Solo
album news
March 30, 2001
Glenn's
new solo album, The Incomplete Glenn Tilbrook, is available
now to pre-order at lots of online
stores. (It will not actually be shipped until after its
release date, May 21st.) The best value, of course, is from
the Quixotic Records
site, where they are having a special deal on the price until
May 14th, and they ship for FREE worldwide! Besides, that
is Glenn's record company and there is always the chance that
he might have touched it or something…
However,
I am pleased to see that it is also available at the big U.S.
online stores such as Amazon.com
and CDNow. The stores seem
to have all gotten together and agreed on a spelling for his
name; they are calling him "Glenn Tilbrook", which
coincidentally is the same spelling he himself has used for
years. Copycats.
So,
everything seems to be running along in a smooth, well organised
fashion. The only weird thing is that Amazon.co.uk
is selling it as an import! Imported from London? No, apparently
they are importing it from the U.S., as the label is Valley
and in the U.K. it's Quixotic.
The
album's cover is terrific! If you haven't seen it yet, hustle
on over to its
page at the Quixotic site. It manages to be reminiscent
of many things…not least the infamous white boiler suit
tour that Squeeze did sometime in the mid-90s.
If
you do not want to buy online, you really should be able to
find the solo album in stores in early June. I know people
had a hard time finding Parallel World in the shops, but the
full album seems to be generating more interest. The CDs will
also be available at Glenn's gigs, of course.
In
the rush of excitement over the full album finally being released,
I am worried that his second single, This is Where You Ain't,
will be overlooked. I would just like to point out that of
the new songs I have heard, this is my very favorite. It is
a beautiful song, with vocal and guitar melodies intermingling
breathtakingly à la "The Truth". Although
other tracks on the single haven't been announced yet, I assume
there will be some. You can pre-order
that one now, too.
Saturday
is the last day to enter the contest to win This is Where
You Ain't! Get ye to the Official
GT Site.
A
Question of Sport video
March 21, 2001
Roger
the Magnificent has provided us with a RealMedia video
of Glenn's recent appearance on A Question of Sport for Red
Nose Day. He also made some excellent vidcaps.
For Brits, I assume that will all be self-explanatory, but
for the rest of the world…
Red
Nose Day is a UK-wide fundraising event organised by Comic
Relief every two years which culminates in a night of
extraordinary comedy and moving documentary films.
Glenn
stars in a moving documentary film with Footballer Neil
'Razor' Ruddock
On
Red Nose Day everyone in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern
Ireland is encouraged to cast inhibitions aside, put on
a red nose, and do something a little bit silly to raise
money - celebrities included.
I'm sure #squeeze regulars will be pleased
to learn that the motto of Comic Relief seems to be "Say
pants to poverty!" In the video clip Glenn and Neil sing
'Up the Junction' while panelists on A Question of Sport try
to identify Neil.
Don't
forget! Glenn will be on Never Mind
the Buzzcocks this Monday
"Tracks"
now in text
March 17, 2001
There
is now a transcription
available of Glenn's comments on the songs he chose for "Tracks
of My Years". I figured some people might not feel like
downloading all those RealMedia files! Of course, I recommend
listening to the interview
if at all possible, since it contains the songs. (But then
you knew I would, didn't you?) You might learn something -
I learned Elvis doesn't suck.
I
also spruced up the Solo Album section,
in preparation for it's impending release.
The
Official Glenn Site is having a contest where you can
win a signed copy if This is Where You Ain't. Be sure to enter
before March 31st!
Full
band tour scheduled!
March 8, 2001
Glenn
has named his new band - they are Glenn Tilbrook and the Party!
They have a bunch of gigs in May, which you can check out
at the Quixotic
Records site. This will be the first time that most of
Glenn's solo songs will be played with the full band sound,
so it should be very exciting! Newcastle people will be happy
to see that one of the gigs is indeed at the Newcastle Opera
House (May 18th). All of the dates at the Quixotic
site or the Official
GT site are confirmed dates that Glenn will definitely
be there for.
The
long-awaited solo album is scheduled for release
on May 21st. So those of us who can't get to the gigs
won't have too much longer to wait to hear the new songs!
Chris
Difford will be on London Live Radio this Saturday night between
8 and 10 on the Charlie Gillett show. Apparently this will
involve a game of "radio ping pong" where guests trade music
selections with the host. The station is at 94.9 FM for Londoners.
People who live elsewhere can tune in via the London
Live web site. The show is aired at a pretty friendly
time for Americans and Canadians. You can find out when it
plays in your time zone at the World
Clock site. Thanks to Jon for the tip-off!
Tour
dates announced
-and-
Contest results!
February 21, 2001
The
Quixotic
site has just announced a load of tour dates for the first
few weeks of April, with more to come soon! Looks like Glenn
is employing his six-shows-a-week plan from last tour. How
does he do that?? Sheesh.
The
"Item of Mystery" contest ended yesterday. You guys
really know your Squeeze stuff! In truth, any of the entrants
could have won. After careful deliberation, I picked Ohouse's
entry as winner. The contest has it's own
page, where you can read his email in full, see some quotes
from other entries, and learn about four different Squeeze
Clubs!
No
gig at Newcastle Opera House
February 19, 2001
The
Newcastle Opera House has been advertising a Glenn gig for
May 11th, but Glenn will definitely NOT be there. He is very
likely to appear in Newcastle later this spring, though, so
don't despair! If you have already bought tickets, return
them or ask if you can use them for a future Glenn date at
the Opera House.
This
"phantom tour date" thing happened on the last tour
at The
Mean Fiddler, remember? It's starting to look like a bad idea
to buy tickets for a show that hasn't been announced at the
official sites (Quixotic
and Official
GT). Some acoustic dates should be posted at those sites
within the next week, with full band dates later on, so keep
checking back!
I
have received a lot of illuminating and thought-provoking
mail regarding the Squeeze Club pin. Choosing a winner will
be a challenge. I am gonna do it anyway in two days, so if
you've been trying to decide whether or not to write, go
ahead!
Do
you sing just like Glenn? Or kinda like him? The
Squeeze Tribute Band is looking for "a Glenn-like vocalist"
and a keyboard player. The band is based in the South East
London/Kent/Sussex area, and the contact e-mail for this is
dlang1234@aol.com.
Single
date (nothing to do with Valentine's Day)
-and-
WIN CASH AND PRIZE!
February 14th, 2001
The
only REAL news is this little tidbit from the Quixotic site:
Glenn's new single now has an ETA, which is April 23. (Yes,
this year, for you smart alecs in the back row.) Ican'twaitIcan'twaitIcan'twait!
BUT, I have the attention span of a flea. And April is, like,
many flea lifetimes from now. So, for now, the big news at
The Unofficial Glennsite HQ is that my mom found this in her
kitchen drawer:
Item of Mystery
Now,
I don't even really know what Squeeze Club is/was, so it's
certainly not MY pin. And mom, flower child that she is, is
not really into any post-60s music. We have no idea where
it came from. In hopes of solving this mystery, I have decided
to offer five U.S. dollars (fascinating 'American Relic' for
non-USers!) and the pin to whoever sends me the most entertaining
and/or informative explanation of its origins. If the pin
is yours, please come forward. If you know anything about
Squeeze Club, please come forward. If you like to make up
stories, send them here!
(Nonfiction also gratefully accepted.)
Happy
Valentines Day!
New
single in spring
-and-
Some fantastic vidcaps
February 4, 2001
The
Quixotic Records site has announced that Glenn will be
releasing "This is Where You Ain't" as a single
in late March or early April. For a few more details and a
preview of the cover art, check out the Quixotic
main page. He is supposed to be touring after that, so
I am wondering when the full album will be finished…but
you know, art takes time.
I have added some VERY nice vidcaps
from the Some Fantastic Place video. And when I say "some"
I mean, well, seven pages' worth. You will understand why
when you see them, though. They're gorgeous! Crystal clear
even at the largest size,
and it's a really beautiful video that I'm sure many people
have never seen. (In case you haven't discovered this for
yourself, all the vidcaps on this site have numbers below
them like "320x240" or "640x480", and
if you click on those you get close-ups.) Thanks to Roger
for making those for me.
No
News is Good News (?)
-and-
Chris Difford Solo
January 21, 2001
Glenn
news has been very thin on the ground lately. I can only assume
that this is a good thing - he's probably sequestered in his
studio working on that solo album!
Speaking
of which, Chris Difford (Glenn's longtime songwriting partner
in Squeeze) has announced he is working on some solo projects
of his own. He says he is releasing a new version of "Take
Me I'm Yours" on January 29th. It features Jane Birkin
on vocals, and will be at least partly in French. There is
a single fitting that description advertised here
at Amazon.co.uk, although Chris isn't mentioned. This was
all I could dig up on the net:
Jane
Birkin, together with her husband Serge Gainsbourg, was responsible
for the ground breaking song in 1969 "Je t'aime mois non plus",
which featured Jane simulating such passion in a recording
studio that the record flew off the record shelves. She's
about to be back with us as she's just recorded a version
of "Take Me I'm Yours" - except this time it's the bloke Chris
Difford (the original writer of the song) who gets to simulate
passion in the background! This record should be in the shops
in January.
He's
also doing his own solo album, hopefully out in September,
and says to "look out for my web site coming soon to
a desk top near you."
Friday's
"Tracks"
January 14, 2001
The
last installment of "Tracks of My Years" is now
up at the download page. MANY
thanks to Gill for working on the sound files almost every
day this week! What a trouper. In the final segment Glenn
lets drop that he is almost finished with his album and it
should be out mid-February, followed by a tour with a full
band in the spring. It's hard to tell when this show was recorded,
and hence how long ago he made that speculation, but I was
heartened by the fact that he referred to his recent tour
as "last year".
Oh,
and the final two tracks were (get your mouse ready):
Let's Stay Together - Al Green
Always on My Mind - Willie Nelson
Tracks
of Glenn's Years
January 11, 2001
I
have added sections 1-4 of Glenn's Radio 2 appearance this
week on "The Tracks of My
Years". I'll put up the last one when I get it. They
each consist of a short introduction by Glenn followed by
the songs he chose (two songs per day).
I
don't want to ruin the surprise for people who would rather
"discover" Glenn's chosen tracks as they're listening,
but if you want to know what the songs are ahead of time,
you can highlight the space below with your mouse to see the
titles.
Day One:
On the Beach - Cliff Richard
Come Fly With Me - Frank Sinatra
Day Two:
I Will - The Beatles
I'm a Believer - The Monkees
Day Three:
Angel - Jimi Hendrix
Hot Love - T. Rex
Day Four:
God Only Knows - The Beach Boys
Baby I Don't Care - Elvis
Listen
to Glenn's favorite records!
January 5, 2001
Glenn
will be special guest all next week on Ken
Bruce's Radio 2 feature "Tracks of My Years".
The Radio
2 web site describes it tantalisingly:
Every
week Ken talks to special guests about their favourite performers
and tracks. Glenn Tilbrook talks about the music that means
the most to him including the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, the Beach
Boys and Al Green. 8 - 12 January
(Ooh,
Al Green!) Ken's show runs from 9:30am to noon, Monday through
Friday, and I believe the Glenn segment will be 10-15 minutes
long each day. Unfortunately, I don't know exactly what time
it will be on, but Jackie from my guestbook
informs us that today the feature aired 11:50-ish. I'm not
sure if it will be webcast from the Radio 2 site, but if you
want to check what time the show would start in your area
you can trundle on over to the World
Clock web site.
New
pics and reviews
January 1, 2001
Maggie has sent me some great
pics from the various shows she attended, which I added
to the Live Pics 2000 section of the photo
gallery. If you have pictures you'd like to share, please
send them in!
You are also welcome to send me photos in their non-virtual
form (which is what Maggie did), and I can scan them for you.
I think it's only fair to warn you, though, that my scanner
and I are barely on speaking terms. We got off to a rough
start due to a misunderstanding. I said to my scanner "Please
take these paper pics of Glenn and put them on my computer
screen." My scanner heard "Please mangle these images
beyond recognition and then crash my computer." Luckily,
it's not capable of physically harming the photos! I can see
now that this is gonna be a learning process. My new year's
resolution is to forge a better relationship with my scanner.
I
have stumbled across some reviews of Glenn's recent gigs on
the web. Adhoc did this one of Glenn's appearance at The
Boat Race in Cambridge. O-Reading did a brief interview
and a review of his performance in Reading.
Happy
New Year!
