Customer Reviews

Argybargy (Dlx)

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One of Squeeze's best albums gets the deluxe treatment including a second disc from the band's pivotal Hammersmith Odeon show from 3/9/80.

The original album is on the first disc and is supplemented by nine bonus tracks including the two from the 1997 reissue/remaster plus "Pretty One", "Farfisa Beat", "Going Crazy", Library Girl", an early version of "Someone Else's Heart" produced by EC and RB and that when retooled ended up on the EC/RB produced "East Side Story" and an early working version of "If I Didn't Love You". As far as the sound goes this remaster goes good and isn't any louder/compressed than the 1997 reissue remastered by Roger Wake and Glenn Tilbrook. The dynamic range isn't quite as wide as the first CD issue but it sounds like better tapes were used for this edition and remastering engineer Frank DeLuna does a good job for a modern remaster.

The second disc features a live concert plus the Argy Bargy Radio Commercial that played in the United States (there wasn't one in the UK I guess or they couldn't locate it for this release)done by Jools Holland. It's quite amusing.

After that the concert begins and we get what appears to be the entire show minus any brief breaks between songs. We get everything from "Slap and Tickle" to their latest hits (at the time)"Pulling Mussels (From a Shell)" and the curious U.S. single choice of "If I Didn't Love You". The band covers the highlights of their previous two albums plus there's a new cover song "Mess Around" a song that Ray Charles performed.

We also get a deluxe booklet with an essay, lots of photos of memoriabilia, the complete lyrics for the original album tracks, pix of 45 sleeves, etc. I have to give credit to UMC for doing a marvelous job on the packaging.

It's a pity that all the back catalog Squeeze albums didn't get the deluxe treatment like this. Still, the reissues of "Sweets from a Stranger", "Frank" and "Ridiculous" do have a lot of bonus tracks and are an improvement over the 1997 remasters which only had two bonus tracks each.

If you're a fan of Squeeze and this album in particularly it's well worth upgrading to get the bonus tracks and the concert. Recommended.

As a 14-year-old in the summer of 1980, I was surrounded by pubescent stoners in Grateful Dead t-shirts. This album, along with Blondie's Parallel Lines, The Cars Candy-O, Graham Parker's Squeezing Out Sparks, and others stood out as beacons in the wilderness -- literate, tuneful, well-crafted power-pop gems. While most radio stations were playing Sweet Home Alabama fourteen times a day, the local new wave station pumped out Squeeze, Polecats, Rockats, Stray Cats, Josie Cotton, The Knack, Devo, The Kings...

Somewhere around 1986, a lot of these bands disbanded or evolved and hair-metal became all the rage. While you would be hard-pressed to find a lot of Kerrang magazine stuff at this point, classic albums like Argybargy endure. Sometimes, record companies can actually get it right and come out with a great product like this one. Not only has the classic album never sounded better, especially compared to my 1987-vintage grey-spine CD, but the additional material is well worth the extra cost. In fact, disc 2 can very well stand alone as a live album which ought to be released individually. I was lucky enough to see Squeeze live in the mid-80's on their Cosi Fan Tutti-Frutti tour. This disc captures every ounce of the energy and musicianship of their live performance.

Another nice touch is including the lyrics, which I haven't seen since my original vinyl LP copy of the album. Difford and Tilbrook are rightly considered tunesmiths on par with Cole Porter. "Cocoa mugs sit side by side" (from If I Didn't Love You). How many bands can come up with lyrics like this?

A true classic, presented in fine form. Highly recommended.

If you thought the original album was great, you'll love this deluxe edition. The remastered sound is crisp, dynamic and uncompressed, it sounds as good as vinyl. But it's the live 2nd disc that takes the cake, the band has so much energy, they are super tight and sound like they're having a great time playing together.

If you're a Squeeze fan, this is a must purchase. NOT for completists only!

My son gave me this Deluxe Edition package for Father's Day. Does he know the Old Man or what! The big, well-known tune Pulling Mussels (From the Shell) starts the proceedings. Every song in the set has great guitar, rolling, pounding, stomping beat, story-like lyrics, and engagingly creative melodies. I Think I'm a Go Go is one of the high points along the way and one of the reasons they were compared to the big-guy writing teams recently previous. Some of us give them an edge. Farfisa Beat is what it says it is. Hot guitar riff too. Without naming each song, the original record ended with There at the Top. A potent rocker with organ and guitar leads--my definite favorite. Nine bonus tracks fill out the disc. Funny How It Goes was left off the original. A very interesting early version of Someone Else's Heart which went on Eastside Story is there also. This stuff is burning! Zany. Tight. Melodic. Clean. Sharp. Powerhouse. Fast. All these songs are in my heart. Who knows why? Maybe this record just matches my wiring in a way that my current surroundings can't. So without a time machine I now have this ultimate two-disc reprieve. And a live concert in another country that I couldn't attend! Disc two starts right off with a bright, quick pace and they keep it intense all the way. Completely revved up! Dancing is appropriately necessary--sing some too. Keeps the brain ticking. Maybe improve my typing. A smile on my face. The package itself is just Deluxe enough. Squeeze's albums were one of the soundtracks to a mostly energetic decade and if you love Argy Bargy, this is the version.

What's to say? The remastering is top-notch, all the bonus tracks you could ever want, a great live set(!), a quality booklet and packaging with great photos of the band... Get this one.

First of all-this was a great album when it came out-all great songs that flow together well-everyone knows PULLING MUSSELS-ANOTHER NAIL IN MY HEART & IF I DIDN'T LOVE YOU but there are other great songs as well-SEPERATE BEDS-MISADVENTURE-I THINK I'M GO GO-FARFISA BEAT-THERE AT THE TOP-the musicianship & songwriting is brilliant english pop-BUT THEN.....you get great bonus material(demos,outakes,B-sides&rarities)then you get a second cd of live songs from this era which sounds awsome! I saw them live 6x's in the early eighties(twice with this band line up)and it brings back great memories of the Dr. Pepper concerts on the pier in N.Y.City! This is a must have for any Sqeeze fan P.S. comes with a nice booklet too!

Squeeze was-and is-one of the great purveyors of the four minute pop song-ever. In the 80's, they had a string of hits in the UK, but never had the US success that they deserved. If you want to see how great their writing was, then this is the album to start with. I feel as if it is their "Rubbber Soul" because all the songs on it are literate, well-crafted, but still rock.

Squeeze is a slightly overlooked pop treasure. They have always been a tight little outfit, and to me, this is their best. Pop fun with enough edge (remember when if if fit no category, it was "new wave?") to stay interesting over the years. The remaster brings the music back from the dead, hugely improved over the previous hatchet job. And for once, a "bonus" CD actually is. Squeeze rips through a live set, almost as much fun (and about the same running time!) as going to their shows in the 80s. Jools Holland gets more spotlight than usual, with a party-version cover of "Mess Around" that made this piano lover very happy.

Highly recommended.

Without doubt, Argybargy was Squeeze's best album. Intelligent, catchy, witty, and most importantly lots of fun. Casual fans need only their Greatest Hits collection, but if you want to delve a little deeper, Argybargy is the one you want.

When I first heard Pulling Mussels (From The Shell) on the radio back around 1980 I had to call that radio station and find out who did that song. It wasn't long after that I got hold of the record.

Great stuff. I also love "Wrong Side of the Moon".