glenn's duet with Cathy Dennis, is not your typical Squeeze song, though I think it may be the best track on this record. As usual, Chris Difford's heartbreaking, often autobiographical lyrics make you pay attention and Glenn Tilbrook's melody will turn you into a puddle of goo.

TEMPTATION FOR LOVE

5 comments:

The Phantom Creep said...

Puddle of Goo would be a good name for a Christian Emo band, no?

Seriously, a very nice song indeed and thanks for posting it.

DeepKarma said...

Squeeze is just one of those underated bands whose catalogue still seems fresh. Aside from their first two releases, the sound is timeless.

This is a great song from a release that I somehow missed in my vinyl-cd-digital transition over the years. Thanks for sharing!

BTW...the Galactic post over at Huffington Post sent me to Amie Street for a download of Late for the Future, then right on over to Live Nation to scoop up tix for the 2/4 Philly show. Incredible stuff!

FD13NYC said...

Sad news about Teddy Pendergrass, dead at 59. He was a drummer at one point. I always liked some songs he did with Harold Melvin & the Bluenotes especially their version of Don't Leave Me This Way before Thelma Houston made a big disco smash out of it.

We also may be losing Doug Fieger from The Knack who has brain and lung cancer.

Sorry about all the morbid obituary stuff, just thought the Wood readers would like to know. Here today gone tomorrow.

kitano0 said...

It seems like from the inception of this band, critics like yourself could not refrain from not only comparing Tilbrook and Difford to Lennon/McCartney, but calling them the "new" Lennon/McCartney. Can you imagine how many Beatles fans (me included) thought this ridiculous? If indeed they are the modern L/Mc, where are the hits? If they are indeed the modern L/Mc, why can't they come up with something better lyrically than "pulling mussels from a shell" , or "coffee in bed"? And those are the only songs I ever hear on the radio or anywhere besides "Tempted", which is probably their best. And that was released what, 20-some years ago? They are ok, but I have nevered understood the swooning from the critics.

Sal Nunziato said...

I consider myself a Beatles' fan. I'm pretty sure they are my favorite band and I don't find the comparison ridiculous.

I find your random selection of Squeeze lyrics a bit ridiclous.

"Coffee In Bed" = "Not The Beatles?"

Is that what you're saying?

"All My Loving" = "Not Squeeze?"

Have I got it?

No problem if you don't like the band, but come on, put a little effort into why.

No one ever said Squeeze was better than The Beatles. (well, maybe someone did, but not me.) But there is no doubt that Difford/Tilbrook as a writing team produced some of the smartest, catchiest, and most consistent pop music during their run together and plenty of it was Beatlesque.