16 Strokes: The Best of Billy Squier

• Artist: Billy Squier
• Rating:
• Release Date: April 04, 1995
• Total Time: 70:20
• Type: Compilation (best of)
• Genre: Rock

Review

All of Billy Squier's best material is dished out on 16 Strokes, from the simplistic contagiousness of "The Stroke" to the Van Halen-like fervency of "Tied Up." His rock & roll flamboyancy, a mix of hard but not heavy guitar riffs wrapped around spirited just-for-fun three-minute outpourings, was best established through his singles and not the entirety of his albums. Squier's wild, sexually inundated feistiness is best represented here on a compilation, where the sleekness of "Everybody Wants You" is found in the same place as the naughty "She Goes Down." Both "In the Dark" and "My Kinda Lover" from 1981's Don't Say No pop up here, as does his smoothest of songs, "Emotions in Motion" from the album of the same name. His later songs from the early '90s don't include the catchy grandeur or congenial rock hollowness of his first three albums, but their appearance on 16 Strokes is the best place to hear them. Efforts like the bombastic "Don't Say You Love Me" or the transparent sincerity of "Facts of Life" still harbor Squier's greasy vocal approach, but work better here as the conclusion to a singles anthology than as the end of an album's worth of this song type. The keyboard-drenched "Rock Me Tonite" is another highlight here, as is the breakneck pace of "All Night Long," the two best outcrops from 1984's Signs of Life album. This collection may not be as indulgent as his two-disc best-of, but it's more than enough for anyone who's interested. ~ Mike DeGagne, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
The Stroke	Billy Squier	Billy Squier	(3:37)
In the Dark	Billy Squier	Billy Squier	(4:08)
My Kinda Lover	Billy Squier	Billy Squier	(3:33)
Emotions in Motion	Billy Squier	Billy Squier	(4:58)
Everybody Wants You	Billy Squier	Billy Squier	(3:45)
She's a Runner	Billy Squier	Billy Squier	(3:59)
Rock Me Tonite	Billy Squier	Billy Squier	(4:58)
All Night Long	Billy Squier	Billy Squier	(4:39)
Eye on You	Billy Squier	Billy Squier	(4:43)
Love Is the Hero	Billy Squier	Billy Squier	(4:48)
Don't Say You Love Me	Billy Squier	Billy Squier	(4:28)
Don't Let Me Go	Billy Squier	Billy Squier	(5:14)
She Goes Down	Billy Squier	Billy Squier	(4:07)
Tied Up (Lyrics)	Billy Squier, Desmond Child	Billy Squier	(3:56)
Facts of Life	Billy Squier	Billy Squier	(4:31)
(L.O.V.E.) Four Letter Word	Billy Squier	Billy Squier	(4:56)

Credits

Kim Niemi (?), Kim Niemi (Coordination), Karen Myer (Project Coordinator), Ross Patrick (Design), Wally Traugott (Digital Remastering), Billy Squier (Guitar), Billy Squier (Vocals), Karen Myer (Project Director)