- Audio CD (4 Nov 2002)
- Number of Discs: 1
- Label: A
- ASIN: B00007DNDL
- Other Editions: Audio CD | MP3 Download
- Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 85,040 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Prior to the release of I Didn't Get Where I Am, Chris Difford has been noteworthy principally for a humility not usually characteristic of lyricists, conceding what limelight shone on Squeeze to his longtime songwriting partner, Glenn Tillbrook. It's hardly surprising, then, that Difford's solo debut is a quiet, understated affair--there are none of the exuberant melodies or joyous fripperies of sound and production that have hallmarked Squeeze's best work. Difford's voice rarely rises above a plaintive mumble--confirming that on his previous noteworthy outing as a vocalist, Squeeze's "Cool For Cats", the South London patois was somewhat exaggerated.
All that said, I Didn't Get Where I Am possesses considerable merits. Difford's words are always worth hearing--in the lineage of quintessentially English pop lyricists, he's the link between Ray Davies and Jarvis Cocker. He's in rare form here on the deadpan country trundle "Cowboys Are My Weakness" and "No Show Jones", a recollection of fulfilled dreams of pop stardom pleasingly evocative of Prefab Sprout's "Electric Guitars". These are set to orthodox but agreeable country-folk templates, written by or with several collaborators, similar to those employed by Stephen Duffy's Lilac Time, an approach that works quiet wonders with a modest reclamation of Squeeze's "Playing with Electric Trains". --Andrew Mueller
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I went in as a Squeeze fan not expecting too much. But this is a beautiul record. Wow! While different from any Squeeze record (still amazing songs and lyrics, albeit not nearly as 'poppy'), it holds up to the best of them. Squeeze records had gotten pretty formulaic. This is the new development I'd been seeking -- but didn't necessarily know it -- since Babylon and On (after which the stagnation set in, I think). Great production, background voacals, and guitar from the undervalued Francis Dunnery.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
This is a brilliant album. The songs are great ('For a Change' and 'No Show Jones' are classics) and the playing is subtle and tasteful. Francis Dunnery is the star of the show and has a lovely touch and musicality (now that he's stopped 'widdling'). For me the drummer on this album (Ash Soan) is Steely Dan quality. Any drummers should buy this record to hear how to play songs. I'd love to know of any other albums featuring his playing. A slight negative is that some of the female backing vocal lines are a bit corny and get on your nerves after a while. Well done Chris Difford.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
To begin I should say I was not an expert on Squezee's ouput by any stretch of the imagination, which is not to say that I was not delighted with practically everything I heard by them. Somewhat the coming together of Difford and Tilbrook brought memories of other composing duos -although I would not put them on the same level than Lennon and McCartney, they were one of the memories.
This album, Difford first on his own, and only the third solo album from either one of them combined, not only confirm some of his reputed songwriting talent but offers you the work of a musician who has matured, continued to explore his style, and managed to create a wonderful bunch of songs for our delight.
The biggest difference between Difford and Tilbrook, as far as their solo efforts, is -and I know this will sound quite subjective- that Difford's work seems just as heartfelt and true to his soul as his contributions during the eighties, while Tilbrook's does not. Specially Tilbrook's recent second album strikes me as the work of a very talented musician, no doubt, who relied more on his admirable skill as a songwriter than letting himself be inspired to say new things and delve deeper into whatever he might have experienced since Squeeze's demise.
The songs included here are truly beautiful, the passions of a soft-spoken man who still has music to give us and seems as excited as we may be to find out where it'll take him.
This album, Difford first on his own, and only the third solo album from either one of them combined, not only confirm some of his reputed songwriting talent but offers you the work of a musician who has matured, continued to explore his style, and managed to create a wonderful bunch of songs for our delight.
The biggest difference between Difford and Tilbrook, as far as their solo efforts, is -and I know this will sound quite subjective- that Difford's work seems just as heartfelt and true to his soul as his contributions during the eighties, while Tilbrook's does not. Specially Tilbrook's recent second album strikes me as the work of a very talented musician, no doubt, who relied more on his admirable skill as a songwriter than letting himself be inspired to say new things and delve deeper into whatever he might have experienced since Squeeze's demise.
The songs included here are truly beautiful, the passions of a soft-spoken man who still has music to give us and seems as excited as we may be to find out where it'll take him.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
wow!
Wow! This a great album by the lyricist of most Squeeze songs. Chris does not song a lot of the Squeeze songs but this album makes clear that he should do that more often. Read more
Published 15 months ago by O. Jonker
Nice Surprise
A couple of years ago I downloaded an illegal copy of "Cowboys Are My Weakness" and loved it. When I saw the album containing said track I decided to be a good boy and buy it and... Read more
Published 23 months ago by Steve
No Show Jones Shows.
As a fan of Squeeze for a couple of decades and particularly the handful of songs that Chris Difford sang lead on (`Cool for Cats', `Slaughtered, Gutted and Heartbroken' being... Read more
Published on 31 July 2008 by Ian Wood, Author of 'Here's 2 Absent Fathers'
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