Squeeze is an English band that first made waves on the new wave scene in the late 70s and early 80s with classics like "Cool For Cats," "Pulling Mussels (From The Shell)," and "Up The Junction," none of which charted in the US. That changed when Paul Carrack (Ace, Mike + The Mechanics) joined in 1981 and delivered "Tempted," which rose to #49. The band did not see the chart again until their breakthrough 1987 record, "Babylon and On." It gave them their first and last Top 40 hits: "Hourglass" and "853-5937," which went to #15 and #32, respectively. Carrack was in and out of the band, but rejoined for the recording of 1993's "Some Fantastic Place." One of the highlights is his tune, "Loving You Tonight," which feels like a sequel to "Tempted." The first half of this album is particularly strong, especially the leading track "Everything In The World." Not sure why this one didn't give the band a much-needed second wind. The band is still active, their last album having been "The Knowledge" in 2017.
Rubber is essentially the Canadian band Harem Scarem under a temporary different name. They're a band that is notorious for choosing bad names, but at least their brand of hard rock is consistently great. In addition to the name change, which began in 1999 and lasted for two albums, their sound was also a bit more oriented toward pop rock than their usual bombastic rock. "In The End" is a standout track from their second and final album under the moniker Rubber, which was called (cringe), "Ultra Feel." Also notable from this record is a cover of the song "Another Nail In My Heart" by Squeeze.
Aimee Mann rose to fame as the voice behind 80s one-hit wonders, 'Til Tuesday. Some may also remember her as Geddy Lee's partner in the duet "Time Stand Still" by Rush in 1987. But Mann has been quietly cranking out solo records since her debut album in 1993, "Whatever." Mann is a darling of critics, but her brand of snarky lyrics wrapped in perky pop hasn't translated into commercial success. Her only chart appearance occurred in 1995 when "That's Just What You Are" (co-written with Jon Brion) managed to climb to #93. The song was lifted from her sophomore effort, "I'm With Stupid," which boasted lots of special guests. Do you recognize the backing vocals on "That's Just What You Are"? That's Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford of Squeeze. Juliana Hatfield sang on some tracks, and her future husband, Michael Penn, played acoustic guitar on several tracks. While commercial success has been elusive, her songwriting prowess has earned her two Grammys and wide critical acclaim. "Say Anything" defies all logical explanation for not giving Mann more commercial success. From her debut solo effort, it remains one of the best, most radio-friendly tunes she's ever written.
Paul Carrack has been all over the music landscape since the 70s when he had his first big hit with the outfit called Ace, which took their signature song, "How Long" to #3 in 1975. After Ace broke up in 1977, Carrack played with Roxy Music and worked on his first solo record, "Nightbird" (1980), but it failed to chart. Carrack then did some time with Squeeze, finding chart success with his song, "Tempted". "Tempted" landed at #49 in 1981. Carrack then left Squeeze, but would rejoin briefly in 1993 to re-record "Tempted" for the movie Reality Bites. Carrack stayed in Squeeze long enough to complete a new album with them, "Some Fantastic Place". After leaving Squeeze the first time, Carrack made his first appearance on the charts as a solo artist in 1982 with the delightful little song, "I Need You". "I Need You" went to #37 and was produced by Nick Lowe, who also teamed up with Carrack to form a side band called Noise To Go. Some of you may know Carrack's voice best from his work with Mike + The Mechanics. In 1985, Carrack gave the band their first hit, taking "Silent Running (On Dangerous Ground)" to #6. In 1989, Carrack finally hit the apex of the chart, taking "The Living Years" to #1. Carrack also found success as a solo artist. His third solo record, 1987's "One Good Reason", was his most successful, yielding four charting singles - the best performer was the excellent "Don't Shed A Tear", which hit #9. With the exception of "I Need You", Carrack's second solo record, "Suburban Voodoo", was strangely overlooked. It didn't produce any other charting singles, but managed to get to #78 on the album chart thanks to "I Need You". The album remains one of my favorite records from Carrack - filled with snappy pop and rock tunes. Carrack's vocals are earnest and the musicianship sharp. Check out "Always Better Than You", one of many other great tunes on this under-appreciated classic.
