Glenn Tilbrook- ripping it up at 61.

richardhomer

Difford & Tilbrook are right up there with Lennon & McCartney for me. Love ‘em....

paulads

Gassage said:

TheBigDipper said:

I've never seen Glenn give a bad performance, and I've seen him once a year over the last 8 or 9 years. You sort of take Squeeze for granted until you go see him (or the pair of them) and get run over by hit after hit after hit.

My fave is "Some Fantastic Place". 

So, that song is about GT's fiance and schoolday sweetheart, who passed aged 24 from cancer.

It almost killed Glenn and he actually went through a stage of heroin use as a result (which he's open about) and it caused a rift between Glenn and Difford.

One day, a year or so later, Glenn came down to his kitchen, and there was a note on the table. The lyrics were about his fiance, from Chris.

Fantastic Place was a reference to Glenn quitting the dope and being where he needed to be.

He wrote the music in 6 minutes and he'll tell you it's still his favourite song they wrote together.

She gave to me her tenderness
Her friendship and her love

There in the sky above
We grew up learning as we went
What a voyage our life could be
It took us through a wilderness
Into the calmest sea
Her smile could lift me from the pain
I often found within
She said some things I won't forget
She made a few bells ring
So simple her humility
Her beauty found in grace
Today she lives another life
In some fantastic place
She showed me how to raise a smile
Out of her bed of gloom
And in her garden sanctuary
A life began to bloom.
She visualised a world ahead
And planned how it would be
She left behind the strongest love
That lives eternally
I have the hope that when it's time
For me to come her way
That she'll be there to show me round
Whenever comes that day
Her love was life and happiness
And in her steps I trace
The way to live a better life
In some fantastic place 

Line 3 is (I think)

”I see her face from time to time”

A really beautiful song

Not many can write, sing and play half as well as Glenn.

KKJale

Glenn's got some other nice guitars... there's a 1954 Strat with a very early serial number and with all the paint missing except for in one patch, which is rather cool. He also still has his ES150... not the CC model but the early-70s thick-bodied ES335 one. I think it might be in an early Squeeze vid. 

TTony

richardhomer said:

Difford & Tilbrook are right up there with Lennon & McCartney for me. Love ‘em....

Have to agree with that assessment.

Difford's solo work (I think I've got all of his albums) maintain the lyrical insight.  He's a clever man with the words.

Emp_Fab

57Deluxe said:

Nail Through My Heart solo - always loved that....

+1  I spent weeks learning that but gave up when I couldn't do justice to the fast run at bar 7.

richardhomer

TTony said:

Have to agree with that assessment.

Difford's solo work (I think I've got all of his albums) maintain the lyrical insight.  He's a clever man with the words.

Don’t know if you saw the BBC4 documentary about them a few years ago, @TTony? Difford came across as a very thoughtful, quite introspective character. His persona (particularly early in Squeeze’s career) seemed very ‘blokey’ - the reality seemed very different - clearly a very bright, sensitive chap....

TTony

richardhomer said:

TTony said:

Have to agree with that assessment.

Difford's solo work (I think I've got all of his albums) maintain the lyrical insight.  He's a clever man with the words.

Don’t know if you saw the BBC4 documentary about them a few years ago, @TTony? Difford came across as a very thoughtful, quite introspective character. His persona (particularly early in Squeeze’s career) seemed very ‘blokey’ - the reality seemed very different - clearly a very bright, sensitive chap....

From what I understand, he had a fairly "Sarf London" upbringing (hence the "blokey") but always had another side to his character, which he expressed - expresses - in his lyrics.  His solo stuff is very much worth a listen, though I'm guessing that some of it was written when he was less than happy. 

Gassage

TTony said:

richardhomer said:

Difford & Tilbrook are right up there with Lennon & McCartney for me. Love ‘em....

Have to agree with that assessment.

Difford's solo work (I think I've got all of his albums) maintain the lyrical insight.  He's a clever man with the words.

Add in Neil Finn and then Lindsey Buckingham and I reckon those are the greatest guitar based pop songwriters in the game

Neill

Emp_Fab said:

57Deluxe said:

Nail Through My Heart solo - always loved that....

+1  I spent weeks learning that but gave up when I couldn't do justice to the fast run at bar 7.

Yep, me too.

guitars4you

Great band - seen them a couple of times over the years - classic songs that somehow sound simple but aren't

agree with you as well regarding N Finn and L  Buckingham as great song writers - Rumours IMO opinion is the greatest pop/rock/guitar based album ever

monkey42

Great band.

slightly off topic but do you know what amp Glen now uses?

i remember seeing a concert of there’s in the 80s in Camden and they were the 1st act I’d ever seen with hardwood wicker mk 3 boogies. That sound was glorious.

Gassage

monkey42 said:

Great band.

slightly off topic but do you know what amp Glen now uses?

i remember seeing a concert of there’s in the 80s in Camden and they were the 1st act I’d ever seen with hardwood wicker mk 3 boogies. That sound was glorious.

Fender 1 x 12 Deluxe Hot Rod! LOL

guitars4you

can't recall now if it was Glenn or Chris that purchased a 67 era all original paisley Tele from me back in the 80's

Gassage

guitars4you said:

can't recall now if it was Glenn or Chris that purchased a 67 era all original paisley Tele from me back in the 80's

Chris. He then sold it when he had no money in the late 90's. In 2009 I was offered it for sale, I told Glenn, Diff went and retrieved it. He's also got a lovely Cruz CS Tele with a Bigsby white with multi coloured polka dots!

guitars4you

Gassage said:

guitars4you said:

can't recall now if it was Glenn or Chris that purchased a 67 era all original paisley Tele from me back in the 80's

Chris. He then sold it when he had no money in the late 90's. In 2009 I was offered it for sale, I told Glenn, Diff went and retrieved it. He's also got a lovely Cruz CS Tele with a Bigsby white with multi coloured polka dots!

I recall we met at a railway station to do the deal as I was passing through London on the way to Heathrow - so about a 5 min cash transaction - but as I said it was back in the 80's so vague memories - Glad you could update me on it

Gassage

guitars4you said:

Gassage said:

guitars4you said:

can't recall now if it was Glenn or Chris that purchased a 67 era all original paisley Tele from me back in the 80's

Chris. He then sold it when he had no money in the late 90's. In 2009 I was offered it for sale, I told Glenn, Diff went and retrieved it. He's also got a lovely Cruz CS Tele with a Bigsby white with multi coloured polka dots!

I recall we met at a railway station to do the deal as I was passing through London on the way to Heathrow - so about a 5 min cash transaction - but as I said it was back in the 80's so vague memories - Glad you could update me on it

When it comes to Squeeze, somehow a station in East London seems a suitable trading post.

Kebabkid

guitars4you said:

can't recall now if it was Glenn or Chris that purchased a 67 era all original paisley Tele from me back in the 80's

Well, my friend had Chris Difford's Pink Paisley and that sounds like the one, Mark and used it on the US tour.

Chris sold it on during his "darker days" and I believe my friend purchased it on Denmark St. Chris has since confirmed it was "The One" and I sent him photos.

Brad Paisley's people were interested in it at one point after the storage place flood but here's a pic of it and it sold in New King's Road Vintage Guitar Emporium.

http://www.newkingsroadguitars.co.uk/guitarshop/Fender_files/Telecaster-Montage.jpg

thebreeze

Great gig.  I've always loved Squeeze.  

My mate makes their suits for them.  Look good in them too.  http://whitley.london