# Billy Squier's lost masterpiece finally sees light > After Capitol Records buried his best album in 1993, the rock star reclaims Tell the Truth three decades later. - Title: Billy Squier's lost masterpiece finally sees light | Shortify - Summary: After Capitol Records buried his best album in 1993, the rock star reclaims Tell the Truth three decades later. Sometimes the best work gets shelved by… - Keywords: billy squier, tell the truth, capitol records, gary gersh, album burial, 1990s rock, vinyl reissue, music industry, record label sabotage, mike chapman, grunge era, Billy - Source: Guitar World — https://guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/billy-squier-tell-the-truth - Published: 2026-09-21T11:20:49+00:00 - Read time: 2 min - Topics: billy squier, tell the truth, capitol records, gary gersh, album burial, 1990s rock, vinyl reissue, music industry, record label sabotage, mike chapman, grunge era ## The best album nobody heard Billy Squier recorded Tell the Truth in the early 1990s, what he calls his best work ever. Capitol Records released it but refused to promote it, with label head Gary Gersh explicitly telling Squier they would bury the record. > I call this record 'the best Billy Squier record you've never heard,' because it's the record most people haven't heard. ## From 80s star to grunge casualty Squier broke through in 1981 with Don't Say No and The Stroke, dominating the 1980s rock scene. By the early 1990s, grunge had arrived and his melodic hard rock style suddenly felt outdated to the industry. ## Label head's vindictive move Squier felt Capitol head Gary Gersh deliberately sabotaged the album out of spite rather than having an honest conversation about the label's direction. The betrayal shocked him after decades in an industry he considered family. > I felt what Capitol label head Gary Gersh did was malevolent and almost vindictive. He just kicked me to the curb. ## Walking away from music In 1993, after the Capitol showdown, Squier left the music industry entirely. He released one acoustic blues album in 1998 and made occasional live appearances, but mostly stayed out of the public eye for three decades. ## A new single breaks the silence Last year, Squier tested the waters with a new single called Harder on a Woman. This July, he's releasing Tell the Truth on vinyl, finally giving fans access to the album Capitol tried to bury. ## Waiting for the right moment Squier owned Tell the Truth outright after leaving Capitol but didn't want to shop it around. He felt Capitol had damaged his standing enough that no other label would accept him with open arms. ## A boutique label reaches out About a year ago, someone from a small boutique label emailed Squier with interest in a project. When Squier mentioned Tell the Truth, the man revealed he'd worked at Capitol when the album came out and loved it, baffled by the label's inaction. ## Working with producer Mike Chapman For Tell the Truth, Squier brought in legendary producer Mike Chapman and engineer Kevin Shirley. Chapman came from a songwriting background and told Squier he was the best songwriter he'd ever worked with. ## Building different ensembles Squier assembled different musicians for each song rather than using one core band. This approach created fresh energy in the studio, with players who didn't normally work together bringing excitement and discovery to the sessions. ## Vintage guitars for every song Squier used a 1959 burst, 1956 Junior, 1951 Fender Nocaster, 1962 Strat, Gretsch White Falcon, Martin D-18 acoustic, and 1965 Rickenbacker 12-string. His amp was a Marshall Super Lead 100 half-stack he'd modified in the mid-1970s. ## Pride in the finished work Squier feels the same pride in Tell the Truth as he does about Don't Say No. He spent his whole life making records like these, and he's very proud of this one. > You work your whole life to make records like these. I'm very proud of it. ## Key takeaway Sometimes the best work gets shelved by industry politics, but persistence and the right partner can resurrect it.