The Tale of the Tape is the debut studio album by American rock musician Billy Squier. It was his first solo album, following two albums with the band Piper. Despite not being a huge success, the disc spent three months on Billboard's album chart and helped to kickstart Squier's solo career. Although no songs from the album reached the charts, the song "The Big Beat" has been notably sampled by hip hop artists, including Run-D.M.C.'s "Here We Go", Big Daddy Kane's "Ain't No Half Steppin'", Jay-Z's "99 Problems", Dizzee Rascal's "Fix Up, Look Sharp", U.T.F.O's "Roxanne, Roxanne" and Alicia Keys' "Girl on Fire". The song also featured a pre-MTV music video.

Critical reception

In a May 10, 1980 Billboard review, the writer expressed a hope that Billy Squier would be able to realize his potential with this album, which he did not fulfill with Piper. It quantified that it "fits nicely in a set with Journey and Styx."

Track listing

Personnel

Production