40 years later....

1. Enough Is Enough

I know most people would rank Don’t Say No as his best album. 

I get it. It’s a perfect rock and roll record! Top to bottom.

Don’t Say No is the reason I 

became a musician. 10 seconds in and 

I knew that was it! No backup plan…

I was going to be a musician. 

But, as a musician and a 

songwriter and listening with adult ears, Enough Is Enough 

is a remarkable piece of work. 

Remember, It’s 1986 and songs like Talk Dirty To Me and You Give Love A 

Bad Name were dominating MTV 

and radio. 

I was 16 years old when 

Enough Is Enough was released. 

I loved the record from the very 

beginning and played it constantly, 

but its brilliance wasn't 

something I fully appreciated until 

years later.

Enough Is Enough was 

Billy’s “masterpiece of defiance" album. You know those 

rare moments when an 

artist is REALLY motivated, digs 

deep and 

comes up with a result that is 

nothing short of brilliant!?

Yeah, that’s this record. 

I hear it in Mark Slaughter's vocal

on All Systems Go, I hear it all 

over Sambora’s Stranger In This Town

 and I hear it on Enough Is Enough. 

When artists turn in performances 

that strong, they’re saying it 

without actually saying it. IYKYK

Listening to Enough Is Enough 

today hits differently. All We Have 

To Give, Lonely One, Til It’s Over, 

Wink Of An Eye…. Damn! 

Unfortunately, at 16, most of it flew right over my head. 

Most of my friends as well….  

This record was SO ahead of it’s time 

and the musical 

climate in 1986 was very different.  

These songs are so well thought

out and have hook after hook. 

Each song takes you on a ride

with surprising turns, melodies and 

yet ALWAYS brings you back without losing the thread. 

If you took the needle and 

dropped it in the middle of 

All We Have To Give, you’d never 

guess 

that was the same song that 

started 

“I see the world around me….” 

The way he wove all these 

different hooks together 

seamlessly, never broke 

the thread and kept you emotionally 

invested is why we’re putting 

Enough Is Enough at number 1!

This record is a masterclass 

in writing and production 

and is exceptionally well executed. 

2. Don’t Say No

This record is a perfect example 

of the right artist having the right 

record, at exactly the right time. 

Everything about it worked. 

The songs, the artwork and that 

elusive raw energy

that is so hard to capture on tape. 

Now might be a good time to mention 

Bobby Chouinard!  Bobby had an 

uncanny ability to adapt to the artist 

he’s playing for.  Billy Squier is a very

unique guitar player. His writing, 

the vibrato in his vocal, his diction, 

are all very unique and 

Bobby enhanced that.  

3. Signs Of Life

While the Tale Of The Tape and the 

two Reinhold Mack productions, 

Don’t Say No and Emotions In Motion, 

had that raw energy and feel of the 

previous decade, Signs Of Life was embracing the 80’s and 

the new technology. 

Initially, I was thrown when I first heard

this record.  I was expecting more of 

that raw Squier swagger we all love. 

It reminds me of what KISS went 

through with Destroyer. They 

released a string of raw rock records and Destroyer was slick…

It became their flagship record but, 

at the time, we weren’t sure what to 

make of it. It was similar for me 

hearing Signs Of Life 

but, the songs and performances were 

SO good that I put aside my hesitation 

in short order. 

This is another record that I didn’t 

fully grasp until I was an adult.  

I was 14 in 1984 and couldn’t fully 

appreciate what I was hearing. 

But, the songs were so immediate 

and the hooks were undeniable and 

the artwork was dope. I was in.  

I have to wonder what it must have been

 like for Billy to navigate that decade? 

Signs Of Life and Enough Is Enough 

proved he was on fire creatively, while a great deal of the music coming out of 

the 80’s was becoming more 

straightforward. 

Not to impugn their work, 

I love that stuff! But, Billy was coming 

into this creative space that very few 

experience. 

Brilliant, complex compositions that aged 

beautifully.

If he decided to tour tomorrow the 

cringe factor would be zero. To be fair, 

most of these heritage artist out touring

never expected to be singing the songs 

they wrote at 19 in their seventies. 

But, Billy’s lyrics and his point of view 

are timeless.  So, Signs Of Life is another record I rediscovered with adult ears 

and appreciate in a way that was 

impossible at 14. 

4. Emotions In Motion

I was 12 years old in 1982 and remember 

EXACTLY where I was when the radio first 

played Emotions In Motion and on the morning of July 23rd I was at the record store before they opened. 

I can only imagine my face looking at

the artwork as the owner of the store 

said “ Hey, kid…. Come back at the end of the month and I’ll give this to you”.  

He was pointing at the 36x36 Emotions In Motion promotional poster 

above the counter. 

I was like Micheal Keaton in Night Shift… 

“Radical!”

I see Emotions In Motion as a bit of a 

sister-record to Don’t Say No. Production 

similarities, track order, etc.  

Reinhold Mack produced this record 

as well. I absolutely love how 

Billy feathered in a saxophone on this album. Subtle, but, effective! 

Emotions In Motion, Learn To How Live, One Good Woman….  Again hit 

differently as an adult. The lyrics? 

Sheer poetry…. Check this out: 

I been a traveler for more 

than too few years

I learned my lessons, I stilled my fears

My sole possessions, they steer me 

through it all

Sweet dreams and innocence, 

they cushion my falls

_______________________________________________

We live a life of fact and fantasy

We alter circumstance to fit our needs

We gain in fortune, but we lose in time

One door will open and 

one will close behind

5. Here & Now

Ok, this is the record where I heard a shift. 

I have to wonder if Billy’s team was 

pushing him to create an album that was more “straightforward “?  

Stronger, Tied Up and Don’t Say You Love Me were extremely timely and 

immediate.  They sound like they were 

built for radio.  

If I have a complaint….  It would be the 

vocal placement. I was used to that

incredible voice sitting on top of the song. But, the vocal is tucked more than 

I’d prefer. I would love to see Billy 

remix this album like Don’t Say No 30th. But, I’m just nitpicking… 

He’s such a strong singer, It seems 

criminal to tuck his voice in the mix.

Anyway, this is yet another 

Billy Squier record I can drop the needle and just let it play. 

Every track is great. Stronger has a 

great build, the sax is a beautiful touch and I love the nod to 

The Music’s All Right at the end 

(I know I know). 

If you’re hunting for gems, G.O.D. and 

The Work Song and I Put A Spell On You are spectacular!  

There is also a track called “Too much” 

that was cut for this record and didn’t 

make the album. It’s got a 

Zeppelin vibe….  We play it from 

time to time here on 

The Gen X Reflex.  

So, keep an ear out!  

6. The Tale Of The Tape

When I listen to side one of 

Piper’s Can’t Wait album I can 

hear it coming….  Billy Squier was 

coming into focus.  

The Tale Of The Tape had some 

incredible moments. If you listen to 

Piper’s Can’t Wait and then listen to 

You Should Be High Love, it’s exciting to 

hear how 

much his voice developed in that 

3 year gap. Bruce Kulick’s 

contributions were completely on-point and very complimentary to 

Squier’s sound.  

Again, if you’re hunting for gems, 

listen to Calley Oh and 

You Should Be High Love. 

Interesting side bar: The Big Beat 

is one of the most sampled drum 

beats in history.  

Billy was hitting a trap case with his 

hand while Bobby was laying down 

the beat. More of that 

Squier/Chouinard magic.  

I wonder if Sweet William will take 

some that Hip Hop money and remix 

Here & Now for me? Just kidding…. 

Or am I? ;) 

7. Creatures Of Habit

Being older during this release I was 

immediately able to appreciate 

Conscience Point and Lover. 

Hollywood is an absolute banger. 

I might’ve opened the record 

with that one!

The digital horns on Hollywood and 

She Goes Down were very apropos. 

Stand out tracks: Hands Of Seduction, Hollywood, Nerves On Ice.  

I think the artwork for this record is 

extra as well.  Remember, back in the 

day, we didn’t have streaming or 

anyway to know what we were getting with an album, 

unless we heard a single on the radio 

or saw a music video. 

We based a lot of our choices on the 

strength of the artwork and Billy’s 

had some iconic record art over the 

years.  

8. Tell The Truth

While we’re out in Vegas now, 

The Gen X Reflex started in Nashville. 

Back In April I camped out in front of the 

record store to get my vinyl copy of 

Tell The Truth. 

It was a sketchy part of town but, 

I waited 33 years for this vinyl! 

So, why did I put this record at #8? It 

wasn’t because it doesn’t hold up. 

The songs are great and 

Stranger To Myself exhibits that 

compositional brilliance we heard on 

Enough Is Enough! Sonically, it’s 

spectacular! 

So, why so far down the list? 

Well, it’s an exceptional reflection 

of the 

times. It’s Billy Squier in the 90’s 

and he was reacting to the state of the 

world and writing about it. Billy’s music 

always made me happy. Always.  

Even if Cupid had his foot in Billy’s ass 

(Like I’m Loving You) the result was still 

beautiful and uplifting. Tell The Truth 

sounds a bit angry 

( See what I did there.. ;) ) 

but, that doesn’t mean it’s less-than. This is completely subjective. 

And It’s not just Billy. 

Almost every artist was reacting 

to the world in a similar way. 

I refer to the 90’s as “The peak of bleak”. 

It was depressing. 

Rock music sounded very dark 

during the 90’s and I wasn’t on board. 

Stand out tracks are: Rhythm, 

Stranger To Myself and Angry.  

Lovin’ You Ain’t So Hard is beautiful and Shocked Straight 

is a total barn-burner and a g

reat way to end this album! 

When I first heard this record, 

I wondered 

why The Girl’s All Right and 

Breakdown jumped out at me? 

They felt different. 

I mean, you can feel it….  Turns out, 

Bobby, Alan, Jeff and Mark played on 

those tracks. 

The dream team was back!  

Billy worked very hard on this record

and you can hear it.  

Stellar accomplishment.  

9. Happy Blue

I met Billy in 2013 and had him sign 

my Happy Blue CD. As you can 

imagine I 

had SO much I wanted to say to him! 

So much I wanted to ask him! 

And I deeply wanted to thank him… 

But, it was right before he was going 

to perform and I’m good at reading 

the room and knew 

it wasn’t the right time.  

So, what about Happy Blue? I think 

there was a misunderstanding with 

some listeners. The premise of the 

album was one man, one guitar, ONE 

take. It was a raw, dry

(no effects, ambience) 

performance. As real as it gets. 

The guitar parts were complex and the songs were great. 

The timing of that kinda release and 

the general listener not understanding 

what Billy was going for affected the 

reception. 

In 1989 Richie Sambora and 

Jon Bon Jovi played an acoustic set at 

the MTV awards and it killed. 

So, for the next decade every band 

released an Unplugged of sorts. 

Eric Clapton, Rod Stewart, even KISS.

Hindsight being 20/20 and all, I wonder if Billy took these great songs and 

played them acoustically with a band, 

with strings and harmonies, etc. how 

that would have landed?

So, now that you know what Billy was 

going for, give it another listen. 

Stand out tracks: Grasping For Oblivion, 

More Than Words Can Say, 

The Pursuit Of Happiness. 

I loved these records as a teenager 

but it took a few birthdays for me 

to catch up to what Billy was doing.  

We should all give them another listen

The Gen X Reflex