Sam Leach - KEEP
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Magical Mystery Girl:
JenProwell:
The Year of the Monkey---oh no! Well, at least it's spelled right!
I'm a monkey.
And monkeys are great! I'm a rat...but a very friendly rat. 8-)
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Rollingstone's review of Tug of War. They gave it 5 stars. And the magazine is hardly pro-Macca. It's ironically the only Beatle solo album that they gave 5 stars to Tug of War is the masterpiece everyone has always known Paul McCartney could make. In style and format, the album isn't all that different from his earlier work, but the songs are far more substantial than the eccentric doodlings of recent albums. Instead of another homemade effort, McCartney has teamed up with producer George Martin to create a record with a sumptuous aural scope that recalls Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and Abbey Road. Together, McCartney and Martin have compiled a veritable encyclopedia of contemporary studio pop in the deluxe, high-tech tradition of Fleetwood Mac's Rumours, Michael Jackson's Off the Wall and Stevie Wonder's Songs in the Key of Life. Every cut offers a stylistic montage of one sort or another, creating an actual tug of war between different pop notions ? between British pop parochialism and Afro-American progressiveness, escapist fantasy and sage observation, world-weariness and utopian sentiments. But McCartney doesn't just present these oppositions, he unites them. Harmonious, peaceful coexistence is both the ethic and the aesthetic of the album. Conceptually, Tug of War is organized around two Paul McCartney-Stevie Wonder duets. Though it wasn't obvious until now, both musicians share a love of childlike melodies and playful asides, and McCartney's "Ebony and Ivory" is the ultimate display of this kinship. The tune's phonetic simplicity and its image of black and white piano keys as a metaphor for race relations combine to make a global children's song as ingenuous as "Happy Birthday," Wonder's tribute to Martin Luther King. McCartney's little tune is the ivory half of a matched pair. The ebony counterpart, "What's That You're Doing," is a red-hot pop-funk feast that's served up on Stevie Wonder's roiling and squiggling synthesizer. These companion pieces are simply the most obvious of many such juxtapositions. In the sweepingly majestic title song, McCartney observes that man's nobler aspirations and warlike impulses originate from the same human urge for more, and he underscores that statement with marching drums and lofty symphonic orchestration. The song could easily be McCartney's "Imagine," for it makes a similar leap of hope "In years to come they may discover/What the air we breathe and the life we lead/Are all about/But it won't be soon enough ... for me." And like "Imagine," the song also acknowledges the worst side of humanity "But with one thing and another/We were trying to outdo each other/In a tug of war." This solemnity gives way to pure exultation in "Take It Away," a multistyle rock & roll tour de force celebrating the joys of music making. Ethereal vocal harmonies inspired by Fleetwood Mac and 10cc, rollicking New Orleans-style horns and quotes from "She Loves You" all comfortably coincide on a cut that sounds like a raunchier, calypso-inflected update of "Silly Love Songs." "Ballroom Dancing," an audacious novelty in the "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" vein, allows McCartney to resolve the tensions between his nostalgic yearnings and his rock & roll passion by embracing both at once. This galloping fox trot, with its jolly music-hall melody, is tricked out with funky horns, and the lyrics, which intersperse bits of nonsense with fleeting images of England in the Fifties, manage to sound cute and hip at the same time. "Get It," a duet with Carl Perkins, is another clever hybrid ? an acoustic rockabilly strut. Yet the most powerful stylistic juxtaposition ? classical string quartet meets acoustic folk ? occurs on McCartney's eulogy to John Lennon, "Here Today." The lyrics ? in which McCartney remembers meeting, loving and eventually breaking down in tears with Lennon, while all the time never really understanding him ? evoke the depth and complexity of their friendship with an astounding tenderness. And George Martin's string arrangement is, if anything, even more graceful than the one he did for "Eleanor Rigby." "Here Today" brings up the album's most personal and painful aspect. Lennon and McCartney, after all, were icons of goodness in the Sixties, but even the Beatles' utopia wasn't immune to a tug of war that destroyed their collaboration and even, for a time, their friendship. There's a sense in which the whole album is a meditation on two deaths?the Beatles' and John Lennon's. In this emotionally wide-open atmosphere, even McCartney's more whimsical tunes assume bittersweet overtones. His fairy-tale love songs to Linda McCartney suggest that there is no war between them?perhaps because, for McCartney, the difference between marriage and friendship is the difference between cozy retreat and mortal risk taking. In the elaborate, gorgeously arranged "Dress Me Up as a Robber" and the staid, hymnlike "Wanderlust," McCartney compares sexual independence to foolish military adventuring. It's in these seemingly lighter moments that George Martin's studio touches illuminate McCartney's wistful hominess with exquisite musical details a brass ensemble in "Wanderlust," pan pipes in the affably shuffling "Somebody Who Cares" and Beatlesque inner voices in the madcap "The Pound Is Sinking." Instrumentally, McCartney doesn't try to be a one-man band. Though he plays as many as six instruments on some cuts, Denny Laine takes over most of the electric-guitar chores, and Linda McCartney and Eric Stewart assist Paul with the backup singing. McCartney's vocals run the usual gamut?from the adrenalin hollering of "Ballroom Dancing" to the intimate, elegiac crooning of "Here Today," perhaps his finest ballad performance since "Yesterday." Of the many albums McCartney has churned out in his twelve-year solo career, only Band on the Run comes close to touching Tug of War in the richness of its style and the consistency of its songs. By striking a balance among Wings' streamlined pop-rock, the musicbox miniaturism of his solo projects and the Beatles' baroque expansiveness, Paul McCartney has left the rest of his solo career behind in the dust. (RS 370) STEPHEN HOLDEN
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Starr:
Hi Sam i'm not real familiar with the BeeGees music, just know a couple tunes! I'll stick with the Beatles!!
Now there was another group who imitated the Beatles in many ways. Not to mention they were under Epstein's direction for a time. Great band, and got to be as hot as the Beatles during the disco era....
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Mike I endorse your opinions on those albums. Samcat Mike proved that Mojo praised those albums which is good enough for me. In rebuttal you said you `doubt other mags would agree'...but without furnishing us with evidence of that. It's no use you saying you `doubt something' without backing it up. You're showing a biased attitude there. Hello Fab65 Nice to see you back posting. Cheers. Sam.
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All Music Guide To Rock Ram 5 stars out of 5 Mccartney 4 out of 5 Again, music is subjective but in terms of critical acclaim these albums hold up pretty well. They ones that don't are Wild Life, McCartney 2, and Speed of Sound. Although, personally, I like them. Cheers! Mike
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Samuel Catalino:
fab65:
Samuel Catalino:
DennyC:
Hi everyone, "McCartney" can't possibly be dismissed. It has Maybe I'm Amazed, Everynight and Junk on it. Those are some of the best songs ever written, beatlish or not.
Hello Denny, I never cared too much for any of those tunes, but Another Day was a lovely tune which came out about that time. Best, Sam C.
Ok, Samuel, your opinion is fine, but the fact is both McCartney and Ram are generally well regarded by fans in general and by the critics these days. Just this month Mojo mag ranked their top 10 solo Beatle albums... 'McCartney' was ranked as #1 and Ram they placed at #4; Here's what they said; 1) McCartney: His first solo stab, put to tape at his Scottish farmhouse with zero outside assistence--and against not unconsiderable odds, rather delightful. The purple patch that had thrown forth his contributions to Abbey Road was still ongoing, which meant that such Beatles off-cuts as Teddy Boy and the still underrated Junk sat next to intimate, impassioned songs the quality of Maybe I'm Amazed and Every Night. Note also the instrumental Momma Miss America (a club fave with the Big Beat cognoscenti circa 199
and Kreen-Akrone, which imagined the woody experimentalism of groups like The Beta Band a quarter-century early. 4) Ram: To all intents and purposes, the first Wings LP. In Too Many People, 3 Legs and Dear Boy, Lennon claimed to hear put-downs that were viciously answered by How Do You Sleep?, though his reading of the last two songs was wide of the mark (Paul admitted the first did take a dismissive pop at John and Yoko's protest-era peity). Whatever, a frequently overlooked gem that contains work as beautifully executed as many of his late-period Beatles compositions; eg. the winningly whimsical Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey, the sighingly pretty Ram On and the bulge-veined Monkberry Moon Delight. ......... Personally, I couldn't agree more with this... They are both among my favorite albums ever.... right there with my beloved Beatle records...and I'm delighted that McCartney got the #1 spot (even if I might have switched this around and placed Ram at #1...) I am so very glad that both these unique and delightful recordings by a true musical genius are finally being properly evaluated and appreciated......
Sorry to go on like this. I happen to feel very passionate and sentimental about these two albums.... Cheers to everyone!!!!!
Janet
Janet, I doubt that many of the other music newspapers would have rated either album that high. Most of them seem to lavish a great deal of praise for Band On The Run, which really is one of his best albums. I never cared for those two, even though I did buy both of them. If YOU like it, that is all that is important, and please don't ever let my opinion bother yours because you like it. Best, Sam C.
Hey Sam- I think you may be mistaken. Whether you like these two or not doesn't bother me. It's the idea that these two albums are dismissible that doesn't square with the evidence--- at least not anymore. Both have been re-evaluated by critics and discovered by new fans.. Ram especially is rated highly.... right up there with Band on the Run on nearly all the formal and informal polls I've seen done in recent years by music magazines or on newsgroups or beatle boards. All Music Guide gives Ram 5 stars... the only Macca album to get 5 stars. Check out the editorial and fan comments on these albums on Amazon, as well as those recommended best of macca lists. McCartney and Ram nearly always come highly recommended... along with Band on the Run and a few other's of course.. Really!!!
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Hello Sam Leach and everyone
Just reading back herein about who is # 1 Well you won't get any debate from me. Seriously I am a life time member of APRA in Australia who votes every year for the APRA music awards the votes is based on opinion selected out of 100 top sellers, the ARIA music awards is different whereas "serveral" not all retail outlets are chosen to submit entires based on sales which is then passed onto ARIA for the music awards. dB
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Hi everyone... Bee Gees ? they were great really but they went to a watery " Disco music " with all those weird egocentric sub-musicians at those sad dancing days and lost themselves between Travoltas, Olivias and Jacko boys And how about The Turtles ? - BTW I´d like to know wich is everyone second fave group ? ? asking and answering, - Although I`m also Byrdmaniac my second fave is Gerry and the Pacemakers
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Hi dB And I agree with you. BTW please call me Sam. The other Sam (Samcat) call him Sam C. Cheers Sam.
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cbimbi:
Hi everyone... Bee Gees ? they were great really but they went to a watery " Disco music " with all those weird egocentric sub-musicians at those sad dancing days and lost themselves between Travoltas, Olivias and Jacko boys And how about The Turtles ? - BTW I´d like to know wich is everyone second fave group ?
: asking and answering, - Although I`m also Byrdmaniac my second fave is Gerry and the Pacemakers
My favorite Bee Gees song is their first hit, often overlooked... "The New York Mining Disaster 1941." Beautiful harmonies. In fact, that first album is a gem and I still have mine. Robin was 19, the twins were 17 and it is brilliant. They did succumb to the disco craze (unfortunately) but their harmonies continued. I must admit that I did not like most of their later hits but if you want a treat, find "Bee Gees' 1st" (with its Klaus Voormann psychedelic cover!) and sit back and enjoy. I'll have to think about 2nd favorite group...
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Hi Cesar (Cbimbi). Second fave ?? Joint three I'm afraid I couldn't split them. Fleetwood Mac (With Lindsay Buckingham) Beach Boys. Bruce & E Street. These three just kept Queen out. Goodnight all. Cheers. Sam.
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Hi Chimbi well i have a couple second fave groups Second fave group? That's easy!! Herman's Hermits!!
(With Peter Noone)
I also enjoy the Rolling Stones, Mama's and Papa's, Beach Boys, Simon and Garfunkel, um and the group that we previously discussed on here
I like Neil Diamond and Cher, i saw Cher in concert a couple years ago excellant show!!
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Sam Leach:
Mike I endorse your opinions on those albums. Samcat: Mike proved that Mojo praised those albums which is good enough for me. In rebuttal you said you `doubt other mags would agree'...but without furnishing us with evidence of that. It's no use you saying you `doubt something' without backing it up. You're showing a biased attitude there. Hello Fab65: Nice to see you back posting. Cheers. Sam.
Sam, I did not want to go back into time and get the Rolling Stones reviews on those albums as well as the Billboards (which reviewed those albums as well) from that time period. I don't have them any more, but they were not very flattering. I am only going on memory and those albums were not that well received. But we will go back to Rolling Stones' review of RAM back in 1971: "Ram remains something of a puzzle to Beatle people. At the time of its May 1971 release it was roundly and harshly condemned by reveiwers such as Rolling Stone's Jon Landau, who called it "the nadir in the decomposition of Sixties rock thus far," "incredibly inconsequential," and "monumentally irrelevant." " Then it gets worse, and I am not going to continue there. These albums were panned a great deal, and I find no pleasure to write and revisit painful memories. Suffice to say, they were not well received by many of the reviewers at that time. Let us move on. Cheers, Sam C.
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Sam Leach:
Hi Cesar (Cbimbi). Second fave ?? Joint three I'm afraid: I couldn't split them. Fleetwood Mac (With Lindsay Buckingham) Beach Boys. Bruce & E Street. These three just kept Queen out. Goodnight all. Cheers. Sam.
Sam, Now here is where we will disagree again. I loved Peter Green and when Stevie Nicks, Lindsay Buckingham and Christine McVie (formerly of Chicken Shack) joined the group, Fleetwood Mac was another band altogether. I loved the Fleetwood Mac of the 60s with Man of The World, their number one smash Albatross and Jigsaw Puzzle Blues was a fine other side. Cheers, Sam C.
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And by the way, I liked Tug Of War.
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Just saying hello before i log off for the night here, see you all tomorrow!!
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Sam Leach:
Hi dB And I agree with you. BTW please call me Sam. The other Sam (Samcat) call him Sam C. Cheers Sam.
Or you can call me Sam #3.
Please don't forget to vote for our favourite Sam. www.samleach.com Cheers, Sam C.
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Sam C The operative expression is "at the time". I've read Rolling Stones review of Ram that was released at the time, you can still find it on the web site's archive -- the periodical has never been fond of Macca -- but that isn't the point. The point is as I put in my first post on the subject -- at the time of its release Ram was mostly panned -- being judged against the Beatles best work. Ram was reevaluated later and the critics basically said we were wrong on that one -- it was good work, etc. I said panned at the time praised later. Cheers! Mike
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Samuel Catalino:
Sam Leach:
Mike I endorse your opinions on those albums. Samcat: Mike proved that Mojo praised those albums which is good enough for me. In rebuttal you said you `doubt other mags would agree'...but without furnishing us with evidence of that. It's no use you saying you `doubt something' without backing it up. You're showing a biased attitude there. Hello Fab65: Nice to see you back posting. Cheers. Sam.
Sam, I did not want to go back into time and get the Rolling Stones reviews on those albums as well as the Billboards (which reviewed those albums as well) from that time period. I don't have them any more, but they were not very flattering. I am only going on memory and those albums were not that well received. But we will go back to Rolling Stones' review of RAM back in 1971: "Ram remains something of a puzzle to Beatle people. At the time of its May 1971 release it was roundly and harshly condemned by reveiwers such as Rolling Stone's Jon Landau, who called it "the nadir in the decomposition of Sixties rock thus far," "incredibly inconsequential," and "monumentally irrelevant." " Then it gets worse, and I am not going to continue there. These albums were panned a great deal, and I find no pleasure to write and revisit painful memories. Suffice to say, they were not well received by many of the reviewers at that time. Let us move on. Cheers, Sam C.
Two points to make here! McCartney was NOT universally panned (I've got original reviews to prove this), and neither was Ram. Both sold well and were loved by plenty of us fans from the beginning too. Bear in mind also, that by the end of the 1970's even Rolling Stone magazine would revise it's review of Ram to 4 stars. YES!!! That idiot that referred to Ram in 1971 as the nadir of popular music was just plain wrong and didn't GET IT!!!.... excuse me????? With all due respect Sam C, if you are really a Brian Wilson/Beach Boy fan, I can't understand how you dismiss this album so readily and claim to think so much of Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys.... Ram IS VERY BRIAN WILSONISH!!!!!! Now, I can move on.....
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fab65 Good points. I've read a ton of great reviews of Ram and as mentioned Mojo ranks it as one of the best albums of all time. The album was really funky and different -- I'll see if I can find it but I remembver one critic raving that it stands up to the best Beatle albums. In terms of McCartney that album has grown in stature, too over time -- agree it wasn't panned at the time but a lot of people thought it would be better. I personally like that one, too -- Maybe I am Amazed, Junk, Every Night -- it's another funky and unique sounding record. Other records that have grown in stature overtime is Back to the Egg -- some critics give it 4 stars these days but that one was panned at the time -- London Town has also grown in stature. I think a lot of Macca's solo work will be elevated higher over time. Even his worst work in my view is much better than the average stuff of most pop artists. Cheers! Mike