Retro Spins: Squeeze - Argybargy

Squeeze. They hit my radar way back in the heydays of MTV, when the station actually played music videos. It was here that I came across the 1987 music video, Hourglass. It was unique, comical, visually stunning, and overall, fun. It stuck with me all those years, to the point that when I started building my 80's collection, they were on that list relatively early. Mind you, not just for that particular song, but also for 1980's Pulling Muscles From A Shell, and 1981's Tempted.

That was relatively all I needed for the longest time from their six albums released in the 80's. However, while out and about on one of my many CD excursions, I came their 1989 album, Frank. This was nothing more than a, "It's here, it's 80's, I know them, let's get it purchase. As for their remaining two albums, 1982's Sweets From A Stranger, and 1985's Cosi Fan Tutti Frutti, if I knew they existed, I didn't remember until May 2026 when I looked further into them.

Mind you, I didn't purchase them immediately. Instead, I dug a little into their hits, where I came across the equally quirky music video to Another Nail In My Heart. It brought me back to that moment in time when I first saw the video for Hourglass and immediately intrigued me.

From there, I kept digging and quickly came to the realization that I really enjoyed not only the music, but the vocals of lead singer, Glenn Tilbrook. This pretty much solidified me grabbing their final two albums, and well, here we are today, kicking off another series of Spins with 1980's Angrybargy.

It's the third in their overall discography to date (at the time), it was the first to chart in the USA on the Billboard 200, reaching number seventy-one. Regardless of the album's popularity, singles didn't fare too well on US charts, with only Another Nail making any waves on the dance charts, where it reached number seventy-six. It would also reach gold sales status in Canada.

Despite this, Pulling Muscles From A Shell would become a fan favorite, and bounce around college radio airwaves, and dance clubs. In 1982, it would even be the song which Squeeze would select to play live on Saturday Night Live.

The album kicks off with Pulling Muscles From A Shell, and is followed by Another Nail In My Heart, escalating the bar really high from the starting gate.

Packaged in fantastic new wave and power pop, the band, consisting of Chris Difford, Jools Holland, John Bentley, Gilson Lavis, and of course, Tilbrook, deliver an album that's just enjoyable to listen to. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I can't figure out if the band is writing serious songs, or instead just having fun with it all. Maybe it's both.

Though enjoyable, perfect it is not. There were actually only a handful of tracks beyond the aforementioned ones which stood out to me. These included Misadventure, I Think I'm Go Go, and There At The Top. Still, I'm invested for now, and I want to hear more from the band. I'm hoping to find several more hidden gems in the albums to come.

Tomorrow I'll pick up with 1981's East Side Story. Believe it or not, though that album has probably their most recognized song from the 80's, the single is actually their lowest Billboard Hot 100 charting in the USA. We'll pick up there tomorrow.

Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.

Disclaimer: They Toy Box does not endorse or contribute to piracy. Retro Spins posts are intended for educational and entertainment purposes only. None of the music discussed here is available for sale, downloading or distribution.