This week Glenn’s on Ken Bruce’s Tracks of My Years on BBC Radio 2. The show is everyday between 9.30 and midday. See http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/shows/ken-bruce/tracks-of-my-years/ for details.

In addition, Saturday Morning Music Club has expanded to three releases – there’s the pre-order for Spot the Difference, the new re-recordings of Squeeze classics with a killer version of Loving You Tonight sung by Glenn, and a reissue of Pandemonium Ensuess which has six, yes six, extra tracks:
Black Sheep (Remix)
Happy Disposition (Acoustic)
Product (Acoustic)
Relentless Pursuit(Acoustic)
Still (Acoustic)
Too Close to the Sun (Demo)

and very good they are too – all for not very many dollars. Visit Saturday Morning Music Club to find out more and join.

With Squeeze washbags, carrier bags, ‘Romantic Gestures Strange’ and ‘I Quite Like Squeeze’ t-shirts, there is something for everyone. The merch. stall also has download cards for the three albums now available on SMMC. Class!

Start of Squeeze 2010 SUMMER US TOUR … rehearsals and the beginning.
For exclusive first look, photos AND Pre-Order of the album via the amazing SMMC Desktop App, go to www.smmcmedia.com

The Artists Den is pleased to offer the chance for you and a guest to attend an intimate performance by Squeeze at a secret location in New York City on Thursday, July 15 at 7 pm. Winners will be emailed venue details.

Enter to win at: http://www.theartistsden.com/rsvp/squeezefan/

It’s being filmed for future broadcast. Nice!

Here’s what’s available so far in terms of music:

Introduction – 5 June 2010
1975
Funky Dory
Po
Battersea Boys (demo)

Chapter 1 – 19 June 2010
Like I Did
Velvet Zone
She Is The Walrus
Trippy Take Me

Chapter 2 – 26 June 2010
The Still and the Sparkling
As Bill Sees It
Lover In Bombay

Chapter 3 – 3 July 2010
Back In The Day
Slap & Tickle (Country and Western version)
Under The Mon
Koh-I-Noor

It’s available for £20 and you get something like 10 chapters. It’s a fascinating way of releasing music and far better value than a CD when you consider all the extras and the personal connection with the artist. My favourite so far? It’s got to be Polestar I think:

She was a dancer who lived round a pole
From 8 until midnight, then she would go home
To kids eating kit kats and drinking Dad’s beer
While he was still there sleeping, headphones in his ear

Isn’t that just classic Difford?

You can get Cashmere If You Can here.

In the meantime here’s Chris performing Happy Once Again taken from the album Cashmere If You Can.

Don’t forget to sign up for the bargain of the century at www.smmcmedia.com where you can get 10 instalments of Chris Difford’s new album, Cashmere If You Can, with loads of extras for next to no money. It’s great!

Get Chris Difford’s new album “Cashmere if you can”

So tell me – can you spot the difference?

http://www.smmcmedia.com/2010/06/02/smmc-a-brief-mission-statement/

The concept behind SMMC is relatively straightforward. It is our response to the question “what, exactly is an album these days?” A question a lot of people have been asking for a while. Well the truth is, we dont know any more. There is no answer. In the old days of not so long ago, an artist or band would spend weeks, months or years recording an album that would become a release – an event on a specific day, the release date – mostly as a result of the promotional and marketing strategies of the record labels.

Specific physical realities gently outlined the scope and limitations, and most importantly the length of the recordings that were released – through the various vehicles of vinyl, 45′s and LP’s, double albums, eight track, cassettes – then CD’s, which gradually allowed for more and more music to be included, and finally downloads.

Downloads changed everything, in particular that magic word “unbundling” which means that specific songs from albums could be handpicked by the customer. Until then the only way to get individual tracks from albums had been through buying 7″ singles or EP’s, CD singles, cassette singles, then compilations. Or of course, recording off the radio and then the TV, which a lot of people will remember.

“Unbundling” meant that the concept of the “album” would change forever. A band could record a whole album, but find that only a few songs from it were being bought online. Of course the physical CD was, and still is, available – but the focus gradually changed. “Why buy the whole album when you can just get the tracks you like? Unless its ‘Dark Side Of The Moon’, why bother?!” The sad truth is that there is a lot of logic behind that statement.

But we believe an artist should be free to work within the realms of this new thinking, rather than in spite of it.

SMMC Media, the very small sphere of influence behind Saturday Morning Music Club, believes that we are offering a tailor made service borne of the desire to operate within the chaos of the new musical consumer landscape, and outside of the physical constraints of the CD, in a way that will benefit the artist and the consumer. Not only that, we believe that we can extend the experience and enrich it – which brings us back to how it started, the Saturday Morning Music Club where each week is an event, there is no one “release date” as such.

We believe in being true to the artist and being true to the consumer. We do not believe that we are reinventing the wheel, nor do we believe that we are being dramatic, drastic or revolutionary. We simply want everyone who comes our way, whether artist, fan or consumer, to be able to enjoy the experience of music and all it has to offer.

As teenagers on the South London Scene in the 1970s, teenage friends Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook formed Squeeze, the pioneering UK band that saw them dubbed ‘The New Lennon and McCartney.” Championed early on by the Velvet Underground’s John Cale, who produced their debut EP, Packet Of Three,” Squeeze established their position as one of Britain’s most beloved bands with 1979’s Cool For Cats, setting off a career that would spawn decades and produce hits in the UK and abroad.

Now, some 35 years later, Squeeze have re-recorded 14 of their classic tracks for Spot the Difference, an album of all their classic hits re-recorded in a way so painstakingly faithful to the originals that they challenge you to spot the difference. There will also be two bonus tracks available digitally. The album will be released August 3 in the US through Anchor and Hope Music. The quality of these “new” tracks cements the band’s legacy, not only serving as a reminder of how great those songs were but how compelling they sound today.

From http://musicremedy.com/s/squeeze/album/spot-the-difference-8669.html

Tracklisting

Goodbye Girl
Slap & Tickle
Take Me I’m Yours
Some Fantastic Place
Up The Junction
Labelled With Love
Another Nail In My Heart
Cool For Cats
Is That Love
Pulling Mussels From A Shell
Tempted
Loving You Tonight
Hourglass
Black Coffee In Bed

Release date: Aug 3, 2010
Record label: Anchor and Hope Music

http://www.1057thehawk.com/pages/7106330

It’s another Shore Alternative secret show, powered by Coors Light! This time Glenn Tilbrook of Squeeze will be performing somewhere on the Jersey Shore!

Listen to Race and Glenn on Thursday, May 20th at 5pm for more details on where our Coors Light secret show will be held on Friday night, May 21st.

Friday, just after 2pm, Race and Glenn will reveal exact time and place of the show.

Powered by 105.7 The Hawk, Shore Alternative, and Coors Light!

Sinead Quinn – Vocals, Acoustic guitar
Ray Waters – Electric guitar
Tom Waters – Double bass
Paul Stewart – Drums
The drummer in Sinead’s band is the drummer from The Feeling, they are an amazing band and it will be a very special night, please do spread the word.

Glenn is also playing there on 8th June with some specials guests – it will be fab.

For those of you who don’t have the details:
Anchor & Hope, 2 Riverside Walk, Charlton, London SE7 7SS tel: 020 8858 0382
Start 8.30pm-ish probably.
Free show.