argybargy (1980) - squeeze: a&m records, SP-4802

Rock went through a bit of an overhaul in the late-70's and early-80's, with punk emerging as a reaction to bloated mega bands playing corporate-approved music in 100,000 seat stadiums.  Grandiose production and carefully calculated song structure was replaced by raw, bare-bones recordings in which minor mistakes were almost a point of pride and proof that the music was real.  Groups like ELO and Styx were shoved aside for The Ramones and The Clash, and the pretense & complexity of glam and prog made way for the simplicity of a guitar, a bass, and drums.

And it was good. See, by the late 70's the glut of disco and marketing-driven bands made music suck so much that even artists like Zep or Springsteen or Rush couldn't cure it by themselves.  The situation was ripe for a revolution, and punk was just the enema the musical colon needed to rid itself of the constipation of suck rock. A by-product of punk's cleansing was that it opened an opportunity for quality power-pop to return.

Squeeze was one of the first bands to reclaim the territory once held by bands like The Kinks, The Beach Boys, and The Beatles (remember, before they found Ravi Shankar, the Beatles were essentially a pop band), and they finally found widespread success in 1980 with their third album, Argybargy.

Side 1: Pulling Mussels (from the shell) Another Nail In My Heart Separate Beds Misadventure I Think I'm Go Go
Side 2 If I didn't Love You Farfisa Beat Here Comes That Feeling Vicky Verky Wrong Side Of The Moon There At The Top

Although Squeeze is best known in America for their overly lachrymose, saccharine ballads, at heart they are a very solid pop band.  My first exposure to them was via their song Cool for Cats (from their 1979 album of the same name), but it wasn't until singer Glenn Tilbrook guest-vocaled with Elvis Costello on From A Whisper to a Scream that I took notice.

None of the songs on Argybargy deviate much from the standard pop recipe of boy meets girl, boy and girl go off to snog, etc. Nor do they stray from the tried and true formula of very catchy hooks and easy-to-sing-along-with choruses. And, in fact, they do both very well, such as in Pulling Mussels (From The Shell), a happy little ditty about some bloke who manages to score a little slap-and-tickle with a sweet young honey during a summer holiday:

But behind the chalet, my holiday's complete
And I feel like William Tell, Maid Marian on her tiptoed feet
Pulling mussels from the shell

Pulling mussels indeed (nudge-nudge)!  Get it?  "Oi, where yiz been, mate?" "I've been off pulling mussels from the shell wi' some bird!" "That's a fair cop, guv."   Those Brits and their wordplay.

There are several other strong songs on the album as well, like Misadventure, Vicky Verky, and Wrong Side Of The Moon, with only the somewhat brooding I Think I'm Go Go and  Here Comes That Feeling seemingly out of place.

The only drawback to the album is the jacket.  Not only is it not a gatefold (something that becomes more and more common as the 70's turned into the 80's and moved toward the dawn of CD), but the artwork seems an amateurish afterthought.  The front cover has the standard 80's design hallmarks of primary colors and geometric patterns, playing on the trite concept of the band bursting through the cover, while the back features each of the band members in a whimsical pose, taking their own photos. Wheeee!

The only compelling part of the jacket is noticing just how large drummer Gilson Lavis' head is. I mean, it's like he's got a watermelon up there.

Up next: Cynicism with a side order of "Emotional Facism"