Jovitalk - Bon Jovi Fan Community
Home Register Members FAQ
 

The Vastly Underrated Solo Work of Paul McCartney

Other Bands


Reply
 
Thread Tools
  #1  
Old 06-05-2011, 08:11 PM
Ferret's Avatar
Ferret Ferret is offline
Senior Member
Something for the Posts
 
Join Date: 27 Dec 2006
Location: Sugar Mountain
Gender: male
Posts: 2,944
Default The Vastly Underrated Solo Work of Paul McCartney

a passionate defence of Paul McCartney's 1970s solo debut "McCartney"



Quote:
When Paul McCartney left The Rolling Stones in 1970, everyone was wondering what he would do without the eloquent lead guitar playing of Mick Taylor that had served him so well for decades. However, his ex-drummer Pete O'Phile Townshend agreed to form a new band with him and they called this band Led Zeppelin in relation to the appearance of McCartney's peni

It just so happens that Paul McCartney and Pete Townshend were sued by the moneygrubbing assholes who had used that name for two years and agreed to go their seperate ways, with McCartney half-assing his debut solo album, filling it with sketches of songs and shit like blues and crap. Unfortunately, he was too damn TALENTED to create the pile of shit that this album could well have been, and so every song (or at least song with vocals; there are a couple of bluesy instrumentals where it sounds like he's slamming his dick against a drumkit; Kreen-Akrore, yuckyuckyuck) has some sort of massive, distinct hook of beauty which you know he basically just crapped out without the slightest effort.

Every Night is nice, but the verse is super-slight and feels like the sort of melody that just comes to him instantly when he picks up an acoustic guitar. However, when he starts the "oooooohhhhh"ing I just want to scream aloud about what a great, great ****ing sound this man has created. You know he improvised The Lovely Linda as a studio test? Of course he did, it's stupid, but what a wonderful melody! Then there's Maybe I'm Amazed, Junk, Teddy Boy, That Would Be Something and Man We Was Lonely which are all great/good/amazing songs even though the latter is pretty awful, I just enjoy the farmer harmonies. LOL Linda's singing hahahahaha.

Some people say this album is bad, people including John Lennon and my friend (and fellow Macca fan!!!) Seb, but these people are horrificially wrong and McCartney is one of the most fun, breezy, light and enjoyable albums to be made by its namesake. I think the songs are pretty good too, and admittedly there's no Eleanor Rigby or a song of similar gargantuan importance to humanity, but Paul practically pisses amazing melodies. If you like the sound of the greatest pop songwriter ever cutting some laid back jamz on his Scottish farm while he chills with his family and smokes some tasty marijuana, then this is just for you. The appeal of McCartney lies in its slightness, and although I love the shit out of Band On The Run and more recent Macca-by-numbers glistening pop rock records like Memory Almost Full (a very good record I listen to regularly, ftr) the fact that we get a peek into the fruity folk ideas that swirl around this guy's head is pretty special for me and this is an album to be valued as much as anything in his catologue.
from my own blog obviously.

Last edited by Ferret; 06-06-2011 at 12:58 AM..
Reply With Quote

  #2  
Old 06-05-2011, 08:54 PM
Supersonic's Avatar
Supersonic Supersonic is offline
The One And Only Real Backstage Killer
I'll Post When I'm Dead
 
Join Date: 03 Aug 2002
Location: Bangkok
Gender: male
Posts: 15,990
Send a message via MSN to Supersonic
Default

Aloha !

Jack, the album is shit, everyone knows this.

As for them being a good look into what this man does in the studio when he's just ****ing around it's a good document, but it should never have been put together as a full studio album. The same counts for McCartney II by the way, which was recorded while Wings was falling apart and he was in a similar situation as the one he was in shortly after The Beatles broke up.

Yes, some of his ideas worked, but most didn't. Yes, some melodies are great, but a good line or 2 doesn't save a song, The Lovely Linda being a good example for that. What's the point of putting something like that on an album while all he had to do was wait for a few months and create something out of it. Man We Was Lonely, Junk, That Would Be Something, Maybe I'm Amazed and Every Night are good/great songs, but that's 5 out of 13. As for the rest; they're standing in the shadow of the b-sides Oasis released later in their career.

What McCartney showed was that without a man on his side who was able to tell him when something is shit, he lacked direction. Especially after Wings he didn't take no for an answer and pretty much thought he knew what was best. It gave us rehashes of Beatles songs though, of which George Harrison said "He really ran out of good songs of his own".

His career only revived when Elvis Costello got involved in 1988 which was a good 10 years later after the last great Wings album, and My Brave Face, written with Costello) became his first real hit in years. Yet a few good songs didn't make a great album, and it really took him about 20 years to come up with something as a good as Band On The Run, something that could stand the test of time; Flaming Pie. That album was inspired by the limitless hours of listening to old Beatles material, and found him fresh and inspired as an artist, re-inventing himself by not trying to be the most popular act in the world, but just by creating simple songs with great melodies.

So yes, some of these melodies on McCartney might be catchy, but that's all there really is to McCartney. A few good songs and some nice melodies here and there. Apart from that it's just a document that shows how broken up McCartney really was after The Beatles falling apart.

Salaam Aleikum,
Sebastiaan
__________________
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 06-06-2011, 12:11 AM
Thunderstrucker's Avatar
Thunderstrucker Thunderstrucker is offline
Senior Member
Dry County
 
Join Date: 24 May 2008
Age: 35
Gender: male
Posts: 1,610
Default

Perhaps nice to know as sidenote:
The name for that album also has its origins from the beatles-era where John Lennon always gave weird answers to the question how they came up with the band's name. One of the stories Lennon once told was that an alien in a flaming pie came from the sky and told them to call the band The Beatles.
Flaming Pie is indeed a very good album and my story above adds to the one my brother wrote about paul being inspired by the beatles.

On-topic: I dont know those McCartney albums and that might already mean they aint worth getting because otherwise I probably would have known them already. Based on how you 2 respond on the re-release I dont miss out on anything fancy

I salute you,
TS
__________________
"You've gone a million miles, how far'd you get? To that place where you don't remember and you don't forget"
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 06-06-2011, 12:38 AM
Ferret's Avatar
Ferret Ferret is offline
Senior Member
Something for the Posts
 
Join Date: 27 Dec 2006
Location: Sugar Mountain
Gender: male
Posts: 2,944
Default

The pissabout feel is why I like it. It's not exactly a major artistic statement (RAM MOTHERFUCKER) but all the songs I mentioned and probably ones I didn't too (what's the one at the beginning of the album with some mega-catchy acoustic riff that he just couldn't be arsed writing any lyrics to?) are some good stuff. Admittedly it works better judged as one of his Fireman, classical, nonsense bullshit vanity projects than as a full blown chart-rapin' studio album. I like McCartney II too! TEMPORARY SECRETARY!!!

Flaming Pie yeah that's a good 'un too.

"For a while we could sit, smoke a pipe
and discuss all the vast intricacies of life"

that's my shit right there! Paul actually writing good songs! Ringo on drums! George Martin on a nostalgia trip and Jeff Lynne living out his sickest Beatles fantasies! Steve Miller on gui....wait fuck Steve Miller.

In short, Paul McCartney is the man and we should all model ourselves on him. Hell, I for one am recording an instrumental version of my second album and releasing it under a stupid name, marrying a woman with one leg and getting deported from Japan RIGHT THIS MINUTE! What a hero of a man.

(unless we're talking the 80s when he sucked dong)
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 06-06-2011, 12:46 AM
Ferret's Avatar
Ferret Ferret is offline
Senior Member
Something for the Posts
 
Join Date: 27 Dec 2006
Location: Sugar Mountain
Gender: male
Posts: 2,944
Default

also can a mod rename this thread to something about Paul McCartney?
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 06-06-2011, 07:11 PM
hometownboy's Avatar
hometownboy hometownboy is offline
Senior Member
These Days
 
Join Date: 02 Apr 2008
Location: Manchester , Uk
Age: 30
Gender: male
Posts: 2,347
Default

For me, it has three cracking McCartney songs on ... Junk, Every Night and Maybe I'm Amazed, all of which I think are fantastic. The rest I'd rather live without!
__________________
You can't always get what you want but if you try sometimes you just might find you get what you need!
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 06-06-2011, 10:24 PM
Ferret's Avatar
Ferret Ferret is offline
Senior Member
Something for the Posts
 
Join Date: 27 Dec 2006
Location: Sugar Mountain
Gender: male
Posts: 2,944
Default

Great thread! Shame everyone in it is wrong except for me.

I listened to McCartney II last night. Waterfalls! Temporary Secretary! Coming Up! Check My Machine! YEAH! GREAT ALBUM. Great synthy bullshit, as ever some bangin' choons too. Even the bad songs are terrible in a funny and entertaining way.

Wild Life is good too if you wanna hear a load of people who are really really really really really stoned just jamming some random-ass poppy ideas under the pretense that they're a good ol' proper rock band rather than a global superstar and some lesser talents. Did I mention they're super stoned? It's the most mindlessly repetitive shit ever.

Obviously I also like the albums of this guy that are actually considered to be good.
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 06-10-2011, 03:50 AM
Ferret's Avatar
Ferret Ferret is offline
Senior Member
Something for the Posts
 
Join Date: 27 Dec 2006
Location: Sugar Mountain
Gender: male
Posts: 2,944
Default

wow threads about other music die quickly on here. it's not like it was about a super-indie artist or anything.
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 06-11-2011, 08:08 PM
asok80 asok80 is offline
Senior Member
Jovi FANatic
 
Join Date: 07 Jul 2003
Location: Sweden
Gender: female
Posts: 1,436
Default

Must say I've never understood what's so great about him solo. I liked the Wings stuff but his solo stuff just don't do anything for me other than maybe fall asleep...zzz
__________________
KTF
Asok
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 06-12-2011, 07:30 AM
Crushgen24/88's Avatar
Crushgen24/88 Crushgen24/88 is offline
Senior Member
Blaze of Posting
 
Join Date: 18 Mar 2007
Location: Staten Island/Long Island New York
Age: 33
Gender: male
Posts: 9,607
Default

I still honestly believe Band On The Run is one of the best records to come from any member of The Beatles, whether together or solo. Corking stuff.
__________________
*8/7/03 12/21/05 7/18/06 10/28/07 11/9/07 11/10/07 2/12/08 7/12/08 7/14/08 7/15/08 11/15/09 (JBJ Solo) 5/26/10 5/27/10 5/29/10 7/9/10 7/24/10 2/24/11 2/25/11 3/5/11 5/6/11 5/20/12 7/25/13*
New Jersey/Keep The Faith/Slippery When Wet/Crush/These Days/The Circle/Have a Nice Day/What About Now/Lost Highway/Bounce/Bon Jovi/7800*Farenheit
Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
paul mccartney


Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT +2. The time now is 07:16 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11.
Copyright ©2000 - 2021, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.