The Last Ten Records We've Listened To: New Wave and Soft Rock

Greetings to our blog readers in Hong Kong, Ireland and Israel: Well, we thought finding an image of the Cesar Romero Joker from the '60s tv version of "Batman" with Adam Best would easier to use than one of the late Heath Ledger in the same role for one of the franchise blockbuster movies, but actually the reverse is true!

Here are the last ten records we have listened to........

1. Nick Lowe. The Rose of England. 1985.

2. The Tubes. Now. 1977.

3. The Steve Miller Band. The Joker. 1973

4. Badfinger. Magic Christian Music. 1971

5. Slade. Stomp Your Hands and Clap Your Feet*. 1974.

6. Culture Club. Kissing to Be Clever. 1982.

7. The Plastics**. Welcome Back. 1981.

8. Chris de Burgh. The Getaway. 1982.

9. Sad Cafe. Sad Cafe.*** 1980

10. Squeeze. Cool for Cats. 1979 (pict. top)

*- Album was released as "Old Borrowed and Blue" in U.K.

**- A short-lived Japanese New Wave band.

***-This was actually not the band's first record.

From the Record Collection (8 of 8)_ Squeeze "Argybargy"

We conclude this series with the third record from the British new wave band Squeeze entitled "Argybargy," which was released in 1980; the album is best-known for its catchy cult hit "Pulling Mussels (From the Shell)," which I once included on my perfect album side for the radio station 96.3-FM (Roanoke,Va.) way back in 1991.

One of my other favorite tracks on the record "If I Didn't Love You" which is the first song on side two in the American version of the album was surprisingly not a single even though it features a perfect keyboard sound from Jools Holland coupled with excellent drums from Gilson Lavis.

All songs on "Argybargy" were written by the song-writing duo of Chris Difford ad Glenn Tilbrook; the album also features the perfect break-up pop song "Another Nail in My Heart."

Later songs from Squeeze, a band that was more commercially successful in the United Kingdom (but critically acclaimed here in America as well) include "Tempted" and "Is That Love" from "East Side Story" (1981) and "Black Coffee in Bed" from "Sweets from Strangers" (1982).

I was very surprised to see that the band is not only still active, but on the verge of a North American tour.

Squeeze kicks things off by playing at the House of Blues in San Diego on April 10th. They then play some east coast dates, including a concert at Rams Head Live! in Baltimore on April 27th.