East Side Story

Squeeze | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 12, 1995)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: A&M
• ASIN: B000002GC8
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #219,677 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

It's a rare pop band that can fit the word quintessence neatly into a song, but the duo of Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook--the heart of Squeeze--do so with ease. There's a good reason that they've been hailed as the best British songwriting team since Lennon and McCartney, and if they've never scaled the heights of fame--or of grandeur--that their forebears did, well, that's OK. East Side Story may not be Squeeze's greatest album--their 1982 hits collection, Singles: 45's and Under, may take that honor--it does have their most memorable song, "Tempted." Strangely enough, the tune was written by then-keyboardist Paul Carrack (with Tilbrook and producer Elvis Costello) and sung by Carrack. The rest of the album remains strong, buoyed by the group's bouncy outlook, Costello and coproducer Roger Bechiran's prodding the group in new directions, and hints of the new-wave-influenced sound Squeeze would develop years later on Babylon and On. --Randy Silver

Product Description

Digitally remastered reissue of their 1981 album, completewith the two bonus tracks from the box set: 'The Axe Has NowFallen' & 'Looking For A Love'. 16 tracks total, alsofeaturing 'In Quintessence', 'Tempted', 'Heaven', 'Woman'sWorld', 'Piccadilly' and 'Is That Love?'. 1997 A&M release. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Astonishingly Good - A Dazzling Tour-De-Force, November 15, 2002

By 

Eric R. Last "misterrockobscurities" (San Bruno, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: East Side Story (Audio CD)

"East Side Story" is the greatest album of Squeeze's long, distinguished career. It was their fourth album, and they were on an amazing trajectory, with each album revealing growing craftsmanship and confidence, culminating in this masterpiece in 1981. Difford's wry lyrics remained fascinating, but it was Tilbrook's growth as the music-writing half of the team that was leading them into astounding new realms of creativity. He seemed to be able to absorb all musical styles and spit them out in wildly diverse gem after gem. The songs were becoming ever more melodically complex, but without sacrificing the catchiness that it essential to this sort of pop music. (On later albums he would sometimes be guilty of going too far with the melodic complexity, but no sign of that yet in 1981). In addition, Tilbrook had blossomed into a wonderful vocalist, and his guitar leads had become models of dazzling efficiency. (I defy anyone to name a more exquisitely consise guitar solo than the 12-second masterpiece in the middle of "In Quintessence".) New keyboardist Paul Carrack (of pub-rockers Ace and "How Long" fame) is a smoother fit for Difford and Tilbrook than his predecessor Jools Holland, and his lead vocal showcase, "Tempted", became Squeeze's biggest hit to date. Among the other highlights: the achingly lovely ballad "Labelled With Love", here given a gentle country treatment, but you could just as easily imagine this song sung by a crooner like Sinatra or Tony Bennett (assuming the crooner could pull off Difford's lyrics); the rockabilly "Messed Around", which sounds like it's straight out of Elvis' Sun Sessions; the more typical Squeeze pop-rock gems "Is That Love", "Someone Else's Bell", and of course "In Quintessence"; and the amazing "Mumbo Jumbo", wherein Tilbrook combines 3 or 4 great melodies into a single three-minute classic. Elsewhere there are Beatles-inspired orchestrations and dark sonic experiments. Squeeze hit their peak here, and their albums of the past 20 years have often come close to the heights reached on "East Side Story", without ever topping it. This album is an absolute must-own for any Squeeze fan.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning fourth album (This review is for the 2007 UK reissue NOT the American Beat Reissue), July 10, 2003

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: East Side Story (Audio CD)

Make no mistake, East Side Story is the band's early masterpiece. While Sweets was far more experimental (as was Cool for Cats), the band's fourth album focused on songcraft. Originally intended as a double album (with hopes for Elvis Costello, Paul McCartney, Dave Edmunds and someone else who I can't recall at the moment), East Side Story is the band's most perfectly formed album.

Every track belongs here and the arrangements from the startling guitar break on Inquintessence to the organ hook that opens Tempted are brilliant. This is an album that's crying out for a second disc of live material from the same album. The two bonus tracks are a mixed bag. One's quite good and the other is just a so-so remake of an oldie.

The American Beat version reportedly has better dynamics and is a flat transfer of the original release but I don't have it nor have I heard it for comparison. It doesn't have any bonus tracks.

By the way, this is exactly the same remaster that was used for the box set Six of One that is now out of print.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE Definitive English Pop Album, November 30, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: East Side Story (Audio CD)

This is without question my favorite album by my favorite band - SQUEEZE. Each track is incredibly different yet the album flows like no other. From the straight ahead pop of "In Quintessence" to the Patsy Cline-ish "Labelled With Love", every song is a gem. Glenn Tilbrook's voice and lead guitar are in fine form, and Chris Difford adds his usual dark edge and humor to the record. Strangely enough, "Tempted" is probably my least favorite cut from the record - I've always though it sounded better in concert with Glenn singing rather than Paul Carrack. Gilson Lavis and John Bentley provide a stellar rhythm section - check out the bass playing on "Someone Else's Heart", and the drum fills on "Mumbo Jumbo". I love this record - I wore out the grooves on the album, and the CD still gets regular airplay in my house. Just a batch of great songs - not a clunker in the bunch....check it out!