Back when I first started buying 45s, Squeeze were often at the top of the wish list: ‘Take Me I'm Yours’, ‘Cool For Cats’, ‘Up The Junction’, ‘Slap And Tickle’, ‘Pulling Mussels (From a Shell)’, ‘Another Nail In My Heart’, ‘Is That Love’…even their cheesy Christmas single, ‘Christmas Day’, which bombed at the time! They were never truly poster material, instead their highly sophisticated new wave pop and rock was at times a cut above the pack; their juxtaposition of Chris Difford's beautifully crafted lyrical stories that almost invariably painted a keenly visual picture, Glenn Tilbrook's adventurous, musical and creative spirit, Jools Holland's keyboard work and the accomplished rhythm section of Gilson Lavis on drums, and first Harry Kakouli, and then John Bentley on bass, was at times sublime. They also radiated a cheeky and fun living charisma; their semi-serious/bittersweet song mix, and onstage/front of the lens demeanour tapping into the post-punk zeitgeist. Instead of three chord thrashes, and aggressive or angst polemic, songs and melodies were truly back to the fore; pop music in general was enjoying a golden period, both in terms of creativity and sales.

 

Now, after doing the business in terms of reliving their former glories via the increasingly lucrative 'reformation circuit' (but ignoring the derisory Spot The Difference album of 2010, which essentially asked the listener to spot the differences between these new re-workings of their hits with the originals) Squeeze have finally delivered a new album, the first since the long forgotten and hugely disappointing Domino album of 1998. Yes, both Difford and Tilbrook continued to make some good music in their various solo guises, but could they do it together again?

 

The answer is a resounding yes, and no doubt much to the relief of the duo, who were often hyped up as the Lennon-McCartney song-writing partnership of the new wave period. Cradle to the Grave is a very impressive album that plays to their strengths: the story songs of Difford, and the music of Tilbrook, both upping their game and demonstrating why they were indeed compared favourably to John and Paul. Furthermore, in Tilbrook and Difford, we have one of the last of their kind. They just don't write them like this any more….

 

Born as a result of their shared roots and friendship with Danny Baker the title song was written in response to Tilbrook's reading of Danny Baker's autobiography, detailing his formative years in the Deptford area of South East London. Baker's father is at the centre of the action, which revolves around his family and their working class/council estate environs. It has now been turned into an excellent BBC 2 comedy sitcom; starring Peter Kay as Baker's father, with ‘Cradle To The Grave’ as the theme tune.

 

"They say time is of the essence, they say time will always tell, I've wasted time in constant panic…." begins the title and lead track, Tilbrook's warm and soulful tones still in very fine fettle, aiding a jolly romp that sets the scene for an album that artfully combines the influences of Baker's book, the script for the TV series (in which some of the other songs are featured) and the personal recollections of Difford in particular. Songs about growing up, football, teenage love, becoming a man, leaving home, drinking and music are lovingly written in that inimitable fashion (with some input by Tilbrook), whilst Tilbrook shows why he may be one of the best musical composers and arrangers of the post-punk era, a man who can still skilfully combine country chops with disco grooves, and adventurous electronic soundscapes with melodic guitar solos. On ‘Nirvana’ for instance, there's the introductory swirling keys a la Abba, followed by some delicious retro disco-funk grooves and incidentals, the song detailing the time when the kids were flying the nest and what the parents would do next: "The children had all left home, the house was like a ship without a sail/ They headed for the sunset, where maybe they would find a holy grail… the posters of Marc Bolan were ripped away, each day was blessed with freedom/ As they would try and find something to say."

 

As ever Squeeze's working class roots don't equate to tales of misery and woe, although the hardships and difficulties of life show up here and there, even if it's underplayed somewhat, musically and lyrically, such as on ‘Beautiful Game’, where casual violence and aggression are submerged below the over-riding joy of the communal activities and rituals associated with football. Elsewhere, on the super jolly music-hall meets country-rock vibes of ‘Happy Days’, Difford relates a tale of getting out of London for a day trip, with Tilbrook, ever the underrated guitarist, delivering another of his superbly melodic solos. The song climaxes with hazy psychedelic textures and gospel rock vibes. Gospel is once again in the mix for the warm-hearted ‘Open’, Tilbrook delivering one of his more soulful performances as he details someone's wedding day nuptials. Then there's the brilliant observed bittersweet vignette ‘Only 15’, about the joys or otherwise of being a teenager; girls, parties, staying out late, school… here as elsewhere there's some fine piano playing from Stephen Large.

 

The consistently great songs keep-a-coming… there's the country meets rock'n'roll rhythms of ‘Top Of The Form’, the country-soaked ‘Haywire’, and the motoring, and unexpected Stereolab-esque groove of ‘Honeytrap’, the only song here that features that distinctive vocal pairing of Tilbrook and Difford throughout, a signature device that at the beginning of their career helped to get them noticed, particularly on their first ever hit, ‘Take Me I'm Yours’.

 

‘Sunny’ also bucks the trend musically, this string, percussion and electronics only song is reminiscent of Eleanor Rigby, as Tilbrook details his formative years of endless days and youthful optimism: "I was young and naive, and drifting around, but I followed my dreams, with music I found/My growing up would not be easy, going for long walks along the heath, trying to play like Jimi Hendrix, behind my back and with my teeth".

 

Tilbrook thankfully retained some of that old school flamboyance, and in partnership with Difford (one that goes back to 1973) they combined their love of Hendrix and Roxy Music, but also Lou Reed, The Kinks, Small Faces, and Glenn Miller, as the newsagent advertisement had listed, courtesy of Difford, when he was looking for a guitarist to compliment his vision. In other words, to make songs that combined a rich storytelling base with a musicality that had an adventurous music-hall vibe to it. 42 years later, and despite the odd hiccup and interlude, Difford and Tilbrook are still doing the job.

 

Note: The vinyl version also features four extra tracks, cover versions of songs by Lou Reed, Tom Waits, Tom T. Hall and Ray Davies.

Jeff Hemmings