The British band Squeeze released a new album on Friday – there first in eight years – but it was recorded over 50 years ago!
In fact, “Trixies” was the band’s first album – one they recorded while Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook were still teens!
The album features a collection of stories that take place in a fictional night club.
Now, the circle is complete and as The Guardian noted, “all the Squeeze hallmarks of melody, romance and storytelling were there from the beginning.”
The original cassette was discovered and brought to the light of the world.
Why wait so long???
Difford explains, “we fully committed ourselves to songwriting but this was three or four years before we even got to make our first record. Long story short, these were songs that we just didn’t have enough musical experience to record properly.”
Glenn Tilbrook adds, “The songs that we wrote then astound me. I’m proud of them now, and I’m particularly proud that it was young us that did that. These are very much the same songs that we wrote then. The only difference is that now I can teach the songs to the rest of the band. Back then, I didn’t even know what the names of the chords were!”
“Trixies” has spawned a new surge in songwriting and a brand new album filled with never-before-heard songs will be released in the near future.
Tilbrook said, “the act of revisiting the Trixies songs had me in tears partly because they’re so good, but also because I’m aware of all the stuff that I’ve still yet to hear and write.”
Difford adds, “it really fills me with joy that at my age we can discover that we wrote such great songs when we were teenagers. I’m very proud of that.”
Over those 50 years Squeeze has earned an Ivor Novello Award for their Outstanding Contributions to British music and a Mojo Icon Award.