Glenn Tilbrook

Glenn Tilbrook, serving as singer and composer, joined lyricist and guitarist Chris Difford to steer Squeeze, among the most respected and enduring groups to arise during the new wave period. The pair, often likened to the Lennon and McCartney of their time, produced an intelligent and refined strain of pop whose critical esteem far outstripped its sales results, although numbers such as "Pulling Mussels (From the Shell)," "Tempted," and "Black Coffee in Bed" continue as enduring cult standards. Born in London on August 31, 1957, Tilbrook began lessons on guitar and piano at age six and delivered his first public performance at thirteen during a neighborhood talent contest. Songwriting and stage work with Difford commenced in 1973, and Squeeze came together the next year; their John Cale-produced, self-titled debut album arrived in 1978 and included the modest success "Take Me, I'm Yours." Cool for Cats, issued in 1979, delivered Squeeze's initial U.K. chart impact by sending both the title track and "Up the Junction" to number two. Argybargy followed with smaller entries "Another Nail in My Heart" and "Pulling Mussels (From the Shell)," yet raised the band's profile through Difford's sharp, erudite lyrics and Tilbrook's taut, inventive melodies.

East Side Story, widely viewed as Squeeze's pinnacle, appeared in 1981 and supplied the group's strongest U.S. single yet in the striking "Tempted." Although Sweets from a Stranger reached the U.S. Top 40 in 1982 thanks to "Black Coffee in Bed," mounting fatigue prompted the band's dissolution shortly afterward. The 1983 compilation Singles 45's and Under ultimately attained platinum status. Tilbrook promptly resumed work with Difford, crafting material for former Squeeze member Jools Holland plus Paul Young, Billy Bremner, and Helen Shapiro. The duo also staged Labelled with Love, a brief 1983 theatrical production drawn from their catalog. A 1984 self-titled album credited to Difford and Tilbrook surfaced as well, yet they reformed Squeeze the following year for Cosi Fan Tutti Frutti. Babylon and On, released in 1987, became their most successful U.S. album, placing "Hourglass" and "853-5937" inside the Top 40, while later projects drew mainly their loyal audience.

Throughout the 1990s Tilbrook contributed to recordings by Aimee Mann and the Soft Boys' Kimberley Rew. He launched his solo path with the late-2000 single "Parallel World" on his Quixotic Records imprint. The next year brought another single, "This Is Where You Ain't," along with the debut full-length The Incomplete Glenn Tilbrook, which incorporated tracks co-written with Aimee Mann ("Observatory") and Ron Sexsmith ("You See Me"). The 2006 documentary and concert DVD Glenn Tilbrook: One for the Road documented his 2001 North American tour. In 2007 Tilbrook undertook a third Squeeze reunion tour and issued the first two installments of a planned five-volume series of remastered demos, The Past Has Been Bottled and In the Sky Above. He assembled a fresh ensemble in 2008, releasing the four-track teaser Binga Bong! under the name Glenn Tilbrook & the Fluffers. Their initial album, Pandemonium Ensues, followed in March 2009 and included appearances by Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis, though not on the same track.

Tilbrook and Difford rejoined in 2010 to record fresh renditions of Squeeze favorites on the playfully titled Spot the Difference and to launch a reunion tour. The 2011 project The Co-Operative paired Tilbrook with Nine Below Zero. Over the ensuing years the duo prepared fresh Squeeze material while Tilbrook advanced his solo work, resulting in Happy Ending, which surfaced in April 2014.