Author Description

Emerging from the sleazy South-London pub scene, Squeeze signed to A&M Records in 1977. With songwriters Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook at the helm, and the irrepressible Jools Holland on keyboards, they soon scored big hit singles with ‘Cool for Cats’ and ‘Up the Junction’, two of the most iconic songs of the era. In 1981 their Elvis Costello-produced LP ‘East Side Story’, featuring the immortal track ‘Tempted’, earned plaudits on both sides of the Atlantic. By 1982, the band was headlining Madison Square Garden and being compared favourably to The Beatles.<br/><br/>Containing contributions from three former Squeeze members, ‘The Pop Music Played’ is an unofficial, entertaining account of the 1978-82 incarnation of the band, which gained success during a uniquely exciting period in British pop music. The book charts in splendid detail both the highs and lows, the trials and triumphs of this quintessentially English band.<br/><br/>James Griffiths is a former music journalist for the Guardian newspaper in the UK.