Sweets From A Stranger
	Produced by Squeeze and Phil McDonald
	Released on May 1982
	UK CHART POSITION #37 . . . US CHART POSITION #32
	Find it at GEMM
SP-4899 cover

I was hooked on the sweet stuff at this junction. But where I felt like a kid in a candy store on their last two albums, I felt like a kid among grown-ups on Sweets From A Stranger. Maybe the Lennon-McCartney comparisons had gone to their head, or maybe Squeeze was following the popular compunkshun of Elvis Costello, Joe Jackson, et al to play pop for adult tastes (a tin pan renaissance of sorts). It’s still a very good album, the last to feature the original ebullience of “classic” Squeeze in tracks like “I've Returned” and “I Can’t Hold On.” The singles told a different story, however, from the sleepy reprise of “Tempted” (“Black Coffee In Bed”) to the self-conscious and serious “When The Hangover Strikes.” I always get the sense on this album that Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook labored over the songwriting too much; the result is a pretentious prodigy, affected and a little too chatty. What’s missing from “His House Her Home” and “Tongue Like A Life” is the spark of creation; these are tasty confections still, but the chemistry cooled in the studio. Compared to the albums that followed (and, for a time, none did), this is as good as anything in their catalog. A handful of tracks (including “The Elephant Ride” and “Points of View”) are keepsakes worth pocketing for the long haul. Unfortunately, something soured and the band soon dissolved, with Don Snow melting back into the musical landscape and John Bentley driving off the page into a different book. In case you’re interested, the elpee originally had a foldover flap (approx. 3” wide if memory serves) that folded over the front right portion of the cover. It was promotional in nature, advertising the fact that this was the new Squeeze album I think, and was perforated so it could be detached. Mind you, I resisted the temptation for a while, but itchy fingers prevailed.

SP-4899 back cover	SP-4899 lyric sleeve

TRACK LISTING

1. OUT OF TOUCH    3:50
2. I CAN'T HOLD ON    3:34
3. POINTS OF VIEW    4:13
4. STRANGER THAN THE STRANGER ON THE SHORE    3:18
5. ONTO THE DANCE FLOOR    3:38
6. WHEN THE HANGOVER STRIKES    4:31
7. BLACK COFFEE IN BED    6:12
8. I'VE RETURNED    2:36
9. TONGUE LIKE A KNIFE    4:10
10. HIS HOUSE HER HOME    3:25
11. THE VERY FIRST DANCE    3:18
12. THE ELEPHANT RIDE    3:23
    
    CD expanded reissue tracks
    
13. I CAN'T GET UP ANYMORE
14. WHEN LOVE GOES TO SLEEP
    
    All selections written by Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford

CREDITS

JOHN BENTLEY -- bass, backing vocals
CHRIS DIFFORD -- guitar, vocals
GILSON LAVIS -- drums
DON SNOW -- keyboards, backing vocals
GLENN TILBROOK -- guitar, vocals
Del Newman -- orchestral arrangements
Elvis Costello -- backing vocals (7)
Paul Young -- backing vocals (7)
Mike Putland -- cover photography
Squeeze and Simon Ryan -- cover design

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