Difford & Tilbrook (1984)
The songwriting pair manage to squeeze another ten swell tunes onto a single piece of plastic.
Kronomyth 7: Dole ends, jones, boys and heart.
After the brilliant East Side Story and the mature (if slightly bittersweet) Sweets from a Stranger, it felt as though Squeeze were poised for a breakthrough. Instead, they broke up. You had to wonder why; that is, until the songwriting pair of Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook re-appeared in stylish poses, now billed as simply Difford & Tilbrook. Apparently, the comparisons to Lennon & McCartney had gone straight to their newly coiffed heads. Of course, I bought this the moment it came out, played it end to end, over and over, and was left with the conclusion that it was a coupla lively lads short of a proper Squeeze album. Gone was the playful pub rock vibe, replaced by synthesizers and studio trickery. At the heart of it all are the same barbed lyrics and razor-sharp melodies, but little here has the contagious energy of a “Picadilly” or “I’ve Returned.” Now, you might say, even their last album felt overprocessed (“Out of Touch,” “Stranger Than the Stranger on the Shore”), and you’d be right. A tad cheeky, maybe, but right. The machines, however, have clearly taken over this time. Blame producer Tony Visconti if you want, as he also managed to suck the fun out of the Boomtown Rats, yet I think it’s the egos of Messrs. Difford and Tilbrook that bear the most responsibility. The pair seem a bit too pleased with their own ideas much of the time (The Apple Tree, Love’s Crashing Waves, Tears for Attention), fussing over them like too-proud parents. When it does work—and that’s about half the time—the songs speak for themselves (Picking Up the Pieces, Hope Fell Down, You Can’t Hurt the Girl). Difford & Tilbrook is ultimately a smart album that would have been more fun with a few pints in it. The sparks of inspiration are there and, if I didn’t light a fire under me, call me a wet blanket and enjoy it for what it is.
Original elpee version
A1. Action Speaks Faster (4:50)
A2. Love’s Crashing Waves (3:08)
A3. Picking Up the Pieces (3:18)
A4. On My Mind Tonight (4:08)
A5. Man for All Seasons (2:35)
B1. Hope Fell Down (4:22)
B2. Wagon Train (3:36)
B3. You Can’t Hurt the Girl (3:01)
B4. Tears for Attention (4:50)
B5. The Apple Tree (4:24)
All songs written by Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook.
The Players
Chris Difford (guitar and vocals), Glenn Tilbrook (guitar, vocals and keybards), Debbie Bishop (background vocals), Andy Duncan (drums and percussion), Guy Fletcher (keyboards and background vocals), Larry Tollfree (percussion), Keith Wilkinson (bass). Produced by Tony Visconti except B4 produced by E.T. Thorngren, Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook; remixed by E.T. Thorngren except B5 mixed by Tony Visconti.
The Pictures
Art direction and design by Richard Frankel. Photography by Britain Hill.
The Plastic
Released on elpee, compact disc and cassette in June 1984 in the UK (A&M, AMLX 64985), the US (A&M, SP/CD/CS 4985) and Australia and New Zealand (A&M, L38172) with lyrics innersleeve. Reached #47 on the UK charts and #55 on the US charts.
