With the exception of Then Jericho (no, I don’t expect you to remember) the only band of any note that I can remember playing in the close vicinity during my earlier teenage years was Squeeze. Purveyors of pop at its most perfect for some time even at that juncture, the band had found its way into the charts at that point with Hourglass, another in the band’s cannon of witty/clever lyrics and unforgettable melodies.
The result of this one foray into the wilds of Leicestershire was that pretty much everyone immediately became a fan of Squeeze. Greatest Hots album 45’s and under became almost a permanent fixture on the 6th form Hi-Fi, and for my part, I can’t remember the hours (essentially fruitless as I never quite mastered it) I spent trying to play the guitar solo from Another Nail In My Heart.
Fast forward to 2015, and the band two creative forces, Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook are preparing for the release of the band’s 14th studio album and their first collection of new songs since 1998’s Domino.
The new album, titled Cradle to the Grave, is essentially a soundtrack to close friend Danny Bakers biographical sitcom, Cradle to Grave which stars Peter Kay and hits our screens here in the UK in the Autumn. From it, the band have released a single, Happy Days.
It’s classic Squeeze, albeit with a slight country edge, but go through the check list – melody, storytelling, singing in octaves during the chorus, brilliant guitar parts including a solo, just a little turn of phrase or chord change that tugs away on your heartstrings – yep, all there. I can only salute the gospel ending.
Squeeze are back. I thank you – dammit the whole middle aged people of Loughborough thank you. Check the video out, here
‘Happy Days’, is available now when preordering the album, which you can do, here: http://po.st/CTTGstd (standard) & http://po.st/CTTGdlx (deluxe). The album will be available as a twelve song CD, digital download and on 12” double vinyl, including four exclusive cover versions of songs by Lou Reed, Tom Waits, Tom T. Hall and Ray Davies. A special ‘Collector’s Edition’ CD (including a numbered insert) will be released five weeks earlier than its official October 2nd release, on August 28th and is available from: www.squeezeofficial.com
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