Squeeze | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | February 1973 | |||
Recorded | Autumn 1971 | |||
Studio | London, England | |||
Genre | Rock | |||
Length | 33:25 | |||
Label | Polydor | |||
Producer | The Velvet Underground | |||
the Velvet Underground chronology | ||||
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Squeeze is the fifth and final studio album released under the Velvet Underground band name, recorded in the autumn of 1971 and released in February 1973 by Polydor Records. The album features Doug Yule from the Lou Reed-era lineup of the group, who wrote and recorded the album almost entirely by himself. Yule had joined the Velvet Underground (replacing founding member John Cale) in October 1968, prior to the band recording their self-titled third album, and Yule had also contributed significantly to the fourth album, Loaded. Following the departures of the remaining founding members (Reed and Sterling Morrison), Yule was positioned as the de facto leader of the band. Longtime drummer Maureen Tucker was slated to appear on Squeeze by Yule, but she was dismissed by the band's manager, Steve Sesnick.
Following a brief promotional tour for the album by Yule and a backing band, Yule called it quits, bringing the Velvet Underground to an end until the 1993 reunion (from which Yule was excluded). Squeeze failed to chart and quickly fell into obscurity after its release. Nick Logan of the New Musical Express dismissed the record as "a Velvet Underground album in name only".[1][page needed] Recent years have seen a critical reevaluation, with some arguing that the album is musically overlooked.