Glenn Tilbrook
By All Music Guide
By All Music Guide
ew wave era. Often regarded as the Lennon and McCartney of their generation, the duos smart, sophisticated brand of pop never achieved commercial success commensurate with their critical favor, although singles like Pulling Mussels (From the Shell), Tempted, and Black Coffee in Bed remain timeless cult classics. Born August 31, 1957, in London, Tilbrook studied guitar and piano from age six onward and at 13, he made his public debut at a local talent show. He began writing and performing with Difford in 1973 and the following year, they formed Squeeze; the groups self-titled, John Cale-produced debut LP followed in 1978, yielding the minor hit Take Me, Im Yours. 1979s Cool for Cats was Squeezes U.K. chart breakthrough, generating a pair of number two singles, Up the Junction and the title track. The follow-up, Argybargy, yielded the lesser hits Another Nail in My Heart and Pulling Mussels (From the Shell), but solidified the groups critical standing on the strengh of Diffords wry, literate wordplay and Tilbrooks crisp, clever melodies.
Squeezes masterpiece East Side Story followed in 1981, scoring the bands biggest U.S. hit to date with the memorable Tempted; though 1982s Sweets From a Stranger cracked the U.S. Top 40 buoyed by the single Black Coffee in Bed, creative exhaustion forced the bands breakup soon after. A 1983 hits collection, Singles 45s and Under, ultimately went platinum. Tilbrook immediately resumed his collaboration with Difford, however, composing songs for fellow Squeeze alum Jools Holland, as well as Paul Young, Billy Bremner, and Helen Shapiro. The duo also mounted Labelled With Love, a short-lived 1983 stage musical adapted from their songs. A self-titled 1984 album credited simply to Difford and Tilbrook also appeared, but the following year they reunited Squeeze to release Cosi Fan Tutti Frutti; 1987s Babylon and On was their biggest U.S. hit, notching a pair of Top 40 singles in Hourglass and 853-5937, but subsequent efforts appealed almost exclusively to their devoted cult following.
The 90s found Tilbrook guesting on albums by artists including Aimee Mann and the Soft Boys Kimberley Rew. He officially kicked off a solo career with the release of the single Parallel World on his own Quixotic Records in late 2000. The following year brought the release of another single, This Is Where You Aint, and his first full-length album, The Incomplete Glenn Tilbrook, which included songs cowritten with Aimee Mann (Observatory) and Ron Sexsmith (You See Me).
