Cool for Cats | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 6 April 1979 | |||
Recorded | 1978 and 1979 | |||
Studio | Olympic Studios, Britannia Row Studios and Sound Techniques (London, UK) | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 38:12 | |||
Label | A&M | |||
Producer | John Wood and Squeeze | |||
Squeeze chronology | ||||
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Singles from Cool for Cats | ||||
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Cool for Cats is the second studio album by the English new wave group Squeeze, released in 1979. Cool for Cats contains four UK hit singles, [3] more than any other album the band has issued. The album peaked at number 45 in the UK Albums Chart, spending 11 weeks in that listing. [3]
Its 1997 CD release, as part of the Six of One... box set contained two bonus tracks. This collection included the band's first six studio albums, each digitally remastered. In 1998 the six CDs were released individually. In 2007, the album was digitally remastered and released with 5 bonus tracks exclusively in Japan. Each of the 5 tracks came from B-sides from the singles released from the album.
Billboard said Cool for Cats was a "hard-rocking" album with "hard-edged power pop". [2] Alluding to the record, Steven Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic described Cool for Cats as "the work of a rock & roll band [...] that lathered on the keyboards and herky-jerky rhythms". [4]
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [5] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [6] |
Smash Hits | 9/10 [7] |
Uncut | 9/10 [8] |
The Village Voice | B [9] |
In 1979, Billboard selected Cool for Cats as one of its "recommended LPs" and cited "Slap and Tickle", "Hop, Skip & Jump", "Up the Junction", and "It's So Dirty" as the album's "best cuts". [2]
Reviewing the album in Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981), Robert Christgau wrote: "Power poppers (remember them?) suck this stuff up, and I understand why—not only does its songcraft surpass that of the band's debut, but it also isn't quite as sophomoric. It's sophomoric enough, though, and like so many such records makes you wonder where the power is. Not in the vision, that's for sure. And not in the beat. Great song: 'Up the Junction.'" [10]
In 1995, Chris Woodstra proclaimed Cool for Cats to be a "pure pop masterpiece" in the All Music Guide to Rock. [11]
All songs written by Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook except "Hop, Skip & Jump", by Difford and Jools Holland. [12]
(Note: These bonus tracks precede the 1997 bonus tracks on the album.)
Squeeze
Production and Technical
Chart (1979) | Peak position |
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Australian Albums (Kent Music Report) [13] | 18 |
UK Albums (Official Charts Company) [3] | 45 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [14] | Gold | 20,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [15] | Silver | 60,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Squeeze are an English rock band that came to prominence in the United Kingdom during the new wave period of the late 1970s, and continued recording in the 1980s, 1990s and 2010s. In the UK, their singles "Cool for Cats", "Up the Junction", and "Labelled with Love" were top-ten chart hits. Though not as commercially successful in the United States, Squeeze had American hits with "Tempted", "Black Coffee in Bed", and "Hourglass", and were considered a part of the Second British Invasion.
Christopher Henry Difford is an English musician. He is a founding member and songwriter of the rock group Squeeze.
East Side Story is the fourth studio album by new wave group Squeeze. The album peaked at number 19 in the UK Albums Chart, spending 26 weeks in the listing.
Frank is a studio album by new wave group Squeeze, released in 1989. The album sold poorly, and Squeeze was dropped by A&M Records while on tour. Forced to take offers from different major labels for the first time in their career, the band soon signed with Reprise Records and began working on their next studio album, Play.
Sweets from a Stranger is the fifth studio album by the British new wave group Squeeze, released April 30, 1982 through A&M. The album peaked at number 20 in the UK Albums Chart. The band split up soon after a world tour for the record, and the two main songwriters went on to record 1984's Difford & Tilbrook. Squeeze reunited and released Cosi Fan Tutti Frutti in 1985. As with all Squeeze albums, Chris Difford wrote the words first and Glenn Tilbrook would write the music afterwards often editing Difford's material to create a streamlined narrative. Tilbrook would record a demo afterwards and play it for Difford.
Squeeze is the debut studio album released by English group Squeeze. The album title was simply Squeeze in the United Kingdom, but in the United States, Canada, Australia and other countries the album, like the band, was marketed under the name U.K. Squeeze to avoid confusion with similarly-named American and Australian groups.
Argybargy is the third studio album by the English new wave band Squeeze. Written and recorded after the band's successful sophomore release, Cool for Cats, the album's lyrics were written by Chris Difford while living with his wife in New York City. The band reunited with Cool for Cats producer John Wood and, after Glenn Tilbrook composed music for Difford's new lyrics, recorded the album in late 1979.
Cosi Fan Tutti Frutti is a 1985 album by the British new wave group Squeeze. It is the band's sixth album, and the first recorded since their breakup in 1982. It reunited songwriters Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford with drummer Gilson Lavis and keyboardist Jools Holland. Keith Wilkinson, who played bass on the 1984 Difford & Tilbrook album, joined Squeeze for the first time. He would stay with the band for over a decade, making him the longest-lasting bassist in Squeeze's history. Laurie Latham produced the album. The album peaked at number 31 on the UK Albums Chart.
Babylon and On is the seventh album released in September 1987 by the British new wave group Squeeze.
Some Fantastic Place is the tenth studio album by the British new wave group Squeeze, released in 1993 by A&M Records. Their first album since the departure of original Squeeze drummer Gilson Lavis, it features Pete Thomas and the brief return of keyboardist/vocalist Paul Carrack, who had previously appeared on East Side Story (1981). "Loving You Tonight" became only the second Squeeze song cut in thirteen years to feature Carrack singing a lead part. Additionally, bassist Keith Wilkinson wrote and sang "True Colours ", the first song on a Squeeze album not written by Glenn Tilbrook, Chris Difford, Jools Holland, or any combination of those three.
"Cool for Cats" is a song by English rock band Squeeze, released as the second single from their album of the same name. The song features a rare lead vocal performance from cockney-accented Squeeze lyricist Chris Difford, one of the only two occasions he sang lead on a Squeeze single A-side. The song, slightly edited from the album track, peaked at No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart in 1979, making "Cool for Cats" one of the band's biggest hits.
"Slap And Tickle" was the fourth and final single released from Squeeze's second album, Cool for Cats. Co-written by Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook, the song took influence lyrically from the crowd that the band had been associating with at the time. Its synth-heavy arrangement was inspired by Kraftwerk and Giorgio Moroder.
"Another Nail in My Heart" is a 1980 song by new wave band Squeeze. Written by Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook, it was released on the album Argybargy. Notable for Tilbrook's guitar solo right after the first verse, the song features marimba in its opening at the suggestion of newly acquired bassist John Bentley. Difford has expressed disappointment with his lyrics on the song, though he praised Tilbrook's solo.
"Pulling Mussels (From the Shell)" is a song by the band Squeeze. First released on the 1980 album Argybargy, it received positive critical reviews, peaked at No. 44 on the UK Singles Chart, and became one of Squeeze's most popular songs. The song is about singer and guitarist Chris Difford's experiences at a holiday camp.
Difford & Tilbrook is the only studio album released by Difford & Tilbrook. Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook were the main songwriters in the new wave band Squeeze until their 1982 breakup. The duo continued to write songs together, and in 1984 released this self-titled effort.
Singles – 45's and Under is a compilation album by Squeeze, released on the A&M Records label on 22 October 1982. The album consisted of all their singles from 1978 to 1982 in chronological order, with the exception of "Bang Bang", "Christmas Day" and "When the Hangover Strikes", and included a new song, "Annie Get Your Gun", which was released as a single ahead of the album. It was the band's biggest selling album, having been certified platinum in both the UK and the US.
Spot the Difference is a 2010 album by the British new wave group Squeeze. It is the band's thirteenth studio album and consists entirely of new recordings of older Squeeze songs. The songs are arranged as similarly as possible to the original recordings, being done in such a way to invite the listener to 'spot the difference'.
"If I Didn't Love You" is the ninth track from Squeeze's album Argybargy. The song, written by Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford, features lyrics about the early stages of a relationship and the insecurity that comes with it. The song has vocals and a slide guitar solo by Tilbrook.
Cradle to the Grave is the fourteenth studio album, and the thirteenth album of original material, by British rock band Squeeze. It was released in October 2015 and is their first studio album since 2010's Spot the Difference. It also features their first new songs since their 1998 album Domino. It is the only Squeeze album to feature bassist Lucy Shaw who departed before the band's 2017 album, The Knowledge, which features Yolanda Charles on bass. Cradle to the Grave debuted at number 12 on the UK Albums Chart, making this the band's highest-charting album excluding hits compilations.