Why SQUEEZE's East Side Story Is One Of The Greatest Albums In The History Of Rock 'n' Roll!

SQUEEZE

EAST SIDE STORY (1981)

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Oh, dear.  I'm in trouble!  Calling this blog post "Why SQUEEZE's East Side Story Is One Of The Greatest Albums In The History Of Rock 'n' Roll!" isn't doing me any favors right now because people immediately want to know WHY and they want to know NOW!  They are also quietly mocking me... or perhaps loudly mocking me and I just can't hear them.  But believe me, I know that detractors are there and ready to pounce and verbally abuse me... but that's OK, because I truly believe that Squeeze's East Side Story IS one of the greatest albums in the history of Rock 'n' Roll!  And here's why...

Back before Squeeze songwriters Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford were dubbed the 'new Lennon & McCartney" they were the quintessential British songwriting team. Difford's lyrics were always clever and Tilbrook knew his way around a melodic hook, thus making them more than just another Pub or New Wave band.  While other groups would seize the moment and create music that was of it's time, not wanting to look too far back into Rock's rich history. Difford and Tilbrook were different - they embraced their influences without copying them.  Before East Side Story, they released their first three albums (Squeeze, Cool For Cats and Arbybargy) to critical acclaim and managed to have a few hit singles in the process.  But with East Side Story, they stripped away the production excesses and recorded an album that was simple, warm and filled to the brim with melodies that were sweet yet tough.  This was the first album where critics started to make their 'new Lennon & McCartney' case, and deservedly so.

With straight-forward production by the great Roger Bechirian and Elvis Costello (who really should have produced a lot more albums than he actually did), East Side Story is charming without being quaint.  It's not an album of twee pop songs for the New Wave generation - its a mature slice of Pop/Rock that still sounds fresh and invigorating over 30 years later. Instead of recreating their breakthrough album Argybargy, Squeeze stepped up to the plate and delivered an album so full of life, love, heartache and joy that its difficult not to experience those emotions while listening to it.

When East Side Story was released, I was 18 years old and had already experienced the highs and lows of every emotion related to a relationship.  This was an album that opened my eyes to a passion that went beyond a love shared by two people.  The songs spoke about things beyond the typical boy/girl fodder that Pop was known for.  They were about real life, real feelings, real people.  The songs were not about the same kinds of politics that The Clash and The Jam sang about.... these were more personal and close to home.  It is an honest album that invites the listener into the band's world, which reflects what was going on around them at the time.  In many ways, East Side Story reflected the lives of the listener: same situations, different characters. Ordinary lives, extraordinary songs. 

From the opening track, "In Quintessence" (the only song on the album produced by Dave Edmunds), the album is a thrill ride through a myriad of styles and moods.  They remained a Pop band, through and through, but they took little detours along the way, building an album as diverse as it was melodic. The hit single "Tempted" (written by Difford/Tilbrook but chiefly sung by new keyboardist Paul Carrack) adds a little slice of Soul to the album while "Labelled With Love" is a Country weeper that sounds incredibly natural and not forced at all.  "Messed Around" is a Rockabilly ditty that comes immediately after "Vanity Fair", which could have been a Revolver track had "Eleanor Rigby" not have existed at the time. The band's desire to experiment is evident in "There's No Tomorrow" and "F-Hole", both of which feature great melodies within musical frameworks that are entirely different to the rest of the album. As for the Pop side of the band, "Someone Else's Heart", "Is That Love?", "Woman's World" and "Piccadilly" are absolutely perfect in every way... from the production to the performance.  

The only blemish on the album is the less-than-stellar "Heaven", which still fails to excite these ears over three decades later.  So, you may be asking yourself HOW can this be a great album if there is a bad song on it?  Well, most people think that Sgt. Pepper is one of Rock's greatest albums of all time, right?  Well, I don't personally know many people who can sit through "Within You Without You" on that album... so I rest my case with that one example.

East Side Story still feels fresh and certainly not of it's time.  It is an absolute delight of an album that raised their profile in the Rock 'n' Roll community and made the band stand out in a sea of 'New Wave' bands (I use that term to define how they were categorized, not how they sounded).  It is entirely unpretentious and is a virtual love letter to the glory, magic and power of Rock and Pop music.

Unfortunately for Squeeze (and for all of us), Carrack left the band after touring for the album and the band began to lose momentum, commercially.  When their follow-up album, Sweets From A Stranger, was released, the simplicity of the band was swallowed up by glossy production and they split after a further single.  They've reunited since then a few times and while their albums have been fantastic, nothing has come close to the magic of East Side Story. Well, OK... maybe some albums did come pretty damn close, but not quite.  Don't get me wrong... a mediocre Squeeze song is still loads better than most band's entire back catalog!

An amazing album that truly is one of the greatest in the history of Rock 'n' Roll.  And you know what?  I've heard a lot of albums in my time... and I'm STILL listening to music every day... and very few come even close...

But don't take my word for it... let the music do the talking!

Peace, love and Pop,
Stephen SPAZ Schnee

THE HEADPHONE TRAVELER: June 29th, 2009

Howdy, folks!

SPAZ here!



Welcome to the very first edition of THE HEADPHONE TRAVELER, a new series of blogs where I offer up a few tidbits on some choice CDs that have come across my desk recently...

I've just buckled myself in, clamped on the headphones and I'm ready to take you on a trip.

I hope you enjoy the ride!


PAUL CARRACK/I Know That Name: Paul Carrack scored his first hit, "How Long", way back in the mid '70s with his band Ace. Since then, he's been a member of Squeeze (he sang their biggest hit, "Tempted"), Nick Lowe's band, Mike & The Mechanics (that's him singing "Living Years") as well as some choice solo hits including "Don't Shed A Tear" and "I Need You". On I Know That Name, he proves that he still possesses one of the most wonderfully soulful voices in Rock. In fact, he sings better now than he ever has, retaining all the power and emotion of his earlier recordings but adding years of experience to his palette (so to speak). While some of the material is 'good', much of this album as tasty as anything he's done in the past. If you dig modern Blue Eyed Soul, then Carrack is your man. Oh, BTW, "I Don't Want To Hear Any More" features superb backing vocals from Eagles members Don Henley and Timothy B. Schmidt.

BLACK LABEL SOCIETY/Skullage: Zakk Wylde is best known as Ozzy Osbourne's axe-wielding sideman these days, but he's been making quite a racket on his own for nearly two decades now. First, as a member of Southern Hard rockers Pride & Glory and then as the leader of Metal maniacs Black Label Society. Skullage is the 2009 collection from Zakk and his BLS brethren and is the perfect introduction to Wylde's diverse musical output. Beginning with Pride & Glory's "Machine Gun Man" and the acoustic-based "Dead As Yesterday" (from his solo album Book Of Shadows), Skullage kicks into high gear with "All For You" and the tempo rarely lets up after that. Personally, I love the Southern Rock influenced cuts over the riff-heavy head bangers, but I guess it really just depends on what mood I'm in! For others, Wylde's riff-heavy rockers are the meat and potatoes of what he's all about. The great thing about Skullage is that you get to hear all facets of Zakk's talents. and that is what it's all about. Remember to check out the Skullage DVD or the limited two disc package which contains the DVD and this CD. You might also want to grab the BLS, Zakk Wylde and Pride & Glory remasters which have just hit the street as well. Most of them contain bonus material!...

CAGE THE ELEPHANT/Cage The Elephant: Now, here's a weird one. Cage The Elephant come from Kentucky, right? Well, for some odd reason, they started attracting attention in the UK long before the U.S. finally took notice. So, they uprooted themselves and headed over to jolly ol' England and became the talk of the town, releasing a few singles and their self-titled debut album over there before finally being picked up in the States! It seems to work the opposite for American bands, though: they create a big buzz in their home state, then in the big U.S. cities and then get signed, all before they've even set foot in another country. But then again, Cage The Elephant are an unusual band! They are hard to pigeonhole, but I'll try to explain it as simple as possible: Imagine The Black Lips influenced by the spirit of Red Hot Chili Peppers with some Beastie Boys, Southern Rock and Post-Punk flavors thrown into the pot to spice things up a bit. There's nothing here that screams Top 40 radio, but there are plenty of "cruisin' down the highway with the top down" moments that make life a wonderful thing. Probably sounds great while eating a bucket of chicken while sitting on a sandy beach, too!


SCOTT WALKER: 30 CENTURY MAN/Music Inspired By The Film: Scott Walker is a living legend in the UK and most of Europe. Yet, Scott Walker is American! And Scott Walker isn't even his real name (his folks bestowed the name Noel Scott Engel on him when he was birthed). So, how does an American musician named Noel become a musical legend outside of his home country under the name Scott? Well, because he's Scott Walker, dammit! If you were ever touched by his '60s work with The Walker Brothers or his now-legendary solo albums, you'd fully understand the magical spell he has cast upon his listeners. A few years ago, there was a documentary made about the man and his music called Scott Walker: 30 Century Man (named after the song "30 Century Man" from the Scott 3 album). The received limited theatrical release in the U.S. and is finally seeing a DVD release in Summer of 2009. But as cool as that seems, this particular CD is a cool little treat to enjoy before AND after you see the film. While it doesn't contain any recordings from the film, it contains cover versions of Scott Walker tunes by a wide range of artists including Saint Etienne, Dot Allison, Laurie Anderson, Jarboe, Damon & Naomi and many others. Although it's more of a tribute album than a 'soundtrack', it is very much part of the same overall project and, like the documentary, presents the music of Scott Walker to a new generation. And that can only be a good thing! It's a remarkably co-hesive collection that retains the beauty of the originals while offering a new look at an old classic.


Until next time!
Stephen SPAZ Schnee