Difford and Tilbrook - Difford and Tilbrook
by Julie Cruickshank
published: 8 / 3 / 2024

Label:
Select Label
Format: N/A
intro
Julie Cruickshank finds that the only album released by ex-Squeeze songwriters Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook, this self-titled 1984 album stands as a bridge between the end of the band and the solo careers of the two members.
Post-punk South London band Squeeze found chart success in the late 1970s and early 1980s with a string of pop hits, their sound a diverse mixture of pop, punk, soul and country. Songs such as the storming ‘Take Me I’m Yours’, the quirky ‘Cool For Cats’ and others such as ‘Up the Junction’ and ‘Labelled With Love’ established guitarists and singers Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford as respected songwriters. Chris Difford penned clever, stark lyrics, playing with words that were often humorous, sometimes melancholy, but always unforgettable. Glenn Tilbrook added music to those words, experimenting with many styles according to his mood; sometimes almost a punky sound, or pure pop, or a ballad. Squeeze split in 1982. In 1984 Difford and Tilbrook released a self-titled album of a collection of songs perhaps originally intended for a later incarnation of Squeeze. It is very much a product of its time; the early 1980s saw experimentation with new computer-generated sounds and this is evident throughout the album. ‘Difford & Tilbrook’ opens with ‘Action Speaks Faster’, bass-heavy and almost funky, quite a departure from the Squeeze of old. ‘Love’s Crashing Waves’ released as a single, has a feel of the Philadelphia Sound of the late 1960s - early 1970s, and Difford’s dextrous lyrics are a delight: “Malicious gossip will never profit/When hearsay is its foundation/There are subscribers whose appetizers/Are pieces of conversation”. ‘On My Mind Tonight’ has a moody, reflective, late-night feel: “The small hand’s on the five/I’ve got you on my mind tonight”. ‘Hope Fell Down’, the second single from the album, employs a gloriously sweeping vocal chorus; here, too, Difford’s low deadpan register is in evidence as a counterpoint to Tilbrook’s higher, sweeter voice. ‘Wagon Train’ sounds like an early Squeeze song, while ‘Tears For Attention’ has a pulsing, anticipatory feel. Final track ‘The Apple Tree’ brings the album to an eerie close, an imagining of the after-effects of a nuclear holocaust: “And the wind will spread the fire/And the rain will ever fall/If no-one reads the writing/ That’s been written on the wall”. Produced by Tony Visconti and remixed by E.T. Thorngren, Difford and Tilbrook are joined by Andy Duncan on drums and percussion, Keith Wilkinson on bass, Guy Fletcher on keyboards and Debbie Bishop on backing vocals. Larry Tollfree also supplies further percussion. A slice of Squeeze humour also appears in the credits: “Atlas - Barnet arrangements”, Barnet being London slang for hair. ‘Difford & Tilbrook’ has stood the test of time as a showcase for Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook’s songwriting abilities, and will direct a new generation of listeners towards the wonderful songs of Squeeze.
Track Listing:-
Band Links:-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Difford_%26_TilbrookPlay in YouTube:-
Picture Gallery:-


most viewed articles
current edition
John McKay - InterviewCathode Ray - Interview
Robert Forster - Interview
When Rivers Meet - Waterfront, Norwich, 29/5/2025
Spear Of Destiny - Interview
Fiona Hutchings - Interview
Carl Ewens - David Bowie 1964 to 1982 On Track: Every Album, Every Song
Chris Wade - Interview
Shrag - Huw Stephens Session 08.12.10 and Marc Riley Session 21.03.12
Brian Wilson - Ten Songs That Made Me Love...
previous editions
Heavenly - P.U.N.K. Girl EPBoomtown Rats - Ten Songs That Made Me Love....
Manic Street Preachers - (Gig of a Lifetime) Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, December 1999
Barrie Barlow - Interview
Allan Clarke - Interview
Oasis - Oasis, Earl's Court, London, 1995
Beautiful South - Ten Songs That Made Me Love...
Pixies - Ten Songs That Made Me Love...
Chuck Prophet - Ten Songs That Made Me Love...
Paul Clerehugh - Interview
most viewed reviews
current edition
Peter Doolan - I Am a Tree Rooted to the Spot and a Snake Moves Around Me,in a CircleVinny Peculiar - Things Too Long Left Unsaid
Garbage - Let All That We Imagine Be The Light
Vultures - Liz Kershaw Session 16.06.88
Pulp - More
John McKay - Sixes and #Sevens
Little Simz - Lotus
HAIM - I Quit
Lapsley - I'm a Hurricane, I'm a Woman In Love
Billy Nomates - Metalhorse
Pennyblackmusic Regular Contributors
Adrian Janes
Amanda J. Window
Andrew Twambley
Anthony Dhanendran
Benjamin Howarth
Cila Warncke
Daniel Cressey
Darren Aston
Dastardly
Dave Goodwin
Denzil Watson
Dominic B. Simpson
Eoghan Lyng
Fiona Hutchings
Harry Sherriff
Helen Tipping
Jamie Rowland
John Clarkson
Julie Cruickshank
Kimberly Bright
Lisa Torem
Maarten Schiethart