Search - Squeeze :: Spot the Difference

I Wish Them Well...

Albert Reischuck | Kent, OH USA | 08/05/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Indeed, this WAS done in order for Difford and Tilbrook to profit from their great songs. Having signed away way too much of their rights to their original recordings, they've sadly made nothing from greatest hits packages like "Singles--45s and Under" that so many people have bought. That travesty really leaves them little choice, so I wish them well with this effort. As a drummer, though, I still feel Gilson's absence in everything that they've put out since '91. Simon Hanson tries harder than ever here to copy the big man's licks, but I don't know if anyone can do that to my liking. Maybe I'll listen to it on a bigger stereo with a nice subwoofer to see if that helps, but for me Gilson's snappy and smart style was a big part of what made them great and if he's not here for this task then it will always be impossible to pull off completely. I saw Squeeze a few weeks ago and the practice that they went through for this CD definitely showed...they were really tight, and really good, with Simon and everyone playing well and Glenn's voice virtually the same as 30 years ago. Glenn's a tad raspier in places on this CD perhaps, but if you've never heard the original recordings you surely wouldn't know. Buy it for a youngster and show them how the great ones did/do it!"

Squeeze - Spot the Difference

rhussey | 08/04/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The new recordings prove again that Squeeze songs stand the test of time. The songs sound great and Tilbrook and Difford still sound almost exactly like they did in 1980. One of the best things about this release is having some of their greatest hits recorded with the same players and then mixed/mastered at levels similar to other stuff on my ipod. My only gripe is that some of my favorites ("If I Didn't Love You") were not included. I have always liked Glenn Tilbrook's vocals on "Tempted" as much as Carrack's and wouldn't have minded a good studio recording with his lead but I like the nice change on "Loving You Tonight" just as well. Overall I would highly recommend this album and I can't wait for the next one with all new originals."

Youth Rediscovered

R. Dalessandro | Atlantic City, NJ USA | 08/11/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"
Yes, new material will be great when it comes, but with their musical creativity never in question, Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook had two aims with this brilliant idea. Firstly, to "own" a piece of the many musical gems they have created. They admit to this. Secondly, to prove that they still have all of the technical talent and physical ability to sing, play, and produce a record exactly as they did in their youth on the major record labels. I've always wanted to see if a musical artist could pull something like this off. These aren't just alternate takes from the same day, studio, and producer. These are self-produced versions decades removed from the originals, but so faithful to the originals it scares me. I'm sure it was a painstaking process.

Imagine the Beatles if they were all still with us, going into a studio and attempting to record "A Hard Day's Night" again in 1994 and making it sound like the 1964 original. The result would be quite interesting. How about Rembrandt duplicating one of his early masterpiece paintings thirty years later? Both paintings would still be almost priceless today.

Squeeze fans will think Gilson Lavis is providing the beat on "Another Nail in My Heart", and Jools Holland is doing the piano solo on "Pulling Mussels From the Shell". Difford & Tilbrook surprisingly sound 21 years old on "Cool for Cats" and "Up the Junction" respectively.

Now let's have fun spotting some of those tiny differences. The biggest is that Tilbrook does the lead vocal on "Loving You Tonight", achieving something he could never do on "Tempted": He sings the song every bit as good as (and maybe better than) Paul Carrack. Carrack guests on "Tempted" and sings it straight, but some slight phrasing differences are revealed. In the chorus of "Another Nail...", D & T shorten the vocal note on the words "found" and "tough". "Black Coffee in Bed" has less echo on the guitar solo, and the preaching vocals during the fade out are more soulful and clear. Tilbrook does nearly perfect copies of all the guitar solos, with split seconds of differences here and there making it interesting. John Bentley on bass is at his early 1980s best. I believe I notice a difference in the synth pattern on "Goodbye Girl". Recorded DIY style with updated technology and equipment, I find I prefer the sound profile of many of these cuts slightly over the originals I have loved. This project has pressed the reset button on this band, bringing back the feeling of energetic New Wave freshness, and preparing the current lineup for the time when new material is to be recorded, and supporting tour commenced."