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.
Episode 36: Christopher J. Scalia / Cheap Trick
Episode 35: Jon Gabriel / New Order
Episode 34: Mark Joseph Stern / The Velvet Underground
Episode 33: Kevin Madden / Wilco
Episode 32: Ellen Carmichael / Dire Straits
Episode 31: Christian Schneider / Pixies
Episode 30: Matt Murray / Talking Heads
Episode 29: Terry Teachout / The Band
Episode 28: Mark Davis / Paul McCartney and Wings
Episode 27: The Cover Version Special
Episode 26: Jay Caruso / Foo Fighters
Episode 25: Ezekiel Kweku / Talk Talk
Episode 24: Eric Garcia / AC/DC
Episode 23: John J. Miller / The Police
Episode 22: Eli Lake / Steely Dan
Episode 21: Bruce Walker / The Monkees
Episode 20: Guy Benson / Billy Joel
Episode 19: Karol Markowicz / Pulp
Episode 18: Julie Roginsky / Led Zeppelin
Episode 17: Stephen Miller / Oasis
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