Re: McCartney

Date: Sun, 11 May 2003 12:17:52 GMT
Newsgroups: alt.fan.james-bond
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"Jordan Charter" <email-address-deleted> wrote in message
news:email-address-deleted...
> The great thing about Paul McCartney is that he can appeal to
> everyone. He has almost conquered every genre of music -- and
> successfully, too. As someone mentioned, it's unfortunate that Paul
> get's judged on the songs that were commericial successes because he's
> got a lot of great songs that most people aren't aware of. I don't
> think there is one McCartney song or one McCartney album that I don't
> love. His songs can be a bit silly at times but as he says in 'Silly
> Love Songs', "what's wrong with that?"
>
> McCartney has balls, that's for certain. He's willing to take risks
> with his music -- McCartney II, Strawberries Oceans Ships Forest,
> Rushes and the Liverpool Sound Collage certainly prove that.
>
> It worries me that there are some Lennon fans that attempt to dismiss
> or downplay McCartney's contributions to The Beatles or to the musical
> world. Lennon's solo albums often received terrible reviews at the
> time they were released. When Lennon decided to come out of
> retirement in 1980 I think it was obvious that his music was also
> heading into the "soft" territory that McCartney had been accused of
> entering.
>
> I did get to see McCartney in concert last May at the Pepsi Center in
> Denver, CO at the concert was awesome. There is definately a
> wonderful feeling to be had when 50,000 or so people forget the
> problems of the world for a few hours and sing along to a song like
> 'Hey Jude'. It was the loudest concert that they had ever had at the
> Pepsi Center, according to some of the employees I spoke to.
>
> BTW, not that I want to be an ass, but 'A Day in the Life' is mostly a
> Lennon compostion. McCartney only wrote the "Woke up, fell out of
> bed..." bit in the middle of the song. Although it is one of my
> favorite Beatles songs by Lennon.
Not being an ass at all! I love to talk Beatles, and though I believe I
know quite a bit, I am always eager to know more.
None of my post was intended as a slam at Paul McCartney, an artist I have
admired greatly for 30-plus years. But the indisputable fact that so many
of his lesser songs got heavy airplay in the 1980's and 1990's contributes
to the perception (OK....my perception...) that he at some point lost his
edge. Surely, one cannot argue that "Coming Up", a song that is just plain
bad in its lyric, tone, composition, and execution, is a good example of the
embarrassing tripe McCartney too often wrote and seems to be proud of, at
certain points in his career. That song received the "full treatment" in
terms of airplay and video, and it was utter crap. Was McCartney writing
good songs during those same periods? Perhaps. But based on hearing "Say,
Say, Say" on radio, I was not going to run out and buy "Pipes of Peace"
blind, like I would have (and did) for "Band On The Run", "Venus and Mars",
and "At The Speed of Sound" in the 1970's.
McCartney's best stuff from the 1980's was the result of his collaboration
with Elvis Costello. In my opinion, he needs a strong co-writer, or he will
too often fall into "pop song" mentality. It just seemed lazy, and the
trait of a songwriter who had (as I stated before) lost his edge.
Disagreements with bandmates are legendary, and I'm not talking just about
the Beatles. Denny Laine quit Wings, didn't he? McCartney's controlling
and perfectionist approach is not shared or appreciated by all musicians,
though I will say that trait certainly seems to have served he and all his
career bandmates, rather well.
As to your point about "A Day In the Life" (perhaps my favorite Beatles
song), I understand that the song is almost as much a George Martin creation
as either/or Lennon or McCartney. Most Beatles songs were "mostly" one or
the other anyway, but "mostly", the exact line of demarcation is so blurred
as to render that sentence moot. I had understood that McCartney was
responsible for the entire verse you cite, and Lennon wrote the beginning
and ending . Does that negate or lessen McCartney's contribution? I don't
think so. McCartney wrote "Yesterday" and "Hey Jude" (mostly), and Lennon
wrote "In My Life" and "Norwegian Wood" (mostly). My comment was intended
to recognize Paul's contribution, not negate John's. Plus, the label on "A
Day In the Life" says "Lennon/McCartney". As do all Beatles songs not
written by the incredibly under-rated George.
Have you ever heard/read that George was not a fan of all Paul's stuff?
Songs such as "Maxwell's Silver Hammer", "Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da", and "Yellow
Submarine"
appeared to grate. I wish I remembered where I once read that George said
"you either like those kinds of songs, or you don't". I don't think that he
did.
"I read the news today oh boy
About a lucky man who made the grade
And though the news was rather sad
Well I just had to laugh
I saw the photograph.
He blew his mind out in a car
He didn't notice that the lights have changed
A crowd of people stood and stared
They'd seen his face before
Nobody was really sure
If he was from the House of Lords.
I saw a film today oh boy
The English Army had just won the war
A crowd of people turned away
But I just had to look
Having read the book
I'd love to turn you on.
Woke up, fell out of bed,
Dragged my comb across my head
Found my way downstairs and drank a cup,
And looking up I noticed I was late.
Found my coat and grabbed my hat
Made the bus in seconds flat
Found my way upstairs and had a smoke,
Somebody spoke and I went into a dream.
I read the news today oh boy
Four thousand holes in Blackburn, Lancashire
And though the holes were rather small
They had to count them all
Now they know how many holes it takes to fill the Albert Hall.
I'd love to turn you on"
Fucking genius.
Tom Zielinski
> "Tom Zielinski" <email-address-deleted> wrote in message news
> > You know, that's a good point. When I was younger, I liked McCartney a
lot.
> > Then he did shite like "Say, Say, Say", "Coming Up", "Ebony and Ivory"
and,
> > well, you get the idea. He seemed to have lost his edge completely. I
> > appreciated John Lennon more at that point. But when I look back on
stuff
> > like "Maybe I'm Amazed", and "Venus and Mars", and "Let Me Roll it to
You"
> > (title?) and much of the "Band on The Run" album, I realize that for all
of
> > the syrupy "Silly Love Songs" (a song I enjoy, BTW) stuff he has done,
he
> > also wrote the magnificent "Hey Jude", "Yesterday", "Let it Be", and
hell,
> > "Live and Let Die."
> >
> > He's an enigma, but I love Paul. For every rather oddly child-like
> > "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" or "Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da" or "Yellow Submarine"
> > (George said "you either like those songs, or you don't", leaving me
with
> > the distinct impression that he did not) that seem to be below his
talents,
> > Paul writes "Give Ireland Back to the Irish", and "A Day in the Life"
and a
> > song few people know, "Beware My Love."
> >
> > Saw him live in 1976 (1976!) at the Chicago Stadium. Linda even looked
good
> > then. Awesome concert.
> >
> > Paul can be a bit a bit preachy too, with his land-mine/vegetarian
> > perspectives, but goddam, he's one talented Liverpudlian. And his
daughter
> > is hot too.
> >
> > Finally, I loved the film "Vanilla Sky." Loathed Paul's Academy Award
> > nominated song.
> >
> >
> >