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Squeeze - Squeeze
| Tinymixtapes |
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Most begin and end their Squeeze shopping list with one record: 1982’s compilation Singles: 45s and Under. But for the adventurous and chronologically-minded fan who wants to dig deeper into Squeeze’s catalog, it might seem like their 1978 self-titled debut is a good place to start. Unfortunately, it isn’t. Sure, it’s their debut record, features the band’s most prominent lineup (including Jools Holland, most well-known for his work in television), and was produced by John Cale (who had become quite a prominent record producer by 1978), but when Squeeze went into the studio, Cale made them scrap the songs they’d written and write new ones on the spot. Squeeze did as they were told and wrote a batch of 11 new songs — they’re really not that bad, but they aren’t Squeeze. The fact that "Bang Bang" and "Take Me I’m Yours," the only songs Squeeze managed to keep from the original bunch, are the best songs on the album really makes the listener question Cale’s ‘advice.’ That’s really the trouble with this record. Since its their debut release, the goofy and amiable songs on this record are unfairly compared to the rest of the band’s catalog of literate, sophisticated pop, the kind of songs that aren’t on this record. It does have its highlights — "Bang Bang" and "Take Me I’m Yours" are catchy and enjoyable, and "Wild Sewerage Tickles Brazil" is an instrumental silly enough to have been recorded by The B-52s — but the rest of the songs are as lyrically and musically slight as you’d expect from a band who had to write a brand new set of songs before recording an album....full text |
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| Allaboutjazz |
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Ray Vega illustrates what is most attractive about Latin jazz—that is, its inextinguishable spirit and rhythm. And I mean rhythm. From the get-go, Squeeze Squeeze is a Latin love fest, replete with the complex percussion necessary to support the orgy of cross- and counter-rhythms generated by the "head" musicians. Right out of the chute, Mr. Vega crackles like a young Dizzy Gillespie on Wayne Shorter’s "Black Nile," spitting a blue flame of notes in his well-constructed solo. He can also be as tender as hot, as is evident on the McCoy Tyner ballad, "Contemplation." Mr. Vega is able to convey his plan throughout the miasma of shifting, humid rhythms. Mr. Vega’s sextet is equally effective on the recording. The last number of years has seen the re-emergence of the little big band, nonets and dectettes. Ray Vega is further slimming down these numbers to produce a full-bodied sound. This is well illustrated in recent recordings by Joe Lovano, Martial Solal, and Carla Bley. The trumpeter’s band hits on all cylinders focusing on his Latin bop roots, highlighting the importance of percussionist Wilson Corneil and drummer Adam Weber. The recording, on the whole, is very accessible and absolutely infectious, betraying that secret of Latin culture: happiness. That is something we all should have....full text |
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| Mp3 |
| he band's debut, credited (in the U.S.) to U.K. Squeeze to avoid confusion with a similarly named band, is quite unlike anything that would follow and nearly seems like the work of another band. Much of the reason for this comes from producer John Cale's somewhat warped vision of the band. Cale threw out all of the songs the band came to the studio with and demanded that they write new ones on the spot (he also proposed calling the album Gay Guys, and undoubtedly had something to do with the hot pink bodybuilder cover and the shirtless photo of the band on the back). The rough and ragged songs that resulted from the studio writing range from raw, inspired rockers like "Sex Master," "Strong in Reason," and "Get Smart" to the utterly bizarre, near-funk instrumental "Wild Sewerage Tickles Brazil," which features wild shrieks throughout. The band-produced "Take Me I'm Yours" is a fondly remembered hit, but the album in general remains an oddity of the Squeeze catalog. ~ Chris Woodstra, All Music Guide...full text |
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