And We Are All Together / The Beatles Thread

[epilogue]

Wings - Band on the Run

What a difference an album makes…this is really the first Wings album thus far that feels essential. Band on the Run is a classic and has that sort of immediate twist and turn in its composition that I think is a feature of McCartney’s best work post Beatles. Jet is really great and has a sort of hard charging chorus that stays with you - as does the chorus in Mrs. Vanderbilt. Let Me Roll It is pretty killer. The trio of Picasso’s Last Words, Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five, and Helen Wheels is a great stretch. This is the best Wings album so far by a pretty wide margin.

I agree with all of this excerpt giving any praise at all to Jet which is an objectively terribly song

but what if Paul Rust is playing it

Still terrible. Also, who is that?

[Farmer John]

That's Paul Rust!

[liebzz]

Wings Over America

This band’s career seems really up and down and so it’s actually helpful and nice to jump into a compilation to sort of set everything in perspective, and McCartney supplies a pretty killer live band to portray everything he needs on Wings. Even with the songs not being nearly as strong as his prior band, bringing these songs to life in the live setting pays big dividends. Oddly, the performances of The Beatles songs here are probably the least rewarding parts of this listen - partially because they are not the same without the rest of the Beatles (and you really get the sense these songs oddly need Ringo), and partially because I am probably just not in that headspace at this moment. This may not be an all time live album, but it really takes the songs up a pretty big notch. And Soilly is pretty enjoyable.

[epilogue]

That's Paul Rust!

I think I saw him in a Netflix show once. Is that possible?

[evenslow]

That's Paul Rust!

I think I saw him in a Netflix show once. Is that possible?

Love (not the Beatles show in Las Vegas)

[epilogue]

That's Paul Rust!

I think I saw him in a Netflix show once. Is that possible?

Love (not the Beatles show in Las Vegas)

I never watched the final season. Was it any good?

[evenslow]

That's Paul Rust!

I think I saw him in a Netflix show once. Is that possible?

Love (not the Beatles show in Las Vegas)

I never watched the final season. Was it any good?

Me neither. I can vouch for the Beatles show though.

[epilogue]

That's Paul Rust!

I think I saw him in a Netflix show once. Is that possible?

Love (not the Beatles show in Las Vegas)

I never watched the final season. Was it any good?

Me neither. I can vouch for the Beatles show though.

I always wanted to see that Beatles show.

[liebzz]

Wings - London Town & Back to the Egg

I am combining these two Wings albums into one post because I listened to them back to back this morning and because my feelings on both these albums are nearly the same. With the exception of a few highlights, I did not really enjoy these albums, which seem to cross over even further into adult contemporary music of the day…not that this is a problem in and of itself, but when the songs seem to lack much personality- at least from my ears- I pretty much ended up tuning out much of it because I wasn’t really finding much. That said, I have a short list of relatively enjoyable tunes here: London Town, Cafe on the Left Bank, Backwards Traveller, I’ve Had Enough, Old Siam Sir, Rockestra Theme, To You, and Glad to See You Here.

[liebzz]

McCartney II

We’ve closed out the Wings era and moved into our next territory exploring Paul McCartney post- Beatles. This one is a mishmash of wonky oddities and a more classic sounding McCartney. Coming Up, On the Way, Waterfalls, and Nobody Knows are all at least theoretically in the McCartney wheelhouse. Much of the rest plays with synthesizers, either in instrumentals or with a somewhat goofy toss off, but in a way that’s far more charming than nearly all of the Wings discography. Bogey Music and Darkroom are the immediate songs coming to mind. Truth is these songs are pretty good probably in part due to their wonkiness, or perhaps I am sensing a bit of relief after the last two Wings albums that were a bit of a disappointment. I enjoyed this one.

[tragabigzanda]

[Birds in Hell]

McCartney II

I enjoyed this one.

One of my favourite albums by anyone, ever.

[Wendy Carlos's Twin]

McCartney II

I enjoyed this one.

One of my favourite albums by anyone, ever.

Yup, pretty much.

[liebzz]

Tug of War

On this one, McCartney jumps back into a more comfortable place for him, banging out rock and pop nearly effortlessly. Take It Away has a real reggae groove going for it. Tug of War is quite easy on the ears. Somebody Who Cares, Here Today, The Pound is Sinking, Wanderlust, Get It, and Dress Me Up As a Robber all solid to more than solid entries into the catalogue. I really enjoyed nearly all of this, well, except for the collaboration with Stevie Wonder on What’s That You’re Doing and Ebony and Ivory…the former has a lot of promise but just didn’t come together for me and the latter possibly one of the worst examples of middle age pop stars thinking they can bridge some divide with near vomit inducing lameness.

[evenslow]

McCartney II

I enjoyed this one.

One of my favourite albums by anyone, ever.

Yup, pretty much.

I'll third this take.

[evenslow]

Tug of War

On this one, McCartney jumps back into a more comfortable place for him, banging out rock and pop nearly effortlessly. Take It Away has a real reggae groove going for it. Tug of War is quite easy on the ears. Somebody Who Cares, Here Today, The Pound is Sinking, Wanderlust, Get It, and Dress Me Up As a Robber all solid to more than solid entries into the catalogue. I really enjoyed nearly all of this, well, except for the collaboration with Stevie Wonder on What’s That You’re Doing and Ebony and Ivory…the former has a lot of promise but just didn’t come together for me and the latter possibly one of the worst examples of middle age pop stars thinking they can bridge some divide with near vomit inducing lameness.

George Martin produced!

[liebzz]

Pipes of Peace

Very much the side B to Tug of War, it’s nice to see McCartney playing around a bit more with his sound, as in Tug of Peace and Hey Hey. Sweetest Little Show and Average Person who also quite solid and enjoyable. His collaboration, this time with Michael Jackson, is stronger than the Stevie Wonder songs, though still doesn’t capture the magic of what the King of Pop and a former Beatle would be able to hype. The title track is also quite strong. Another good album, though we aren’t quite hitting any profound territory at this point.

[liebzz]

Press to Play

For better or worse, 80s McCartney outside of II thus far, is a man trying to find the balance between rock and pop, between the past and the future, and between statements and silly little love songs. Sometimes that triggers some gems, but here it delivers mostly faceless 80s songs that though they sounded different seem indecipherable. Very little here makes me want to come back, and in some ways not to continue on, save for that little gem at the end, However Absurd. When the creative juices flow and he lets go, it’s magic. But when you can almost feel him forcing a particular sound or narrative, it seems that the songs suffer as a result. More II, less this please.

[Wendy Carlos's Twin]

Press to Play

For better or worse, 80s McCartney outside of II thus far, is a man trying to find the balance between rock and pop, between the past and the future, and between statements and silly little love songs. Sometimes that triggers some gems, but here it delivers mostly faceless 80s songs that though they sounded different seem indecipherable. Very little here makes me want to come back, and in some ways not to continue on, save for that little gem at the end, However Absurd. When the creative juices flow and he lets go, it’s magic. But when you can almost feel him forcing a particular sound or narrative, it seems that the songs suffer as a result. More II, less this please.

After that...Flowers In The Dirt, Flaming Pie (produced by Jeff Lynne) and Chaos & Creation (produced by Nigel Godrich) are his best albums.

[liebzz]

Yeah sadly I needed that reassurance.