Squeeze FAQ Ver. 2.3

PART I: GENERAL INFORMATION

1) Who are the current members of Squeeze? 
    The band is fronted, as it always has been, by Chris Difford, rhythm guitar and vocals, and Glenn Tilbrook, lead guitar and vocals. The other three members of the band are freshly- minted Squeezers. They are: Ashley Soan (formerly of Del Amitri), drums; Hilaire Penda, bass; Christopher Holland, keyboards.
2) When did so-and-so join? When did they leave? 
    1975:  The original Squeeze full-band lineup: Chris Difford (guitar/vocals); Paul Gunn (drums); Jools Holland (keyboards/vocals); Harry Kakoulli (bass); Glenn Tilbrook (guitar/vocals) 
    1976:  Gunn is replaced by Gilson Lavis on drums. 
    1979:  Kakoulli is replaced by John Bentley on bass. 
    1980:  Holland is replaced by Paul Carrack on keyboards. 
    1981:  Carrack is replaced by Don Snow on keyboards. 
    1982:  Squeeze break up. 
    1985:  Squeeze re-forms. The new lineup is of Difford, Holland, Lavis, Tilbrook, and Keith Wilkinson on bass. They are joined by Jools' 19-year-old brother Christopher Holland on 2nd keyboards at initial gigs, but this role is soon filled by Andy Metcalfe 
    1988:  Metcalfe is replaced by Matt Irving as 2nd keyboard player on tour. 
    1990:  Jools leaves again. Matt Irving continues to play keyboards at gigs. 
    1991:  Play is recorded as a quartet. On tour keyboards are played by Carol Isaacs and the returning Don Snow. 
    1992:  Lavis is replaced by Pete Thomas. Thomas' fellow Attraction Steve Nieve (keyboards) joins the band for '92's live shows. 
    1993:  Nieve replaced by Paul Carrack on keyboards. 
    1994:  Thomas departs and is not replaced immediately. Eventually, Andy Newmark fills the drum chair on tour.  Aimee Mann tours with this current lineup on vocals and guitar. Metcalfe also returns to the fold to play keyboards at gigs when Carrack leaves again. 
    1995:  Kevin Wilkinson joins on drums. Tilbrook plays practically all keyboards on Ridiculous LP. On tour John Savannah, the former Don Snow, does keyboard duties. 
    1998:  Both Wilkinsons depart. The Difford/Tilbrook core is joined by Christopher Holland on keyboards, Hilaire Penda on bass, and Ash Soan on drums. 
    1999: Chris Difford announces that he is taking a temporary time out. Ash leaves to tour with Marianne Faithful, replaced live in spring 1999 by Jim Kimberley. Ash returns for the fall US tour. Chris Holland is replaced on the fall UK tour by Chris Braide.
    A more detailed history of Squeeze's extensive lineup changes is also available on this site.
3) When was Squeeze formed? 
They formed in 1974, with the original lineup as: Difford, Tilbrook, Jools Holland, piano; Harry Kakoulli, bass guitar; and Paul Gunn, drums. This lineup never recorded, as Gunn was replaced by Gilson Lavis before the band ever hit the studio.
4) Where did the name Squeeze come from?
A major Velvet Underground fan, Chris apparently suggested "Squeeze" out of sheer perversity - it's the name of the only Velvets LP to feature neither Lou Reed nor John Cale. The name "Cum" was suggested, but rejected when it was decided that appearing on Top of the Pops was not a realistic goal with a moniker like that. Before they were Squeeze, though, they performed under the name Captain Trundlow's Sky Company (or Skyco for short).
5) Who are their influences? 
Admitted and discernable influences include the Beatles (Difford & Tilbrook were hailed as the next Lennon & McCartney in the press since a 1981 Rolling Stone review of East Side Story), the Kinks, the Monkees, Velvet Underground, Small Faces, Nils Lofgren, Randy Newman, as well as some of the older theatrical writers like Rogers and Hammerstein, Bernstein, etc. to name a few. 
6) With whom have they played/collaborated? 
A scarcely complete list: 
Elvis Costello - he provides back vocals on "Tempted", "There's No Tomorrow", "Black Coffee in Bed" and also co-produced East Side Story. Glenn duets with EC on "From a Whisper to a Scream" from Elvis' fine LP Trust. Chris co-wrote the EC track "Boy with a Problem" from Imperial Bedroom (the original demo of this track appears on the Rykodisc version of Trust). 
Paul Young - back vocals on "Black Coffee in Bed". Chris and Glenn returned the favour on his 1985 album The Secret of Association, which also featured keyboard work by Matt Irving. 
Dave Edmunds - produced "In Quintessence" and the version of "Tempted" on Excess Moderation. 
Robyn Hitchcock - Glenn sings on his Globe of Frogs LP on the track "Beatle Denis". 
Michael Penn - backup vocals on "The Day I Get Home". Glenn & Keith sing backup on Penn's "Strange Season" from the LP Free for All. 
Aimee Mann - Chris and Glenn provide back vocals on numerous songs from Aimee's LP I'm with Stupid. Some of those songs also feature Glenn on guitar. Aimee also accompanied Squeeze onstage during one 1994 tour. 
Richard & Linda Thompson - Glenn provides back vocals on their 1979 album Sunnyvista. 
Spinal Tap - back vocals on "The Day I Get Home", from Play. 
Fine Young Cannibals - Jools plays piano on "Good Thing", from The Raw and the Cooked.
Matt Johnson - Jools plays piano on "Uncertain Smile". 

Plus numerous Jools Holland and Paul Carrack solo recordings. 

7) Is there a fan club? 
Sadly, no. The Squeeze fan club has folded, as of fall 1998.
8) Is there a web page? 9) Is there a news group? 
Activity persists at the highly-SPAMmed Usenet group alt.music.squeeze, proving you can't keep good Squeeze fans down!
10) Is there a mailing list?
    There are currently two Squeeze mailing lists available. 

    The first, run through a service called Onelist, is setup for lively discussion for one and all about the band. 

    Traffic on that list can get a bit heavy, much to the frustration of those who are only really interested in the latest news, tour dates, and events. For these people, we have established the Squeezefan News mailing list, a read-only list which will keep you up-to-date on the latest release info, tour dates and website updates. 

    For information on how to join either list, click here.

11) How about IRC chats?
    Got that covered, too. The channel #squeeze meets twice a week, and impromptu, unscheduled chats are becoming more and more frequent. Heidi Sackerson's #Squeeze Page features all of the information you should need to join this online community.
12) Can I email the band? 
Only Chris Difford has an e-mail address, but he loves to receive fan e-mail. You can write him at diffordc@aol.com.
13) When will they be playing my town?
The band is currently on an indefinite hiatus, but have stressed that they have not officially "broken up". But various members of Squeeze tour fairly often: watch the tour dates section of this site for information on when they'll be hitting a town near you. Please note that we are unlinkely to have any tour information that is not on the Tour Dates page, so e-mailing us to ask about upcoming gigs will probably not be too fruitful. We don't sit on information, and as soon as we know anything for sure we share it with the world.

PART II: THE BAND 

1) Are those guys still around? Didn't they break up? How many times?
    The band is currently on an indefinite hiatus but has not officially "broken up". They did break up, but only once, and that was way back in late 1982. They reformed for a charity show in 1985 and decided to get back together full time.
2) What are their biggest hits?
    "Cool For Cats," and "Up the Junction," both went to #2 in the UK. "Labelled with Love" hit UK #4, and "Take Me I'm Yours" #10.  In the US, singles chart placement has been more elusive and came later.  "Hourglass" was their biggest hit, going to #15 on the Billboard charts in 1987. "853-5937" followed "Hourglass" and also broke the top 40, but Squeeze has not seen any chart action since. Sweets From a Stranger broke the top 40 LP charts as did Babylon and On. Singles - 45s & Under has gone gold after all these years. Concerts consistently sell out around America, lending credence to the fact that either everyone loves Squeeze and no one buys their records, or everyone who loves Squeeze buys their records and goes to every show humanly possible.
3) How do you spell that lead singer feller's name?
    Glenn (with two "N"s) Tilbrook (one "L"). The number of variations on this spelling that make their way into even the most reputable publications are truly staggering.
4) Is Christopher Holland related to Jools Holland?
    Yes, he's Jools' younger brother, and a featured player in Jools' Big Band/Rhythm and Blues Orchestra.  He is NOT Jools' son, as some journalists who neglected to do their homework have suggested.
5) Were Keith and Kevin Wilkinson related?
    No.
6) What's Jools doing nowadays? 
    He's touring and recording as part of Jools Holland and His Rhythm and Blues Orchestra (which prominently features Gilson Lavis). He  also hosts  "Later with Jools Holland," a popular, eclectic music show on British television. He also hosts a British version of the legendary quiz show "Name That Tune", which uses the diverse musical talents of the Rhythm and Blues Orchestra to full advantage. To find our more about Jools and his day to day activities, visit the Jools Groovy Web Pages.
7) What's Paul Carrack doing now? 
    He's just finished touring in support of his two recent solo LPs, Blue Views (1995) and Beautiful World (1997).  To keep up with Paul's career, visit our sister site, htttp://www.carrack.com. 
8) Are Don Snow and Jon Savannah the same person? 
    Yes. 
9) What happened to Harry Kakoulli? 
    He was booted from the band mysteriously in 1979 and the band always  refused to give a reason why and avoided the issue in interviews. He put out the album Even When I'm Not after he left the band. Jim Griffiths reports: "Harry Kakoulli has for several years been the producer of the band The Ukranians, who are based in UK but have a fanatical European following (in places like Poland).  Harry works with the band in Leeds although I'm not sure if he lives there. A friend of mine plays occasional bass for the Ukranians and says Harry is a srange guy and goes missing occasionally when the band are trying to record!"
10) What about the Wilkinsons? 
    Chris and Glenn, concerned about keeping the band's sound fresh, made the decision in 1998 to discard the other members in favour of an entirely new lineup. The Wilkinsons were let go.  Future projects for Keith have not been announced as of yet. Kevin, sadly, passed away in the summer of 1999.

PART III: SONGS  

1) Where does Chris get his ideas? 
    In a 1982 interview in the Trouser Press, Chris said most of his ideas are not based on his own life events. He spent time during his formative songwriting days as a clerk in a law office and supposedly took many song ideas from there. 
2) Have they ever covered any songs? 
    Covers have been, in general, very rare for Squeeze.  Only three have ever made it to an official Squeeze release: "Red Light", the B-side to "Love Circles"; a live cover of Blur's "End of a Century" on one of the "This Summer" CD singles; and a version of Bobby Womack's "Looking For a Love" was recently issued as a bonus track on the Six of One box set edition of East Side Story. In concert, they'll throw in the occasional cover, but Chris says "that's really not what we're about." 
    In recent years they've peformed "Let the Good Times Roll" (Chris Holland's vocal showcase in concert), "Tears of a Clown" by Smokey Robinson, "Can't Buy Me Love" by the Beatles and "How Long" by Ace (the Ace tune because Carrack fronted the band). In past years, they've covered "Band of Gold," "In the Heat of the Night," by Ray Charles with Jools on vocals (also on Jools' "World of His Own" LP), Jerry Lee Lewis' "Great Balls of Fire" (again song by Jools), and "Too Many Teardrops" by Nick Lowe, among many others. 
3) Have they been covered? 
    Yes.  You can find listings of cover versions under the individual entries in the Songbook feature. 
4) What are the words to (insert Squeeze song title here)?  5) How many versions of (insert Squeeze song title here) are there? 
    Different versions of the songs are covered in the Songbook feature. 
6) How do I find Squeeze's UK CD singles if I'm in America? 
    All of them are long out of print, so your chances of finding them at one of the major online CD shops is pretty nil. A good place to check for rare Squeeze items is the online auction site EBay, which always seems to have a generous helping of Squeeze items up for grabs.
7) What Squeeze songs do not appear on any albums?
    Many of the Squeeze B-sides and rare tracks have started finding their way to CD, thanks to A&M's incessant milking of the band's back catalogue, and those which are now available on CD will be duly noted below. This is a list of the actual SONGS that didn't make it to the LPs in the past, remixes and alternate versions are not included. 
     
      • Cat on the Wall, Night Ride, Backtrack (the Packet of Three EP)
      • Heartbreak (unreleased until box set version of Squeeze)
      • Deep Cuts (unreleased until box set version of Squeeze)
      • Night Nurse (B-side to Take Me I'm Yours. CD: Master Series.)
      • All Fed Up (B-side to Bang Bang. CD: Master Series.)
      • Saints Alive (B-side to Goodbye Girl. CD: Master Series.)
      • Blood and Guts (unreleased until Excess Moderation)
      • I Must Go (unreleased until box set version of Cool For Cats)
      • Ain't It Sad (unreleased until box set version of Cool For Cats)
      • All's Well (B-side to Slap and Tickle.)
      • Wrong Again (Let's Face It) (a/k/a Wrong Way) (Smash Hits magazine free flexidisc)
      • Christmas Day (single-only release. CD: Excess Moderation.)
      • Going Crazy (B-side to Christmas Day. CD: Excess Moderation.)
      • Pretty Thing (a/k/a Pretty One) (B-side to Another Nail For My Heart)
      • What the Butler Saw (B-side to Pulling Mussels. CD: Piccadilly Collection, Excess Moderation)
      • Funny How It Goes (unreleased until box set version of Argybargy)
      • Go (unreleased until box set version of Argybargy)
      • Trust (B-side to Is That Love. CD: Excess Moderation, Master Series.)
      • Yap Yap Yap (B-side to Tempted)
      • The Axe Has Now Fallen (unreleased until box set version of East Side Story)
      • Lookin' For a Love (unreleased until box set version of East Side Story)
      • The Hunt (B-side to Black Coffee In Bed)
      • Elephant Girl (B-side to When the Hangover Strikes. CD: Piccadilly Collection)
      • I'm at Home Tonight (promo single: 2,000 copies only)
      • I Can't Get Up Anymore (unreleased until box set version of Sweets From a Stranger)
      • When Love Goes to Sleep (unreleased until box set version of Sweets From a Stranger)
      • Spanish Guitar (B-side to Annie Get Your Gun. CD: Piccadilly Collection)
      • Within These Walls of Without You (B-side to Love's Crashing Waves. CD: Piccadilly Collection, Excess Moderation)
      • Introvert (from the Hope Fell Down 12-inch)
      • Suites From Five Strangers (B-side to Last Time Forever)
      • The Fortnight Saga (B-side to No Place Like Home. CD: Box set version of Cosi Fan Tutti Frutti)
      • Love's a Four Letter Word (unreleased until box set version of Cosi Fan Tutti Frutti)
      • What Have They Done? (from the soundtrack of When the Wind Blows. CD: Excess Moderation)
      • Wedding Bells (B-side to Hourglass. Appears on UK CDs of Babylon and On)
      • Splitting Into Three (from the Hourglass 12-inch. Appears on UK CDs of Babylon and On)
      • Franks Bag (B-side to If It's Love. CD: Master Series.)
      • Red Light (B-side to Love Circles)
      • Who's That? (from the Love Circles 12-inch)
      • Maidstone (B-side to Sunday Street. CD: Excess Moderation)
      • Mood Swings (from the Sunday Street 12-inch/CDS)
      • Happiness Is King (B-side to Satisfied)
      • Laughing In My Sleep (from the Satisfied 12-inch/CDS)
      • Jumping (B-side to Some Fantastic Place)
      • Dark Saloons (from the Some Fantastic Place [SFP] CDS)
      • Discipline (from the SFP CDS)
      • Is That the Time? (from the SFP CDS)
      • Don't Be a Stranger (from the SFP CDS)
      • Stark Naked (from the SFP CDS)
      • Periscope (from This Summer CDS)
      • All the King's Horses (from This Summer CDS)
      • Cracker Jack (from Electric Trains CDS)
      • Fighting For Peace (from Electric Trains CDS)
      • This Road (from the soundtrack The Truth About Cats and Dogs)
      • Sweet as a Nut (from This Summer Remix [TSR] CDS)
      • In Another Lifetime (from TSR CDS)
      • Never There (from TSR CDS)

PART IV: THE ALBUMS 

1) There are so many different Squeeze compilations it makes my head swim. What are the actual, original albums? 
    Squeeze (a.k.a U.K. Squeeze) (1978), Cool For Cats (1979), Argybargy (1980), East Side Story (1981), Sweets From a Stranger (1982), Cosi Fan Tutti Frutti (1985), Babylon and On (1987), Frank (1989), Play (1991), Some Fantastic Place (1993),  Ridiculous (1995), and Domino (1998). Difford & Tilbrook (1984), the album Chris and Glenn recorded between the two incarnations of Squeeze counts as one too. 
2) What Squeeze albums are still in print? Where can I find the CDs that have been deleted from the catalogue? 
    In the US, only East Side Story and Ridiculous are still in print. Compilations still in print in the US are Singles - 45's and Under and Piccadilly Collection. A&M have been claiming for ages that remastered versions of Cosi Fan Tutti Frutti, Babylon and On and Difford & Tilbrook will be made available soon in the US.  All of Squeeze's albums (except Domino, which has yet to be released Stateside) have been available at one point ot another on CD in the US, so good advice would be to examine delete bins and used CD stores carefully. 

    In the UK, the story is somewhat happier. Squeeze, Cool For Cats, Argybargy, East Side Story, Sweets From a Stranger, Cosi Fan Tutti Frutti,Ridiculous and Domino are all in print. The only compilation still in print is Greatest Hits.  All of Squeeze's albums save for Difford & Tilbrook have been available on CD in the UK, so check out those delete bins and used CD establishments! 

3) What does "argybargy" mean? 
    According to Merriam Webster' Collegiate Dictionary, "argy-bargy" is a lively discussion; an argument, debate. The Gs are soft. 
4) What does "Cosi Fan Tutti Frutti" mean? 
    It merges the titles of two highly important pieces of music - Mozart's  comic opera "Cosi Fan Tutte" and Little Richard's "Tutti Frutti". 

PART V: VIDEO 

1) Have they done any videos? Where can I find them? 
    From the amount of airplay they get, you'd think no. But they've been doing videos since "Take Me I'm Yours" all the way through "Heaven Knows." There are two video compilations out: in the US, "Squeeze: The Videos 1978-1987" (now out of print) and in the UK "Squeeze's Greatest Hits: The Videos" which covers '78 through '89. The latter is also available on laserdisc from Japan. An earlier version of the UK video, called "Video Squeeze" (now out of print), didn't include numerous videos that appear on the "Greatest Hits" video: "Love's Crashing Waves", "Messed Around", "Hits of the Year", and "853-5937". 

    The "Hourglass" video, a wonderful visual piece, incorporating visual quotes from surrealist masterpieces and optical illusions galore, was a big hit on MTV, helping it reach #15 on the US pop charts. It was nominated for a 1987 MTV Video Award for Video of the Year. 

2) Who directed the "Hourglass" video? 
    Ade Edmonson, best known as Vyvian of The Young Ones and Eddie on Bottom, 
    directed "Hourglass", as well as "Trust Me To Open My Mouth" and "853-5937". 
3) I heard they did an MTV Unplugged. True? 
    Sure did, in fact they were the first to ever appear on the show, back in 1990. Just Chris & Glenn appeared  and they performed three songs, "She Doesn't Have to Shave," "Messed Around," and "Pulling Mussels." Later in the show they joined host Jules Shear and the night's other guests in a rendition of the Monkees' "I'm a Believer." 
4) Have they ever appeared on any television shows? 
    They usually make the late night talk show circuit when they're on tour in the US, including Letterman, Leno  and Conan. I need help from Brits and other nationals as far as non-US appearances. The only non-variety/talk show I know of them appearing on is the "Cash" episode of "The Young Ones," where Jools & Chris perform the Bob Dylan tune "Subterranean Homesick Blues" with Stewart Copeland of the Police, among others.  Jools also appears as the punk in the bank in the last episode of The Young Ones, "Summer Holiday". 

    In the variety category, Glenn was recently (c. 1996) a panelist on the UK music quiz programme, "Never Mind the Buzzcocks."  Mat Terry writes of the programme: "One memorable moment was during a round where each team gets played a small section of a song, and they have to indentify it. The opposing team was played a section of "Cool for Cats", which they indentified, and the quizmaster (Mark Lamar) answered it with, "Correct, and it was written by that man over there" - while pointing to Glenn.  Glenn just grinned, but must have thought "Sh*t! they did that on purpose".  Still, it was a good plug for the band at the time! 

5) Have they ever had any televised concerts? 
    MTV has aired Squeeze concerts twice: In 1981 at LA's Country Club and in 1988 at MTV's Spring Break. British TV has aired: 1) A concert from Nottingham in 1979; 2) An Old Grey Whistle Test Special (defunct BBC2 show) from The Regal, Hitchin, 1980; 3) A concert from The Ally Pally, London as part of the Town And Country Club's 5th Birthday celebrations in 1991 shown on Satellite TV. They also appeared on the European concert program "Rockpalast" in 1985. More recently, a four-song set was included on VH1's series Hard Rock Live.
Updates, correction and revisions welcome. Write us! 

Original FAQ by Dan Rivkin and Erik Gavriluk. Updates by Christopher and Jennifer Beckett, with valuable contributions from: Edward Clapprood, Jim Griffiths, Sherena Kranat, Martin Stockton, Mat Terry, Stephen Towler.