Off the Ground
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I read about this album before listening to it, and was expecting it to be a challenge, but I was pleasantly surprised. I spent the morning listening to it a few times whilst putting together two bookcases, and I don't really understand the criticism. It's a perfectly decent album. Maybe it got flack at the time because it came directly after Flowers in the Dirt, which was brilliant. Stand-out tracks for me are Hope of Deliverance, Off the Ground, Mistress and Maid, Winedark Open Sea and Biker Like an Icon, but the whole album is so uplifting. If I'm ever feeling sad, I'll put this on.
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I think it's a fine album - but here's what I think the issue is; Paul had a lot of momentum at this point in time. His album, Flowers in the Dirt, while only a modest success in the charts, was generally considered a strong 'comeback' album for him. The 1989/90 tour that lent support to this album was considered one of the best tours for that period of time and the band rocked. He was writing some good stuff with Elvis Costello, with the initial results leaking out in the form of a b side to Once Upon A Long Ago and further results showing up on both Paul's Flowers in the Dirt and Elvis' Spike album... Paul also under took a small 'Unplugged Tour' (the one show which was recorded for the Unplugged - Official Bootleg album - plus several others which were partly 'unplugged' and mirrored that first show, then 'plugged' in for a number of songs...The resulting Unplugged album was well received. So with this momentum he was riding, when he announced there would be a new studio album recorded with his touring band (the drummer of course, was replaced), there would be more Macca/McManus, and lastly, there would be a new world tour (in fact the official name of the tour was exactly that), folks were jacked and ready to get blown away...what we got was a pretty strong album that was perhaps a small step down from Flowers...an album that would normally be met with a measure of applause but perhaps was a bit flat considering the expectations...but in stepping away from that time period, it easily nestled its way into the upper half rankings of his overall solo/wings catalog
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The Complete Works will eventually get its overdue acclaim by the masses. One great track after another It's everything we all love about Macca.
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Always liked Off The Ground. Golden Earth Girl is amazballs. And I'm the one dork who also likes peace in the neighborhood. And some others. I agree the complete works really puts a different twist on that album. Many more levels and moving parts Paul was managing in his head musically, lots of ideas. And good ones. Seems to me what he did basically was choose the most completed ideas for the album. Cause a lot of the extras do lack something for me. Great as a riff or rhythm or lyric might be, they feel incomplete. I've heard people say the leftovers and B side from Off the Ground were better than the album tracks he chose. I cannot agree with that sentiment. definitely worth hearing though. The sheer quantity makes it fun.
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I remember thinking the album was very good upon release, but my thoughts then were coloured by the fact he toured it - yes, even out here! When I hear it now, it's pretty ordinary, although I love the title track...and especially this mix of it...
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Thanks people. Some interesting points. I'm already a fan of Flowers in the Dirt and Press to Play, so next stop for me is Pipes of Peace. As usual I've read some opinions on this, and they seem completely polarised. I know the title track and Say Say Say, but the others I have never heard. Ordering CD today.
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It's a very good, but not great, album. C'Mon People is a masterpiece, though...what a way to close the album!
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DrBeatle:
It's a very good, but not great, album. C'Mon People is a masterpiece, though...what a way to close the album!
Agreed. Has 'massive hit' written all over it too. He should still be performing that live.
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Wyrdskein:
Thanks people. Some interesting points. I'm already a fan of Flowers in the Dirt and Press to Play, so next stop for me is Pipes of Peace. As usual I've read some opinions on this, and they seem completely polarised. I know the title track and Say Say Say, but the others I have never heard. Ordering CD today.
Pipes of Peace is not my favorite - but I think 'Through Our Love' is a hidden gem and Average Person isn't quite the bomb people make it out to be...and despite the fact that I'm on the side of believing the alledged stories of Michael Jackson and what he did with kids, I don't let that cloud the fact that I find Say Say Say to be a fine song. But this album does have 'Hey Hey', which to me, may be the worst thing he ever actually taped (ok, maybe in private he taped himself farting or something...but of all things that ever hit the street on official or bootleg release, this is it - the worst) And this album also contains the one lyric that has always been used by critics to show (unfairly I may add since there's no doubt Paul's a great writer), how 'bad' of a writer he is..I defend the man from the general criticism because it's not fair...but I can't really defend the line (but hey, it's just one line - what's the big whip about???)
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rich n:
Wyrdskein:
Thanks people. Some interesting points. I'm already a fan of Flowers in the Dirt and Press to Play, so next stop for me is Pipes of Peace. As usual I've read some opinions on this, and they seem completely polarised. I know the title track and Say Say Say, but the others I have never heard. Ordering CD today.
... Average Person isn't quite the bomb people make it out to be...
Sounds like a Randy Newman song to me.
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audi:
rich n:
Wyrdskein:
Thanks people. Some interesting points. I'm already a fan of Flowers in the Dirt and Press to Play, so next stop for me is Pipes of Peace. As usual I've read some opinions on this, and they seem completely polarised. I know the title track and Say Say Say, but the others I have never heard. Ordering CD today.
... Average Person isn't quite the bomb people make it out to be...
Sounds like a Randy Newman song to me.
Average Person is an extremely enjoyable track.
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ewanme:
DrBeatle:
It's a very good, but not great, album. C'Mon People is a masterpiece, though...what a way to close the album!
Agreed. Has 'massive hit' written all over it too. He should still be performing that live.
I totally agree that Paul should still be performing C'mon People live still. I know here threw in Hope Of Deliverance since recently, but C'mon People is such a strong song! I think it's equally, if not more important, in the world today to send the message to the world that "we've got a future and it's charging in, we'll make the best of all we have and more, we'll do what never has been done before." I think he should replace this with Hope of Deliverance if he is going to bring back any song from Off the Ground. I am so not picky though when it comes to Paul playing anything from 1980-present lol. I also think "Looking For Changes" would be a great addition to the show now. It's a great rocker tune like Save Us!
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ewanme:
DrBeatle:
It's a very good, but not great, album. C'Mon People is a masterpiece, though...what a way to close the album!
Agreed. Has 'massive hit' written all over it too. He should still be performing that live.
He did it, in 1993 at the end of the World Tour, I listened and watched here in Santiago, and certainly it would be great if he does again this April!
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ewanme:
DrBeatle:
It's a very good, but not great, album. C'Mon People is a masterpiece, though...what a way to close the album!
Agreed. Has 'massive hit' written all over it too. He should still be performing that live.
He did and it wasn't.
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The more I listen to this album, the more I love it. Flaming Pie has also grown on me a lot, but not as much as Off the Ground.
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Wyrdskein:
...Flaming Pie has also grown on me a lot, but not as much as Off the Ground.
You don't hear that everyday.
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Off the Ground was a bigger seller than Flowers in many countrys, the difference is mainly UK,in UK Flowers was number one and platinum disc,can tell you my country Portugal as an example here almost nobody likes Paul maybe only me!!!we have a top 30 sales chart and here Flaming Pie was a no show in the chart,Run devil Run the same,Wingspan the same, Driving Rain the same,Chaos the same,Memory the same and New the same!not a single week in the top 30 even if in the number 30!but Off the ground was number 2 several weeks! only with the Bodyguard soundtrack at number one (with the monster hit I will always love you!)and what about Japan? is the best selling Paul album in that country!and another bigger country Germany Off the ground was number 2 several weeks with the bodyguard soundtrack at number one(like Portugal)in fact Off the ground i think is the best selling Paul album in Germany platinum disc there,and Rolling Stone gave the album 4 stars...again the problem was UK the critics in UK well like always or most of the times give Paul a bad time i have the Q magazine and they kill literally the album!to this day i don´t understand UK they should kiss Paul hand!!!!
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i really like Off the ground a lot and Pipes of peace too in fact was Pipes of peace that made me a Super Paul fan
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audi:
Wyrdskein:
...Flaming Pie has also grown on me a lot, but not as much as Off the Ground.
You don't hear that everyday.
That's for sure!
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I really like Off The Ground its good a real band sound and feel very underated