Billy Squier - Don't Say No

A few years ago I wrote about Emotions in Motion and relayed a story about “The Stroke” and my friend Gord that I’m going to repeat here for those who missed it the first time. This is as good a place as any to start, so here we go.

One of my more shameful recollections involves my buddy Gord (I always blame Gord for shit like this), who was in town visiting. We decided to hang out at the Dairy Queen. We were goofing around and generally acting like teenage idiots when in walked David Mainse, the guy who used to be on 100 Huntley Street here in Canada.

Of course, there was a jukebox in the Dairy Queen, and while poor Mister Mainse sat there eating his lunch, we played “The Stroke” over, and over, and over. Please note the restraint I’ve shown in avoiding a needless masturbation joke ... it was hard. Yeah, not a proud moment, but at the time we thought we were hilarious. Yes, I know I missed my chance to work in a Dilly Bar reference, but I can’t think of everything. More to the point, thinking in general is a struggle. I’m just happy to string sentences together, even if they don’t always make sense.

Anyway, I hopped on the bandwagon, along with a lot of other people, when Billy released Don’t Say No in 1981. “The Stroke” was a masterclass in the double entendre, powered by a relentlessly infectious riff. It was - and still is - so much fun.

For a while, I thought Don’t Say No was his debut, until I saw The Tale of the Tape - an album I looked at many times and put back just as many in the early ’80s. Spoiler: I never did get it when I should have (I have it now, got it years ago, but not when it really mattered). Which is still a mystery to me because after Don’t Say No I bought everything Billy released as it came out, all the way through his excellent acoustic album Happy Blue in ’98.

I didn’t buy Don’t Say No right away. Instead, I bought the single, which was unusual because I was never really a singles guy. Although back in ’81 I remember picking up a couple: “Gemini Dream” by The Moody Blues and Billy Squier’s “The Stroke.” I don’t remember the B-side to “Gemini Dream,” but Billy's “Too Daze Gone” was, to me, every bit as good as the A-side.

That was the hook, and soon after I bought the record. Oddly enough, I didn’t really like it as much as you’d think - or as much as I thought I would. I still cannot recreate the conditions that formed my early opinion of the album. I remember Gord and me talking about it, and we both agreed “The Stroke” was awesome and “Too Daze Gone” was solid, but the rest?

Filler.

I actually dismissed the rest as filler.

What.Was.I.Thinking?

Over the years Don’t Say No has stood the test of time, and to me, it should be considered a classic album. Coming out in ’81, as rock was trying to figure out how to escape the ’70s, Billy seemed to double down on those ’70s riff roots while incorporating just enough new to give him a rather distinct sound. The guitars were bright and crunchy (so tasty). There weren’t any unnecessary effects or processing ... just plugged in and loud.

Bobby Chouinard’s drums were on point. In many ways, he was the secret sauce that propelled the songs forward without pushing them. Over all of this was Billy’s voice. There are a handful of voices in rock that stand out. Billy knew where his sweet spot was and, good gravy, he milked it for all it was worth - creamy goodness (um, I blame “The Stroke” for completing these terrible thoughts).

The sheer number of killer tracks on Don't Say No is kind of mind-boggling. Even the songs I once sneeringly referred to as filler were so good. I was going to say that “You Know What I Like” was more of a filler tune compared to many of the others, but oddly, as I started writing this sentence, the song came on and I had to change my mind. Same thing with the album’s title track ... it’s one of the weaker songs on the album, but it’s still a good song.

Billy should have been a king through the ’80s. I looked for his albums as they came (get your mind out of the gutter) out, but each one seemed to perform worse than the last. His fan base was loyal, but too small. I know they say size doesn’t matter ... sometimes it does.

To me, Billy was always a big deal.

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