It's a rare pop band that can fit the word quintessence neatly into a song, but the duo of Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook--the heart of Squeeze--do so with ease. There's a good reason that they've been hailed as the best British songwriting team since Lennon and McCartney, and if they have never scaled the heights of fame-- or of grandeur--that their forebears did, well, that's OK. East Side Story may not be Squeeze's greatest album--their 1982 hits collection, Singles: 45's and Under, may take that honour--it does have their most memorable song, "Tempted". Strangely enough, the tune was written by then-keyboardist Paul Carrack (with Tilbrook and producer Elvis Costello) and sung by Carrack. The rest of the album remains strong, buoyed by the group's bouncy outlook, Costello and coproducer Roger Bechiran's prodding of the group in new directions, and hints of the new-wave- influenced sound Squeeze would develop years later, on Babylon and On. -- Randy Silver