HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Argybargy'' is the third studio album by the English new wave band Squeeze. Written and recorded after the band's successful sophomore release, '' Cool for Cats'', the album's lyrics were written by
Chris Difford Christopher Henry Difford (born 4 November 1954) is an English musician. He is a founding member and songwriter of the rock group Squeeze. Early life Difford was born in Greenwich, London, on 4 November 1954, the youngest of three sons. His m ...
while living with his wife in New York City. The band reunited with ''Cool for Cats'' producer John Wood and, after
Glenn Tilbrook Glenn Martin Tilbrook (born 31 August 1957, in Woolwich, London) is an English singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is the lead singer and guitarist of the English new wave band Squeeze, a band formed in the mid-1970s who broke through in th ...
composed music for Difford's new lyrics, recorded the album in late 1979. ''Argybargy'' was a commercial and critical success, reaching number 32 in the UK and becoming the first Squeeze album to chart in the US. The album has since been recognized as a classic of new wave and features multiple of the band's most famous songs, including "
Another Nail in My Heart "Another Nail in My Heart" is a 1980 song by new wave band Squeeze. Written by Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook, it was released on the album '' Argybargy''. Notable for Tilbrook's guitar solo right after the first verse, the song features mar ...
," " Pulling Mussels (from the Shell)," and " If I Didn't Love You." This would be the final Squeeze studio album to feature founding member
Jools Holland Julian Miles Holland (born 24 January 1958) is an English pianist, bandleader, singer, composer and television presenter. He was an original member of the band Squeeze and has worked with many artists including Marc Almond, Jayne County, To ...
. Holland would leave in early 1981 to pursue a solo career.


Background

Following the commercial success of the band's previous album, '' Cool for Cats'', as well as a successful international tour, Squeeze reached its highest level of success to that point. This level of fame and recognition began to take its toll;
Glenn Tilbrook Glenn Martin Tilbrook (born 31 August 1957, in Woolwich, London) is an English singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is the lead singer and guitarist of the English new wave band Squeeze, a band formed in the mid-1970s who broke through in th ...
worried of becoming "too big for isboots" and struggled with being recognized in public. He recalled, Following the ''Cool for Cats'' tour,
Chris Difford Christopher Henry Difford (born 4 November 1954) is an English musician. He is a founding member and songwriter of the rock group Squeeze. Early life Difford was born in Greenwich, London, on 4 November 1954, the youngest of three sons. His m ...
married and spent the summer of 1979 in the US with his wife. There he wrote over 40 new lyrics, inspired by his new marriage and his time spent in
Greenwich Village Greenwich Village, or simply the Village, is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street (Manhattan), 14th Street to the north, Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the s ...
. He recalled, "I would sit in the flat all day while ifeCindy went to work and this fluidity of lyricism came gushing forth. The whole of the ''Argybargy'' album came in one fell swoop and lots more besides that never saw the light of day."


Recording

When asked by
A&M Records A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group and functions as a branch of Interscope Geffen A&M Records, Interscope-Geffen-A&M. Established in 1962 by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss, the label initially operated independent ...
to produce a third album, the band brought back ''Cool for Cats'' producer John Wood and Tilbrook composed music for the best of Difford's new lyrics. The album was recorded during the tail end of 1979. ''Argybargy'' would be the last Squeeze album featuring founding member
Jools Holland Julian Miles Holland (born 24 January 1958) is an English pianist, bandleader, singer, composer and television presenter. He was an original member of the band Squeeze and has worked with many artists including Marc Almond, Jayne County, To ...
until Squeeze's first reunion album, 1985's ''
Cosi Fan Tutti Frutti ''Cosi Fan Tutti Frutti'' is the sixth studio album by the British New wave music, new wave group Squeeze (band), Squeeze, and the first recorded since their breakup in 1982. It reunited songwriters Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford with drummer G ...
''. Difford recalled, "He was becoming less and less involved at this time. I think he was getting frustrated that he wasn't getting more of a shout in the band, but by then he was spending less time thinking about being in the band and more about his career." Holland would release a solo album before moving to a television career.


Title

The album was titled ''Argybargy'', a British expression that Difford said "sums up succinctly what our lives were like at the time. We were in each other's pockets, travelling in a minibus and on
Freddie Laker Sir Frederick Alfred Laker (6 August 1922 – 9 February 2006) was an English airline entrepreneur, best known for founding Laker Airways in 1966, which went bankrupt in 1982. Known as Freddie Laker, he was one of the first airline owners to ...
planes. It was getting tiring, but we lived on the adrenalin of it." Because the titular expression is not used in America, band manager Miles Copeland opposed the album name. Difford recalled, "Miles told us no one would know what it meant but we didn't give a shit and were in a belligerent, young Englishmen's mood, so we kept it."


Reception

''Argybargy'' was released in February 1980. It spent 15 weeks on the
UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...
, peaking at number 32. ''Argybargy'' was the first Squeeze album to chart in the US, reaching number 71 on the ''Billboard'' 200. On the ''Billboard'' dance chart, all cuts from ''Argybargy'' jointly peaked at number 76, and spent 6 weeks on that listing, in the summer of 1980. ''Argybargy'' has seen critical acclaim from music writers. Chris Jones of
BBC Music BBC Music is the arm of the BBC responsible for the music played across its services. The current director of music is Lorna Clarke. Officially it is a part of the BBC's Radio operational division; however, its remit also includes music used i ...
called the album "their crowning achievement" and "a masterpiece of kitchen sink pop," concluding, "If you're going to own at least one Squeeze album, this has to be the one."
Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and former senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of multiple artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance ...
of
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
wrote, "''Argybargy'' doesn't stay in one place; it's restless and crackling with colors... with ''Argybargy'' it was clear that Squeeze were at the top of the pack among new wave popsters, and that their sardonic yet lively voice was unique among any pop group before or since."


Accolades

''
Paste Paste is a term for any very thick viscous fluid. It may refer to: Science and technology * Adhesive or paste ** Wallpaper paste ** Wheatpaste, a liquid adhesive made from vegetable starch and water * Paste (rheology), a substance that behaves as ...
'' listed ''Argybargy'' as the 20th best new wave album, calling it the band's "first truly great" album and concluding, "Clever, infectious, with genuine emotion lying just below the surface—it's everything a great New Wave record should be." Music journalist John M. Borack ranked ''Argybagy'' at number 58 on his list of "The 200 Greatest
Power Pop Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a subgenre of rock music and form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, ...
Albums" in his book ''Shake Some Action: The Ultimate Guide to Power Pop''.


Track listing

The track listing below is from the original UK LP release. On the American release, the song order was changed slightly, with "If I Didn't Love You" moved up to the first track of the second side, but the order otherwise remaining the same.


2008 deluxe edition

''Argybargy'' was re-issued in 2008 as a two disc deluxe edition. The first disc includes the original album, the two bonus cuts from the 1997 reissue, and seven additional bonus tracks. # "What the Butler Saw" ("Pulling Mussels" b-side) – 2:46 # "Someone Else's Heart" (Previously Unreleased Version) – 2:55 # "Pretty One" ("Another Nail in My Heart" b-side) – 2:46 # "Going Crazy" ("Christmas Day" b-side) – 3:56 # "Farfisa Beat" (Previously Unreleased Alternate Version) – 2:58 # "Library Girl" (Demo) – 3:17 # "If I Didn't Love You" (Glenn Tilbrook Demo) – 3:39 The second disc contains a concert recorded at the Hammersmith Odeon on 9 March 1980, plus a US radio commercial for the album. # Radio Commercial – 1:05 # "
Slap and Tickle "Slap And Tickle" was the fourth and final single released from Squeeze's second album, '' Cool for Cats''. Co-written by Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook, the song took influence lyrically from the crowd that the band had been associating with ...
" – 3:54 # "Touching Me Touching You" – 2:07 # "Slightly Drunk" – 2:40 # " Pulling Mussels (From the Shell)" – 3:44 # "Hop Skip and Jump" # "Funny How It Goes" – 3:18 # "
Another Nail in My Heart "Another Nail in My Heart" is a 1980 song by new wave band Squeeze. Written by Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook, it was released on the album '' Argybargy''. Notable for Tilbrook's guitar solo right after the first verse, the song features mar ...
" – 2:55 # " Cool for Cats" – 3:46 # "
Mess Around The "Mess Around" is a song written by Ahmet Ertegun, co-founder and then-vice-president of Atlantic Records, under the pseudonym of A. Nugetre, or "Nuggy". It was performed by Ray Charles, and was one of Charles's first hits. Origins and compo ...
" – 2:37 # "I Think I'm Go Go" – 4:55 # " Take Me I'm Yours" # "If I Didn't Love You" – 3:54 # "Strong in Reason" – 4:06 # "Misadventure" # "It's So Dirty" – 3:02 # " Goodbye Girl" – 4:14 # "
Up the Junction ''Up the Junction'' is a 1963 collection of short stories by Nell Dunn that depicts contemporary life in the industrial slums of Battersea and Clapham Junction. The book uses colloquial speech, and its portrayal of petty thieving, sexual enc ...
" – 3:03 # "There at the Top" # "Going Crazy" – 4:59


Personnel

Squeeze *
Chris Difford Christopher Henry Difford (born 4 November 1954) is an English musician. He is a founding member and songwriter of the rock group Squeeze. Early life Difford was born in Greenwich, London, on 4 November 1954, the youngest of three sons. His m ...
– rhythm guitars, vocals, lead vocals on "Here Comes That Feeling", co-lead vocals on "If I Didn't Love You" & "I Think I'm Go Go" *
Glenn Tilbrook Glenn Martin Tilbrook (born 31 August 1957, in Woolwich, London) is an English singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is the lead singer and guitarist of the English new wave band Squeeze, a band formed in the mid-1970s who broke through in th ...
– keyboards, lead guitars, lead vocals *
Jools Holland Julian Miles Holland (born 24 January 1958) is an English pianist, bandleader, singer, composer and television presenter. He was an original member of the band Squeeze and has worked with many artists including Marc Almond, Jayne County, To ...
– keyboards, vocals, lead vocals on "Wrong Side of the Moon" * John Bentley – bass *
Gilson Lavis David Leslie Gilson Lavis ( , born 27 June 1951) is an English drummer and portrait artist. He gained fame as the drummer with band Squeeze in the 1970s and 1980s. Lavis was later the drummer for Jools Holland's Rhythm and Blues Orchestra, wi ...
– drums with: *
Del Newman Derrick Martin "Del" Newman (5 October 1930 – 10 August 2020) was a British conductor, orchestral arranger and music producer. His orchestral arrangements appeared on songs by many rock and pop artists from the 1960s to the 1990s, including Ca ...
– string arrangements Production * John Wood – producer, mixing * Andrew Lumm – engineer * Squeeze – mixing * Frank DeLuna – mastering at
A&M Studios The Jim Henson Company Lot, formerly A&M Studios, is a studio property located just south of the southeast corner of La Brea Avenue and Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. Originally established by film star Charlie Chaplin, the property served as C ...
(Hollywood, California, USA) * Michael Ross – art direction, design * Mike Laye – front cover photography


Certifications


References

{{Authority control Squeeze (band) albums 1980 albums A&M Records albums Albums produced by John Wood (record producer) Albums recorded at Olympic Sound Studios