SQUEEZE

East Side Story

[A&M AM SP4854]

I appreciate the fact that Squeeze albums come out in the spring; it just seems to be the perfect season for their brand of pop music. At a time when the English music scene seems inundated with bands like PiL and Joy Division, and when pop bands like XTC and the Vapors are full of paranoid imagery, it is refreshing to see a group putting out pure good-times pop music. This year's model features a new keyboard player (Paul Carrack from Ace) and a new producer (Elvis Costello), but the overall sound is pretty much the same as Argybargy, their last and arguably best album.

Elvis has obviously developed a close association with the band (they opened for him on his most recent tour), and he helped write two of the songs on the album's first side. Ironically, “In Quintessence”, the one song which has been getting airplay, is the only song not produced by Elvis - but by Dave Edmunds.

Clever lyrics have been a hallmark of Squeeze's music, and East Side Story is no exception. There are more slow songs, and the overall feel is not quite as jaunty as the last album, but with up-tempo pop-toppers like “Piccadilly” and “Mumbo Jumbo” there is enough going on to keep things hopping. On Argybargy they explored the classic Sixties sound of the Farfisa organ, and on the new record they examine a couple of new (old) idioms: C & W and rockabilly. Nothing extreme, mind you, but just enough to let you know they know what's going on, and as usual they pull it off without taking themselves too seriously.

In all, East Side Story is a pretty decent album and a welcome addition to the airwaves for the upcoming summer months. Even without the onstage antics of Jools Holland, Squeeze is still one band I'd like to have play my next party.

-John Long