Squire - The Singles Album - Vinyl LP with special insert
Limited edition version of The Singles Album includes special bonus insert with additional sleeve notes.
As Anthony Meynell says on the notes to this album's reissue, "Squire started life as a singles band, and the opportunity of releasing an album did not arise until we had released 4 singles (Get Ready To Go, Walking Do The Kings Road, The Face of Youth Today and My Mind Goes Round In Circles). Such was the backlog of unrecorded songs, there did not seem any point in repeating the singles on the albums, as every separate release was an opportunity to record a new song!", so the band's policy was not to include the same takes used as singles in their albums, and here they are in the way they were meant to be heard when dee-jayed at the club allnighters, just as they appeared on their singles.
"By 1983 and release of the Get Smart album, we had released a further two singles (No Time Tomorrow and Girl On A Train), making six in total, but most had been deleted and were un-available. Even the recent ones had sold out of stock, and re-pressing an old single was viewed as a missed opportunity of releasing a new single! So this was the driving force behind releasing the Singles Album. A compilation of all the Squire singles would make a phenomenal album, and as the 'B' sides were usually as strong as the 'A' sides, there was already enough material for a whole album."- Anthony Meynell
A1 - Mind Goes Round In Circles
A2 - Walking Down The King's Road
A3 - September Gurls
A4 - Does Stephanie Know
A5 - I Know A Girl
A6 - Girl On A Train
B1 - No Time Tomorrow
B2 - The Face Of Youth Today
B3 - Every Trick (In The Book Of Love)
B4 - Don't Cry To Me
B5 - It's A Mod Mod World
B6 - Get Ready To Go
When the Jam moved up from punk upstarts to mod statesmen in 1979, the British kids turned to other mod outfits to satisfy their craving for everything well-dressed and retro. While the Chords followed in the Jam's footsteps, the three other main contenders for the mod followed different musical paths: Secret Affair were a magical blend of punk, soul and pop with a mild dose of prog; the Lambrettas were straightforward power pop; and Squire were a mix of all of the above and more. In fact, if the mod scene hadn't existed, Squire would have still made brilliant, timeless records, no matter what was going on around them. While only releasing one full-fledged album (Get Smart!), singer/songwriter Anthony Meynell would embrace the '60s wholeheartedly while releasing a batch of singles that still managed to sound contemporary while exposing the many influences he wore on his sleeve. The Singles Album, originally released in 1985, features 17 moments of inspired pop genius that will appeal to fans of mod, power pop and '60s inspired ecstasy. Meynell and his mates created songs that could have easily topped the charts in the mid-'60s but were virtually ignored during the late '70s and early '80s. Making records that did not bear the stamps of modern production (synths, programmed drums, etc.) may have not helped their careers in the short run, but Squire's releases sound so much better for it more than two decades later. While some would accuse them of being mere copyists, Squire may beg, borrow and steal from the best, but they still sound like Squire! "No Time Tomorrow" borrows heavily from the Fab Four's "Tomorrow Never Knows" while tracks like "Don't Cry to Me" and "I Know a Girl" reach back to their simple Merseybeat days. "My Mind Goes Round in Circles" recalls the best of the Who's early pop epics. From the punk power of "Get Ready to Go" to the glorious Baroque pop of "Every Trick in the Book of Love," this remains one of the most cruelly overlooked compilations from the early '80s.
Stephen SPAZ Schnee. All Music Guide
