Squeeze - Domino

An album they came to regret

Squeeze have produced some terrific albums in the 500 years they've been with us, from the punchy "Cool For Cats" to the beautiful "Play". Sadly, this really isn't one of them.

I read a couple of interviews Difford and Tilbrook gave after the release of "Ridiculous", their previous (and infinitely better) recording. They had a theme in common - branching out, doing something different, maybe even a little daring. What they ended up giving us in fact was a tired-sounding re-hash of an earlier style (it reminded me in parts of "Sweets From A Stranger"). They'd also given the impression in these interviews that they were frustrated at not making more of an impact on the charts. "Domino" offered nothing that would have got close to a top-twenty hit (although "Bonkers" and the title track could have done decently enough with a lot more work and a bit of sparkle).

After a string of superb studio albums including "Play", "Some Fantastic Place" and "Ridiculous", I was disappointed to see that the last thing they produced before splitting up and saying 'never again' was one of their worst. In the book "Squeeze: Song By Song" both Glenn and Chris said basically the same thing. This album shouldn't have been made; or should have been made better.

I was actually a little saddened that instead of choosing to carry on and redeem themselves with far superior material, or choosing to go out on a real high note such as "Ridiculous", one of the best bands ever to brighten our airwaves gave us something mediocre to try to forget rather than remember them by, and dissolved into in-fighting after a creative low.

I'll remember Squeeze by all the wonderful singles I bought, I'll remember them by those fantastic albums they gave us, and I'll remember them from going to half a dozen of their live shows, and loving them. I just worry that an album that would normally be branded 'forgettable' will linger on in the memory for longer than I, my friends, and the band themselves would want it to. October 16, 2008

Squeeze - Closes Out The 90's With A Pleasent Little Album

I finally had the chance to see Squeeze live on this tour, so I picked up this album prior to the show. Chris Difford did not tour, but does appear on the album. I don't have any other Squeeze studio albums so there is not much I can compare this to. I find it to be a pleasant album that grew on me with continued listens. There are several really good tracks to be found here including "Domino", "To Be A Dad", "In The Morning" and the rather menacing "Short Break". The rest of the tracks are all at least decent as well. The album was released on the small Quixotic label and probably did not get the distribution that it deserved. "Domino" came and went from the shelves fairly quickly, so it may have been overlooked by fans of the band. April 13, 2008

A disappointing end.

What a disappointment. Domino sounds bland, boring and depressing. This from a band that brought such colour to the music scene from the late 70s right through to the superb Ridiculous in 1995. Apart from the odd exception like "In the Morning", this album sounds like a group that has lost the the ability to craft a great song.

Play, Some Fantastic Place and Ridiculous were three of the best albums of the 90s by any group. Domino is very poor by comparison, and its lack of quality reflected the fact the group was falling apart by this stage. April 5, 2008

It does have it's Charms

This will never go down as a classic Squeeze CD, it does have it's charms though.I think that some people dislike this CD and even the later releases from Squeeze due to the fact that they stopped rocking as much and their earlier releases had wild zany moments to them.For the most part their later releases were more whisper than scream.That being said Difford and Tilbrook whisper with the best of them.Domino starts out well with the rocking Play On and Bonkers is typical Squeeze fun and What's wrong with this picture is a great song but after that it loses a little steam for me. Without you here is a great wonderful,beautiful song that I can listen to time and time again without getting tired of it.In my opinion it alone is worth the price of this Cd.These guys have never put out a bad Cd but then again they never returned to quite the level of their pre-break-up days,but Ridiculous and Frank are both 4+ star Cd's and I highly recommend both of them even though it took a few listens to really get into Ridiculous. July 21, 2005

A fine farewell

I think Squeeze probably should have called it quits after PLAY, but DOMINO really comes forth as a shining album. The production and the musicianship is fantastic and when I first heard it, I thought this is just what they need...some fresh blood to kick things up a notch! But, upon reflection, this was a good way to end Squeeze. DOMINO has Squeeze going out on top, rather than with an album that leaves you wanting more (like RIDICULOUS & SOME FANTASTIC PLACE). June 18, 2004

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