Thursday, August 6, 2020

Play Squeeze "Play"










"Play" is the lost Squeeze masterpiece.



In short, the band was dropped by A&M and picked up by Warner Bros. Difford and Tilbrook deliver the most mature and realized songs of their career. WB wants "Cool For Cats." “Play” comes out in July of 1991. Warner/Reprise drops Squeeze in October of 1991. "Play" sinks without a trace. Well, at least this is how Chris Difford tells it in his memoir, "Some Fantastic Place," and it's difficult to argue.








Chris Difford's lyrics have always been mini-dramas, many hidden underneath Tilbrook's upbeat melodies and the band's energetic arrangements. But on "Play," the music seems to have grown up into his stories. It's a record, like other favorites of mine, including "The Who Sell Out," that has so much going on, it bears repeated spins, with each play revealing something more brilliant than before.

The opening cut "Satisfied" feels like "Tempted," but with a  more melancholy vibe. Both "Letting Go" and "The Truth" are as strong anything the band has released prior. Both sound like Squeeze, yet those songs, like most of "Play" doesn't really feel like Squeeze. It's as if the band got smarter but forgot to tell us.

Chris Difford wears his heart on both sleeves here, to quote another favorite songwriter of mine. It's not all heavy, but I do think it's the heaviness that makes "Play" something special. This is a record that I play more than any other by the band, and in some ways, I believe it is where Difford and Tilbrook peaked, with all due respect to "Argybargy" and "East Side Story."












12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Together with Some Fantastic Place, these are my go-to Squeeze albums.

Randy

cmealha said...

I agree. For a variety of reasons, I had bailed on Squeeze a few years prior to "Play". I went back to "Play" it a few years ago at your insistence and was rewarded with one of my favorite Squeeze albums. Consistently gratifying from start to finish.

JAYESSEMM said...

I love to be reminded of albums like Play that, for some reason, have fallen off the playlist.

Thanks Sal!

A Walk In The Woods said...

I got an invite on FB that Hall & Oates are coming to Atlanta in September...... 2021! I breathed a sigh of relief that I won't (hopefully) have to think too hard about a yes on that.

Squeeze is the opening act. I thought that's a cool combo.

Whattawino said...

YES! This Play record is getting it’s second play in a row over here at the moment and I’m LOVING it. Big Thanks, Sal.

Michael Giltz said...

I know an order when I read one. Stop playing around and play "Play." OK!

Anonymous said...

I remember loving Play when it first came out, and wondering why I seemed to be the only one that was even paying attention to Squeeze any more. Literally nobody else I knew at the time cared that this album existed, let alone to actually listen to it.

I agree that it's among their best, for me just a notch below East Side Story.

Jared said...

One hundred percent agree! Easily my favorite Squeeze album. Frank seems to be underappreciated as well. Love the last two albums and I know you do too. A great band any way you slice it!

hpunch said...

Yep. One of their best

Bill said...

Glad you posted this, as it gave me an excuse to listen to Play twice on Thursday. Always a rewarding experience.

What are my favorite Squeeze albums, you ask?
East Side Story
Cradle to the Grave
Argy Bargy
Play
Frank

dogbreath said...

This was the first one, or thereabouts, after Jools Holland had left the band? (Whatever became of him?) Recall wondering if the album was going to be any good - but needn't have worried. And the tracks you selected prove the point, lyrically and musically mature, wonderful stuff I enjoy even more in my dotage. Cheers!

elroy said...

Thanks for the reminder to listen to this! As I get older I worry I am leaving some gems in my collection unlistened to for too long, just because I haven't run across them.

Saw them last year with X opening for them, terrific show.