Paul's Flowers/Off The Ground touring band
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Whatever to them? We all know "Wix" is still touring with Paul. But how come he didn't reunite these guys back in 2002? Don't get me wrong Rusty/Abe/Brian band is great and are amazing. I was just watching some Flowers in the Dirt stuff, and it made me wonder.
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SimplyShady:
Whatever to them? We all know "Wix" is still touring with Paul. But how come he didn't reunite these guys back in 2002? Don't get me wrong Rusty/Abe/Brian band is great and are amazing. I was just watching some Flowers in the Dirt stuff, and it made me wonder.
It may have been a marketing issue. I think there was a calculating decision to get "younger" players to enhance and put forth a more youthful look to the band. Also, Paul had not done anything with that line up since 1993, so maybe it was a question of availability and having moved on for all parties involved. I saw Hamish Stuart with Ringo here in Albuquerque a few years ago and he was great!
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Here is some more semi-recent info on Robbie: http://www.robbiemcintosh.com/
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Hamish Stuart is touring the pub circuit here in March with Ex Stone Mick Taylor.
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Here they are!
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Robbie is a great guitar player. Can't tell if he's better than Rusty or not. Hamish' voice suited Paul's very well. The harmonies on the "Off the ground" album hails back to the Wings era, and I kinda miss that on the newer albums. The band as a whole had a tendency to play the older numbers a bit too slow, I think. Anyway....hope the archives version of "Off the ground" includes "Is it raining in London" so we finally get to hear the full Angelo Badalamenti score in full. (Don't worry, we will get an archives "Off the ground".........won't we?????)
cfergoid:
"During one of the press conferences for the 1989 "Flowers In The Dirt" tour (probably the day the tour was announced after a week of rehearsals at a NYC theater), Paul was asked "So does this new band have a name?" Paul replied "Well... the band has suggested Paul McCartney's Lumpy Trousers... BUT.... I'm NOT having THAT name up on a marquee !!!!!!" Within weeks, the name was commonly used to refer to Paul's band on the internet... especially usenet - where it was not unusual to read reviews for "Paul McCartney's Lumpy Trousers""
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little-lamb-dragonfly:
Robbie is a great guitar player. Can't tell if he's better than Rusty or not. Hamish' voice suited Paul's very well. The harmonies on the "Off the ground" album hails back to the Wings era, and I kinda miss that on the newer albums. The band as a whole had a tendency to play the older numbers a bit too slow, I think. Anyway....hope the archives version of "Off the ground" includes "Is it raining in London" so we finally get to hear the full Angelo Badalamenti score in full. (Don't worry, we will get an archives "Off the ground".........won't we?????)
cfergoid:
"During one of the press conferences for the 1989 "Flowers In The Dirt" tour (probably the day the tour was announced after a week of rehearsals at a NYC theater), Paul was asked "So does this new band have a name?" Paul replied "Well... the band has suggested Paul McCartney's Lumpy Trousers... BUT.... I'm NOT having THAT name up on a marquee !!!!!!" Within weeks, the name was commonly used to refer to Paul's band on the internet... especially usenet - where it was not unusual to read reviews for "Paul McCartney's Lumpy Trousers""
If the band played older songs slower, that was because Paul wanted them played that way. It was HIS band. Surely he could mandate songs be played faster. Watch the video I posted above. They actually play the song FASTER than the original.
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RMartinez:
If the band played older songs slower, that was because Paul wanted them played that way. It was HIS band. Surely he could mandate songs be played faster. Watch the video I posted above. They actually play the song FASTER than the original.
I just had a quick listen to the Beatles-tracks off "Tripping the live Fantastic", and the tempo seemed just fine. I must have been going by memory here, or possibly hear-say that I just passed on. Just like people saying "Press to play" and "Back to the Egg" are the worst pile of **** without knowing either record, because that's what people say.
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I've often wondered myself about the World Tour band, and then I thought about the rest of Paul's previous bandmates. It happened with The Beatles, with Wings, and with this band. For any number of reasons, it seems once Paul moves on with a band, he usually doesn't look back...especially with drummers. (Ringo's an exception of course). How many drummers he went through from '71 to '93 is really something. I think Abe's been with him longer than any drummer. Whether it was creative differences, personal differences, conflicts of interest, finding youth, or just moving on...who knows? I would've loved to see a Wings reunion myself with Paul, but that was unlikely when Linda was alive, and is now probably damn near impossible. It's also unlikely we'll see more work with Paul, Hamish, and Robbie. But thank goodness for Wix! I enjoyed Robbie's guitar work and oh yeah, Hamish's vocals complimented Paul's almost like no other. I was happy to see him with the All-Starr band back in '08. "Flowers In The Dirt" is one of my favorite albums, as is "Off The Ground". As a matter of fact, I'm gonna go put that one on right now...
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Hamish & Robbie, 2000
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Young master Christopher, as Paul used to introduce Chris Whitten, played with World Party for a while. Don't know if he still does as I don't follow World Party. Blair Cunningham replaced him on drums in 1993. Looks like he's been with a band called Haircut Onehundred recently. These bands are my favorites that I have seen and heard. I think I recall Robbie saying the gig was up and he had to make money when the 93 tour ended. Then Linda got sick and there was no more touring until 2002. I really enjoyed this band. I might be biased since I stayed at the same hotel with the 1990 band and was privileged to meet them and get their autographs. Robbie in Liverpool heading for the bus after the last show of the tour http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y205/maccascruff/Robbie_zps15844686.jpg Wix and young master Christopher the next morning http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y205/maccascruff/WixChris_zps82b33da6.jpg
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Wix is probably the best thing to happen to Paul's touring and...the worst. By that I mean, his musical aptitude and flexibility, and probably as musical director, the reason we don't have a horn section or more diverse setlists. IMHO
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moptops:
Wix is probably the best thing to happen to Paul's touring and...the worst. By that I mean, his musical aptitude and flexibility, and probably as musical director, the reason we don't have a horn section or more diverse setlists. IMHO
I've often wondered about that. Wix certainly wears more hats than anyone else backing Paul, but I would love the power and dynamic of a horn section again. Paul is Paul and he can add horns back to the tour if he really wanted to. It's not like it would have to be the Wings brass section (as much as I enjoyed their sound). However, I don't see it happening. That's 4 more expenses for a tour. I don't know much of his story though. I guess that with nearly a decade off of touring after '93, it makes sense Hamish, Robbie, and Blair would go on to find another way to pay the bills and move on with their careers. I wonder if Paul actively re-recruited Wix before the Driving USA tour or if he just offered his services again when it came time? He surely must be doing something right if Paul's kept him onboard all these years.
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What happened to Gabe Dixon?
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*Perry*:
What happened to Gabe Dixon?
I read he was offered the gig in Paul's band in 2001 but turned it down.
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Robbie is so much better a guitarist than Rusty and Hamish was better with the harmonies. I wish Robbie was still with the band, he could outplay Paul, it is quite clear Rusty cannot.
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Alvin1967:
Robbie is so much better a guitarist than Rusty and Hamish was better with the harmonies. I wish Robbie was still with the band, he could outplay Paul, it is quite clear Rusty cannot.
His current band has an edge to their sound, the 89/93 band did not. The 89/93 band would put you to sleep. They were boring, beige people. The current band is not.
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moptops:
Alvin1967:
Robbie is so much better a guitarist than Rusty and Hamish was better with the harmonies. I wish Robbie was still with the band, he could outplay Paul, it is quite clear Rusty cannot.
His current band has an edge to their sound, the 89/93 band did not. The 89/93 band would put you to sleep. They were boring, beige people. The current band is not.
I so disagree with you. The 89/93 band would not put you to sleep. Robbie is an excellent guitarist--yes, better than Rusty. I loved Hamish's voice. The band does what Paul wants. Paul and Linda were the stars of that band. Paul allows the current band to do more.
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I like this band better.
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Again, I saw the 76 line up, the 89 and 93 line up, and the current line up. All great musicians in their own right. The 89/93 line DID NOT put anyone to sleep, that is ridiculous. They received just as enthusiastic a response as the current band does. I know, because I was there! I can dig the fan devotion here, but there do seem to be some folks who cannot accept that Paul McCartney had a successful music career before 2002.
