Introducing the Band:
Your hosts Scot Bertram (@ScotBertram) and Jeff Blehar (@EsotericCD) are joined by guest Scott Immergut. Scott is the CEO of Ricochet.com and the Ricochet Audio Network. He is the long-time producer of the Ricochet Podcast and the GLoP Culture podcast with Jonah Goldberg, Rob Long, and John Podhoretz. He’s also the Executive Producer of The Hoover Institution’s Uncommon Knowledge with Peter Robinson andGood Fellows, with Niall Ferguson, H. R. McMaster, and John Cochrane.
Scott’s Music Pick: Squeeze
They might do it down on Camber Sands and at Waikiki, but in the mainland U.S., Squeeze was mostly a rumor for much of the band’s career. Highest charting album? #32. Just two Top 40 singles. Squeeze, unfortunately, was destined to join the long list of very British bands that never quite crossed over to the States.
If you know Squeeze at all, it might be because of the placement of “Tempted” on the soundtrack for Reality Bites. Or, perhaps a roommate at college had the Singles 45's and Under collection on CD, as most roommates seemed to in the 1990s. But there’s a heck of a lot more to the story.
This is, of course, where Political Beats steps in to solve the problem. Because the truth is you won’t find music any better than what Squeeze produced, particularly at their peak from 1978-1982. The highly literate lyrics of Chris Difford, filled with sharp storytelling and British allusions, paired perfectly with the beautiful, melodic, and sometimes quite complicated music written by Glenn Tilbrook. Tilbrook’s soulful tenor took most of the leads (except, famously, on perhaps the band’s best-known song, “Tempted”) while Difford’s deep croaking voice contributed backing vocals.
The duo were called the heirs to the Lennon/McCartney songwriting throne, though the comparison never really fit and actually harmed the band’s output, as we discuss on the show. But they were something special, producing some of the finest pop songs of the era, like “Another Nail In My Heart,” “Pulling Mussels,” “Up the Junction,” and “Is It Love”.
The band broke up in 1982, making way for a pretty awful Tilbrook/Difford duo album that was a naked reach for the charts. Squeeze reunited in 1985, fell apart in 1999, got back together in 2007 and remain a recording and touring entity to this day. Pick up almost any album from their collection and you’re going to hear at least a handful of well-crafted, melodic, memorable tunes.
If nothing else, you’ll learn about a whole bunch of British slang, like “argybargy,” “up the junction,” “that’s not cricket,” and “slap and tickle.” But we’re pretty sure you’re going to love this music, as well. It’s not just an East Side Story, it’s one everyone can enjoy on Political Beats.
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Episode 133: Joshua Treviño / Matthew Sweet
Episode 132: Tom Nichols / Boston
Episode 131: Jay Cost / The Kinks [Part 2]
Episode 130: Jay Cost / The Kinks [Part 1]
Episode 129: Mike Long / Joe Jackson
Episode 128: Hannah Rowan / Blondie
Episode 127: Eric Kohn / Huey Lewis & the News
Episode 126: Rory Cooper / Simon & Garfunkel
Episode 125: Matt Murray / Nick Lowe
Episode 124: Dave Weigel / Pet Shop Boys
Episode 123: Dominic Green / The Jam
Episode 122: Eric Garcia / Black Sabbath
Episode 121: Adam Wollner / My Morning Jacket
Episode 120: Mark Hemingway / Big Star
Episode 119: Noam Blum / Tool
Episode 118: Phil Wegmann / The National
Episode 117: Andrew Fink / Otis Redding
Episode 116: Noah Weinrich / Weezer
Episode 115: Jesse Walker / Willie Nelson [Part 2]
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