''Cool for Cats'' is the second studio album by the English new wave group Squeeze, released in 1979. ''Cool for Cats'' contains four UK hit

singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...

, more than any other album the band has issued. The album peaked at number 45 in the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...

, spending 11 weeks in that listing. Its 1997 CD release, as part of the '' Six of One...'' box set contained two bonus tracks. This collection included the band's first six studio albums, each digitally remastered. In 1998 the six CDs were released individually. In 2007, the album was digitally remastered and released with 5 bonus tracks exclusively in Japan. Each of the 5 tracks came from B-sides from the singles released from the album.

Content

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' said ''Cool for Cats'' was a " hard-rocking" album with "hard-edged

power pop Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, an energetic performance, and ch ...

". Alluding to the record, Steven Thomas Erlewine of ''AllMusic'' described ''Cool for Cats'' as "the work of a

rock & roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm an ...

band ..that lathered on the

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

and herky-jerky rhythms".

Critical reception

In 1979, ''Billboard'' selected ''Cool for Cats'' as one of its "recommended LPs" and cited "Slap and Tickle", "Hop, Skip & Jump", "Up the Junction", and "It's So Dirty" as the album's "best cuts". Reviewing the album in '' Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies'' (1981),

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...

wrote: "

Power pop Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, an energetic performance, and ch ...

pers (remember them?) suck this stuff up, and I understand why—not only does its songcraft surpass that of the band's debut, but it also isn't quite as sophomoric. It's sophomoric enough, though, and like so many such records makes you wonder where the power is. Not in the vision, that's for sure. And not in the beat. Great song: 'Up the Junction.'" In 1995, Chris Woodstra proclaimed ''Cool for Cats'' to be a "pure pop masterpiece" in the ''All Music Guide to Rock''.

Track listing

All songs written by

Chris Difford Christopher Henry Difford (born 4 November 1954) is an English singer, musician, songwriter and record producer. He is a founding member and songwriter of the rock group Squeeze. Musical career Born in Greenwich, London, Difford has written ly ...

and

Glenn Tilbrook Glenn Martin Tilbrook (born 31 August 1957) is the lead singer and guitarist of the English band Squeeze, a band formed in the mid-1970s who broke through in the new wave era at the decade's end. He generally wrote the music for Squeeze's son ...

except "Hop, Skip & Jump", by Difford and

Jools Holland Julian Miles Holland, (born 24 January 1958) is an English pianist, bandleader, singer, composer and television presenter. He was an original member of the band Squeeze and has worked with many artists including Jayne County, Sting, Eric C ...

. # " Slap and Tickle" – 4:00 # "Revue" – 2:30 # "Touching Me Touching You" – 2:25 # "It's Not Cricket" – 2:35 # "It's So Dirty" – 3:11 # "The Knack" – 4:34 # "Hop, Skip & Jump" – 2:46 # "

Up the Junction ''Up the Junction'' is a 1963 collection of short stories by Nell Dunn that depicts contemporary life in the industrial slums of Battersea and Clapham Junction. The book uses colloquial speech, and its portrayal of petty thieving, sexual encoun ...

" – 3:12 # "Hard to Find" – 3:37 # "Slightly Drunk" – 2:41 # " Goodbye Girl" – 3:08 # " Cool for Cats" – 3:39

Bonus tracks (1997 reissue)

"I Must Go" – 2:16 # "Ain't It Sad" – 3:29

Bonus tracks (2007 Japanese remaster)

(Note: These bonus tracks precede the 1997 bonus tracks on the album.) # "Saints Alive" – 2:30 # "All's Well" – 2:27 # "Christmas Day" – 3:53 # "Going Crazy" – 3:53 # "Blood and Guts" – 5:01

Personnel

Squeeze *

– keyboards, lead guitars, vocals *

– keyboards, vocals (7) *

– rhythm guitars, vocals * Harri Kakoulli – bass *

Gilson Lavis David Leslie Gilson Lavis ( , born 27 June 1951, Bedford, England) is an English drummer and portrait artist. He gained fame as the drummer with band Squeeze in the 1970s and 80s. Lavis is currently the drummer for Jools Holland's Rhythm and ...

– drums Production and Technical * Squeeze – producers, arrangements * John Wood – producer, arrangements * Brian Humphries – engineer * Andrew Lumm – engineer * Laurence Burrage – assistant engineer * Michael Ross – art direction * Geoff Halpin – original sleeve design *

Jeffrey Kent Ayeroff Jeffrey Kent Ayeroff (born January 20, 1947) is an American record executive who has worked for A&M, Warner Records, Virgin U.S., Work Group, Apple, and Shangri-La Music. He founded Rock the Vote in 1990 in response to a censorship campaign aga ...

– artwork *

Janette Beckman Janette Beckman is a British documentary photographer who currently lives in New York City. Beckman describes herself as a documentary photographer. While she produces a lot of work on location (such as the cover of The Police album ''Zenyatta ...

– photography * Mark Hanauer – photography * Chuck Beeson – cover design * Cindy Marsh – illustrations * Glenn Tilbrook – digital remastering * Roger Wake – digital remastering

Charts

Certifications

References

External links

Album summary
{{Authority control Squeeze (band) albums 1979 albums A&M Records albums Albums produced by John Wood (record producer) Albums recorded at Olympic Sound Studios