Some Fantastic Place

SQUEEZE : "Some Fantastic Place" (A&M)

Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook's place in the pantheon of British songwriting greats is undisputed. A succession of ultra-smart and melodically memorable post-Punk singles culminated in the triumph of 1981's East Side Story, a masterful distillation of styles which at times conjured up images of Ray Davies and Elvis Costello taking on Lennon & McCartney in a game of doubles tennis, such was the criss-crossing of lyrical and musical reference points.

Since then the pair have maintained their own impeccable standards, with each successive outing boasting at least a handful of songs worthy of joining their canon, even if the overall feeling left by each album is one of incompleteness and that sense of 'nearly but not quite there' is again the case with Some Fantastic Place. The opening trio of 'Everything In The World', 'Some Fantastic Place' and 'Third Rail' raise expectations that Squeeze might just be able to forge a fully consistent collection to erase the disappointment of 1991's Play but just as those biting choruses and sharp lyrics are logging themselves into the memory banks, along comes a trudging Pub Soul nonentity in the shape of 'Loving You Tonight', and you know what, good singer undoubtedly as Paul Carrack is - he did after all star on the majestic 'Tempted' - the spell of Tilbrook's voice is broken and it becomes almost a foregone conclusion that the band are playing for the draw yet again.

'Cold Shoulder' lifts proceedings briefly, Chris Difford blowing a chill wind through an already bleak and desolate love song with the line "Like a slaughtered cow in a butcher's fridge" while 'Images Of Loving' is an affectionate reminiscence which gets the unreserved thumbs-up for its reference to The Beach Boys' 'I Just Wasn't Made For These Times'. Unfortunately then the evils of band democracy rear their ugly head as, amazingly, bassist Keith Wilkinson steps forward to write and sing the cringe-inducing 'True Colours (The Storm)', a low point which almost sours the album completely.

So Squeeze, as has been so often the case in the past decade, shine briefly and brightly before succumbing to workmanlike respectability. Still, five of the eleven songs here could sit proudly in any greatest hits live set in a suitable venue. In fact, I think I could just about manage to sit through a couple of Midnights At The Olympia in this band's company. Over to you, Dennis!

• George Byrne