East Side Story (Squeeze album)

East Side Story
Studio album by Squeeze
Released 15 May 1981
Recorded 1980-1981 Eden Studios, Chiswick, London
Genre New wave
Length 49:03
Label A&M
Producer Roger Bechirian
Elvis Costello
Squeeze chronology
Argybargy
(1980)		 East Side Story
(1981)		 Sweets from a Stranger
(1982)
Singles from East Side Story
  1. "Is That Love"
    Released: 1 May 1981
  2. "Tempted"
    Released: 10 July 1981
  3. "Labelled with Love"
    Released: 25 September 1981
  4. "Messed Around"
    Released: 1981 (US only)

East Side Story is the fourth studio album by new wave group Squeeze. The initial concept was for a double-LP with one side produced by Elvis Costello, another by Dave Edmunds, a third by Nick Lowe and the fourth possibly by Paul McCartney. Ultimately it was largely produced by Costello and Roger Bechirian, and released on one disc. The album peaked at number 19 in the UK Albums Chart, spending 26 weeks in the listing.[1]

However, Edmunds did produce the album's opening track, and sessions with Lowe yielded "Looking For A Love". This latter track (and one other album outtake produced by Bechirian and Costello) was appended to a 1997 UK CD reissue of East Side Story, as part of the band's Six of One... box set. The set included the band's first six studio albums, all digitally remastered. A year later, each separate CD (including the expanded East Side Story) was made available for individual purchase.

The album was a definite break with Squeeze's "New Wave" sound, as it contained songs influenced by rockabilly, R&B, blue-eyed soul, Merseybeat, and psychedelia among other genres. It also contained Squeeze's last top 10 UK single, "Labelled with Love".[1]

East Side Story was the first album for new keyboardist Paul Carrack, replacing Jools Holland who had departed in early 1981. He sang lead on the track "Tempted", which became Squeeze's first U.S. chart hit. Shortly after the release of this album, Carrack left the band for a solo career, but he returned to Squeeze for a time in the early 1990s, playing and singing on the Some Fantastic Place album.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[3]
Rolling Stone[4]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[5]
The Village VoiceB+[6]

In 1989, the Toronto Star music critics took to look over the albums they had reviewed in the past four years to include in a list based on " commercial impact to social import, to strictly musical merit."[7] East Side Story was placed at number 2 on the list, only being beaten by Thriller by Michael Jackson.[7] The Toronto Star went on to note that "songwriters Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook hit their creative peak in 1981, grafting Motown rhythms, country melodies and close harmonies onto a nervy New Wave soundtrack. At once ironic and sentimental, East Side Story is a masterpiece of kitchen-sink drama, from the shattered war bride in "Labelled With Love" to the harried housewife of "Woman's World"."[7]

Track listing

All songs written by Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook except as indicated.

LP side A:

  1. "In Quintessence" – 2:55 Produced by Dave Edmunds, assisted by Neil King
  2. "Someone Else's Heart" – 3:00
  3. "Tempted" – 4:02
  4. "Piccadilly" – 3:26
  5. "There's No Tomorrow" – 3:27
  6. "Heaven" – 3:49
  7. "Woman's World" – 3:42

LP side B:

  1. "Is That Love" – 2:31
  2. "F-Hole" – 4:41
  3. "Labelled With Love" – 4:44
  4. "Someone Else's Bell" – 3:08
  5. "Mumbo Jumbo" – 3:13
  6. "Vanity Fair" – 3:09
  7. "Messed Around" – 2:42

Bonus tracks (1997 reissue)

  1. "The Axe Has Now Fallen" – 3:51
  2. "Lookin' for a Love" (James Alexander, Zelda Samuels) – 3:00 Produced by Nick Lowe

Personnel

Additional personnel

Charts

Album

Year Chart Position
1981 Billboard Pop Albums 44

Single

Year Single Chart Position
1981 "In Quintessence" Billboard Mainstream Rock 39
1981 "Tempted" Billboard Mainstream Rock 8

References

  1. 1 2 Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. pp. 522/3. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  2. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "East Side Story – Squeeze". AllMusic. Retrieved 25 December 2015.
  3. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-857-12595-8.
  4. ↑ Fricke, David (17 September 1981). "Squeeze: East Side Story". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 14 February 2008. Retrieved 25 December 2015.
  5. ↑ Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian, eds. (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon & Schuster. pp. 773–74. ISBN 0-743-20169-8.
  6. ↑ Christgau, Robert (29 June 1981). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
  7. 1 2 3 MacInnis, Craig (August 5, 1989). "The Top 100 Albums of the '80s". Toronto Star. Toronto, Ont.: Torstar Syndication Services, a Division of Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. p. G1. ISSN 0319-0781.

Other sources

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