Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. CCCXL--Ace: How Long

 This week's tune comes from the decade of decades for my musical tastes--the seventies.  Another in a long line of great singles released by one hit wonders, it's also notable for being a song that was tailor made for Rod Stewart to cover...and he actually did. 

Ace (originally Ace Flash and the Dynamos--now there's a band name) formed in Sheffield, England in 1972, and lasted just five short years, disbanding in 1977.  During their short time together, they released three albums (from which they managed to spawn more compilation albums--four--than studio albums), and six singles.  Lead singer Paul Carrack would go on to have a lot more success, singing "Tempted" for Squeeze, and having a string of hits with Mike + the Mechanics.  Carrack has also had a number of his songs sung by artists such as Linda Ronstadt and the Eagles, and has made a good career the last few years as a session and touring musician.  

Fun Fact:  Upon hearing this week's song, most folks (myself included) assumed it was about adultery, but it wasn't.  Carrack actually wrote the song about the band's bassist, Terry Comer, who was playing in other bands behind the rest of his bandmates' backs.

"How Long" was released in 1974 on Ace's debut album, Five-A-Side.  It went on to reach #3 (with a bullet!) on the Billboard Hot 100 (and #20 in their native U.K.), while the album would reach #11 on the Billboard 200.  

One of the nice things about writing about a favorite song every week is how often when I'm listening to the song in preparation--no matter how many times I've heard it before--I notice some nuance that I never really noticed before.  This week it's the bass line--which runs from the beginning of the song to the very end with no deviation--and how its foreboding sound underscores the song's lyrical theme of treachery.  The easy part of "How Long" is obviously Carrack's vocals--understated and gritty, without becoming melodramatic, his singing brings the song to another level.  It's got a nice seventies guitar solo mixed in, and with the ever present chorus repeated ad infinitum that happens so often on pop hits it becomes another one of those wonderful moments when a band comes together for three minutes and twenty-four seconds and touches greatness.  

Lyric Sheet:  "But I can't help but have my suspicions/'Cause I ain't quite as dumb as I seem..."

Enjoy:

You Have a Choice:  Pass a Voting Rights Bill, or Welcome Fascism to America

Peace,

emaycee

Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. CCXXVII--Squeeze: Tempted

In the late 70's/early 80's there were a slew of bands coming out of the British Isles (Police, U2, the Jam, Dire Straits, The Clash, to name a few) who were either debuting their talents or hitting their stride artistically--most of whom I discovered during that time and most of whom I still listen to today.  This week's band was another I found during this time period, and while they didn't quite have the commercial success or eventually a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction on their resume, they were still a hell of a band, especially for those of us who love songs with a solid pop music bent.

Squeeze formed in London in 1974 when Chris Difford put an advertisement in a candy shop window for a guitarist for his band that didn't exist, and Glenn Tilbrook was the only one to respond.  The pair began writing songs together, soon picked up keyboardist Jools Holland and drummer Paul Gunn, and in 1978 released their first LP.  The band quickly became known for its catchy pop tunes (Tilbrook) and whimsical lyrics (Difford).  Through the years, Squeeze has released 15 albums, fourteen of which charted in their native U.K. and seven which hit the Billboard charts here in America.  The band has gone on hiatus several times through the years, but are together now and released their latest LP in 2017.  They've had ten singles hit the top 40 in England (including two which hit #2), but only two here in the States.  Oddly enough, the band has released almost as many compilation albums--14--as they have studio albums.  I've always felt they were a very underrated outfit, but as regular readers know (both of you) emaycee is a big fan of the top of the pops and Squeeze could write and compose pop tunes with the best of them.

Released in 1981 on their album East Side Story (one of the best albums of the 80's and one which stands the test of time and sounds as good today as it did in 1981), "Tempted" would go on to reach #49 (with a bullet!) on the Billboard Hot 100, and #41 on the U.K. charts.  Oddly enough, as "Tempted" is arguably their best and best-known song, it failed to crack the top 40 in any country.

Fun Fact:  Squeeze took its name from the Velvet Underground's album entitled, surprisingly enough, Squeeze.  The naming was mostly tongue-in-cheek, as Squeeze contained none of the original members from the Velvet Underground, and is widely considered to be an awful recording.

Difford and Tilbrook have been called the heirs to Lennon and McCartney, and while that may be a bit of hyperbole (besides because of their attention to quirky details and anglocentric references they're a lot closer to Ray Davies), but with "Tempted" they come pretty close.  Difford zeroes in on the day to day minutiae reminding an unfaithful lover of the woman he cheated on, while Tilbrook provides a foreboding groove that captures his mood.  Vocals are provided by Paul Carrack, whom pop music aficionados may know from the one-hit wonder band Ace, which had a #3 hit here in America in 1975 with "How Long," in which Carrack also sang lead.  Carrack's vocals steal the show--he does blue-eyed soul very well--though he's given an assist by Tilbrook and East Side Story producer Elvis Costello.  The band does some nice "woo-oo-oohs" in the background, Carrack's keyboards are the tune's mainstay, and Paul Gunn's drumming is a lot more prominent--and electric--than I remembered.   All in all, it's just another in a (sarcasm alert) long line of songs about cheating bastards who realize their cheating garnered them nothing more than an empty bed.  "Tempted" is smart pop for people who like smart music and is a very fine addition to the plethora of tunes that have graced Friday Night Jukebox.

Lyric Sheet:  "I'm at the car park, the airport/The baggage carousel/The people keep on crowding/I'm wishing I was well..."

Enjoy:

Fuck Donald Trump,
emaycee