Squeeze Concert including one odd tidbit


I saw Squeeze (or, more precisely, Chris Difford and Glenn Tillbrook of Squeeze) in concert at a local club last night. They performed mostly acoustic versions (tho Tillbrook played some electric guitar) of Squeeze's greatest hits and they did so with great style. The simpler arrangements still managed to capture a lot of the kinetic energy that is central to so many Squeeze songs. Overall, a very fun show and one worth catching for any Squeeze fan.

Squeeze is a band that I admire greatly: IMO, they combine outstanding songs (irresistible hooks) with excellent musicianship (Tillbrook is a fine, under-appreciated guitarist) and they often provide witty lyrics rife with clever wordplay. When the band performs, they rock with much more power than you might expect from such shiny songs. When they perform as a duo, however, the concert is less manic and involves more interaction with the audience. I've seen them do request-heavy shows in the past, but last night they had a guy with a mic walking thru the audience to take questions.

While most of Squeeze's best lyrics are probably best characterized as "clever good fun", one of their songs, "Some Fantastic Place", is a kind of pop elegy. The song is sung as a paean to a lover who died young. I've always wondered whether it was a true story or an imagined one. I've also always found it to be a tremendously moving and inspirational statement at a time of great sadness. I like a lot of Squeeze's lyrics, but I've always felt that "Fantastic Place" is a cut above anything else that Squeeze has done lyrically. (Actually, I find it a cut above all but a very few lyrics from anyone - there's just a very intense personal connection with that song on my part.)

When the mic came my way, I asked if a two part question was okay. They approved and I first asked:

"What lyric are you most proud of?"

Tillbrook hemmed and hawed for a minute ("That answer might change every day"), before he eventually settled on...... "Some Fantastic Place". Tillbrook said he was very proud of that one and then he thanked Difford for penning the lyric that told the story so movingly. He then asked me for part two of my question.

I told him that my second question was about..... "Some Fantastic Place". I asked whether the song was about an actual person in his life and, if it was, whether he might share that story.

He explained that his first great love died young of Leukemia. When Difford first provided his lyric shortly after her death, Tillbrook said the chords just spilled out of him in a spontaneous torrent. It was evident that it was a moving moment for him. It was satisfying to see that I had shared that sentiment with him regarding the power of the song.

It was a nice cap to a really fun evening with two terrific pop musicians. It also made it clear that a chance to interact with the people who write our favorite songs is an opportunity that happens way too rarely. If you like Squeeze, and Difford/Tillbrook comes to your neighborhood, I'd urge you to check this one out. Come armed with a question, too - it might make the night special.

martykl
Nice to see someone comment on Iris DeMent. To get the full impact her talent, try turning off the sound and read her lyrics, e.g. "In the deep of the night... in the deep of the night... by the river so still... where sorrows come to heal... and wrongs are made right... down in the deep of the night... in the deep of the night... on a creaking porch swing... the ancient ones sing... everything is alright".
Wanted to thank Marty for his eloquent and very well written story. It, and
the follow ups, inspired me to check out some of this band's music. Not
much of a pop-music-phile for the last couple of couple of decades (for no
other reason than hours in the day) the only tune by this band that I was
familiar with was "Tempted". What a great band and what great
songs! The comparison to the Beatles is particularly interesting to me and
the similarities are there. We all know what fantastic songsmiths the Beatles were; but, and not meaning to open up a can of worms, for me, the
Beatles' overall INSTRUMENTAL musicianship was not on the same level
as their singing and song writing. To my ears, there was always a certain
imbalance between all the elements that define a great band. I know the
apologists will point to things like how Ringo was the "perfect"
drummer for the Beatles, and it is true that sometimes simplicity better suits
some of the music's wide-eyed youthful pop-ness. Maybe; but still, an
adequate but inferior drummer. Squeeze strikes a great balance between
the great songwriting, singing and playing.
Thanks!
But,

I'm familiar with NTTC, but I'd never heard Iris D's cover. I agree that it's the best take on that (very moving) song that I've ever heard. As you noted, it captures a certain essential melancholia of life. It's a very successful commentary on a widely shared experience IMO and an excellent example of insightful writing, as well as a beautiful interpretation by Iris.

Fantastic Place is an entirely different kettle of fish. It is a celebration at a time of sadness, which is why I find it such a singular work of art. It may be more or less moving (to any given listener) than NTTC, but I was really commenting at the audacious nature of the undertaking, as much as anything else. It's not a sad song, or a mournful one, it's actually joyful - with the pain of loss lurking unspoken beneath the lyric.

Segueing neatly to Frogman's comment. I agree that The Beatles were underwhelming instrumentalists. Not bad - but not particularly compelling, either. I used to frequently argue this subject with my guitar teacher. He felt that the guitar playing in The Beatles catalog was remarkable. I believed that the ideas and arrangements were notable, but the playing (particularly the solos) rarely impressed me. There were exceptions (Something, for one), but I rarely go back to The Beatles for their playing.

Interestingly, "Fantastic Place" includes a wonderful, short guitar solo from Tillbrook that really serves the song. This certainly isn't Hendrix, Clapton, Van Halen guitar playing - it's more in the spirit of Chuck Berry (or Dave Davies, Terry Kath, Todd Rundgren, Lindsey Buckingham, etc.), a short and eloquent variation on the melody that intensifies the momentum of the song. In this particular case, it ends with a stuttering walk up the neck of the guitar and sort of spills into a gospel flavored "middle eight". The gospel touch is just a perfect complement to the spirituality of the lyric at that moment:

(Sung to the dead)
"When I'm near you, I can see you,
When I'm near you, I can hear you,
When I'm near you, I can feel you"

IMO, this is a tremendous bit of song craft - and one more reason that I hold this song in such high regard.
Sorry about the first word of the last post. It autocorrected from "Bfd" to "but". I wasn't taking exception to anyone's commentary with my post, merely starting off with a response to Bfd.

BTW, thanks to all for the kind words in the responses here.
Frogman, I totally disagree with your assessment of the Beatles' instrumental musicianship. To me Lennon was the weak link but he was good enough. Many good drummers cite Ringo as being at or near the top of great rock drummers. He's not in the same category as, say, Bill Bruford or Ginger Baker, but he was not playing in Yes or Cream.