Squeeze wanted to be the next Beatles, and you can't fault them for trying. Their distinctive Brit-pop stylings often came close; with songwriters Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook marrying supremely catchy melodies to equa... more »lly adept wordplay just like, well, The Beatles. Singles: 45s & Under gathers a dozen of their most well-loved classics into one truly five-star collection. It represents the prime of their first five years and it's all, well, prime--from Difford croaking out "Cool for Cats," to Tilbrook chiming "Another Nail for My Heart," to former Ace vocalist Paul Carrack crooning the delightful "Tempted." Necessary stuff for pop fans. --Michael Ruby« less
Squeeze wanted to be the next Beatles, and you can't fault them for trying. Their distinctive Brit-pop stylings often came close; with songwriters Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook marrying supremely catchy melodies to equally adept wordplay just like, well, The Beatles. Singles: 45s & Under gathers a dozen of their most well-loved classics into one truly five-star collection. It represents the prime of their first five years and it's all, well, prime--from Difford croaking out "Cool for Cats," to Tilbrook chiming "Another Nail for My Heart," to former Ace vocalist Paul Carrack crooning the delightful "Tempted." Necessary stuff for pop fans. --Michael Ruby
Sonoko F. from MONTCLAIR, NJ Reviewed on 4/2/2007...
Bouncy, cleverly written & catchy tunes. Hooks made for humming and sophisticated lyrics made Squeeze the intellectual pop fan's fave back in the day. Their stripped down sound still sound fresh.
CDnow review: "Squeeze wanted to be the next Beatles, and you can't fault them for trying. Their distinctive Brit-pop stylings often came close; with songwriters Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook marrying supremely catchy melodies to equally adept wordplay just like, well, The Beatles. Singles: 45s & Under gathers a dozen of their most well-loved classics into one truly five-star collection. It represents the prime of their first five years and it's all, well, prime--from Difford croaking out "Cool for Cats," to Tilbrook chiming "Another Nail for My Heart," to former Ace vocalist Paul Carrack crooning the delightful "Tempted." Necessary stuff for pop fans. --Michael Ruby"
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CD Reviews
A clever Brit Pop band gets their due
J. Carroll | Island Heights,NJ | 02/06/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Squeeze crafted some of the catchiest pop songs that nobody ever heard. "Tempted," Pulling Mussels," and "Black Coffee in Bed" are easily three of the better pop songs to come out of that time of flux when the 70's were crossing over into the 80's. Lumped together with a number of "one hit wonder" types of that time period, Squeeze deserved much more success than they achieved. This collection does a nice job collecting their strongest work of the original configurations of the band.
"And here in the bar, the piano has found another nail for my heart." For anyone who likes their music with intelligence and appreciation for the difficulty of crafting a good meaningful pop song this is some good stuff."
Fun and maturity
Rocco Dormarunno | Brooklyn, NY | 06/29/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"To me, Squeeze represented all that was right about the British New Wave/No Wave movement of the late 70s and early 80s. (Note, I say early 80s--this cd doesn't contain any of the songs from Sqeeze's reunion albums of the late 80s, most of which can be safely dismissed.) Singles "45's and Under" doesn't omit anything that any Squeeze fan would miss.Each of these songs showcase the amazing songwriting talents of Difford and Tilbrook, and the tremendous talent of the musicians. Squeeze could always be relied upon for perfect polish, mature and above-average intelligence lyrics, FUN, and a lack self-importance and pompousness that others of the era smacked of. Each song is a hit. Nothing is a miss."
Amazing Early 1980s Pop
Danno | NY, NY | 02/19/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Critics often hyped Squeeze as "the 80s' answer to the Beatles" but please don't buy this CD hoping to hear Lennon and McCartney clones. Squeeze have far more in common with their New Wave/Britpop contemporaries like Elvis Costello, XTC, and even the Police. Their music is proof that plenty of good pop music was made in the early 1980s if you looked beyond the mostly one-hit wonders MTV promoted.
Probably the biggest hit here is "Tempted," which turns up in many 80s mix compilations. It's a great example of how better Britpop bands are able to transform their love of soulful R&B without aping American acts. Equally good songs like "Is That Love," "Another Nail For My Heart," "Pulling Mussels From a Shell" and "Black Coffee in Bed" are also included, and you'll be amazed that Squeeze never rivaled the Cars or INXS in record sales. Throughout, Squeeze tell tales of typically rocky British romances with a working-class twist. Their songs are packed with hooky guitar and synth parts and demand that you listen to them again and again. Only the early songs on this compliation seem dated in both lyrical content and production values.
You're going to like this CD and the price is right, so why don't you order it already?"
Cool For Cats
David Bradley | Sterling, VA USA | 05/22/2001
(3 out of 5 stars)
"For a short stretch, Difford/Tillbrook were being compared to Lennon/McCartney. While the comparison may hold up on the mid-tempo Pop, Squeeze never put over a ballad and really couldn't rock.Still, when Squeeze was good they were really, really good. How on earth A&M allows the bands greatest record, ARGY-BARGY, (where most of the best moments on this compilation were first heard) to remain out of print is just beyond comprehension. Squeeze was best at telling stories of love-story aftermath: "Up The Junction," "Another Nail For My Heart," "Pulling Mussels," "If I Didn't Love You," and "Tempted" are little Pop masterpieces.The least know tune here (at least to American listeners) may be the best. "Annie Get Your Gun," swimming in quirky synthesizers and dreamy keyboards, cruises along in a way that Squeeze imitaters can only imagine."
Best Assimilation of Beatles' Talent
Rocky Raccoon | Boise, ID | 07/14/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Squeeze was able to assimilate the talents of the Beatles better than any other group. Their collection of songs here demonstrate that they did it on their own terms. Their music is organic from some of the Beatles ingredients with lyrics about what is genuine to them. It is no work of plagiarism. Most of the songs are exhuberant displays of love gone wrong. "Take Me I'm Yours" has all technical wizardry of New Wave with hopeful lines like "..because dreams are made of this..." and "I'll be forever in your kiss." But, most of the work is smoothly integrated music with bitter stories like "Up the Junction" and the Motown-esque "Coffee in Bed". Then there is the half-facetious "If I Didn't Love You," which is an upbeat song even for its angst. Arguably "Another Nail for My Heart," is their best song. Containing progressive guitar work and skillful percussion, they make a sour drink-yourself-under-the-table song into an exhiliarating masterpiece. Other highlights include "Annie, Get Your Gun," "Slap and Tickle," and "Cool for Cats". Not everything catchy and pop-accessible rock music is Beatlesque. There's enough of their own injection of words and music to be innovative. This is a great collection."