Spot the Difference

Last updated

Spot the Difference
Squeeze spot the difference.jpg
Studio album / Greatest hits albumby
Released3 August 2010
Genre
Length52:34
Label XOXO Records
Producer Andrew J. Jones & Glenn Tilbrook
Squeeze chronology
Domino
(1998)
Spot the Difference
(2010)
Cradle to the Grave
(2015)

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'.

Contents

Details

This is Squeeze's first studio album in 12 years, and introduces new members Stephen Large (keyboards) and Simon Hanson (drums) to the fold. Spot the Difference also marks the return of bassist John Bentley to the group; he last played on a Squeeze studio album 28 years previously (1982's Sweets from a Stranger ). As well, former Squeeze member Paul Carrack guests on vocals and keyboards on the remake of "Tempted". On the re-record of "Loving You Tonight", Tilbrook sings the lead vocal that Carrack sang on the original version.

Chris Difford went on to explain in an interview in the Huffington Post (6 August 2010) the reason for the release: "Well, Squeeze has never owned our own copyrights because, obviously, they're owned by a major record label. We thought it might be fun to re-record our songs to make it possible for us to own a little bit more of our own history. So, Glenn went in the studio, and did most of the work. I have to bow down to his achievements as a producer because he's done a great job of making them sound pretty much like the originals." [2]

The album was initially released in the US in August 2010. When released in the UK two months later, it was packaged with a bonus disc of live recordings titled Live at The Fillmore.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [3]
Record Collector Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [4]
Rolling StoneStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]

Mark Kemp of Rolling Stone was largely dismissive of Spot the Difference, [1] proclaiming the record "completely superfluous" and alleging it to be a "cynical ploy to sell an oldies tour". [1] Steven Erlewine of Allmusic, meanwhile, felt that the CD was "a fun spin for the devoted and a good advertisement for Squeeze’s reunion tour".

Track listing

All songs written by Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook.

  1. "Another Nail in My Heart" 3:00
  2. "Black Coffee in Bed" 6:08
  3. "Cool for Cats" 3:10
  4. "Goodbye Girl" 3:00
  5. "Hourglass" 3:16
  6. "Is That Love" 2:32
  7. "Labelled with Love" 4:30
  8. "Loving You Tonight" 4:09
  9. "Pulling Mussels (from the Shell)" 3:59
  10. "Slap and Tickle" 4:12
  11. "Some Fantastic Place" 4:41
  12. "Take Me I'm Yours" 2:47
  13. "Tempted" 4:01
  14. "Up the Junction" 3:09

(Note that the songs are sequenced in alphabetical order.)

UK Bonus Disc: Live at the Fillmore

  1. "Take Me I'm Yours"
  2. "Annie Get Your Gun"
  3. "Black Coffee in Bed"
  4. "When the Hangover Strikes"
  5. "Loving You Tonight"
  6. "If It's Love"
  7. "It's So Dirty"
  8. "Goodbye Girl"
  9. "Hope Fell Down"
  10. "If I Didn't Love You"

Personnel

Squeeze

with:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Squeeze (band)</span> British rock band

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.

<i>East Side Story</i> (Squeeze album) 1981 studio album by 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.

<i>Frank</i> (Squeeze album) 1989 studio album by Squeeze

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.

<i>Sweets from a Stranger</i> 1982 studio album by Squeeze

Sweets from a Stranger is the fifth studio album by the British new wave group Squeeze, released in September 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.

<i>Squeeze</i> (Squeeze album) 1978 studio album by Squeeze

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.

<i>Argybargy</i> 1980 studio album by Squeeze

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.

<i>Some Fantastic Place</i> 1993 studio album by 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.

<i>Ridiculous</i> (album) 1995 studio album by Squeeze

Ridiculous is an album by the British new wave group Squeeze. It was the band's eleventh studio album, and it introduced their latest drummer Kevin Wilkinson. As on the previous album, Some Fantastic Place, the band recorded one song penned by Keith Wilkinson. This time, however, Wilkinson did not perform the lead vocals. That song, "Got to Me", is the last Wilkinson would write with Squeeze. Chris Difford sang lead on two songs, "Long Face" and "Fingertips". He had not performed lead on an album cut since "Slaughtered, Gutted and Heartbroken" and "Love Circles" on the 1989 album Frank. This record was produced by Glenn Tilbrook and Peter Smith.

<i>Domino</i> (Squeeze album) 1998 studio album by Squeeze

Domino is a 1998 album by the British new wave group Squeeze. It was the band's twelfth studio album. After a career struggling with various major record labels, the band decided to record and release Domino independently, on Glenn Tilbrook's own Quixotic Records. Core members Tilbrook and Chris Difford were joined by three brand new Squeeze members for this album: drummer Ashley Soan, bassist Hilaire Penda, and keyboardist Christopher Holland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Take Me I'm Yours</span> 1978 single by Squeeze

"Take Me I'm Yours" is the debut single by English new wave band Squeeze. It established the band's trademark vocal style, with Chris Difford singing an octave lower than Glenn Tilbrook.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Another Nail in My Heart</span> 1980 single by Squeeze

"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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pulling Mussels (from the Shell)</span> 1980 single by Squeeze

"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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Is That Love</span> 1981 single by Squeeze

"Is That Love" is a new wave song by Squeeze that was released on the band's fourth album, East Side Story. Written by Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford, the song features lyrics about Difford's marriage and features a quick tempo with a piano-based ending.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tempted (Squeeze song)</span> 1981 single by Squeeze

"Tempted" is a song by the British rock band Squeeze. Written by the Squeeze songwriting team of Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford, the song features lyrics inspired by Difford's experiences on an American tour and an arrangement inspired by the Temptations. "Tempted" is one of a few Squeeze songs with Paul Carrack as lead vocalist, at the suggestion of producer Elvis Costello.

<i>Difford & Tilbrook</i> (album) 1984 studio album by Difford & Tilbrook

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.

<i>A Round and a Bout</i> 1990 live album by Squeeze

A Round and a Bout is a live album by the British new wave group Squeeze, released in 1990 by I.R.S. Records and Deptford Fun City Records. A concert video was released with the same title, and contained mostly the same performances from the LP. The album spent one week at number 50 in the UK Albums Chart in April 1990.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loving You Tonight</span> 1993 single by Squeeze

"Loving You Tonight" is the fourth single released from English rock band Squeeze's tenth album, Some Fantastic Place. Lead vocals on the song are by Paul Carrack. The only other time Carrack sang lead on a Squeeze track was in 1981, on the better-known "Tempted."

<i>Cradle to the Grave</i> (album) 2015 studio album by Squeeze

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.

<i>The Knowledge</i> (album) 2017 studio album by Squeeze

The Knowledge is the fifteenth studio album, and the fourteenth album of original material, by British rock band Squeeze, released on 13 October 2017. It is the first and only Squeeze album to feature Yolanda Charles on bass after the departure of bassist Lucy Shaw.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Kemp, Mark (16 August 2010). "Spot The Difference". Rolling Stone. Rolling Stone.
  2. Ragogna, Mike (6 August 2010). "Spot The Difference: A Conversation With Squeeze, Plus Don Henley Gets an Apology". Huffington Post . Retrieved 5 November 2012.
  3. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Squeeze Spot the Difference review". Allmusic . Rovi Corporation . Retrieved 5 November 2012.
  4. Staunton, Terry (December 2010). "Re-take me, I'm yours". Record Collector (382). Retrieved 5 November 2012.