Squeeze

You can't go wrong with this collection from 1982. It gathers most of Squeeze's finest moments onto one disc, showcasing the pop music riches Chris Difford and Glenn Tillbrook were capable of reaping. Pop music this smart and well-crafted hadn't been seen since those guys from Liverpool last played on a London rooftop.

Throughout their now terminated career. Squeeze could be as boyishly charming as your
kid brother, and occasionally just as silly. The band's somewhat thin sound and
uncharismatic image helped to focus public attention on the songwriting: the sassy
interplay of Glenn Tilbrook's lithe, energetic melodies with Chris Difford's acutely
observed, deceptively mundane lyrics. Their genuine affection for the breadth... More >

They're so principled in their unpretension, so obsessed with the telling detail, that their lesser moments are passively minuscule--not unfine when you squint at them, but all too easy to overlook. And as self-conscious craftsmen, they know their own strengths--no blowing the compilation they're made for with pet failures. Pop connoisseurs will of course crave the entire oeuvre--all the albums, all the picture sleeves, and now the previously unreleased "Annie Get Your Gun." Nonminiaturists will wonder why so few of their working-class protagonists call up the compassion of "Up the Junction" and save shelf space. (Grade - A-)