Over the
course of a fruitful career that dates back to the mid-1970s, Squeeze has often
been called Beatlesque thanks to the exquisite pop/rock songcraft of Chris Difford and
Glenn Tilbrook.
And when the pair appeared onstage Nov. 13 at City National
Grove of Anaheim, The Fab Four’s “A Day in the Life” immediately came to mind.
Injecting
some theatricality into their live proceedings, the Brits woke up, got out
their beds and drank cups of juice at a table before opening the 100-minute concert
with debut UK top 20 single “Take Me I’m Yours,” initially clad in pajamas.
While this show
wasn’t actually a musical, the duo’s first US acoustic tour in more than two
decades (which launched in Orange County, Calif.) is called “The At Odds Couple:
A Brand New Production.” There were even two audience Q&A segments.
Last Friday
also marked the release of a fine new Squeeze studio album, “Cradle to the
Grave” on Virgin/EMI Records. It was co-produced by past collaborator Laurie
Latham, whose credits include Echo & the Bunnymen, Ray Davies and The
Stranglers. Eighties-era Squeeze bassist John Bentley contributes to several
tracks.
The last Squeeze
studio effort was 1998’s “Domino.” Difford and Tilbrook embarked on solo
careers, but reunited in ’07 and did several tours before finally recording
fresh material together again.
Some lyrical inspiration
came from childhood friend Danny Baker, an NME writer/DJ/TV presenter. His autobiography
was made into a comedy/drama miniseries (also titled “Cradle to the Grave”). It
aired this past September on BBC2. Many of the new tracks were used in the
film.
Half of the
23-song Anaheim set was filled with British hits from 1982 album “Singles –
45’s and Under,” the lone platinum seller by Squeeze in America. Archival band
photos and articles flashed on a backdrop as the duo did a sprightly “Cool for
Cats” while Tilbrook added electric sitar guitar sounds. Then he did a soulful
“Black Coffee in Bed” alone at the keyboards. Fans dutifully filled in backing
vocals from the record.
Although the
“Cradle” tunes often feature big female-centric harmonies and orchestrations,
five selections performed here still sounded great in a stripped down format. Among
those, the alluring “Beautiful Game” was an early highlight; the same held true
for upbeat, poppy new single “Happy Days” and buoyant “Only 15” – both rife
with sharp lyrics about adolescence.
Difford
(pictured left) primarily stuck to acoustic guitar and provided the occasional anecdote. Conversely, Tilbrook moved between various instruments, impressed with tasty electric
guitar solos throughout the night (“Is That Love,” “Pulling Mussels from the
Shell”) and basically let the music do the talking.
Both musicians took turns
performing three songs from their solo releases. Difford fared best with the
dark-hued “Wrecked,” a humorous “Fat as a Fiddle” and “Cowboys Are My
Weakness.” Longtime fans probably would have preferred to hear more deep
Squeeze cuts instead.
Still, they did
get winsome takes on “Electric Trains” (off 1995’s underrated “Ridiculous”) and
the romantic “Some Fantastic Place.” The first set ended with slice-of-life gem
“Up the Junction.”
Standouts
during the second half included a high energy “Annie Get Your Gun” and the
soulful “Tempted” (where fans sang along loudly and a few danced near the
stage). For the encores, Difford and Tilbrook did a strident “Another Nail for
My Heart” and “Goodbye Girl.”
All told, a
welcome return.
Remaining “At
Odds Couple” Tour dates:
Nov. 17
Canyon Club, Agoura Hills, CA
Nov. 18-19
City Winery, Napa, CA
Nov. 20-21 Great
American Music Hall, San Francisco, CA
Nov. 24-25 Cedar
Cultural Center, Minneapolis, MN
Nov. 27-28 Park
West, Chicago, IL
Nov. 29 The
Ark, Ann Arbor, MI
Dec. 1-2 Beachland
Ballroom, Cleveland, OH
Dec. 4 The
Rex Theater, Pittsburgh, PA
Dec. 5 Scottish
Rite, Collingwood, NJ
Dec. 6 Birchmere,
Alexandria, VA
Dec. 7 Count
Basie, Red Bank, NJ
Dec. 9 Tarrytown
Music Hall, Tarrytown, NY
Dec. 10 The
Wilbur, Boston, MA
Dec. 11 The
Ridegefield Playhouse, Ridgefield, CT
Dec. 12 Paramount
Theater, Huntington, NY
Dec. 13 Tarrytown
Music Hall, Tarrytown, NY
Dec. 14 Mayo
Performing Arts Center, Morristown, NJ
Dec. 16 Troy
Music Hall, Troy, NY
Dec. 17-18
PlayStation Theater, New York, NY
For more
info, visit www.squeezeofficial.com
Photos by Ida Miller
My review originally appeared at www.musicnewsnashville.com
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