I Didn't Get Where I Am

Chris Difford | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 17, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Drt
• ASIN: B0001A79SA
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #220,475 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Tight Rope

2. For A Change

3. Cowboys Ar My Weakness

4. No Show Jones

5. A World That Passed Me By

6. One Day

7. Playing With Electric Trains

8. Lamas Fayre

9. Trafalgar Square

10. Parents

11. Black Coffee

12. Lamas Fayre (Alternate Version)

Editorial Reviews

First solo album for one of Britain's greatest songwriters, best known for co-writing all the Squeeze hits. Produced by Francis Dunnery. 2002. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars i didn't know it was possible to wear out a compact disc, April 18, 2003

By 

John Bookman, Library Detective - See all my reviews

This review is from: I Didn't Get Where I Am (Audio CD)

i've loved squeeze from the moment i heard them---their skillfully crafted material, their endearing image, glenn tilbrook's angelic voice.... so when i heard that chris difford (glenn's songwriting partner and squeeze co-founder) was putting out a solo album, i wondered, "can he pull it off?"

to put it simply, he most definitely can. chris is a world unto himself, with his own stylistics, his own moods, and his own wonderfully plaintive, on-target vocals. the melodies are brilliant, the harmonic structures rich and beautiful. (after listening to the disc you will fully understand why squeeze was so good---you had not one but two amazing talents merging their abilities to create, as the saying goes, a sum that was much greater than its parts.) songs like 'tight rope' and 'parents' are bonafide masterpieces, light years above most of the junk that currently pollutes the airwaves. 'cowboys are my weakness' will, like the best lennon-mccartney tunes, echo in your mind for days. and 'no show jones' is a spine-tingler; almost an instant classic. best of all, there are no 'fillers'---every song has its own, unique personality; its own beginning and its own end. how many artists are making albums like >> that << any more?

are you dying for some decent new music? have you become jaded, cynical, and bitter? afraid that all the best songs have been written, all the best artists have either retired or died?

think again.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Difford puts the Squeeze on his old sound, July 22, 2004

By 

WTDK "If at first the idea is not absurd, the... (My Little Blue Window, USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: I Didn't Get Where I Am (Audio CD)

Chris Difford's solo album sound absolutely nothing like Squeeze. For that I'm eternally grateful. Don't get me wrong, I love Squeeze but Difford's approach here sparks with vitality and has a hint of freshness I wouldn't have expected. Working with Francis Dunnery as his co-writer has freed up Difford to develop both as a vocalist and songwriter. He's never sounded so uninhibited as a singer.

From the unusual gay anthem "Cowboys Are My Weakness" to the remake of "Electric Trains" with a more C&W feel to it, Difford inhabits all of his characters and brings them to life. One of his gifts as a songwriter is to put you in the shoes of the character he's created. Sure, he and Tilbrook were nearly perfect together as a songwriting team still it's nice to see both of them stretch out a bit and try their hand at something a bit different.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Difford is still very Cool For Cats, August 11, 2004

By 

From the Musician's Pen (Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: I Didn't Get Where I Am (Audio CD)

I've been fan of Squeeze's music ever since I saw them perform on Saturday Night Live in the early 1980's. Critics love them but the record companies and radio stations have largely ignored their work since reforming in the mid-80's (which I feel is really their most consistently best material). I didn't even know Chris had a solo CD out, and then found some mixed reviews on the net. The CD was hard to find locally, but I found one in Toronto. I've listened to the CD several times and fragments from each song stick with me throughout the day. Some songs had to grow on me but by 3 listenings the CD sounds very coherent and I like the tracking order of songs. The music is slower and more moody or atmospheric than on any Squeeze album, but his vocals are the best I've ever heard. Every song is good - my favourites are "Tight Rope", "For a Change", "No Show Jones" and "Playing With Electric Trains" - and could easily have appeared on a Squeeze CD but the lack of Squeeze is actually refreshing because I think this setting actually lets the songs breathe more. Most of the things we like from Squeeze are still here - the songs are very melodic, plenty of chord changes, great backing harmonies and lead guitar parts, clever lyrics and the production is of very good quality with a clean, clear, full sound spectrum. It's very folky, with hints of pop, country, reflections on life since Squeeze, home recordings, etc. so I think there's much here for Squeeze fans to enjoy. I don't think he could do a solo tour with this material alone, since so much of it is mellow and mature. This CD is not for everyone, but it does not sound like Chris was concerned with commercial issues at all - he simply made a CD he could be proud of, and it sounds like there was fun and love put in every track. I love Glenn's solo work as well but I don't think comparisons can be made between them - one isn't better than the other, they're very different approaches. Personally, it's great to see Chris shine so well for an entire CD.