This Billy Squier King Biscuit show was recorded on March 26th, 1983 at Centrum, Massachusetts, near his boyhood hometown. Squier was on the road promoting Emotions In Motion, his biggest commercial success and the album that took him from reliable support act to bonafide arena-sized headliner. Although Squier had been on the contemporary music scene for quite some time (first as leader of the A&M Records act, Piper, and later as a solo artist), when this show was recorded he was finally starting to acquire the status of rock superstar—a title he never really felt comfortable…entire summary

Billy Squier - guitar, vocals
Doug Lubahn - bass, vocals
Alan St. Jon - keyboards, vocals
Bobby Chouinard - drums
Jeff Golub - guitar

This Billy Squier King Biscuit show was recorded on March 26th, 1983 at Centrum, Massachusetts, near his boyhood hometown. Squier was on the road promoting Emotions In Motion, his biggest commercial success and the album that took him from reliable support act to bonafide arena-sized headliner. Although Squier had been on the contemporary music scene for quite some time (first as leader of the A&M Records act, Piper, and later as a solo artist), when this show was recorded he was finally starting to acquire the status of rock superstar—a title he never really felt comfortable with.

All of his biggest hits are included in this show, including "Everybody Wants You," "I Need You," "My Kinda Lover," "Listen To The Heartbeat," "Lonely Is The Night," and "In The Dark." He closes the set with a roaring read of the '72 Stones classic, "Rip This Joint."

These tracks were recorded just as Squier was beginning to have trouble with his long time record company, Capitol Records. Although the two parties had a mostly long and fruitful relationship, by 1983 Squier was starting to flex his artistic muscles and to wage battles on behalf of his art. And a big problem developed when he introduced "The Stroke." With its rock anthem chorus of "Stroke me, stroke me" (which label execs, stuffy programmers, and conservative watchdog groups said advocated masturbation), Capitol not only didn't want to service it to radio, they didn't even want it on the 1981 album Don't Say No.

"The Stroke" eventually did get on the record, and after getting tested with late night audiences, crossed over to become one of Squier's biggest hits. Listening to these recordings, it was clear "The Stroke" was one of his live show highlights.

But soon after, Squier lost some of his closest his allies at Capitol, and he and the label went in different directions. He released a series of albums through the rest of the '80s and early '90s (Signs of Life, Enough Is Enough, Hear & Now, and Creatures of Habit) but none of them attained the success of Don't Say No and Emotions In Motion, whose songs are featured on this King Biscuit Flower Hour. By 1993, Squier had grown disgusted with the music business establishment.

Squier then spent the next two years writing screenplays before moving back into writing and recording new music. He went on to release several more solo albums, and has also toured as part of Ringo Starr's All-Starr Band.

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