Cool for Cats (album)


Cool for Cats is the British new wave group Squeeze's second album, released in 1979. Cool for Cats contains four UK hit singles, more than any other album the band has issued. The album peaked at number 45 in the UK Albums Chart, 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

Musical style

Billboard opined Cool for Cats to be a "hard-rocking" album on which the band " hard-edged power pop". Alluding to the record, Steven Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic described Cool for Cats as "the work of a rock & roll band that lathered on the keyboards and herky-jerky rhythms".

Critical reception

Reviewing in , Robert Christgau wrote: "Power poppers 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 1979, Billboard named " "Slap And Tickle", "Hop, Skip And Jump," "Up The Junction," and "It's So Dirty" as the albums "best cuts".
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 and Glenn Tilbrook except "Hop, Skip & Jump," by Difford and Jools Holland.
  1. "Slap and Tickle" – 4:00
  2. "Revue" – 2:30
  3. "Touching Me Touching You" – 2:25
  4. "It's Not Cricket" – 2:35
  5. "It's So Dirty" – 3:11
  6. "The Knack" – 4:34
  7. "Hop, Skip & Jump" – 2:46
  8. "Up the Junction" – 3:12
  9. "Hard to Find" – 3:37
  10. "Slightly Drunk" – 2:41
  11. "Goodbye Girl" – 3:08
  12. "Cool for Cats" – 3:39

    Bonus tracks (1997 reissue)

  14. "I Must Go" – 2:16
  15. "Ain't It Sad" – 3:29

    Bonus tracks (2007 Japanese remaster)

  16. "Saints Alive" - 2:30
  17. "All's Well" - 2:27
  18. "Christmas Day" - 3:53
  19. "Going Crazy" - 3:53
  20. "Blood And Guts" - 5:01

    Personnel

;Squeeze
;Technical
Singles
YearSingleChartPosition
1978"Goodbye Girl"UK Singles Chart63
1979"Cool for Cats"UK Singles Chart2
1979"Up the Junction"UK Singles Chart2
1979"Slap and Tickle"UK Singles Chart24

Certifications