Billy Squier
Many point to Billy Squier as early-'80s rock personified -- an era when he and many of his peers tempered hard rock with pop melodicism -- and by adding just the right amount of posing and posturing for the newly constructed MTV set, he scored a string of arena rock anthems and power ballads. But Squier did not enjoy overnight success -- it took many years and several failed bands before he hit paydirt as a solo artist. Born on May 12, 1950, in Wellesley, Massachusetts, Squier began playing piano and guitar at an early age, but didn't become serious with music until discovering Eric Clapton (via the renowned British guitarist's stints with John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers and Cream) in the late '60s and deciding to pursue music full-time. After playing in several local bands in the Boston area, Squier spent the early '70s moving back and forth between Boston and New York City, during which time he contributed to a troupe that combined music with poetry (called Magic Terry & the Universe), attended the Berklee College of Music, and played in a pair of rock groups (N.Y.C.'s Kicks, which included future New York Dolls drummer Jerry Nolan, and Boston's the Sidewinders).
But it wasn't until Squier's next band, Piper, that the singer/guitarist fronted a group that inked a recording contract, issuing a pair of underappreciated albums for A&M (1976's self-titled debut and 1977's Can't Wait), before splitting up. Undeterred, Squier soldiered on as a solo act, issuing his solo debut, Tale of the Tape, in 1980, which spawned a moderate rock radio hit with "You Should Be High Love," setting the stage perfectly for his big commercial breakthrough. Looking to the bombastic rock of early Led Zeppelin for inspiration, Squier's sophomore release, Don't Say No, became a monster hit on the strength of the Zep carbon copy "The Stroke," as well as such other rock radio staples as "In the Dark," "My Kinda Lover," and "Lonely Is the Night," all of which enjoyed heavy rotation on the newly founded MTV, helping Squier expand his audience even further.
Squier's hit parade continued with 1982's Emotions in Motion, another big release that spawned an additional monster radio/MTV hit with "Everybody Wants You." He supported the album with a tour of U.S. arenas (with an up-and-coming Def Leppard opening). But on his next release, the 1984 Jim Steinman-produced Signs of Life, Squier hit a snag in his career. Although the album was another sizeable U.S. hit, the video for the album's single, "Rock Me Tonite," alienated some of Squier's hardcore rock following, as the singer was filmed flamboyantly prancing around his apartment in time to the music (and in a moment of great delight, ripping off his shirt) -- resulting in the clip often being considered one of the most inadvertently hilarious videos of all time.
Squier continued to issue albums throughout the '80s (including such titles as 1986's Enough Is Enough and 1989's Hear & Now), but it wasn't enough to prevent his audience from moving on to such younger, similarly styled acts as Bon Jovi and Mötley Crüe, as the hits eventually dried up. Squier continued to release albums in the '90s (1991's Creatures of Habit, 1993's Tell the Truth, and 1998's Happy Blue), but the hard rock audience, who became more interested in such unpretentious rockers as Nirvana, had deemed the majority of '80s rockers passé.
© Greg Prato /TiVo
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Don't Say No (Remastered 2010)
Rock - Erschienen bei CAPITOL CATALOG MKT (C92) am 01.01.1981
24-Bit 192.0 kHz - Stereo -
Emotions In Motion
Rock - Erschienen bei CAPITOL CATALOG MKT (C92) am 01.01.1982
24-Bit 192.0 kHz - Stereo -
The Stroke (Safari Riot Remix)
Rock - Erschienen bei CAPITOL CATALOG MKT (C92) am 24.02.2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Signs Of Life
Rock - Erschienen bei Capitol Records am 01.01.1984
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Tale Of The Tape
Rock - Erschienen bei Capitol Records am 01.01.1980
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Creatures Of Habit
Rock - Erschienen bei Capitol Records am 01.01.1991
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Hear And Now
Rock - Erschienen bei Capitol Records am 30.08.1989
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Love Is The Hero
Rock - Erschienen bei Spirit Music - Billy Squier am 27.09.1986
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Christmas Is the Time to Say "I Love You"
Weihnachtsmusik - Erschienen bei Capitol Records am 01.12.1983
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Absolute Hits
Rock - Erschienen bei Capitol Records am 01.01.2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Harder On A Woman
Rock - Erschienen bei Spirit Music - Billy Squier am 08.03.2023
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Happy Blue
Rock - Erschienen bei Spirit Music - Billy Squier am 15.09.1998
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Powerhouse (Safari Riot Remix)
Pop - Erschienen bei CAPITOL CATALOG MKT (C92) am 25.08.2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Essential Billy Squier
Rock - Erschienen bei Capitol Records am 01.01.2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Don't Say No (Remastered 2010)
Rock - Erschienen bei Capitol Records am 01.01.1981
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Emotions In Motion
Rock - Erschienen bei Capitol Records am 01.01.1982
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tell The Truth
Rock - Erschienen bei Capitol Records am 03.03.1993
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Enough Is Enough
Rock - Erschienen bei Capitol Records am 27.09.1986
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Best Of Billy Squier/16 Strokes
Rock - Erschienen bei Capitol Records am 01.01.1995
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Past Perfect
Rock - Erschienen bei UME - Global Clearing House am 12.03.2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Stroke (Phillip Steir Remix)
Rock - Erschienen bei CAPITOL CATALOG MKT (C92) am 04.10.2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo