Disco de Squeeze: “Up the Junction: Essential Collection”

Essential. That about says it all. Squeeze tasted a fair amount of success in the UK and a little bit in the US but not what they truly deserved. Combine sharp, witty songwriting by Chris Difford (mostly words) and Glenn Tilbrook (mostly music); a singer with an appealing tone to his voice (Tilbrook)and great melodies and you've got this classic band that thrived during the early 80's, slumped during the late 80's and made a glorius return to form in the early 90's.

These singles give you a snapshot of this band over time. In many respects, it's like looking through an artbook devoted to a single artist; you can see how they develop over time but you also begin to appreciate the craft and style as well. While a multi-disc set would be preferrable for this great band, it's not likely to happen again any time soon. It's a pity as Difford & Tilbrook (who pretty much comprised Squeeze as they were only the only consistent members throughtout its long run and wrote almost all the material)deserve much better.

This covers just about every phase of the band. We begin with a peak into their neo-new wave beginnings through to their signature sound (warm, witty songwriting with an a R&B edge to it)and some of the dramatic changes they went through. Highly recommended.