Reunited British pop-rockers Squeeze will deliver a new 14-track best-of this summer featuring “all their classic hits re-recorded in a way so painstakingly faithful to the originals that they challenge you to spot the difference,” according to a statement from the band.
Titled, naturally, Spot the Difference, the compilation is due out Aug. 3 in the U.S. on Anchor & Hope Music, and features Squeeze favorites such as “Goodbye Girl,” “Up the Junction,” “Cool for Cats,” “Black Coffee in Bed” and “Tempted,” the latter of which even features former keyboardist Paul Carrack reprising his vocal (see full tracklist below).
Squeeze’s announcement of the Spot the Difference album doesn’t really explain why the band is re-recording its past hits, other than stating, “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.”
However, it’s not uncommon for artists to re-record their old material in an effort to regain ownership. As Wang Chung’s Nick Feldman told the New York Times in 2007, “To re-record our back catalog is a way of empowering ourselves. We can be much more selective about where these songs end up and how much we charge for them.”
As we’ve previously reported, the current incarnation of Squeeze — Glenn Tilbrook, Chris Difford, Stephen Large, John Bentley and Simon Hanson — is touring the U.S. this summer with both Cheap Trick and The English Beat. In the fall, the band returns home for its Spot the Difference U.K. tour, featuring The Lightning Seeds.
See Squeeze’s ‘Spot the Difference’ tracklist, tour dates and video below…
Tracklist: Squeeze, Spot the Difference
1. “Another Nail In My Heart”
2. “Black Coffee In Bed”
3. “Cool For Cats”
4. “Goodbye Girl”
5. “Hourglass”
6. “Is That Love”
7. “Labeled With Love”
8. “Loving You Tonight”
9 .”Pulling Mussels (From the Shel)l”
10. “Slap & Tickle”
11. “Some Fantastic Place”
12. “Take Me I’m Yours”
13. “Tempted”
14. “Up The Junction”
Squeeze tour dates:
U.K.
June 10: Isle of Wight Festival, Isle of Wight, UK
July 2: The Assembly, Leamington, UK
July 3: Cornbury Festival, Charlbury, Oxfordshire, UK
U.S.
July 9: LC Outdoor Amphitheatre, Columbus OH*
July 10: Ravinia Festival, Highland Park, IL*
July 13: Radio City Music Hall, New York, NY*
July 14: Bank of America Pavilion, Boston, MA*
July 16: Mann Center, Philadelphia, PA*
July 17: Meadowbrook Pavilion, Gilford, NH*
July 18: State Theater, New Brunswick, NJ*
July 21: Pabst Theater, Milwaukee, WI**
July 22: Zoo Amphitheatre, Minneapolis, MN**
July 25: Ogden Theatre, Denver, CO**
July 27: Crown Theater, Las Vegas, NV**
July 28: Gibson Amphitheatre, Los Angeles, CA**
July 30: Mountain Winery, Saratoga, CA**
July 31: Uptown Theatre, Napa, CA**
*With Cheap Trick
**With The English Beat
SPOT THE DIFFERENCE U.K. TOUR***
Nov. 14: O2 Academy, Bournemouth, UK
Nov. 15: Hexagon, Reading, UK
Nov. 16: Colston Hall, Bristol, UK
Nov. 18: St. David’s Hall, Cardiff, UK
Nov. 19: Royal Centre, Nottingham, UK
Nov. 20: O2 Academy, Sheffield, UK
Nov. 22: Aberdeen Music Hall, Aberdeen, UK
Nov. 23: O2 Academy, Glasgow, UK
Nov. 25: Newcastle City Hall, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
Nov. 26: O2 Academy, Leeds, UK
Nov. 27: Apollo, Manchester, UK
Nov. 29: Liverpool Philharmonic, Liverpool, UK
Nov. 30: Birmingham Symphony Hall, Birmingham, UK
Dec. 2: Corn Exchange, Cambridge, UK
Dec. 3: University of East Anglia (U.E.A.), Norwich, UK
Dec. 4: Plymouth Pavillions, Plymouth, UK
Dec. 6: Southampton Guildhall, Southampton, UK
Dec. 7: Brighton Dome, Brighton, UK
Dec. 9: Indigo2, London, UK
Dec. 10: HMV Forum, London, UK
Dec. 11: O2 Shepherds Bush Empire, London, UK
Dec. 12: O2 Shepherds Bush Empire, London, UK
***All fall U.K. dates with The Lightning Seeds
PREVIOUSLY ON SLICING UP EYEBALLS
- Squeeze, Blondie each co-headlining U.S. shows with Cheap Trick this summer
- New releases: David Byrne/Fatboy Slim, Robyn Hitchcock; Squeeze reissue
