Yes, I am addicted to VH1's Bands Reunited, thank you for asking.
It was great to see The Alarm again, even if Mike Peters sort of flattened out his hair, which was what attracted me to the band in the first place.
Today was Squeeze's turn. Surely you remember Squeeze? A band that is never given enough credit for their talents, Squeeze tends to get thrown into the slush pile of funny looking 80's bands that had a hit or two.
Unlike some other bands of that era that got famous because of their style or gimmick or just because they hit the right place at the righ time, Squeeze was oozing with talent.
Difford, Tilbrook, Holland and all those other guys who didn't matter as much as those three combined to make some of the greatest songs to come out of an era when great songs were not nearly as numerous as their overstyled, synth pop counterparts. Not that there's anything wrong with that; I loved the whole synth pop-new wave thing. I was just able to recognize that while most of the music of that genre was filled with fun beats that you could bop your head in time to after a few shots of tequila in a grungy-on-purpose club, Squeeze was different.
While a lot of people joined the Squeez fan-wagon when East Side Story (1981) came out (and some, not until Squeeze Singles in 1982), I had a head start on the band due to my employment at a radio station in 1980. Ok, I wasn't an employee so much as a phone volunteer, one of those people who answered the 24-7 request line and handled the contests and listened to a lot of heavy breathing and requests for sexual favors that were unheard of in my little, naive corner of the world.
Volunteering had its perks. Lots of free albums, meeting semi-stars, going on the air once in a while (I even made a few commercials) and getting a heads up on the up and coming bands, which proved to be a constant source of jealousy on the part of my friends when a band I predicted would become famous actually did and I could smugly say "I called that one!" Like I did with U2. But that's another story.
Article comments
1 - Eric Olsen
Excellent recap of the sights, smells adn sounds of that time, Michele. I loved Squeeze and fell off at about the same time you did, too. I liked their '90s comeback, though, also, and go back into them. "Pulling Mussles From the Shell" is one of my all-time favorite songs. It's hard to beat that Singles collection.
I hear Jools has been a big celebrity in the UK for years: figures, I always thought he was a dip.
2 - ski
"Singles" is truly one of the best examples of what a greatest hits compilation should be. I brought a lot of music to Baghdad, but this one has stayed in my Discman for a long time. A great thing about Squeeze, outside of their pop instincts and catchy tunes, was that they had fun. I have a cassette tape of a live broadcast (WBCN, 1985, Orpheum(?)Boston) that shows them reunited and having a great time, and a show closing "Goodbye Girl" that shows their musicianship off at its best. Don't forget the way Difford and Tilbrook traded off vocals, a great way to change the song up.
As for the '80's, a lot of great music was made, it got lost in all the crap that was put out, and to look at the "Hits" compilations, you'd think only 15 bands were out in that time.
So get up and go buy that Aztec Camera album, while you're at it, get some Smithereens, Del Fuegos, and English Beat while you are at it.
3 - Eric Olsen
Thanks Ski, excellent points, and take care of yourself in Baghdad, dude.