Difford & Tilbrook - Difford & Tilbrook (1984)

While Squeeze collapsed from physical and artistic exhaustion after Sweets from a Stranger, the band's songwriting duo soldiered on under the name Difford & Tilbrook for another release. Frustrated with the band's lack of commercial success -- and encouraged by the success of a similar stateside duo, Hall & Oates -- Difford & Tilbrook set out to craft an '80s contemporary blue-eyed soul record, emulating all the requisite synth washes and drum machines from early-'80s Hall & Oates albums like H2O and Private Eyes. The uncharacteristic cover shot, which features the duo in long, flowing robes and distinctly '80s big hair, played up this comparison -- this was clearly meant as a shot at the big time. All this may seem disconcerting, since Difford & Tilbrook had a distinctive style all their own and were seen as far less conventional than their American counterpart, but the album tanked on the charts precisely because it still sounded like Squeeze smothered by Tony Visconti's flat, lifeless production. This means it hasn't aged well, but is salvaged by two of the duo's best singles -- "Love's Crashing Waves" and "Hope Fell Down" -- and song-wise is a more consistent album than the schizophrenic Sweets from a Stranger. Over time, Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook would prove to be the only constant members of Squeeze anyway, making Difford & Tilbrook the lost Squeeze album and the missing puzzle piece between Sweets from a Stranger and Cosi Fan Tutti Frutti. Despite being far from the duo's best work (and it's certainly the rarest), serious fans will want to seek this out.