Wild Life
Red Rose Speedway
Band on the Run
Venus and Mars
Wings at the Speed of Sound
London Town
Back to the Egg
McCartney II
Tug of War
Pipes of Peace
Press to Play
This might not explain a lot, but I think, out of all the Beatles as people, I relate to Paul the least. He was definitely a showman who aimed to please the masses. But that often meant at the expense of critical acclaim, and he sometimes came across as phony and insincere, two qualities I cannot stand in people. He was a definite leader, as evidenced in his Beatle days. But that often meant he came across as a pushy/arrogant control freak, which is something I also hope not to be. I’m much closer to the quiet George, with some John-cynicism and a little bit of Ringo-humility thrown in.
OK, despite what I said above, I really like Paul and his music. He has a spot-on sense of melody, craftsmanship, and can play many instruments. He had a diverse fare, with some ballads, some acoustic stuff, some rockers, and other assorted styles. He went overboard in the slickness department on many of his singles, and people never let him forget it. However, his album tracks and singles often differed in production and commerciality, so dismissing Paul for “My Love” and “Silly Love Songs” wouldn’t really be correct, easy as it is.
After Paul officially broke up the Beatles in court, he retreated on his farm and made a pair of homemade records. He then formed Wings with wife and one-time Moody Blues-er Denny Laine (and a revolving door of guitarists and such), but even that took a few records to catch on with the public. When it did, with Band on the Run, Wings churned out several great records until 1979. Paul then went back to solo fare, and his releases have either been adult pop or misguided ‘keeping-with-the-times’ experiments.
As I said before, Paul’s solo discography is the longest, and I’ve gotten increasingly familiar with his back albums. I just recently received some of his lesser albums (Wild Life, Speed of Sound, McCartney II, Pipes of Peace, Press to Play) via Limewire. I’m not too keen on looking for all of his live albums, however. Hey, I’d like to be a completist, but that takes money!! For now, here’s what I got.
1971
Tonight on Wings...ahh who cares? Oh wait, the Wings in question is not that TV show of which I’ve vaguely heard. It’s the band Paul and Linda formed, with Denny Laine and Denny Seiwell. For this first album Wild Life, it may as well be another McCartney, since the album at times is even sloppier than that one. More reprises, more acoustic knockoffs, and it’s getting sort of annoying. See, at least McCartney had better melodies.
That 4-song stretch at the opening in particular is lethal, it’s as if they go out their way to bother me: two songs of gibberish, a cover to an old annoying tune, and that title track. They don’t really succeed, although they should on paper. I don’t like “Mumbo,” a ‘rocker’ where Paul shout-sings nonsensical syllables. It’s not the ‘non-English’ aspect that bugs me, it’s that it isn’t catchy enough to overcome! “Ca Plane Pour Moi” it isn’t. The country “Bip Bop” is better; Paul does say words in the verses, and the chorus is merely an echo of the genial guitar lick. It’s OK. However, these songs must have been centerpieces of Wild Life, since they each have instrumental reprises toward the end of the album. What a foreshadowing, as he would later write that epic concept album Bim Bop Mum Mammo On the Run .
Next up is “Love is Strange,” an old Sylvia and Mickey tune from the ‘50s. I haven’t heard the original since I was a kid, but I remember hating it to no end. Wings plays it as a reggae-ish instrumental with occasional vocals at first, which is nice. But when it turns into a real song halfway through, then the bad memories flood back to me. And the title track is simply one of the worst songs I’ve ever heard from anyone. Not sure if Paul was taking an activist stand or mocking anti-activists, but it degenerates to painful screaming and laughing at himself (even says ‘aminals’ stead of ‘animals’). Six minutes long, too. It’s horrible, yet not the kind that makes me angry/disgusted. I’m more likely to laugh my ass off than flame Paul. So it’s more in line with “MacArthur Park” than “I Want to Know What Love Is.”
Good thing the rest of the stuff is more fleshed out. “Some People Never Know” is six minutes long, but is a great acoustic song that almost looks ahead to Red Rose Speedway. Some people hate “I Am Your Singer,” but I find it very cute love song between Paul and Linda. This from a love-cynic such as me! “Tomorrow” is kind of weird, it starts off with an identical chord sequence to “Yesterday” and ends as an R&B-gospel shouter. And “Dear Friend” works for being really raw, just Paul and his piano, and some hurt sentiment towards Lennon’s vicious attack “How Do You Sleep.” That needed more parts to justify the 6-minute length, I guess.
Luckily, Wild Life was Paul still going through the motions, because he would later ‘get on the right thing’ on Speedway. And he would give Denny spotlights on later Wings albums, I can barely hear him on here! Gets a 5 primarily for being mahh meh moo may-ow bip bop. That’s Paul-ese for ‘underdeveloped,’ by the way. Bonus tracks include the OK political rocker “Give Ireland Back to the Irish” and “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” At least the latter had an original Wings melody, but it’s too cutesy for me.
1973
What a relief. Red Rose Speedway is better than Wild Life. Paul has taken up writing real songs again, and not relying on bip bop gibberish, as he did on Wild Life. I’m no prog fan, so I can’t really say if that’s what he was going for, but some songs on here are pretty complex and multi-structured. It doesn’t always work, but only a third of the album is in that category; the rest is more typical of what we’d expect from Macca.
Only two songs on here can be called ‘rockers.’ The opener “Big Barn Bed” is a bouncy load of fun, with some nonsensical words and a stomping beat. “Get on the Right Thing” tries the subtle build-up thing, but the intro goes on too long, and the main body is a bit of a letdown as well. He would later do it better on “Letting Go,” but that’s a few albums down the road. Elsewhere, the country tune “One More Kiss” and the short piano-jazz “Single Pigeon” are good when they’re on, but forgettable in the long run.
As y’all know, the big hit single was the syrupy “My Love.” This is why so many people treat solo McCartney as a punchline, and it was #1 for 4 weeks!! That chorus is one of the worst ever: ‘wo wo wo wo/wo wo wo wo/my love does it gooood’ Yeuch. Gimme “When The Night” over that tripe any day. “When The Night” has a 4/4 waltz and really weird backing vocals from Denny and Linda. But I think it’s cute.
But hey? Didn’t I say Paul got all complex on us? Check out that weird instrumental “Loup (1st Indian on the Moon).” It’s not a favorite, but it’s interesting in a pseudo-spooky way. Even better is “Little Lamb Dragonfly,” a wonderful suite that’s plenty emotional. No two segments of that song overshadow each other, they flow very well. Is it me, or does that transition from “Lamb” to “Dragonfly” remind me of the Moody Blues’ “Isn’t Life Strange”? No matter, it’s a beautiful melody, so I don't care.
And there’s a big long medley to finish things off. Paul was obviously going for an Abbey Road-type medley, with four short songs running one after another. But it doesn’t really cut it for me. The songs are too weak and lightweight. Song #1 “Hold Me Tight” isn’t as obnoxious as the With the Beatles track of the same name; but that track had real hooks, not the ‘hold me tight hug me right x10’ present here. Song #2 “Lazy Dynamite” is OK, but I only remember the first lines. Song #3 “Hands of Love” is a really nice acoustic ditty, even if it sticks out in this context. Song #4 “Power Cut” is distinguished by that nagging ‘baby I love you so/bee I love you so,’ which I find more annoying than anything else. The jury’s out; this medley ain’t great.
As it is, Speedway doesn’t quite resonate with me, except for “Lamb” and “Big Barn Bed.” I applaud Paul’s effort, but he may have tried a little too hard to become prog-rocker and/or recapture the glory of Abbey Road. A little bit of sense of humor would have helped too. On second thought, that album cover is plenty humorous: maybe Paul had been fighting with Linda, and when he tried to give her a rose corsage, she shoved it in his mouth in anger! HAHAHAHA! Ever thought of it that way??
But wait, my edition has four awesome bonus tracks! Well, only three, the live rocker “The Mess” is forgettable. But they put Paul’s underrated “Hi Hi Hi”/”C Moon” single here! “Hi Hi Hi” is a tight pop-rocker that cracked the US Top 10 but got banned in the UK for drug references: ‘gonna get high, high, high.’ I actually love “C Moon,” more, even as a B-side: it’s silly reggae with silly lyrics, and it’s flat-out brilliant in its silliness. Oh, then there’s the B-side (to “Live and Let Die”) “I Lie Around,” which may be even better than anything else on here! It has three awesome melodic mini-sections, lead vocals by Denny, and that anthemic chorus. A perfect ode to laziness. Should have been on Speedway. These extra goodies bump the score up to a 7.
1974
Oh yes, oh yes! Speedway may have been an experimental album, but it sure pointed to good things. And here’s the result. Band on the Run is the obvious critical favorite, the one that gets the approval of most solo-Beatle playa-haters. I must say, this is great stuff. But I really don’t know if I like this better than Venus & Mars, and the debate continues in my head. But either way, Paul and the gang pull out a ‘concept’ album. Not sure what concept it is, although Starostin suggested escapism and exotic locations. Forget the concept. Listen to the wonderful melodies. They're everywhere!
That title track may be all over the radio, but dangit, it DESERVES to be overplayed! It’s another suite, even better than those on Speedway. The first segment is moody, the second is somewhat edgy (I swear I hear George Harrison on the very last harmony vocal), and the third is the most famous, with that great pop chorus. “Jet” was also a radio hit, and is my favorite solo-Paul rocker ever. It’s also got weird lyrics i.e. ‘I thought the major wos a lil’ lady suffragette!’ “Helen Wheels” kinda sucks, a murky rocker that was a single that was tacked on the album. Why didn’t they do that to “Hi Hi Hi” on Speedway, huh?
As far as gentle songs go, I’ve come to appreciate the acoustic “Bluebird” and the mild African-style “Mamunia.” Lightweight, yes, but very tasteful. “Mrs. Vandebilt” is irresistible, with great ‘ho/hey ho!’ chants all around. “No Words” sounds cool, but is rather short. I guess it’s Laine’s only semi-composition on Band. “Picasso’s Last Words” is also a keeper, an melodic singalong with clever splicings of “Jet” and “Mrs. Vandebilt,” to further the whole concept thingie., whatever it may be.
And that leaves the two dark-horse contenders for my favorite tracks. Some say “Let Me Roll It” is the definitive ‘take that, John Lennon!’ statement. I don’t quite see it that way, but it’s the most Lennon-esque song Paul’s ever done post-Beatles! All that minimalism, with just a wailing guitar, an occasional organ, and the steady bass. Although I’ll bet John thought it was crap. And that closer “1985” cooks!! That piano riff is so awesome, those synths actually add to the sound, and the minor key is spooky. Don’t forget that wordless bridge and the exciting climax! Wow! How I love that tune.
I’ll feel like a total creep for not giving Band on the Run a perfect 10 score. It's not because of “Helen” since that was only on the US album, but for minor things like “No Words” shortness and “Blackbird” and “Mamunia” still don’t impress me THAT much. But I feel perfectly fine with a 9. Now read below as Venus and Mars pleads its case.
1975
Another year, another strong concept-nonconcept album for Wings. Just like Band on the Run, whether or not there is a concept is debatable. The two title tracks and “Rock Show” allude to something, like a rock show or a spaceship (the second title track). Or...it’s about relationships! Venus & Mars = Women & Men. Perfect!!!!...wait, songs like “Medicine Jar” aren’t about love. Seriously, Venus is actually more diverse than Band, but it doesn’t have a “1985” or “Band On The Run.” Still, it’s pretty consistent.
Those two title tracks are very tasty acoustic bits, highlighted by that lovely four-chord sequence between the first one and “Rock Show.” It gets to me every time, for reasons I can’t really articulate. “Rock Show” follows, and it’s an amusing glam tune that reminds me of the Who’s “Long Live Rock.” Except “Rock Show” is a parody, and I doubt that was the case for “Long Live.” As far as rockers go, “Letting Go” is even better, as they improve the subtle buildup that they didn’t quite get right on “Get On the Right Thing.” “Medicine Jar” came courtesy of Jimmy McCollough, and rocks even harder, with a great spinning ‘wah-wah’ sound and anti-drug lyrics.
Elsewhere, “You Gave Me the Answer” shows that our friend Paul didn’t lose his love for ‘30s music. I much prefer this to “Honey Pie,” since this is a bit more sincere and not bogged down by scatting like the former. “Listen to What the Man Said” may be good pop, but it’s rather slick for my tastes. Still, he had worse #1’s (ahem, “My Love”) in the day. The downcast “Love-In Song” serves as a chiller after “Rock Show,” but I don’t care for it. Nor do I get choked up by “Treat Her Gently/Lonely Old People” like some do. “Crossroads” is definite filler, apparently the theme to a British soap.
To round things off, “Spirits of Ancient Egypt” is a definite change of pace, penned by Denny Laine. It’s part love-song, part whatever. Very strange. What if Laine stuck around the Moody Blues and wrote songs like that? Well, I’m sure Pinder and Edge would find a way to make it boring. The punchy “Magneto and Titanium Man” really sounds like White Album material to me. I guess because it’s comic-book inspired, much like “Bungalow Bill.” “Call Me Back Again” tries to ape “Oh! Darling,” but sounds empty in comparison. Ehhh.
I think I made my final decision: I like Band on the Run better. But Venus and Mars also gets a 9, just a lower 9 than Band‘s near-10. As I said before, Venus is more diverse, but Band on the Run has more perennial favorites. But Wings would never have the same energy for their other releases. Too bad. NOTE: The bonus tracks here really ain’t much: two lame instrumentals “Zoo Gang” and “Lunch Box/Old Sox,” and a forgettable Meters-backed “My Carnival,” adding some more New Orleans flavor to this album.
1976
Oh this is so concocted. Paul has been known to be a total control freak, as we saw in the final days of the Beatles. When he was with Wings, up to this point, the band served mainly as a backing band to his ideas. As time went on, he let Denny Laine and even Jim McCulloch add some ideas and songs. On Speed of Sound, it’s gotten to the point where Paul only penned half of the stuff, and let everyone else pitch in. It’s all a ruse, he’s just trying to look nice! Nahh, kidding. I don’t think it’s a huge letdown from Band on the Run and Venus and Mars, but a letdown altogether. Most of this stems from lack of diversity, and an abundance in oh-so-s pop sound.
Big hits first. I will defy the love-it-or-hate-it stance people have on “Silly Love Songs.” People who love it say it’s a brilliant pop tune with impeccable production, and a clever little defense in writing lightweight songs in his solo career. People who hate it say it’s the worst song of the decade and treat the song as bait in solo-Paul-bashing. What do I think of it? I respect the production and sentiment, but I don’t really like it. Sounds too ingratiating and ready-made, down to the intertwining vocal parts at the end. I do fancy the other single “Let ‘em In.” Dave Barry was aghast at the simple lyrics, but I think they’re charming. The production is also slick as a brick, but a bit more relaxed than the ‘look-at-us-we’re-trying-to-please-you-LOOK-AT-US’ vibe of “Silly Love Songs.”
And guess what? Paul really is that lightweight on Speed of Sound. He gets too lightweight on the forgettable bounce “San Ferry Anne” and the dorky “Warm and Beautiful.” Then again, I find “She’s My Baby” kind of cute, although it sure screams s pop. But don’t forget “Beware My Love,” Paul’s best rocker of the s. The acoustic beginning isn’t out of place to me, it sets the scene. But when it gets going, whoo boy. Paul’s frantic screaming is well-placed, unlike “Wild Life.” And the song itself is the pinnacle of Paul’s subtle Wings-rockers, starting with “Get on the Right Thing,” improved on with “Letting Go,” and perfected here. Who’d have thought it’d be so powerful without a huge guitar sound?
Paul the Socialist turns things over to the rest of Wings, with mostly good results. The big stinker is wifey Linda’s “Cook of the House,” not so much for being ultra-retro or because of Linda’s weak vocals. Mostly because the anti-feminist kitchen-y lyrics don’t sound right coming from Linda. She was a vegetarian, you know.
The rest of the band has darker, minor-key material that balanced Paul’s happy-bappy dominance on Speed of Sound. Drummer Joe English sounds a lot like Paulie on his lonely “Must do Something About It.” Jimmy McCulloch has another drug song “Wino Junko,” this time more of a junkie lament than anti-drugs. It isn’t the monster that was “Medicine Jar,” but I still like. Denny Laine’s “The Note You Never Wrote” is all about gloomy atmosphere, but I really like his “Time to Hide.” It’s another oh-so-s moment (sounds almost like the Eagles’ “One of These Nights”!), but it has a great desperate vibe and the chorus is so damn cool. His best song to date, to be topped on the next album.
So yeah, despite the band democracy and Paul’s sudden unadventurous turn, Speed of Sound still ends up decent. Of the other band members’ efforts, only “Cook of the House” flat-out sucks, and Denny proves to be talented in his own right. It’s better than Wild Life, at least. Bonus tracks aren’t really worth much. I guess I could enjoy the ragtime “Walking in the Park With Eloise” (written by Paul’s dad!) and the blues instrumental “Bridge on the River Suite” if I were in the mood. “Sally G” is kinda kornball country, but probably better than “San Ferry” and “Warm.”
1978
Well now! The group had been touring for the last few years and released a triple-album monster Wings Over America, which was said to be really bombastic arena-rock. After that long tour, the band was once again pared to a trio, and they really mellowed out with London Town. For the most part, it’s soft-rock that only occasionally veers into MOR. The other main quality of London Town is that it’s kind of an anti-Band On the Run. Band was loosely about escaping and different cultures, while London Town is definitely British.
There’s only one true rocker on here: “I’ve Had Enough,” and that one is not an album highlight; way too generic. The MOR “With a Little Luck” somehow hit #1 here in the States...how? It’s so boring! Not a lot of commercial potential in that one; if you asked me which song was the #1 of this album, that wouldn’t be my choice. Other low points are the lame strummer “Famous Groupies” and the forgettable disco oddity “Morse Moose and the Grey Goose.” I used to like the former, but it has certainly grown off me, and the latter has no direction. Ya can’t even dance to it!
Luckily, the rest is all right. The first half of the album is very consistent, songs ranging from good to okay. The exception is the wonderful title track, a friendly sketch of that picturesque city. Paul hadn’t written a song like that since “Penny Lane.” Elsewhere, the breezy Paris sketch “Cafe on the Left Bank” is a slightly less memorable version of the title track, “Girlfriend” is a mock-sweet ballad with an ironic falsetto (little wonder that Jacko covered it a year later), and “I’m Carrying” is a decent ballad. The experimental “Backwards Traveller” may not have worked as a full song, but I appreciate the 1-minute length. “Cuff Link” is a gimmicky synth ballad that should have been shorter than “Backwards.” Denny Laine’s “Children Children” is kind of dorky, but it evokes medieval forests in my head, so that’s something.
How odd that the second half of London contain the stinkers and my favorite tracks! The repetitive “Don’t Let it Bring You Down” is actually a little depressing, but in a good way. “Name and Address” dives headfirst into retro-rockabilly, and is very enjoyable. But my favorite track by far has to be Denny Laine’s brilliant “Deliver Your Children.” Rarely do you hear an acoustic song with such a desperate, menacing drive. And the dynamic between the bitter minor-key verses and the temporarily-hopeful chorus is great. How does that work: that the best song on a Wings album is a non-Paul one?
London Town definitely is quieter than Venus and Mars and their big tour (don’t ask me about Speed of Sound quite yet), but maybe the change of pace was needed. As it is, it’s a very consistent album, where the lowlights aren’t that bad. Well, except “Groupies” and “Morse.” It’s underrated still, but maybe it’s too reticent for the general public? Come on public! Why is it so quiet, you ask? Why are you so loud???
1979
Here’s Wings’ swan song. The group broke up afterwards, probably relating to Paul’s drug bust in Japan. Or else Paul wanted to get back into solo music. Or both. Anyway, Back to the Egg is certainly an odd combination of pseudo-concept, a return to hard rock, and the hot music styles of 1979. The concept concerns a radio show or something. It’s alluded to in the funky “Reception” and the dour “The Broadcast,” both with radio samples. And the acoustic snippet “We’re Open Tonight” might also have something to do with it. Whatever, on to the musik...
Anyway, it appears that Paul felt the need to compensate for the mellowness of London Town, so much so that he grabbed Pete Townsend, Dave Gilmour, the rhythm section of Led Zeppelin, Gary Brooker, etc. and dubbed them Rockestra. The “Rockestra Theme” is a total letdown, all that talent and they play the same notes, over and over. It’s like getting the world’s best opera singers for the sole purpose of singing their scales! No! “Getting Closer” is one of Paul’s patented melodic-hard-rockers and is all right, while “So Glad to See You Here” is basically “Closer” plus Rockestra. Too bad all these are totally schooled by the plodding metal monster “Old Siam, Sir.” It’s more British imagery, but it’s so much cooler than those above generic rockers. Good work.
Now for the third part of Egg: Paul keeping with the times. Now the late ‘70s was all about disco, punk, and new-wave. So Paul tries his hand at all of ‘em here. The best is the mild disco ballad “Arrow Through Me,” which sounds sooo late ‘70s but has a great melody. “Spin It On” would be punk, though more in the speedy tempo than the attitude. At least it’s not too generic. And “To You” is sorta new-wave, but it’s kind of stupid and Paul sounds like a total dork. But it’s “Hey Jude” compared to Denny’s lone contribution “Again and Again and Again,” one of the worst songs in my entire music collection. I’m serious. The lyrics are braindead, the delivery is arrogant/stupid, and the damn thing wanders all over the place without a trace of a melody. This piece of shit came from the same man who wrote “Deliver Your Children”?! UGH! IDIOT! Just thinking about this song pisses me off. And turns me into Napoleon Dynamite.
Gotta move on...Paul once again tries a medley of short songs. It’s not as epic as the one on Speedway, but I kind of like it better for that. And it splits it up to two tracks. “After the Ball” is repetitive gospel, “Million Miles” makes me chuckle, that accordion and all, “Winter Rose” is marred by Paul’s hoarse voice (used to think it was Linda), and “Love Awake” is OK. Finally, the jazz “Baby’s Request” is OK if I feel like listening to jazz (which is not that often anymore).
Back to the Egg is a rather schizoid affair, with overblown rock attempts and the “Again x3” trainwreck bringing things down a little. Most of the other experiments are OK, but the concept is useless in the long run. Egg would have benefited from the inclusion of the B-side “Daytime Nighttime Suffering,” a cool little pop tune that showed up as a bonus track. Other bonus tracks are bleh: the weak synth-laden “Wonderful Christmastime” and the self-explanatory “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reggae.”
1980
Uh oh. By 1980, Wings was no more, due to Paul McCartney’s drug bust in Japan. So Paul tried to model his first post-hash album after McCartney, since both albums came out after his band broke up. Except in 1970, all you could do was mess around on your guitar or piano, and that’s kind of reflected in McCartney. But by 1980, synthesizers were plentiful for people with a lack of ideas. Just play around on it for a while and BOOM! You got an album’s worth of material!
OK, McCartney II isn’t all New Wave Town, but synths do try to mask a lack of Paul’s ideas. In particular, the synth-strumentals “Frozen Jap” and “Front Parlour” are much less interesting than any instrumental on McCartney. I do kind of like “Temporary Secretary” for the first minute or so, before the atonal keyboard backing and Paul’s monotone ‘she-can-be-a-belly-dancer’ part really irk my work. But before that, it’s a demented-catchy tune. Can’t really say the same about “Dark Room,” it’s similar but not as catchy. “Summer’s Day Song” is kind of pleasant, it does sound like church, as one of Starostin’s reader comments say. “Bogey Music” is an embarrassment, nobody wants to hear robotic ‘50s retro with a tinny drum machine. Stupid.
On the non-electronic side of things, “Coming Up” is definitely great pop, with New Wave guitars. I much prefer it to the live version that topped the US charts, maybe that’s because the live version didn’t have the cute American Bandstand-esque video. The flimsy blues “On The Way” and the sloppy “Nobody Knows” are passable. The ballad “One of These Days” is really nice, while “Waterfalls” is pathetic. I know most people like “Waterfalls,” but I can’t stand the annoying delivery and the ‘I-I-I-I-I need love’ section is repeated about 60 times. The ‘95 TLC megahit “Waterfalls” has a similar chorus about not chasing/jumping waterfalls, but I doubt Left Eye and T-Boz would use a subpar McCartney song for inspiration.
In short, a big-time letdown. The synth exercises are instantly dated, and some of the non-synth stuff is underwritten and sloppy. Paul comes through with a few nice ballads and that wonderful “Coming Up,” but McCartney II is really forgettable. Luckily, his next album will show him on a rebound, albeit temporary.Oh, and those two bonus tracks are even worse. “Check My Machine” has some really annoying sped-up vocals, and the disco-new-wave “Secret Friend” is freaking 10 minutes long. More forgettable than anything else, but not worthy of 10 minutes of your time.
1982
Paul turned 40 the same year as this release, and you can safely say that this is his first in a line of ‘adult’ pop albums. This stuff here is milder than before, but Paul had good foresight to bring along his old friend George Martin to keep the production from MOR/adult contemporary (but then again, George didn't help on the next album, but we'll get to that later). And guess what, Ringo drums on a few tracks here! Isn’t that the first time Paul utilized a solo Beatle on his own records? I know John, George, and Ringo were playing on each other’s solo albums in the early ‘70s, but Paul didn’t invite anyone, and only Ringo invited Paul on Ringo. Since Paul basically alienated the other Beatles in the latter days, it isn’t too surprising. But back to the Tug...
Speaking of guests, Stevie Wonder shows up on a few tracks, most notably on the big #1 hit “Ebony and Ivory.” I appreciate the sentiment, but the song itself is far too MOR for my tastes. Now I can’t think of it without being reminded of the hilarious Stevie Wonder/Frank Sinatra duet on an old SNL: “Wonder/Murphy: ‘I am dark, and you are light.’ Sinatra/Piscopo: ‘You are blind as a bat, and I have sight.’” Stevie’s other song here is the much-maligned funk “What’s That You’re Doing?” Sure, it’s a few minutes too long; sure, it feels more like Stevie Wonder featuring Paul than vice versa, but I think the track ain’t bad! The other high-profile guest is Macca’s idol Carl Perkins, in their quaint rockabilly duet “Get It.”
At other parts of Tug, Paul tries some new tricks. The title track opener shows him in a newfound political mood, and while I don’t like it as much as other web reviewers, I can respect the anthemic feel. “The Pound is Sinking” contains economic-related lyrics, a rarity in pop music! The song itself is awesome, a pseudo-prog-pop piece that puts ‘80s Genesis to shame. Plus, Paul gets really personal on the acoustic “Here Today,” a tribute to the late John Lennon. It doesn’t sport a great melody, but it’s damn emotional once you know the story.
Everywhere else, Paul is good old Paul. He throws in a great piano-rocker in “Ballroom Dancing,” a token acoustic ballad “Somebody Who Cares,” and a feel-good pop masterpiece “Take It Away” (maybe my favorite track on Tug). “Wanderlust” is a stately piano ballad that starts out slow until the countermelody kicks in, and the part where it meets the melody fully redeems the song. Finally, the echoey “Be What You See” links to another Jacko-esque tune “Dress Me Up as a Robber.” I can’t say why, but the electro-funk brings Thriller to mind. Tug has a few new wrinkles in the mix, but it’s still Paul through and through. It’s not as amazing as his best efforts with Wings, and it is that tricky genre of adult pop, but an 8 works.
1983
What the??!! What a sheer drop this is for Paul, from Tug of War to this. Because on paper, the two albums shouldn’t be too different. George Martin was aboard for both albums, and Tug of War was a critical success. But while Tug wasn’t all that edgy, it’s Ministry compared to Pipes. Everything is watered down in Pipes, it has the slickness and A/C feel of early ‘80s Dan Fogelberg, and several tracks just betray a lack of ideas. Unlike McCartney II, Paul doesn’t hide behind synths most of the time; it’s more of a full-fledged effort. But that makes it all the more unsatisfying.
I guess the best track here is the pseudo-protest title track, which is 10x more corny than the title track on the last album, but at least sounds all right. It was actually a rare #1 in the UK, I hear! At the same time across the Atlantic, “Say Say Say” was the big #1 hit, probably due to Michael Jackson’s presence on that record (remember, 1983 was the year of Thriller). “Say Say Say” ain’t bad, just way too slick and purported commercial for my taste. The next single was “So Bad,” which apparently was a big single around the time of my birth, according to my hospital’s ‘day of birth’ certificate. Fehh, didn’t even crack the Top 10. Good thing too, it’s horrible, unabashed A/C more suited to the likes of Danny Fogerburp. That falsetto? Hideous!!
Everything else on Pipes...hard to like, I’ll tell ya. “Sweetest Little Show” is sort of cute country, before segueing into the nightmarish “Average Person,” where Paul sounds like a freaking talk show host or something. Listen to the words and his delivery, you’ll agree. The other Jacko spotlight “The Man” is Saccharine City, “Through Our Love” doesn’t save much face as the closing ballad (unlike “One of These Days” on McCartney II), “Hey Hey” goes nowhere as an instrumental, etc. “Tug of Peace,” you ask? Lemme break it down for ya. “Tug of War” = great, “Pipes of Peace” = good, but “Tug” + “Peace” + dumb break-dance beats = crap-ola. And the other two, I have not a thing to say about them.
Really, Paul made another misstep with Pipes. The half-finished and underproduced McCartney II was better than this fully-produced-but-half-baked effort. It sounds a lot like the lite-’80s stuff I was exposed to in the car every day of my childhood. Paul’s well was running dry, and he would only get worse in his attempts to mask that. For now, only the title track and maybe “Sweetest” qualify. Bonus tracks: I can take or leave “Twice in a Lifetime.” “We All Stand Together” is pretty funny, Paul wrote it for some kids show in England (which my friend Adam actually remembers, growing up there). And the decent anti-drug tune “Simple as That” came out around ‘86, and it would have been a hands-down best song on Press to Play. Why’s that? Read on...
1986
Man oh man oh man. Paul just had to have his mid-40’s midlife crisis in the 1980’s, like so many other ‘60s rock stars. Paul just had to update his sound, even though it would be dated two years later. And for the love of Crisco, Paul had to include every mid ‘80s cliche. Processed drums, synth bloops and bleeps, saxophones, even occasional guitar wailing. The result: Press to Play, one album where you should not follow the title’s order. It’s Paul’s worst album ever, and a big reason why 1986 is one big punch line in the WRC.
There a few relative highlights, but even all those are flawed. “Stranglehold” is by far the best on here, a likable shuffle marred by that wailing sax. “Press” has the best pop melody, but the synth-bloop arrangement is awful and sucks most of the life outta that one. “Good Times Coming” is based on an amusing chant of the title, but it segues into the decidedly unfunny “Feel the Sun.” So I can’t say there are any great songs anywhere on Press.
With all those flaws on the ‘good’ tracks, think of how bad the ‘bad’ tracks are. And they’re all pathetic. Moreover, it is diverse crap, from the processed corporate-rock “Move Over Busker” to the artsy-babbling “Talk More Talk” to the punk(?!) disaster “Angry.” Wow. And “Pretty Little Head”? That’s anti-music. Just a bunch of electronic blips and bloops and random Paul mumbling, there is zero trace of humanity in that...thing (I can’t call it a song, that would be an insult to real songs). I feel like grabbing an Aspirin thinking of it. Slow tunes do not save face: “Footprints” has the most sparse production but is kind of dull, while “However Absurd” is a pretentious nightmare of processed vocals and lyrical inanity.
What else can be said about Press to Stop...crap crap crap. It’s an embarrassment in Paul’s career, and it pissed off many a WRC reviewer. Read Starostin’s review of this, it makes mine look gentle. I seriously hope no one was harmed in the process of that review. Me, I’d rather leave it behind.
Still with me? We gots bonus tracks, and they reek too. Well, the pop tune “Write Away” would have actually been a relative highlight on Press. But the rest are more faceless ballads like the insipid Linda-defending “It’s Not True.” Meanwhile, “Spies Like Us” is the lowest point in the entire Beatles/solo Beatles catalogue. John’s bad stuff was mostly due to Yoko and George has but two songs I actively dislike (“Teardrops” and “Brainwashed”). “Spies” is braindead, in-your-face, an insult to one’s intelligence, and an ‘80’s movie theme. Do you hear me? It’s worse than “Danger Zone,” “Heat is On,” and “Footloose” (actually I kind of like that one) combined. Paul, STAY AWAY FROM KENNY LOGGINS!!!!