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GLENN TILBROOK: ONE FOR THE ROAD (DVD) “And if we had really truly done this on the road, I’d be crying by now.” – Glenn Tilbrook There’s no obscurity, at least to the fans who come to see him perform at every stop, no bitterness, as he clearly enjoys what he does, and those who believe they’ve never heard of Tilbrook will soon be surprised in the first few minutes by the music and lyrics of “Tempted,” which is one of those songs on the radio that you hear and immediately get into. He’s provided the soundtrack to many lives and will likely do more of the same by the songs featured. This documentary/travelogue, made by dedicated fan and filmmaker Amy Pickard looks at Tilbrook closely throughout this journey. Occasionally, he talks about how he began in music and what his childhood was like, but it’s the memories of a man who didn’t rush onto the world stage. He kind of ambled along, eventually being swept up into the craze for Squeeze, which included him and lyricist Chris Difford, who, together with other members, created a sound that started in 1974 during the New Wave period, and of course had its fair share of conflict with departing band members, band members in conflict, and eventually the breakup of the band. Through the songs of the band played by Tilbrook on acoustic guitar and also heard in bits of the way they were originally recorded, Squeeze progressed comfortably to the ‘80s and their music hasn’t aged yet. Pickard strikes exactly the right tone at the outset, enthusiastic and slightly whimsical, because what better way to learn about the history of Squeeze than from someone who followed their entire career? She even makes sure that her collection of Squeeze concert tickets are proudly displayed, as well as her backstage passes which were given to her because of a public access show she hosted in Dayton, Ohio, devoted to the music and the artists that she loved and had the chance to interview. Tilbrook’s friendliness and infinite joy at being able to connect with people this closely, and his untiring ambling spirit continues on into the stops on his tour, such as at a library benefit in New Jersey where he leads his audience outside and keeps on singing, and does the same at Grand Central Station in which he and his devoted chorus walk around, as he sings “Goodbye Girl” and encourages them to do the same. There is another moment in the film, not possible for any highly-regarded star on a whirlwind tour, where, while on the streets of Atlanta, one of his fans convinces the crowd to come to her house and they do and he does, shown gearing up to play some songs right in the woman’s living room. And just like Morgan Freeman in “10 Items or Less,” Tilbrook is taken in by the sights and sales at Target, excited about his first RV-related purchase: A set of Christmas lights. With Tilbrook going back to the roots of musical performance, away from arenas that he once appeared at and posh backstage rooms with fine amenities, that thought also carries into the DVD, which goes to the roots of why the DVD format exists. Pickard wisely leaves herself out of the on-camera action, even though she and cameraman Hans Fritz do quite a job in the details. With the speed at which this tour happens and the inevitable problems that come with RV ownership, especially on the road, questions naturally emerge while watching those problems happen. Fortunately, two audio commentaries; one by Tilbrook and Pickard, and one by Pickard alone, answer every conceivable question that could be asked. Tilbrook reflects on the tour, Pickard keeps him talking, and Pickard’s many troubles while making “On the Road” (including nearly freaking out when she didn’t get an answer back on if the RV had come, because she had hoped to get some shots of it, so as not to interrupt the itinerary along the way with that business), definitely show that making a film simply for the love of it is the best way. She’s come all the way around to this DVD, all the way back from 1991 and that cable access show, an episode of which is also included, featuring an interview with Tilbrook and Difford. It’s impressive dedication and also with a 47-minute interview with Difford, it’s a DVD that’s equally for the purpose of reminding viewers of Squeeze and introducing them to a new Glenn Tilbrook. He’s still got the voice and the music and the words, but especially now, there’s his new course, captured wonderfully. GLENN TILBROOK – THE SAVOY THEATRE, MONMOUTH It must be very hard for a member of a popular band to go out and forge a solo career without the support of the colleagues he’s played with for 25 years, but Glenn Tilbrook has managed to do this with flying colours. Squeeze, which Tilbrook formed with Chris Difford in 1975, had their first top twenty hit in 1978 and epitomised the image of Sarf London wide boys with their cheeky chappie attitude and lyrics that sometimes came closer to music hall than to pop. The band emerged as part of the post-punk New Wave and immediately stood out from the rest, in that they could actually write, play and perform with great skill, unlike so many of their contemporaries. To most people nowadays Squeeze is synonymous with Jools Holland (who left in 1980, rejoined in 1985 and finally departed in 1990), but it was Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook who were the masterminds behind the music. Tillbrook goes solo in 1999 After touring all over the world and producing 16 albums, the band slipped onto the back burner in 1999 when Chris Difford announced he needed space to develop new projects. Since then Tilbrook has followed his solo career but both he and Difford are at great pains to explain that the band has not broken up but is just in abeyance. Standing on stage alone with just an acoustic guitar is difficult at the best of times but facing a sell out audience with a high level of expectation must be very daunting indeed. Not that this seemed to affect Tilbrook in any way whatsoever. He walked on stage unannounced, before the crew had time to turn the house lights down and began chatting to the audience. This relaxed approach set the tone for the evening. All the familiar Difford/Tilbrook numbers tumbled out flawlessly, the voice was still there and the guitar playing was superb. Maybe half the audience knew his work and the other half had come to see that bloke from Squeeze but by the end of the evening I think they had all become dedicated Glenn Tilbrook fans. At one point, someone in the audience shouted a request and with a simple ‘Ok’, he began to play the intro. ‘How easy was that’, he said before starting the vocal line of ‘Black Coffee in Bed’. The audience loved it and quite rightly so! He also offered up a delightful version of George and Ira Gershwin’s ‘They Can’t Take That Away From Me’ and ended the evening with ‘Its Not Unusual’ accompanied by a group of young ladies who were plucked from the auditorium to form The Glenn Tilbrook Dancers. Glenn Tilbrook came across as warm and friendly, a consummate professional who knows how to hold and entertain a packed house and the three encores he received at the end of the evening was proof that the audience obviously agreed. Photos of Glen Tilbrook at The Savoy by Jay Dyer On Friday night, I caught a show at Coda on East 34th St. in New York City by Glenn Tilbrook, formerly of Squeeze, the man who wrote “Tempted” and “Cool for Cats.” He’s long ago given up dealing with the business, preferring to tour and play solo. http://www.smh.com.au/news/dvd-reviews/glenn-tilbrook-one-for-the-road/2006/05/01/1146335651910.html This gloss-free, homely, anything-but-starry-eyed film, which follows the former Squeeze singer on the road in the US (mostly in his recreational vehicle) is warm, funny and utterly charming. It's the perfect companion piece for the gloss-free, homely, warm and utterly charming Tilbrook, who can turn small or large gigs into the kind of joyous pub singalong that seems to occur only in old movies. Filled with wonderful songs from Squeeze and Tilbrook's solo career, it builds on this instant attraction by showing that the happily daggy Tilbrook does not fear public humiliation. Whether watching his interactions with fellow travellers at campsites or taking club audiences onto the streets or into nearby homes, your main thought is I wish I was there, too. DVD extras: Interview with Squeeze's Chris Difford, commentary and a 1991 interview. http://www.glidemagazine.com/3/reviews1354.html One For The Road captures the same kind of sprightly fun as a Peter Pan tale. In it, director Amy Pickard realizes her dream of having an "all access" pass to the life of her pop idol Glenn Tilbrook--lead singer, guitarist and music writer for Squeeze. Tilbrook (Pan) has since broken off with Squeeze (The Lost Boys), teamed up with Suzanne Hunt (Wendy) and taken his act on the road in a recreational vehicle (wretched pirate ship). Pickard (Tinkerbell) documents the man and the musician on tour, complete with the playful show antics he is becoming famous for. Tilbrook soars with talent as a guitar player and singer, and augments that by being a highly interactive performer who creates memorable evenings for his fans by engaging them as backup singers and acting out stunts with them. Pickard does an excellent job of keeping life on the road entertaining and moving along at a pleasurable pace, but what good is a story without conflict? Tilbrook and company must do battle with the RV many times before the stint is up and other poignant moments round out the film, which consistently maintains a professional sparkle. Special Features include commentary by Pickard, commentary by Tilbrook with Pickard, an extended interview with former Squeeze-mate Chris Difford, a 1991 interview with Difford and Tilbrook by Pickard, and Tilbrook enjoying a question and answer session through an interpreter in Japan. http://www.miaminewtimes.com/Issues/2006-01-26/homeent/dvdish.html Glenn Tilbrook: One for the Road DVD Amy Pickard's road movie is a delightful thing, as modest as its star and just as charming. Indeed, Glenn Tilbrook actually is the hell-of-a-guy he comes off as here -- a man who, as co-singer and co-songwriter in Squeeze, used to sell out arenas, but is delighted nowadays to lead a packed club in a rousing sing-along of "Tempted" or "Goodbye Girl" that ends up in, oh, a parking lot or somebody's house. The doc's full of those funny moments, as Tilbrook and his gal-pal/manager tour the States in an RV, mingling with the common folk, who treat him like their best friend. The movie's best moment occurs in a trailer park outside Dallas, where Tilbrook small-talks some folks who flip when they find out who he is. The music's stellar, too, a collection of Squeeze best-ofs and Tilbrook's solo stuff, which is no less essential. -- Wilonsky http://www.digitallyobsessed.com/showreview.php3?ID=8237 Glenn Tilbrook: One for the Road (2005) Review By: Rich Rosell DVD Review Pickard, whose early public access music show in Dayton originally hooked her up with Tilbrook, is understandably giddy (almost too much so in spots) as she gets to follow along with one of her rock idols. I can certainly relate to the coolness that Pickard must have felt to go all inner circle with a musician she was a huge fan of, but there is a balancing act early on of whether this was going to be about her filming Tilbrook, or about Tilbrook on tour. Her effusive presence does get moved to the periphery, and she gives us a look at a rock star facing middle age looking for a novel way to connect with his fanbase. There are Tilbrook live solo acoustic songs captured here, but again, this isn't a concert disc, and it's rare when a song is played in its entirety. It's really a case of up-close-and-personal time, with Pickard tagging along with Tilbrook from coast to coast. Tilbrook experiences a batch of logistical headaches along the way, including some constant motor home repairs and cell phone problems, but we also see him shopping at Target for the first time. A friendly chat with some fans (who understandably didn't recognize him at first) at an RV park is one of those connecting moments that it seems he was shooting for with the one-man tour idea, and during one of his concerts he leads the audience outside and into the nearby home of a fan to play a few songs. That spontaneous living room concert is a very neat rock moment, the rare kind of intimate encounter between musician and fans, and Tilbrook seems to be enjoying every minute of it as much as the audience. And as a marketing tool for subsequent Tilbrook solo acoustic tours, this is actually a great piece of work, The concerts look like a hell of a lot of fun, very casual affairs with sing-alongs and audience participation that match the well-crafted pop friendliness of songs like Is That Love, Another Nail in My Heart and Goodbye Girl. Tilbrook plays an open, affable host, and he seems to understand the necessary evolutionary passage from international rock star to 40-something songwriter without a band (Squeeze dissolved in 1998) looking to reestablish those deep roots in a different, but personal way. Amy Pickard gets up close, and shows us the softspoken Tilbrook doing just that. Rating for Style: B Image Transfer Review: Image quality looks like what you would anticipate from a doc shot with a handheld, but the transfer is in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen so that somehow seems to weaken the bad parts a bit. Yes, it is an on-location documentary, so the rough spots where an opportune moment appeared play alongside segments shot under more controlled situations. Clarity varies from setting to setting, with outdoor night scenes looking least pleasant and most grainy, but these limitations are not wholly unexpected. The transfer is never exceptionally sharp at any time, but there is a vague consistency of sorts here. Image Transfer Grade: B- Audio Transfer Review: If you get past any preconceptions that you may have had that this is a music DVD, then the 2.0 stereo track won't seem so initially lackluster. It's a documentary about a musician, largely shot on shaky handheld cameras with recording quality varying by location, and the voice clarity is generally discernible throughout. There is some clipping in spots, and the snippets of Tilbrook performances are unfortunately not always clean or distortion free. Audio Transfer Grade: B- Disc Extras Extras Review: The extras here should no doubt warm the flashback cockles of Difford/Tilbrook fans, as Image has included Amy's 1991 Squeeze Interview for Dayton, OH Public Access Show (25m:16s), in which Amy Pickard chats with the songwriting team of Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford. The video quality is pretty fuzzy, but the two Squeeze-sters chat it up nicely, and it's interesting listening to Tilbrook knowing in reality he's ten years from touring solo in an RV. Also included is a lengthy 2001 Chris Difford Interview (48m:03s), with Pickard corralling a slightly bored-looking Difford who talks of the changes when everyone has turned "fatter, balder and older", and still manages to lay out some telling tales amidst Pickard's shaky camera work. The Tokyo Screening Q&A August 2005 (12m:55s) segment has a shaggy-haired Tilbrook fielding genial questions from an excited Japanese audience; sound quality here leaves a little to be desired, but it's workable. There are two commentary tracks, and while one probably would have sufficed, we get a pair. The first is a solo track with Amy Pickard, and has her delving in more detail into the origins of the project. She talks about IM'ing Tilbrook, and thinking his RV tour idea reeked of "white trash," and essentially spends most of the time filling in some of the logistical cracks in documenting the tour. Hardly essential listening, but Pickard seems genuinely excited about working with one of her rock idols, so there's an envy factor there that makes me a bit jealous. A second commentary hooks up Pickard as the moderator for Tilbrook, who admits to needing some prodding here and there. I prefer this over the solo Pickard commentary, and this track more or less serves as a semi-companion to the feature, with Tilbrook addressing the middle-age evolution of a musician. The downside is that both tracks have sketchy audio quality, and it sounds as if it were recorded standing seven feet away from a Mr. Microphone. The disc is cut into a hefty 35 chapters, with optional English subtitles. Extras Grade: B Final Comments Here's a somewhat different look at rock touring, interesting on its own, but certianly worth a look for Squeeze fans. By Jen Chaney Directors of music documentaries usually try to contain their inner rock geek. The filmmakers behind such releases as "End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones" or the Metallica tale "Some Kind of Monster" may consider themselves ardent fans of their subjects, but that admiration never creeps into their movies. The opposite is true in "Glenn Tilbrook: One for the Road" ($19.99), released on DVD Tuesday. It follows the former frontman for British alternative-pop band Squeeze during his 2001 solo tour of the United States and stands as naked testament to the passion that music can inspire: in Tilbrook, his fans and, yes, the filmmaker. Debut director Amy Pickard, who first interviewed Tilbrook and fellow Squeeze founder Chris Difford on a Dayton, Ohio, cable access show in 1991, makes no secret of her everlasting love for the man and his melodies. In fact, she speaks the first words in the film, which mention how much she adored Squeeze as a teenager. Although Pickard's presence may violate a basic tenet of documentaries ("The director should not be part of the story"), it doesn't detract from this charming portrait of a singer-songwriter determined to keep performing, even if it means driving a barely functioning RV cross-country to play small clubs. Glenn Tilbrook is the focus of "Glenn Tilbrook: One for the Road," a documentary by director (and fan) Amy Pickard. (By Ebet Roberts) For those struggling to remember the highlights of Squeeze's discography, such catchy favorites as "Tempted," "Goodbye Girl," "Black Coffee in Bed" and "Hourglass" should jump-start the musical memories. The band is perhaps best known for its early hits compilation, "Squeeze Singles: 45s and Under," which found its way into almost every Gen X college student's CD collection and ultimately went platinum in the United States. Squeeze's infectious, intelligent pop earned Tilbrook and Difford, who together wrote almost all of the group's songs, comparisons to Lennon and McCartney. But by the late 1990s, Squeeze had reached its breaking-up point. That ultimately led Tilbrook, at age 44, to release an independent solo effort, "The Incomplete Glenn Tilbrook," buy an RV and hit the road, his acoustic guitar and Pickard's two-person film crew in tow. If Tilbrook is bitter about trading his Madison Square Garden days to play library benefit shows and gigs at Rams Head Tavern in Annapolis, he doesn't show it in "One for the Road." His voice -- so sweetly pitch-perfect on such early '80s hits as "Another Nail in My Heart" -- sounds as resonant as ever, and his performances never cease to surprise. In an article last year in The Washington Post's Sunday Magazine, then pop critic David Segal described a Tilbrook show at Iota in Arlington during which the singer persuaded the entire crowd to move the proceedings into the parking lot, calling it the greatest "Live Concert Moment" he had witnessed. Plenty of great LCMs are packed into Pickard's documentary. In New York City, Tilbrook jogs through Grand Central Station, leading a singalong of "Goodbye Girl" as his audience trots dutifully behind, doing its best to keep up with their Pied Piper of pop. During a gig in Boston, Tilbrook again takes fans outdoors and into the streets, where he hops into the back of a van while crooning "Pulling Mussels (From the Shell)." And in Atlanta, he and a small crowd leave the venue and walk to an audience member's home, where Tilbrook continues the show with a spirited version of "Tempted." The DVD would have been better had more concert footage been incorporated into the disc's extras, but, as Pickard explains during one of two commentary tracks, she couldn't afford to pay for the rights to include it. Still, for an independent release, there are a decent number of bonus features, including a Q&A with Tilbrook after a Tokyo screening of the film; a recent, nearly hour-long interview with Difford; and Pickard's cable-access interview with a much younger Difford and Tilbrook. Naturally, like any documentary by an inexperienced director, "One for the Road" has its share of flaws. The amateurish title graphics introducing many scenes ("Glenn Shops for RV Supplies") are a distraction, and the digital-video camerawork is occasionally unsteady. (Pickard confesses that when she got home from her first round of touring, she realized that 85 percent of her footage was unusable.) More important, the film never digs into Tilbrook's life as deeply as it should, and we learn little about why Squeeze broke up. Like the title of his solo CD, the film plays a bit like "The Incomplete Glenn Tilbrook." Still, you have to give props to Pickard. With no feature film experience and little financing, she spent four years making a movie about one of her adolescent heroes. The result is a pleasing cinematic gift for Squeeze fans, and proof that sometimes a passion for music can be the best motivation. Glenn Tilbrook: One for the Road Unrated, 80 minutes Contains an occasional profanity.
Monday, April 11, 2005; Page C04 Glenn Tilbrook The staff at the Rams Head Tavern probably knew they were in trouble Saturday night when Glenn Tilbrook and band walked off the stage into the audience, stood on chairs in the middle of the club and invited everyone to sing and dance along to "Goodbye Girl." The Annapolis venue is used to having patrons remaining seated (and hushed) at assigned tables, but the co-founder of Squeeze was having none of it. "I think it'll be more fun if everyone just moves over here in front of the stage," the 47-year-old rocker told the crowd before prepping it with essential harmony parts for the next song, "Tempted." He was right. The fans didn't need to be asked twice and remained standing, and in full voice, for the rest of the show. Interactive concertgoing on this sort of intimate scale is a rare thing, but in his solo career Tilbrook has made it a trademark. He's having fun only if everyone in the room is taking part. For nearly two hours, Tilbrook, battling a raspy voice, revisited the songs he and his Squeeze cohort Chris Difford made famous, including the power pop gems "Black Coffee in Bed," "Pulling Mussels (From the Shell)" and "Take Me, I'm Yours." With his three band mates, keyboardist Stephen Large, bassist Lucy Shaw and drummer Simon Hanson, he also showed off new material from his solo career, including "This Is Where You Ain't." From last year's "Transatlantic Ping Pong," he dropped in "Hostage" and a sweet and sentimental ode to an old friend, "Ray and Me." While the late-night crowd cheered the new stuff, it roared for the older, more familiar tunes, such as "Up the Junction" and "Hourglass." It has been three decades since Squeeze first formed and two since its heyday. But Tilbrook's enthusiasm for rocking out seems at an all-time high. You would have thought he was playing for a crowd of 20,000, not 250. -- Joe Heim Glastonbury Festival 2004- Glenn Tilrook & The Fluffers GLENN TILBROOK: A man cast from the same sacred mould as other classic British songwriters such as Ray Davies, Elvis Costello and Paddy McAloon delivers a blistering, irrefutable, unrestrained, totally unpretentious hour of joie de vivre to an ecstatic audience. Glenn Tilbrook and the Fluffers Drams None Sandwiched between a tour of Japan and further tours of Australia (Sept) and USA (late Oct). Glenn manages to find time to team up with the Fluffers again for a short series of British gigs - and Edinburgh welcomed them back with open arms as a packed Liquid Room vented their approval when the man himself ambled onto a red bathed stage with raised beer glass and was quickly followed by Lucy, Simon and Steve. What really appeared to go down well was a great cover version of the Nancy Sinatra song These boots are made for walking which, as a concert version, was loud and proud and suitably augmented by audience participation. The audience. who had some chance to warm up their tonsils during that and the chorus of Is that love were necessarily cooling down during the short break. only to find the band snaking through the middle of them in a musical conga and busking it up with an impromptu rendering of Goodbye Girl and then settling into a circle in the middle of the floor, whilst Steve stood over by me with what could best be described as a small portable keyboard attached to a flexible pipe which he blew down. Steve described it to me as a toy!.
Thinking that was the end of it, fans were delighted to find out from hastily distributed fliers that Glenn would be appearing down the road at Cabaret Voltaire (36 Blair Street) for a free lunchtime solo gig. Little enticement was needed. Glenn's performance with the Fluffers is professional and electrifying but on his own, he has a more informal relationship with the audience. So, after descending the steps to what can best be described as a dimly lit dungeon, we assembled for another dose of Glenn Tilbrook. Again he gives due acknowledgement to Chris Difford for the lyrics on Piccadill" and played both solo items (such as Genitalia of a fool) and older Squeeze tracks (The Truth), but it was the spectacular acoustic Parallel world from the Incomplete Glenn Tilbrook and a cover version of Jimmy Hendrix's Voodoo Chile which definitely stood out for me - especially his madcap attempt to play his acoustic guitar behind his head and descending into a fit of giggles.
You actually have to see him in both modes; with and without the Fluffers, to appreciate the full extent of the musical ability and showmanship of this former Squeeze member. From comments made, we should not be holding our breaths for any chance of a reunion; maybe Chris's book cast asunder a healing rift and I will be interested in a few days to see how Mr Difford performs solo and what he has to say. In the meantime, the legacy of the unbelievable talent that made up Squeeze continues separately with Glenn, Chris, Jools Holland and Paul Carrack, but in both his solo and Fluffers modes, Glenn is beginning to stand well with his own compositions, continuing the tradition of superb melody hooks; but apparently, the sibling rivalry which plague many successful bands such as the Kinks, Oasis, Crowded House and even to a certain extent the Lennon/McCartney partnership, is still simmering. However, the devoted following which Glenn's undoubted talent and showmanship has drawn around him are voting with their feet and many are already looking to December 7th when he returns for another concert in Edinburgh (The Venue, Carlton Road). Hope to see you there! Performances: 14th August (Liquid Room) 15th August (Cabaret Voltaire - solo) © Julian Davis 18/08/2005. Published on www.edinburghguide.com
But when you've got a voice like his, which still sounds as good as it did on hits that spanned two decades, and you can deliver the goods with a battered acoustic guitar, you'd prefer your own company too. The voice and ability are the same and the old songs, including Take Me I'm Yours, Pulling Mussels From The Shell, Another Nail In My Heart and Up The Junction, will soon celebrate their 25th anniversary. His one-man show went down a storm in two sell-out appearances at The Mint in Coatbridge last week before he headed for Arran and then crossing the pond for two months on tour in North America. The songwriting ability, which once saw him and partner Chris Difford hailed as the new Lennon and McCartney, is still there. Songs from Transatlantic Pingpong, the follow-up to 2001's The Incomplete Glenn Tilbrook, provided some memorable moments with Untouchable, Neptune and the wry Genitalia Of A Fool all crowd-pleasers. The Eighties are back with a bang, but while the likes of Duran, Duran, tread a well-worn and jaded path, Tilbrook's still very cool, even for ageing cats. DEREK WATSON
GLENN TILBROOK, LIFE AFTER “SQUEEZE” By Rob Nagy Success was easily found by “Squeeze”on their home turf of England earning top ten status with “Take Me I’m Yours” and “Up The Junction”, gaining popularity in America was not so easy. It wasn’t until 1987 that the band broke the U.S. Top 40, a decade after their debut, with the song “Hourglass”. Squeeze gradually developed huge cult following in the U.S. carrying them well into the 90’s with a body of work that included “Pulling Mussels (From The Shell)”, “Tempted”, Black Coffee In Bed” and “If I Didn’t Love You”. Feuding between band members, creative differences and the pressures of being chained to a major record label, opened the door for a number of musicians to join “Squeeze” only to end up leaving. Through it all Tilbrook and Difford remained continuing to crank out well crafted songs that got lots of radio exposure on college and alternative stations but had difficulty cracking the main stream airwaves, getting just a taste of what should have made the band as big as any of the super groups of the time. By 1982 Tilbrook and Difford had enough and “Squeeze” was disbanded only to regroup again in the not too distant future. In spite of this, Tilbrook had no intention of ending his collaborations with long time friend and band mate Difford. Both artists had a strong desire to pursue solo efforts. Over the next three years various band members worked with a variety of musicians and musical styles reuniting as “Squeeze” in 1985 for a charity event. With the core of the original line-up in place, “Squeeze” opted to stay together and released “Cosi Fan Tutti” earning positive feedback from the industry but generating less than dazzling record sales. “Babylon and On” soon followed becoming an unexpected hit reaching number 14 in the U.K. earning the band their biggest U.S. hit “Hourglass” climbing to number fifteen. A world tour was highlighted by shows at New York’s Madison Square Garden and the prestigious Reading Festival. Success was short lived as the band endured lots of bumps and bruises over the next five years releasing several records to look warm responses. By the early 90’s Difford and Tilbrook started to branch out and began playing solo acoustic shows as a duo in the club circuit while continuing with Squeeze who, continued to struggle to maintain a consistent line-up. A variety of compilation cd’s were released in the U.S. and abroad. With contractual obligations satisfied with A & M Records, Squeeze signed on with the much smaller independent label Quixotic Records. They released their last album “Domino” in the fall of 1998 before finally calling it quits as a band. “I always enjoyed being in Squeeze” says Tilbrook, “But there was always an element of struggle attached to that. I don’t say that’s a bad thing. But to struggle for most of that time ultimately becomes quite hard.” Tilbrook added, “If it were that hard I would have changed things sooner so I was happy with the continuity of being in Squeeze and me and Chris (Difford) working together.” Tilbrook officially kicked off his solo career in 2000 with the release of the single “Parallel World”. A year later he released his first full-length album, “The Incomplete Glenn Tilbrook” followed up by the 2004’s “Transatlantic Ping Pong”. Tilbrook aggressively performed both solo and fronting his own band “The Party” of which a couple members, along with Tilbrook, would go on to form his current band “The Fluffers”. Going under the name “The Band”, they toured the U.K. making their U.S. debut at the high profile annual music conference “South By Southwest”. “The Fluffers is the first real band I have been in since Squeeze.” Says Tilbrook. “We all live within ten minutes of each other so we are able to rehearse and discuss ideas. With Squeeze everyone lived all over the country so it was difficult to get together unless we were recording or on tour.” Tilbrook added, “I’ve discovered so much about myself, the songs as a performer and myself as a person on stage. “The last five years I’m the happiest I’ve ever been. Perhaps I shouldn’t feel as happy. Things aren’t as good as I would wish them to be. I’m doing what I’ve always wanted to do and I’m lucky I can make records and say to myself, I’m really proud of this and can let it go and people can discover it or not.” Still, Tilbrook recognizes the down side of no longer being with a group that has the stature of Squeeze or the budget and marketing blitz of a major record label. “I feel somewhat of an outsider from the music business”, says Tilbrook. “I think some of that is now through choice. The world I operate in is unlikely to deliver high sales for me and that’s a bit of a disappointment. I am not willing to go through the compromises I think would be necessary to reach a larger audience unless it was on my own terms, which is what I am doing now.” MOJO - Review Monday, June 28, 2004 There's a great walking scale emphasized by keyboards in many Squeeze songs and now also in Glenn Tilbrook's solo work. With variations and such added to these walking scales, I'm inclined to put Squeeze and Tilbrook in the Jazz-influenced Rock section. After all, as I said in my Tilbrook concert review , there's a similarity to Elvis Costello and the Attractions. Plus, if you want to be pianist about it, that's where bands with heavy keyboard/piano leanings should end up in the Spectrum. Overall, though, Squeeze and Tilbrook are Britpop, pure and simple. To the English Rock section, then, with Tilbrook's Transatlantic Ping Pong . The Beatles, XTC, Tilbrook, Crowded House, Housemartins, Free French , Spearmint . For what I own in my collection, that's how it plays out. What makes Tilbrook so hard to define is that his brand of Britpop (and really Squeeze as well) grabs from all different directions, like putting new clothes on a paper doll. The basic songs are Britpop, but they can wear soul-funk, jazzed-up beats, New Wave, Who-like rock, or countrified balladry. Tilbrook isn't just turning in some kind of "Retro Squeeze" thing. His latest solo project builds on what he learned in Squeeze while finding his own voice. The opening track, "Untouchable," sounds most reminiscent of Squeeze and acts like the paper doll, the Britpop song from where the rest of the album departs, expands, and funkifies. Watch how this works. Track 2, "Lost in Space," is a soul-funk variation, with a theme that brings to mind Thomas Dolby's Aliens Ate My Buick . Track 3, "Neptune," turns in a great back beat. Here Tilbrook proves how he can take a 4th grade joke and make it into an incredible pop song ("Oh! Here you come here you come now/Oh! Where are you coming from now?/Uranus and I'm here in Neptune"). Track 4, "Hostage," adds the country influence with pedal steel guitar. Track 5, "Hot Shaved Asian Teens," a potentially offensive song which actually turns out to be a stream of consciousness, dream sequence of word phrases, spins out the New Wave. Track 6, "Ray & Me," a light ballad accompanied by toy piano and beat boxing. Are you still with me? The Britpop keeps taking on different shapes. Having seen the Fluffers working so well together with Tilbrook live on stage, it is great to take special note of the tracks that bring them all together on the album. "Lost in Space," "Ray & Me," "Reinventing the Wheel," "Where I Can Be Your Friend," and "There for Her," feature the members of the Fluffers: Lucy Shaw on bass, Simon Hanson on drums, and Stephen Large on keyboards. There's some crude humor here, as I mentioned with "Hot Shaved Asian Teens" (just typing that title into my blog will probably generate some unintended Web traffic!). However, Tilbrook's charm is that he can take that crude humor to talk about what really troubles us, what we really think and feel. "Domestic Disturbance," a ballad walking the border between pop and lounge act, emerges from the humor and fun of Transatlantic Ping Pong with the lines that jumped out at me while Tilbrook played live, "Sliding from the shadows/Of our domestic disturbance/Uncertainty has been the only thing I'm sure of/My feelings are elusive/Somewhere that I just will not go/Now we're on a journey, where it ends I don't know." Through this music I am trusting Tilbrook to be guide to understanding life and love. Yet, Tilbrook brings a lot of fun to this prospect of encountering my own feelings. It's not too bad to reflect on your life if it comes in the form of Britpop. As Tilbrook would say, "Cheers then!" Thanks to Glenn Tilbrook , Quixotic Records , Compass Records , and Tilbrook's tour manager for the review copy. permalink# posted by Benjamin : 4:31 PM SOME FANTASTIC PLACE! - Glenn Tilbrook & Pat DiNizio in Concert It may have only been your average hotel ballroom slash conference center at the Raddison Hotel in the shadow of the Garden State Parkway in Paramus, New Jersey, but the Rock 2 The People Concert Series managed to transform it into some fantastic place to see a show. Glenn Tilbrook set the bar high as Rock 2 The People kicked off their concert series! By the time Mr. Tilbrook reached the stage around 10 p.m. a standing room only audience had gathered inside the warm, intimate room and they were exuding an excited buzz in anticipation of the performance by their rock hero from Squeeze. After opening with the energizing 'Pulling Muscles From a Shell' the exuberant Tilbrook made a proposition to the crowd to "stack the chairs" referring to the restraining layout of seats. However, the crowd - many of them in their late thirties and early forties - seemed to prefer the option of seating, and no attempt was made to stack them. After playing two songs from recent solo records -- 'Hot Shaved Asian Teens' and 'This Is Where You Ain't' -- the crowd started to come alive when Glenn played the live favorite, 'Is That Love', from the East Side Story record. When he played the next tune, another song from East Side Story -- the breakout top-10 charting 'Tempted' -- many persons in the crowd gave in to the temptation to "stack the chairs" and they stood up and started passing and stacking the chairs as Glenn had earlier suggested while letting out shouts of "stack the chairs!" No sooner did this movement take root when venue and hotel security stepped in to put a stop to the revolt. But, Tilbrook wasn't done yet in his attempts to draw his loyal and loving fans closer to himself. Tilbrook was hilarious and engaging during his two hour set which featured music from the vast Squeeze catalogue and songs from his two solo records including his most recent, Transatlantic Ping Pong. Also on display were his famous genial nature, charm, playfulness and English wit and humor. Often, and at various times throughout the night, Glenn would raise his pint of amber ale high toasting the audience with the cry of "Cheers Then" before quenching his thirst. Throughout the evening Tilbrook thrilled the oft-singing audience with favorites and rarities including the title track from Some Fantastic Place, 'Walk Away', 'Messed Around', 'Up the Junction', 'Goodbye Girl', 'Hourglass', and a rousing cover version of The Beatles 'Ob La Di Ob La Da'. The recent tour has found Tilbrook at the top of his game and sounding as good as ever with a new band -- The Fluffers -- whose energy level and musical competency has fans comparing Glenn's new outfit to early incarnations of the legendary English post-punk power-pop outfit, Squeeze. This show, however, was a solo act with accompaniment on piano and mouth organ provided by the slight but multi-talented Stephen Large. The two performers had a good chemistry between them and Large added the keyboard chords, leads and rhythmic backing that were so important to the overall Squeeze sound. In this setting, Glenn had an opportunity to display his dynamic acoustic playing style that included many lead runs reminding the audience that he is also a very accomplished, if not under-rated, lead guitar player. The guitar-keyboard combo allowed listeners to focus on the talents of each performer because their playing was not getting lost in a bigger band sound. Glenn Tilbrook and Stephen Large made a big impression! Late in the evening Glenn suggested that everyone stand up and move their seats closer to the stage to fill in the gap between the performance area and the front row. This request resulted in confusion but less chaos than the "stack the chairs" plan and served to bring the performer and legendary rocker closer to the people for the closing songs and encores which included 'Slap and Tickle' and 'Take Me I'm Yours' -- two classics from the earliest Squeeze releases. Following the show fans had the opportunity to interact with the evening's performers in the hotel lobby. Pat was mingling. Stephen Large, having won new fans was chatting with admirers, and a still-jovial Glenn was signing autographs and posing for pictures. It was a festive end to a magical night of music that really had brought rock to the people -- mission accomplished! Originally Published: 06/11/2004 on Kweevak.com TRANSATLANTIC PING PONG (Compass) • Glenn Tilbrook Glenn Tilbrook continues his rise from the ashes of Squeeze fame into the role of the indie solo star he is indefatigably becoming. Just a glance through his website with no real account of his notorious 25 year history with Squeeze gives the clear impression that his career is going on Now. His energy is well revealed in our 2002 interview following a show that blew everyone present off their feet. His fiery solo debut The Incomplete Glenn Tilbrook is seen and raised here with a batch of songs that prove Tilbrook hasn't missed a half step. He's moving faster now, in fact. Half of this great new record was actually cut with mutual friends in Nashville, at Toy Box Studio on the East side, with the help of Bill Lloyd, Michael Webb, Kyle Melancon, Lee Warren, Bill Davis, and others. The other half was cut in England, and mixed in various far flung locations. The artist is covering the globe in an RV, playing every radio station and listening room worth its salt along the way. Like Richard Thompson, Glenn Tilbrook has not already been a huge star in band format, he is the entire package as a solo artist and more--as a stand alone player, a singer, a writer, and an entertainer, he is all there. The
single and opening song, "Untouchable," is world
class grown up pop music, co-written with Chris Braide who
sings and plays guitar and keys on the cut. It’s my favorite
on the record, and arguably the Squeeziest. Along with the
cover of "Genitalia of a Fool," Glenn penned five
alone and co-wrote two with Briade, one with his former Squeeze
partner Chris Difford, one each with Steve Poltz (though I
find the title "Hot Shaved Asian Teens" pretty revolting,
it’s a bad jam), Ben Jones, and George Hartner. Many
angles of relationship get handled in humorous and poignant
ways, with penetrating English wit. There’s a slew of
good players from both sides of the pond in play, but we particularly
enjoyed the genre-bending steel playing of Lee Warren, the
bass and guitar work of Bill Lloyd, and the multi-instrumentalism
of the artist himself. Check the clips on the Listen page, and we know you’ll agree that Glenn Tilbrook is that needle in the haystack, that elusive necessity called pop for grownups, and that you need to buy it, here. FG Not
Lame Records - Review From
the June 22, 2004 issue of USA Today SOUTHAMPTON
EVENING ECHO The
13th annual Gosport and Fareham Easter Music Festival gets
better and better! EDINBURGH
EVENING NEWS 5/5/04 The
Sunday Mail http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&uid=UIDCASS80311171113553241&sql=A3hvyxddb4ola 11
December 2002: Viper Room — Los Angeles Highlights of the evening, and there were many, included a slowed down,
sexy, almost bluesy version of that ode to masturbation "Touching
Me, Touching You" from Cool for Cats, which Tilbrook
happily introduced: "I still identify with it now!"
The utterly gorgeous mid-tempo pop of "Is That Love"
from East Side Story and the distinctively English, Beatles-esque
"Slightly Drunk", also from Cool for Cats, were
beautifully executed. During "Take Me I'm Yours",
from Squeeze's debut album, U.K. Squeeze, Tilbrook demonstrated
an impressive fluency on the guitar, and the soulful pop of
"Tempted", the song that broke Squeeze in the United
States in 1981, whipped the audience into an excited frenzy. GLENN
TILBROOK: THE MEMORIAL PUB TOUR The
Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto, Canada Glenn
Tilbrook: A Laughing Matter On
his first solo album after more than 20 years in the business,
The Incomplete Glenn Tilbrook, the former Squeeze front-man
delivers first-rate pop-rock whimsy—of which he’s
frequently the subject. Whether recalling embarrassing encounters
with musical idols (“Interviewing Randy Newman”)
or confessing to dance-floor inadequacies (“Up the Creek”),
Tilbrook, writing the words for the first time in his career,
serves up lyrical wit to match his typically-engaging melodies. Since
Squeeze went on hiatus after 1998’s Domino, Tilbrook
has performed intimate acoustic shows for audiences worldwide.
Musician.com caught up with Tilbrook at one of his recent
tour stops and spoke with him about his songwriting process
and the sanctity of humor in rock and roll. Musician.com:
So how’s the tour going? Glenn
Tilbrook: It's great! While I love playing with a band—I
love the pool of talent [associated with having] a band—one
of many things that I got from my talent shows [in the past]
was that I never had the chance or ability to establish more
of a show than a recital. That's what I'm doing now and have
been doing for the last seven or eight years.
What
are the ingredients of a great pop song, in your mind? Tilbrook
hits street Leave it to a man on crutches with a severely sprained ankle to lead a singing walkabout along East Colfax Avenue. That's
what genial former Squeeze frontman Glenn Tilbrook did Wednesday
night, about an hour into his concert at the Bluebird Theatre,
at a time of night when bands 20 years his junior are typically
making a beeline for the beer. Puget
Sounds: Glenn Tilbrook completes `Incomplete' - 2002-04-12 The
Evening News - Tue 19 Mar 2002 - Cliff is cool for all-new Tilbrook The
Evening News - Thu 21 Mar 2002 Glenn Tilbrook **** From Victoria Hall I headed straight to the Fly By Night for the performance by Glenn Tilbrook, a survivor of the UK new wave movement of the late 1970s and early 1980s when he was part of Squeeze, the band that brought us “Cool For Cats” and many other carefully crafted songs. A brilliant guitarist and engaging singer, Tilbrook took to the stage alone and gave an extraordinary performance. Mid way through he did something which will ensure this concert will live on in the memories of those lucky enough to attend. Tilbrook told us he had an idea and asked if we wanted to go for a walk with him. There was an resounding yes vote and we headed off. The singer, like a guitar strumming Pied Piper, led the way as we walked along Parry Street, down William Street and into the South Terrace Piazza where we learned the chorus of the next song. From there it was through to South Terrace, through the front bar of the Sail & Anchor and home again to the Fly where the show continued. After the concert I stood with friends outside the Fly By Night talking about music. It’s the kind of reaction that often follows a truly great show – reminiscing on a life spent listening. We were the only people left on Parry Street when Glenn Tilbrook and his partner emerged. The obviously distressed couple gave us the news they’d just received from a friend at the BBC. An attack on New York. Hijacked planes. Possibly thousands of people killed. It seemed to come from some kind of fantasy world. Back home the TV pictures confirmed the worst but still had the look of Hollywood. Tuesday September 11, 2001. Can’t say the singalong around the piano/guitar at a party thing has ever appealed. There’s clearly a sense of all mucking in together – everyone else seems to be getting a lot out of it – but not for me. You could put it down to a combination of silly shyness and a few too many uncles enjoying ‘Leaving On A Jet Plane’ and earnest girls muttering Joni Mitchell. But Glenn Tilbrook could reset that social radar. An evening with him, playing songs from 20 years of Squeeze (co-songwriter Chris Difford doesn’t fly, apparently), is like a party favourites spree. Imagine a talented and ever-so-cute boy sitting in the middle of the party taking requests, except that instead of ‘American Pie’ we have a song about American brides (the country-without-the-melancholy ‘Labelled With Love’); rather than something from the Temptations we get a brisk, English pop idiom take on ‘Tempted’; and instead of pulling Beatles songs out of a hat, we have the Beatlesque ‘Pulling Mussels From A Shell’. Playing solo brings enforced intimacy but, with Tilbrook, we were not invited in, we were sat down and charmed. Every so often he would pick up his beer and toast the audience with a bright “cheers then” and accompanying sweet smile, before spinning another yarn which threatened to fall apart at any moment (and sometimes did). He’d move from taking us through a radio game show of his devising featuring three seconds of favourite songs – as silly as it sounds, we all bought in and laughed ourselves silly – to the three-minute Ken Loach of ‘Up The Junction’. One of Difford’s simplest and most direct lyrics, ‘Up The Junction’ is set to music which withholds the easy satisfaction of a chorus for continous movement, a single shot rather than jump cuts. And in this format of a one man and guitar, it was one of many Squeeze songs which reminded us of something too easily forgotten. While the beauty of Difford is that he always has been a wordy lyricist, packing songs with puns, word plays and minor detail, the songs could so easily fall over under that weight. But Tilbrook’s ability to use elongated melodies to accommodate the text has made them seem effortless and easily digested and remembered – whether pitching the stories of bruised domestic love and drinking, against the lyrical tone (‘Is That Love’) or with the flow (the Cole Porter-ish ‘When The Hangover Strikes’). There was no jarring, even when he went from one of the newest songs, ‘To Be A Dad’ – a straight tale of a modern father: ‘ “I lost the children/they haven’t lost me” – to the irrepressibly young ‘Goodbye Girl’, which fairly flies free it’s so unbound. While the ‘90s output of Squeeze at times has lacked that same sense of youthful vim, there have been several compensations, such as the poignant ‘Temptation For Love’ from the 1995 album ‘Ridiculous’, which built slowly on a serenade in a way they wouldn’t have attempted in 1980 and filled spaces with just guitar and voice. By the end of the night, the little boy curls on Tilbrook’s forehead were damped down, his shirt soaked through, his time run out. But he still hadn’t played ‘Black Coffee In Bed’ and .… well, the list could go on. Maybe at the next party. Cheers then. |
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