You're Squeeze. You break up after 5 albums. If you're the two writing all the material anyway, just record the album you'd make with "Squeeze," and slap your names on it! Cool for these cats!
Woo-hoo! Happy to be the conduit for new tuneage for ya! BTW, Sherman, this is one you might've missed....We put it out in November, and I think you'll enjoy it....we unearthed the birth of disco (the song, the group, the drumming instigator...plus, it features the late, great Thom Bell)! https://bradkyle.substack.com/p/audio-archaeology-the-birth-of-disco
Squeeze is in my top 5 bands, they tell a story sooo well & it fits perfectly with their music. I always find it amazing that they would write the music & lyrics completely separately. Up The Junction is one of the best songs ever period stop.
Thanks for your comment, Brian! I'm certainly in line (toward the front!) in your appreciation of Difford & Tilbrook's songwriting skills, especially "UTJ"! Their style (like Bernie & Elton's) is mystifying...I guess, somehow, Glenn is inspired by Chris's lyrics to compose a "fitting" melody!
Brian, stay tuned....I just guested on Amy Hughes' "Cool For Cats" podcast (it'll drop shortly), where we bandied about all sorts of Squeeze and D&T topics! A great time was had by both, and I know you'll want to hear it!
Okay, Brad - I'm gonna have to go back and listen to this one, based on your thought-provoking writeup. I was a major Squeeze fan in high school, as were all of my friends — no party was complete without a copy of Argy Bargy or (later) Singles - 45s and Under landing on the turntable at some point. But we all pretty much hated this record when it came out. Maybe it was just the circa-'84 production (there weren't a whole lot of major label releases that sounded good to me that year) or Thorngren's mix, but my friends and I all felt that the magic of Squeeze as we knew them was somehow missing from this LP. I don't think I've heard it all the way through since 1985; let's see if it resonates at all with me now!
Talk about mirror image! Never a major Squeeze fan as you were (but, I certainly was aware of them and appreciated their creatively standing out from the punk'n'new wave pack), I lived with the D&T album that summer, as I wrote above!
Do give it another spin, and let us know how "it lands" today! There are a few folks on the handful of Squeeze groups on Facebook who also lament the album's production/mix. Listen less, this time, with an ear tempted to compare them with the band, and more with an ear appreciating it as a one-off by a talented duo of songwriters who may not have been the best of buds at the time!
Well, that was an interesting spin. 38 or so years later, I really like about half the songs, especially "Love's Crashing Waves" and "Man for All Seasons" — but still wish they'd been recorded with more straight-ahead rock arrangements instead of all the synths and electronic drums. Guess I can't blame them for trying to sell more records, but I definitely understand why 18 year-old me hated it.
Glad you dropped the needle, Dan! I just finished an interview for the "Cool for Cats" podcast with Amy McGrath Hughes (she of the Write Hear 'Stack @ https://amymcgrathhughes.substack.com/), this morning.
We talked Squeeze, and of course, the D & T album. You're on top of it, so the questions you have are the ones we also addressed (style, the video era, production, label promotion, etc). I'll find a way to let my subbies know when she drops it, and where to find it!
Man, that history lesson in 4 minutes video was priceless. And a lot I didn't know! I consider myself a Squeeze fan, but not from a completist POV, and relistening to D&T again (like you, I own -- still own! -- the cassette) makes me realize I need to listen to the post 1981 stuff way more. I just loved Cool For CatsArgybargy/East Side Story era so much it was hard to move on. I remember really loving Play and "playing" that one a lot in my first year post college.
Oh, and Amy's podcast is called "Cool For Cats: A Squeeze Podcast," which I don't think is mentioned here (unless I missed it). I've added it to my podcast app and look forward to listening to yours when it's posted!
Thanks, Kevin! I learned from writing with Stephen Michael Schwartz to just "let him write the title" because, for the most part, he already has.......in his lyrics! His lyrics, in one form or other, have provided the title (or subtitle) for a small handful of articles!
Now that I look, it's less the actual title ('cause those have to be more accurately descriptive), than the within-story section subtitles that his lyrics have contributed to! At any rate, for our new readers, they can be introduced to Stephen here:
I'm not quite sure what to say, Mike! I literally looked around the room: "You talkin' to ME?" "Thanks" doesn't seem adequate, but I'll give it a go: Thank you, Mike......a lot. I'd say you made my day, but it's, easily, closer to my month! 😁👍
They say "you'll find your audience," or "your audience will find you," and that seems to be happening after 21 months of doing this! However many FR&B readers may feel just as you do about what we do here, YOU'RE one of the few actually verbalizing your appreciation! A couple of friends do regularly, and that's great, but you're from out of the blue!!! It's a pleasure to have you onboard, Mike! Stay tuned!
Another quality piece, Brad. In addition to giving me another artist to check out, I really enjoyed your memories of listening to the cassette. Sometimes, I really miss tapes. Yeah, they were a pain to FF or rewind if you wanted to listen to a specific song, and the overall sound quality wasn't as good as other formats, but the former kind of forced you (or at least encouraged you) to listen to whole albums instead of cherry-picking songs. The classic "album" isn't quite dead, but it's kind of on life support, and the way my sons listen to music on their phones is a lot different than how I did it as a kid and teenager. Even after cassettes were on their way out, being replaced by CDs, I still had a sizable tape collection in high school because my beloved first car (an old blue 1981 Buick Skylark) only had a tape deck. But that was good, because if I'd had the ability to easily skip around, I doubt I would have explored the expanded catalogs of so many musicians in depth the way I did. I try not to be too dismissive of one-hit wonders, but I've always been a deep cut kind of guy, and if you really want to impress me, you need to have some good music beyond your radio hit. Never really thought about it much before, but that probably goes back to my teenage days, driving back and forth to school and work or wherever else, listening to those old tapes over and over again until they started to wear out. Those were some good memories, so thanks were leading me down that path with your article and giving me an excuse to reminisce!
Happy to help us all reminisce, Patrick! It's tough to remember an album with such a clear and specific memory as the D&T and my camp summer! So, it was fun to travel back to that chilly lake and environs, and the fun memories of all the kiddos who descended on the camp each week!
I think I listened to cassettes a lot longer than "most" people, even as CDs broke in the early '80s. My '86 copper Chevy Cavalier had a cassette player, so that's how I turned on my youth group high schoolers (in the late '80s) to Tull, Genesis, et al...as we toodled around L.A. and our trips to Disneyland (half-a-dozen of us were annual pass holders!). Good times.
At home, I know I got a new component stereo with CD player, so played those at home, but would look for certain albums in cassette for a while. Hope you dig D&T, Patrick!
They're the backbone of Squeeze...their main songwriters. So, their style should ring a bell a bit, if you're familiar with their material with Squeeze. Plus, as "Difford & Tilbrook," this is the only album they had! Would love to hear your reaction after hearing...feel free, Andy!
Just listened to the album. I really liked it. In fact I’ve added it to my wantlist on Discogs to see if I can get it on vinyl at some point. I particularly liked the smooth production. There’s something quite lush in the sound without being overbearing. I also really liked the harmonies and vocal arrangements. As for the music, there’s this unmistakable... Englishness throughout, if you get what I mean (I’m sure you do), particularly tracks like “Hope Fell Down” and “You Can’t Hurt the Girl”. Interestingly, the first few tracks gave me an INXS/Genesis vibe, but I could already tell their sound was quite distinctive. Really impressed by “The Apple Tree”. Wasn’t expecting such a mysterious ending! The order of the tracks is very well thought out because I wouldn’t have placed them anywhere else. There’s quite a lot of different vibes and rhythms going on but it all fits together really well into a cohesive body of work. Once again, thanks for helping me discover this!
Yes, I caught their very "out-there" Brit-ness, especially Glenn's pronouncing "solitary" in just THREE syllables (i.e. "sol-uh-tree")! I'm glad you liked "The Apple Tree." But, as a fan of their melodies and harmonies, that particular musical fruit fell far from my tree!
You must keep us up to date on your D&T vinyl search, yes? Thanks for chiming in with your review, Andy! As a longtime Genesis fan, I'm squinting to hear anything "Genesis-y" in anything here, but that's cool. I can see the INXS ref, though here and there!
Yes, solitary is one of those words that gives it away, as well as the non-rhoticity and just the overall... feel. I can see how and why the reference to Genesis may seem far-fetched if you are a fan of both bands and have listened to them a lot over the years. Bear in mind that while I will listen to (almost) anything, and enjoy a bit of new wave every now and then, I naturally gravitate towards soul/blues/R&B, so this is all still outside of my "comfort zone", so to speak. Perhaps it was one of the first few tracks of the album that gave (me) a very subtle whiff of "No Son of Mine" (although it may well be just a case of a first impression). Good stuff, in any case!
Awesome! I am playing the album now. I love Squeeze.
Glad you like, Sherman! As a Squeeze lover, and if you hadn't discovered D&T yet, it's a brand-new Squeeze album, for all intents'n'purposes!🎶
Yeah, I had no clue this existed.
Woo-hoo! Happy to be the conduit for new tuneage for ya! BTW, Sherman, this is one you might've missed....We put it out in November, and I think you'll enjoy it....we unearthed the birth of disco (the song, the group, the drumming instigator...plus, it features the late, great Thom Bell)! https://bradkyle.substack.com/p/audio-archaeology-the-birth-of-disco
Glenn’s history lesson is required watching for any (non)serious Squeeze fan. Just. Hysterical.
They're both hilarious--Chris in his lyrics, and Glenn, more off-stage!
Squeeze is in my top 5 bands, they tell a story sooo well & it fits perfectly with their music. I always find it amazing that they would write the music & lyrics completely separately. Up The Junction is one of the best songs ever period stop.
Thanks for your comment, Brian! I'm certainly in line (toward the front!) in your appreciation of Difford & Tilbrook's songwriting skills, especially "UTJ"! Their style (like Bernie & Elton's) is mystifying...I guess, somehow, Glenn is inspired by Chris's lyrics to compose a "fitting" melody!
Brian, stay tuned....I just guested on Amy Hughes' "Cool For Cats" podcast (it'll drop shortly), where we bandied about all sorts of Squeeze and D&T topics! A great time was had by both, and I know you'll want to hear it!
In the meantime, dial in Amy's "Write Hear" Substack, right here: https://amymcgrathhughes.substack.com/
Thanks again, Brian, and don't be a stranger!😁👍
I'll be sure to check that out!
Great, Brian, and thanks for joining us behind the velvet rope line, FRONT ROW & BACKSTAGE!
Okay, Brad - I'm gonna have to go back and listen to this one, based on your thought-provoking writeup. I was a major Squeeze fan in high school, as were all of my friends — no party was complete without a copy of Argy Bargy or (later) Singles - 45s and Under landing on the turntable at some point. But we all pretty much hated this record when it came out. Maybe it was just the circa-'84 production (there weren't a whole lot of major label releases that sounded good to me that year) or Thorngren's mix, but my friends and I all felt that the magic of Squeeze as we knew them was somehow missing from this LP. I don't think I've heard it all the way through since 1985; let's see if it resonates at all with me now!
Talk about mirror image! Never a major Squeeze fan as you were (but, I certainly was aware of them and appreciated their creatively standing out from the punk'n'new wave pack), I lived with the D&T album that summer, as I wrote above!
Do give it another spin, and let us know how "it lands" today! There are a few folks on the handful of Squeeze groups on Facebook who also lament the album's production/mix. Listen less, this time, with an ear tempted to compare them with the band, and more with an ear appreciating it as a one-off by a talented duo of songwriters who may not have been the best of buds at the time!
Well, that was an interesting spin. 38 or so years later, I really like about half the songs, especially "Love's Crashing Waves" and "Man for All Seasons" — but still wish they'd been recorded with more straight-ahead rock arrangements instead of all the synths and electronic drums. Guess I can't blame them for trying to sell more records, but I definitely understand why 18 year-old me hated it.
Glad you dropped the needle, Dan! I just finished an interview for the "Cool for Cats" podcast with Amy McGrath Hughes (she of the Write Hear 'Stack @ https://amymcgrathhughes.substack.com/), this morning.
We talked Squeeze, and of course, the D & T album. You're on top of it, so the questions you have are the ones we also addressed (style, the video era, production, label promotion, etc). I'll find a way to let my subbies know when she drops it, and where to find it!
There's was more cocaine involved with that MIAA-TV clip than any three Ozzy interviews, combined.
Glenn is British, certainly, but I'm afraid in that clip, he was full-on rushin'!
Man, that history lesson in 4 minutes video was priceless. And a lot I didn't know! I consider myself a Squeeze fan, but not from a completist POV, and relistening to D&T again (like you, I own -- still own! -- the cassette) makes me realize I need to listen to the post 1981 stuff way more. I just loved Cool For CatsArgybargy/East Side Story era so much it was hard to move on. I remember really loving Play and "playing" that one a lot in my first year post college.
Oh, and Amy's podcast is called "Cool For Cats: A Squeeze Podcast," which I don't think is mentioned here (unless I missed it). I've added it to my podcast app and look forward to listening to yours when it's posted!
Love the subtitle here. Nicely referenced. lol.
Thanks, Kevin! I learned from writing with Stephen Michael Schwartz to just "let him write the title" because, for the most part, he already has.......in his lyrics! His lyrics, in one form or other, have provided the title (or subtitle) for a small handful of articles!
Now that I look, it's less the actual title ('cause those have to be more accurately descriptive), than the within-story section subtitles that his lyrics have contributed to! At any rate, for our new readers, they can be introduced to Stephen here:
https://bradkyle.substack.com/p/setting-the-stage-stephen-michael
The best music history writing online
I'm not quite sure what to say, Mike! I literally looked around the room: "You talkin' to ME?" "Thanks" doesn't seem adequate, but I'll give it a go: Thank you, Mike......a lot. I'd say you made my day, but it's, easily, closer to my month! 😁👍
Great connecting with you and hearing your story Brad. The way you write is incredible. Love the work you put out
They say "you'll find your audience," or "your audience will find you," and that seems to be happening after 21 months of doing this! However many FR&B readers may feel just as you do about what we do here, YOU'RE one of the few actually verbalizing your appreciation! A couple of friends do regularly, and that's great, but you're from out of the blue!!! It's a pleasure to have you onboard, Mike! Stay tuned!
Another quality piece, Brad. In addition to giving me another artist to check out, I really enjoyed your memories of listening to the cassette. Sometimes, I really miss tapes. Yeah, they were a pain to FF or rewind if you wanted to listen to a specific song, and the overall sound quality wasn't as good as other formats, but the former kind of forced you (or at least encouraged you) to listen to whole albums instead of cherry-picking songs. The classic "album" isn't quite dead, but it's kind of on life support, and the way my sons listen to music on their phones is a lot different than how I did it as a kid and teenager. Even after cassettes were on their way out, being replaced by CDs, I still had a sizable tape collection in high school because my beloved first car (an old blue 1981 Buick Skylark) only had a tape deck. But that was good, because if I'd had the ability to easily skip around, I doubt I would have explored the expanded catalogs of so many musicians in depth the way I did. I try not to be too dismissive of one-hit wonders, but I've always been a deep cut kind of guy, and if you really want to impress me, you need to have some good music beyond your radio hit. Never really thought about it much before, but that probably goes back to my teenage days, driving back and forth to school and work or wherever else, listening to those old tapes over and over again until they started to wear out. Those were some good memories, so thanks were leading me down that path with your article and giving me an excuse to reminisce!
Happy to help us all reminisce, Patrick! It's tough to remember an album with such a clear and specific memory as the D&T and my camp summer! So, it was fun to travel back to that chilly lake and environs, and the fun memories of all the kiddos who descended on the camp each week!
I think I listened to cassettes a lot longer than "most" people, even as CDs broke in the early '80s. My '86 copper Chevy Cavalier had a cassette player, so that's how I turned on my youth group high schoolers (in the late '80s) to Tull, Genesis, et al...as we toodled around L.A. and our trips to Disneyland (half-a-dozen of us were annual pass holders!). Good times.
At home, I know I got a new component stereo with CD player, so played those at home, but would look for certain albums in cassette for a while. Hope you dig D&T, Patrick!
I’d never heard of them but I guess that won’t come as a huge surprise 😂 Will definitely check them out soon!
They're the backbone of Squeeze...their main songwriters. So, their style should ring a bell a bit, if you're familiar with their material with Squeeze. Plus, as "Difford & Tilbrook," this is the only album they had! Would love to hear your reaction after hearing...feel free, Andy!
I’ll definitely give it a go and let you know!
Just listened to the album. I really liked it. In fact I’ve added it to my wantlist on Discogs to see if I can get it on vinyl at some point. I particularly liked the smooth production. There’s something quite lush in the sound without being overbearing. I also really liked the harmonies and vocal arrangements. As for the music, there’s this unmistakable... Englishness throughout, if you get what I mean (I’m sure you do), particularly tracks like “Hope Fell Down” and “You Can’t Hurt the Girl”. Interestingly, the first few tracks gave me an INXS/Genesis vibe, but I could already tell their sound was quite distinctive. Really impressed by “The Apple Tree”. Wasn’t expecting such a mysterious ending! The order of the tracks is very well thought out because I wouldn’t have placed them anywhere else. There’s quite a lot of different vibes and rhythms going on but it all fits together really well into a cohesive body of work. Once again, thanks for helping me discover this!
Yes, I caught their very "out-there" Brit-ness, especially Glenn's pronouncing "solitary" in just THREE syllables (i.e. "sol-uh-tree")! I'm glad you liked "The Apple Tree." But, as a fan of their melodies and harmonies, that particular musical fruit fell far from my tree!
You must keep us up to date on your D&T vinyl search, yes? Thanks for chiming in with your review, Andy! As a longtime Genesis fan, I'm squinting to hear anything "Genesis-y" in anything here, but that's cool. I can see the INXS ref, though here and there!
Yes, solitary is one of those words that gives it away, as well as the non-rhoticity and just the overall... feel. I can see how and why the reference to Genesis may seem far-fetched if you are a fan of both bands and have listened to them a lot over the years. Bear in mind that while I will listen to (almost) anything, and enjoy a bit of new wave every now and then, I naturally gravitate towards soul/blues/R&B, so this is all still outside of my "comfort zone", so to speak. Perhaps it was one of the first few tracks of the album that gave (me) a very subtle whiff of "No Son of Mine" (although it may well be just a case of a first impression). Good stuff, in any case!
I’ll definitely give it a go and let you know!
Never heard of Squeeze or just Difford & Tilbrook?
Nope! But I have now.