Hi and welcome to the latest newsletter—where we go undercover and discover versions of songs that remained hidden… until now!
We were really surprised and delighted this week to be sent a link to The Coolies’ version of ‘Over You’! The Squire song first emerged as part of the Tangerine Records retrospective Get Ready To Go CD. It was originally an unreleased outtake from the 1982 Girl On A Train sessions, which also included The Place I Used To Live, as well as studio recordings of Noonday Underground, Make Love To You, Has Our Love Gone Bad, and Modern Love In A Modern World.
While we were fond of the sound—an extension of the Hits From 3000 Years Ago era—the band’s musical direction was evolving so quickly that the sessions were shelved in favour of the songs that would become Get Smart. (Squire superfans will have spotted that the Girl On A Train single said "From the forthcoming LP Get Smart")—but songs from that version of the album never appeared… at least not then! Songs like Over You were quietly forgotten. But sometimes you 'throw the baby out with the bathwater!' and songs like Over You become era specific rather than enjoying the merit of their own personality.
And so it was with Over You! Following the appearance of the 'Girl On A Train' session songs on the Tangerine CD release, Over You became a firm fan favourite! It appeared on the B-side of a Detour Records seven-inch EP (alongside Make Love To You), was added to The Singles Album CD in 2007, and was re-released as part of the Hi-Lo Records singles series in 2023. It was also covered by Smodati, whose version appeared on the 2006 Anthony Meynell & Squire tribute album The Young Idea, which included Seventeen Squire cover versions!
So imagine our surprise when we discovered another cover version—this one recorded in California by The Coolies! This garage-rock supergroup—founded by Kim Shattuck (The Muffs, The Pandoras)—features Palmyra Delran (The Friggs) on vocals and guitar, Melanie Vammen (The Muffs, The Pandoras) on guitar, Kathy Valentine (The Go-Go’s) on bass, and Clem Burke (Blondie) on drums!
An illustrious and incredibly musical band. The single was released on May 2nd as a limited edition of just 250 copies—and it’s totally fab, both sides! We love this version!
👉 Listen to the song and grab a copy from the store!
You can hear it here as well, but we urge you to read all about it and check out The Coolies!
Hearing that cover version made us think—we have a forgotten cover tucked away that deserves a second listen! Back in 2003, Sugarplum—with Thomas on drums and James on bass (yes, the very same lineup as Squire now!)—recorded a version of Manual Scan’s ‘Confidence and Love’ for a tribute album.
Of course, Manual Scan with Kevin Ring and Bart Mendoza emerged from San Diego and later evolved into The Shambles, but the key songwriter is the ever-energetic Bart Mendoza, a true stalwart of the Southern California mod scene in the 1980s—and still a hugely influential and enthusiastic music figure today.
Confidence and Love is a great song, and our version even includes a particularly effective ocarina solo. You don’t hear many of those!
As a special bonus, you can also see the song performed live in London - at the Dublin Castle Sugarplum gig!
We hope you enjoy both songs, and both versions!!
And to make this newsletter edition extra special, we’re offering a 2-for-1 deal on the The Place I Used To Live / Over You Squire single to the first 10 buyers! You’ll receive both the green vinyl and yellow vinyl copies for the price of one! Especially for our 'Over You' surprise! - our version is good too!
All the best from
Squire