Squeeze

Squeeze was the fifth (and last) studio album to be released under the Velvet Underground name. It was primarily written and recorded by singer-guitarist Doug Yule in a London recording studio, following the departures of Lou Reed and Sterling Morrison. Maureen Tucker, while still technically the band’s drummer at this time, was not involved in the recording, reportedly due to cost-cutting measures. The sessions had the help of Deep Purple drummer Ian Paice, with additional occasional saxophone and backing singer assistance.

Squeeze was recorded in the autumn of 1972 and released in the United Kingdom, France, Germany (1973) and Spain (1974). No singles were taken off it and the album did not chart. Yule assembled a backing band to tour the UK 1972 to promote the upcoming album (a live recording from this tour is included on the 2001 live box set Final V.U. (1971-1973).

Squeeze saw a number of re-issues in France during the 1970s and early 1980s. It has been out of print since, and has not been issued on compact disc. The status of Squeeze in the Velvet Underground’s recorded canon is generally regarded as dubious; the 1995 boxed set Peel Slowly and See includes the four studio albums from the Lou Reed era of the band, but excludes Squeeze. In liner notes, David Fricke dismisses Squeeze as “an embarrassment to the VU discography.”