This line-up recorded 1985’s Cosi Fan Tutti Frutti – distinguished by the vivid, childhood-related “ King George Street” – and September ’87’s solid Babylon And On, which rose to No.14 on the UK Top 40 and yielded Squeeze’s two biggest US Top 40 hits courtesy of ‘853-5937’ and “ Hourglass”: the latter promoted by a striking, optical-illusion-filled video directed by comedian Adrian Edmondson. What a pleasant surprise! While I enjoyed Squeeze's previous albums "Cool for Cats" and "Argybargy" for their chill upbeat vibe, Eastside story enters some pretty artsy territory. That in part can be attributed to Elvis Costello's work on the album. His influence is clearly heard in the country-esque "Labelled With Love" and "Messed Around", both sounding like something out of the album "Almost Blue".

East Side Story also has more socially conscious lyrics, making the songs slightly more somber. There’s plenty of upbeat songs for good measure, but it’s no Argybargy. Though many songs such as "Someone Else's Bell" and "Tempted" share Costello's theme of romantic struggle, there are some surprisingly touching songs that lament the status quo of women such as "Vanity Fair”, “Labelled With Love and "Woman's World". Each song tells the story of a woman who struggles with societal ties, ranging from a housewife who has a mental breakdown to an empty model. It’s a unique subject and told very well.CD: I know what you mean. It makes me think of hummus and olives. It’s actually played on a banjo and when Glenn first played that part to me I was appalled. I used to run a mile when Glenn brought out these weird instruments but now I realise it was inspired. What other bands were using a banjo? It’s hard to tell how differently East Side Story would’ve turned out if Riviera’s wish had come true (a sort of power-pop take on The Clash‘s London Calling comes to mind), but it’s not unfathomable that it may have turned into an inconsistent mess. Whatever the case, Costello and Roger Bechirian ended up producing the bulk of the album—now a single CD—with Edmunds producing one song, “In Quintessence”. The results were phenomenal and yielded one of the most expertly-crafted (and perhaps unjustly underrated) albums of the ‘80s. CD: I’d just discovered Jacques Brel and was intrigued by the translation of his lyrics. I was trying to describe characters in the same way. David Bowie had already recorded songs like ‘Amsterdam’ and ‘My Death’ and The Walker Brothers used to play some as well. Brel wrote filthy lyrics, influenced by opium and aniseed. He was absolutely off his face but brilliant. A consummate pop record, with Difford and chief tunesmith Tilbrook firing on all cylinders, the diverse East Side Story featured enduring fan-favorites (and best Squeeze songs) including the sublime, infidelity-related radio hit “ Tempted” and the exuberant soul-pop of ‘In Quintessence,” while the country-flavored “Labelled With Love” swept up to No.4 on the UK singles chart.

Is That Love is the eighth song on East Side Story, and is one of Squeeze’s best known titles. It charted 35 on the UK Singles Chart and Ireland at number 15. It placed, in Israel of all places, number one, and remains Squeeze’s only number one hit single anywhere.The new Squeeze line-up, their most able yet, is completed by Simon Hanson, Stephen Large, Steve Smith, Melvin Duffy, Sean Hurley, and Owen Biddle and has become an instant favourite on the festival circuit, with appearances at V, Oxegen, T in the Park, Womad, Latitude, and Coachella to name a few. a b c Sonmez-Ebril, Simru (31 July 2020). "Artist Profile: Squeeze". Wers 88.9fm . Retrieved 4 January 2021. Christgau, Robert (29 June 1981). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice . Retrieved 16 June 2016. East Side Story is the fourth studio album by British band Squeeze. It was released on 15 May, 1981 through A&M Records and went to number 19 in the United Kingdom and number 44 in the United States.

PC it isn’t, but then good writing, whatever the medium, is about reflection, not correction. ARGYBARGY, 1980 Squeeze albums – Argybargy There is an element of ‘Taxman’ by The Beatles to this, but Chris’s vocal carries it completely. He sounds totally at ease with himself. In 1982 Squeeze had disbanded. The chemistry between Tilbrook and Difford could not be as easily dismissed however, and the ensuing record they made together in 1984 has become the “lost” Squeeze album for many fans. But the band couldn’t lay dormant for long, as Squeeze reformed the next year for ‘Cosi Fan Tutti Frutti’, along with Holland, Lavis and Keith Wilkinson, Squeeze’s longest serving bass player. Over the next 14 years Difford and Tilbrook remained the only constant element as Squeeze continued to receive critical acclaim, release albums and tour, with the likes of ‘Hourglass’ becoming their biggest ever hit in the USA.As mentioned, what makes this album so strong is how they can flow from one type of music to another. My favorite moment of this album comes from the outro of the experimental "F-Hole" into the intro of the country ballad "Labelled with Love". Squeeze was always able to write very strong ballads, and "Labelled with Love" is one of those. Interestingly, it has a very Americana feel to it from a very English band. By 1984, Squeeze had split, only to reform the following year (with Holland) for Cosi Fan Tutti Frutti. The line-up went through several subsequent changes – Difford and Tilbrook remained, and indeed remain, the only constants – but Squeeze continued to release singles and albums of redoubtable quality, enjoying their biggest success Stateside with 1987’s Hourglass.

The first thing I’d like to mention is the inspired Greek guitar at the end. I had to stop playing this at home before i started smashing up all my plates. I’m not strapped to the song emotionally but it was a great live number and sums up being on the road and having fun. It’s a comfortable pair of jeans as a song." Of course Squeeze has many flaws – it’s a debut album anchored by an ill-matched producer – but the nature of this collection lies in its inchoate provenance. John Cale was that producer and it’s evident the former Velvet Underground multi-instrumentalist didn’t get what made the South London outfit so singular. According to Tilbrook: “He threw out all the songs that we had written. He told us to write new songs.”Difford had always excelled on tales of romantic uncertainty and misadventure, and on that front he’s at the top of his game throughout East Side Story. “Tempted” finds the narrator trying to shake off a failed relationship during his travels, hinting at infidelities all the while. “Is That Love?” depicts a couple battering each other about with cruelty and still trying to keep it together. The pair in “Someone Else’s Heart” resort to reading each other’s diaries to find out their pasts instead of just communicating with one another. There’s rarely an outright happy or sad ending in a Difford song about relationships. In their place are honest explorations of all the gray areas that trip us up. Even though the song’s opening line was autobiographical, Difford says this is one of his favorite songs. History hasn’t been kind to the production, while the reach of Squeeze’s ambition exceeds its grasp, but Cosi Fan Tutti Frutti is still an important entry in the band’s canon, presaging a more sophisticated direction. BABYLON AND ON, 1987 Squeeze albums – Babylon And On