Hi and welcome to the latest Squire newsletter where we share news of a new record release and the remarkable story of the record!
Hi-Lo Records is thrilled to announce the release of a never-before-heard mono mix of Squire's 1984 mini-album September Gurls, in honour of its 40th anniversary. This special edition vinyl also celebrates the 50th anniversary of Big Star's original 1974 recording of "September Gurls," from their Radio City album, a track that has long stood as a quintessential power pop classic.
Thank you to everyone who pre-ordered the album so far. It is now in stock, looks fantastic, and is shipping now!
We have pressed 200 copies of the clear/red splatter vinyl, and 100 of the classic black vinyl, making it a must-have collector’s item for fans of both Squire and Big Star. Click on the images below to go to the product pages.
Our bold decision to cover Alex Chilton's "September Gurls" in 1984—years before Big Star’s influence was widely recognised—was a defining moment for us. It marked a pivotal shift in our sound.
We were following up from the vibrant baroque pop of Get Smart!, where we had expanded our previous mod pop sound to incorporate instrumentation such as brass, strings, harpsichords, marimbas et al. to create an extravaganza of ideas.
For Get Smart!, we created a soundscape that captured both UK and US sounds by mixing in London and Los Angeles, and choosing the most appropriate version for each song, and in doing so, we had stumbled into an appreciation of the differences between how the two continents produced pop music for their different audiences.
Indeed, our international adventures had led us to discover countless examples of brilliant songwriting by bands that had remained hidden from view, much like ourselves! We decided to pay homage to these unsung heroes by recording our own versions of some of these amazing songs.
We pursued this idea of blending our mod revival roots with American power pop sensibilities to make a record that we hoped would resonate with our overseas fans who had embraced us, not as revivalists but as creators of infectious melodies and with lyrics that celebrated the energy of youthful yearning and adventure that appeals to music lovers universally. We found we were being appreciated by a wide range of fans who had heard us on American college radio, and influential shows like Rodney Bingenheimer’s KROQ show. Indeed, Anthony had performed live on his show in 1983.
Our songs not only captured the influence of mod iconography, but placed characters amongst the mundanity of British life. But these images conjured up stories of exotic locations when heard from afar! Places we took for granted like ‘Kings Road’ and ‘Carnaby Street’, activities like saturday shopping, riding trains etc. blended elements of fantasy and reality and became mythical symbols of a distant world. For those who could only imagine it, especially in the pre-internet days, the lack of instant access or information heightened that mystique, transforming the everyday into something magical.
Hence this latest album was intended as a bridge to a new wider audience, embracing the influence not only of British pop, but our encounters with the American independent pop scene, with songs that resonated with our own unique sound. And rather than distance ourselves from the mod iconography or Britishness, it became a unique point of view from the perspective of an international stage.
Alex Chilton's "September Gurls", originally recorded by Big Star in 1974, became the catalyst for this new direction. Hearing that track for the first time was a revelation, sparking a quest to uncover more hidden gems of guitar pop.
Two other examples "Boys Don't Lie" by The Shoes and "Tired Of Hiding" by The Clones, exemplified the definition of overlooked pop masterpieces. These songs, along with the Squire originals "Debbie Jones" which captured the black and white ‘kitchen sink’ drama of leaving home,
The sessions were a whirlwind compared to the extended recording of Get Smart, and September Gurls was completed within a week. The album mixing sessions, where the tracks were imagined as a collection of singles, was designed to highlight the contrast between the expansive production style of the 1980s and the raw intimacy of classic mono radio singles. So rather than combining American and British mixes on the same record, as we had for Get Smart, we decided to offer listeners both stereo and mono versions of each recording to showcase the unique strengths of each format, highlighting the difference between wide stereo productions, resplendent with all the latest sounds such as the AMS16 Digital Reverb (the sonic signature of the era), and the focused British pop soundscape, familiar to audiences accustomed to broadcasts over mono transistor radios and television sets with single-speaker playback. We imagined the outcome similar to how The Beatles had recorded first in mono, and then had produced, often with them not in attendance, a stereo version of the record as well, creating two completely different experiences.
However, while the familiar stereo version of September Gurls has been available since 1984 and was expanded in 2019 to include additional tracks, the mono version has remained unheard – until now.
This new mono mix release captures the raw energy and vibrancy of Squire’s live sound. highlighting the vocals, jangly guitar work, and the tight, mod-inspired instrumentation that made Squire stand out during the mod revival era. Following on from the recording sessions, we expanded the line up to a four piece sound for live concerts, to be able to play these new songs, and the experience was a much more powerful sound with greater musical potential.
We are thrilled to present this mono mix of September Gurls for the very first time, offering a unique listening experience that focuses all elements in the centre and creates a sound reminiscent of classic 1960s records. By naming the mini-album after the Big Star's song, we not only paid homage to one of our key influences of the time, but we hope we also helped bring Big Star’s underground legacy into the UK’s thriving power pop scene.
We hope you enjoy the charm and intimacy of this classic album as it was meant to be heard. Back to Mono!
The artwork for this special edition revisits the expanded edition for inspiration!
Designed again by Paul Bevoir, who has been together with us on Squires journey since the early days, the sleeve depicts bass, drums and guitar, with some subtle references for you to explore!
The back sleeve emphasises the mono and monochromatic themes and nods to the sonic heritage of the album, with its oblique reference to the flip side of The Beatles ‘Revolver’ LP!
Indeed, the guitar dominant sound is more reminiscent of The Beatles Revolver than their subsequent Sgt Pepper, which Get Smart! perhaps takes as a model.
And as Lennon famously exclaimed, ‘'You haven't heard Sergeant Pepper if you haven't heard it in mono!" The mono Sgt Pepper is often described as ‘The Who play Pepper’. Well, if you haven’t heard September Gurls in mono, you’re in for a treat!
In the same vein as The Beatles albums, the Squire tracks were conceived and assembled as mono soundscapes, and although the stereo versions became The Beatles enduring legacy, it is the mono version that provides the key to the energy and interplay in the backing track that drives their songs. And the same goes for our tracks. The unheard monophonic version of Debbie Jones provides the perfect example of the tense wound-up energy within the song that explodes in the coda, perhaps missing in the stereo version, where the expansive reverb and soundscape adds drama to the drum sound, but dilutes the raw emotion and character of the guitar which is panned to the side. In mono it jumps out of the speakers in the centre and the overall impression is listening to the song as if its being played directly to you, with the intimacy that you may be familiar with if you’ve ever seen Squire live -raw, urgent, spontaneous, melodic, exciting, dramatic and fun!!
You can have a listen to it here!
"To enjoy the full album, make sure you're logged into your Spotify account!"
All the best from Squire!