Paul's Albums: Rank 'Em
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McCartney Flaming Pie Band on the Run Red Rose Speedway Ram Tug of War Chaos and Creation in the Backyard Venus And Mars Wild Life Back to the Egg Flowers in the Dirt New Driving Rain London Town At the Speed of Sound McCartney II Memory Almost Full Off The Ground Pipes of Peace Give my Regards to Broad Street Run Devil Run Kisses On The Bottom Press To Play
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hello everyone i'm jean i live in france and this is my first post on this forum but i've reading you for years ! this is a good topic to begin with! here's my personal ranking! absolute favourite (stellar songwriting..!) 1- TUG OF WAR 2-RAM 3- FLOWERS IN THE DIRT has to be in the top 10 4-BAND ON THE RUN 5-VENUS AND MARS 6-FLAMING PIE 7-CHAOS AND CREATION wonderful and underrated (even on this forum ...sometimes ) 8-LONDON TOWN 9-WILD LIFE (for the spontaneity and the attitude !) 10-PIPES OF PEACE (yes i'm a POP guy...such a fun record and at least 6 amazing songs on this!) 11-RED ROSE SPEEDWAY (SERIOUSLY UNDERRATED HERE!) great albums 12- BACK TO THE EGG 13 and 14-MC CARTNEY I and MC CARTNEY II for the charm despite the inconsistency 15-MEMORY ALMOST FULL great but just a tiny bit less great 16-AT THE SPEED OF SOUND 17 NEW (although i suspect this won't age very well) 18- PRESS TO PLAY (some really funand unusual stuff on it.... i like it way more than most people here) 19- OFF THE GROUND ( not very well produced but the songwriting is generally very good on it) albums i like ...for some songs only 20- DRIVING RAIN (but half of it is very very good !) 21-BROAD STREET (love all the original tracks and , actually , a couple of the re-dos) 21- THE FIREMAN STUFF (dont really click on me..for some reason) 22- RUN BABY RUN...great energy but i don't really care for covers albums i never play 23- KISSES ON THE BOTTOM...bad energy and i dont really care for covers 24- the russian album...was fun to hear once live albums : wings of america is amazing , unplugged is good , and i have a great affection for tripping the live fantastic (discovered mc cartney with this as a kid !) i don't care for the others.
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1. Chaos & Creation 2. Ram 3. Band on the run 4. Off the ground 5. New Ask me again tomorrow and it'll be completely different!
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Johnny Boom, I know you don't like the album, but it's Run Devil Run. Oh, and Wings Over America.
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Nancy R:
Johnny Boom, I know you don't like the album, but it's Run Devil Run. Oh, and Wings Over America.
OH yes indeed Nancy ,shame on me i guess i was really really tired yesterday night... posting late at night is never a good idea ... how on earth have i ranked mc cartney I so low :
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JOHNNY BOOM:
Nancy R:
Johnny Boom, I know you don't like the album, but it's Run Devil Run. Oh, and Wings Over America.
OH yes indeed Nancy ,shame on me i guess i was really really tired yesterday night... posting late at night is never a good idea ... how on earth have i ranked mc cartney I so low :
You must be in Europe because you posted at 6:27 pm my time (EST)
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JOHNNY BOOM:
Nancy R:
Johnny Boom, I know you don't like the album, but it's Run Devil Run. Oh, and Wings Over America.
OH yes indeed Nancy ,shame on me i guess i was really really tired yesterday night... posting late at night is never a good idea ... how on earth have i ranked mc cartney I so low :
Welcome to the forum JOHNNY BOOM! This is the Beatles & Paul information center! Anything you want to know about Paul or the Beatles, this site is for you! Enjoy!
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JOHNNY BOOM:
hello everyone i'm jean i live in france and this is my first post on this forum but i've reading you for years ! this is a good topic to begin with! here's my personal ranking! absolute favourite (stellar songwriting..!) 1- TUG OF WAR 2-RAM 3- FLOWERS IN THE DIRT has to be in the top 10 4-BAND ON THE RUN 5-VENUS AND MARS 6-FLAMING PIE 7-CHAOS AND CREATION wonderful and underrated (even on this forum ...sometimes ) 8-LONDON TOWN 9-WILD LIFE (for the spontaneity and the attitude !) 10-PIPES OF PEACE (yes i'm a POP guy...such a fun record and at least 6 amazing songs on this!) 11-RED ROSE SPEEDWAY (SERIOUSLY UNDERRATED HERE!) great albums 12- BACK TO THE EGG 13 and 14-MC CARTNEY I and MC CARTNEY II for the charm despite the inconsistency 15-MEMORY ALMOST FULL great but just a tiny bit less great 16-AT THE SPEED OF SOUND 17 NEW (although i suspect this won't age very well) 18- PRESS TO PLAY (some really funand unusual stuff on it.... i like it way more than most people here) 19- OFF THE GROUND ( not very well produced but the songwriting is generally very good on it) albums i like ...for some songs only 20- DRIVING RAIN (but half of it is very very good !) 21-BROAD STREET (love all the original tracks and , actually , a couple of the re-dos) 21- THE FIREMAN STUFF (dont really click on me..for some reason) 22- RUN BABY RUN...great energy but i don't really care for covers albums i never play 23- KISSES ON THE BOTTOM...bad energy and i dont really care for covers 24- the russian album...was fun to hear once live albums : wings of america is amazing , unplugged is good , and i have a great affection for tripping the live fantastic (discovered mc cartney with this as a kid !) i don't care for the others.
_______________________________________________________ Johnny Boom, Very good summary of Paul's albums. For me, I would take certain albums out and rate them separately from Paul's basic studio Pop-Rock albums. These would include all his live albums including his Unplugged CD, all his predominately Rock cover albums including Run Devil Run which I really like, Kisses on the Bottom, the classical stuff and even the Fireman trilogy. There surely a lot of good stuff on those albums but it is very difficult to compare them to Macca's basic studio albums. That being said, I agree with your top 7 above being TOP TIER/BEST OF McCartney albums. I would also add MEMORY ALMOST FULL to that top 7 to make it Paul's Great 8. Johnny Boom, perhaps you should revisit MAF because I think most of the songs on MAF are vintage Macca. After this Top 8, there are some albums that come close to TOP TIER in my opinion. And I'm looking at overall albums and not just 3 or 4 great songs which Paul always seem to have even on sub par Paul albums. The 3 most underrated albums (again as full albums) in my mind are London Town, Back to the Egg and Press to Play. I know many fans might be surprised with those 3 picks but I can listen to those album from beginning to end and really find them enjoyable. Yes, they have some slight down moments and could have been better with some tweaking, but Paul seems to be having fun during those sessions and really going all out. Some of the other albums are also near misses but seem to have more bad moments at least to my ears. They include: At the Speed of Sound - 2nd half just seems to tail off in terms of quality except for the final track...Warm and Beautiful Red Rose Speedway - could have been Top Tier except for the 2nd half with the dreadful medley. Initially this was suppose to be a double album and when you think of the very good songs performed during these sessions that were left off, it is mind boggling that he included that silly Medley. Driving Rain -- a bunch of good songs but too many misses Pipes of Peace -- too "Pop" for my taste but as is the case with Paul's sub par efforts, there is some really good stuff Off the Ground -- some very good songs but Paul doesn't seem to be having fun. Not sure why but his vocals seem dull like he was more or less going through the motions. Too middle of the road but again, there are some terrific songs. Paul sounded much better when he sang them on the follow-up tour. I'll come back to some of the other albums a little later. Have to run right now. thanks
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B J Conlee:
JOHNNY BOOM:
hello everyone i'm jean i live in france and this is my first post on this forum but i've reading you for years ! this is a good topic to begin with! here's my personal ranking! absolute favourite (stellar songwriting..!) 1- TUG OF WAR 2-RAM 3- FLOWERS IN THE DIRT has to be in the top 10 4-BAND ON THE RUN 5-VENUS AND MARS 6-FLAMING PIE 7-CHAOS AND CREATION wonderful and underrated (even on this forum ...sometimes ) 8-LONDON TOWN 9-WILD LIFE (for the spontaneity and the attitude !) 10-PIPES OF PEACE (yes i'm a POP guy...such a fun record and at least 6 amazing songs on this!) 11-RED ROSE SPEEDWAY (SERIOUSLY UNDERRATED HERE!) great albums 12- BACK TO THE EGG 13 and 14-MC CARTNEY I and MC CARTNEY II for the charm despite the inconsistency 15-MEMORY ALMOST FULL great but just a tiny bit less great 16-AT THE SPEED OF SOUND 17 NEW (although i suspect this won't age very well) 18- PRESS TO PLAY (some really funand unusual stuff on it.... i like it way more than most people here) 19- OFF THE GROUND ( not very well produced but the songwriting is generally very good on it) albums i like ...for some songs only 20- DRIVING RAIN (but half of it is very very good !) 21-BROAD STREET (love all the original tracks and , actually , a couple of the re-dos) 21- THE FIREMAN STUFF (dont really click on me..for some reason) 22- RUN BABY RUN...great energy but i don't really care for covers albums i never play 23- KISSES ON THE BOTTOM...bad energy and i dont really care for covers 24- the russian album...was fun to hear once live albums : wings of america is amazing , unplugged is good , and i have a great affection for tripping the live fantastic (discovered mc cartney with this as a kid !) i don't care for the others.
_______________________________________________________ Johnny Boom, Very good summary of Paul's albums. For me, I would take certain albums out and rate them separately from Paul's basic studio Pop-Rock albums. These would include all his live albums including his Unplugged CD, all his predominately Rock cover albums including Run Devil Run which I really like, Kisses on the Bottom, the classical stuff and even the Fireman trilogy. There surely a lot of good stuff on those albums but it is very difficult to compare them to Macca's basic studio albums. That being said, I agree with your top 7 above being TOP TIER/BEST OF McCartney albums. I would also add MEMORY ALMOST FULL to that top 7 to make it Paul's Great 8. Johnny Boom, perhaps you should revisit MAF because I think most of the songs on MAF are vintage Macca. After this Top 8, there are some albums that come close to TOP TIER in my opinion. And I'm looking at overall albums and not just 3 or 4 great songs which Paul always seem to have even on sub par Paul albums. The 3 most underrated albums (again as full albums) in my mind are London Town, Back to the Egg and Press to Play. I know many fans might be surprised with those 3 picks but I can listen to those album from beginning to end and really find them enjoyable. Yes, they have some slight down moments and could have been better with some tweaking, but Paul seems to be having fun during those sessions and really going all out. Some of the other albums are also near misses but seem to have more bad moments at least to my ears. They include: At the Speed of Sound - 2nd half just seems to tail off in terms of quality except for the final track...Warm and Beautiful Red Rose Speedway - could have been Top Tier except for the 2nd half with the dreadful medley. Initially this was suppose to be a double album and when you think of the very good songs performed during these sessions that were left off, it is mind boggling that he included that silly Medley. Driving Rain -- a bunch of good songs but too many misses Pipes of Peace -- too "Pop" for my taste but as is the case with Paul's sub par efforts, there is some really good stuff Off the Ground -- some very good songs but Paul doesn't seem to be having fun. Not sure why but his vocals seem dull like he was more or less going through the motions. Too middle of the road but again, there are some terrific songs. Paul sounded much better when he sang them on the follow-up tour. I'll come back to some of the other albums a little later. Have to run right now. thanks
__________________________________________________________ Just to finish up on the rankings... I should point out with my top 8 (minus the albums that I'm separating out because they are so different from Paul's basic rock/pop formula), it is too difficult for me to put them in order. For me it all depends on my mood. If it is evening or raining outside and I'm more interested in the ballad/introspective Paul, I might go to Chaos, Tug of War or Flaming Pie. If the weather is sunny and I'm more ready for the Rocking Paul, I might choose Band on the Run, Venus and Mars or Ram. You get the picture. I would recommend these top 8 to any non Paul fan. Going back to where I left off above regarding albums.... McCartney 1 and McCartney 2 - while I really like both albums and obviously contain some great Paul Songs, for me they are both mid-tier Macca albums. Just a little too many instrumentals or filler type songs. Still each album contains 3 or 4 "great" songs. Wild Life - while I understand why some fans love this album for the fun and spontaneity of it, Wild Life is a little too relaxed for me. Not enough top rate songs but still there are some gems for sure. I really like Tomorrow and Dear Friend. New - Because this is Paul's last album, I feel like I need to put it back on my Macca CD rotation. I have not listened to it for probably 3 years. I played it heavily when it first was released but the other day I couldn't even find it. Might have to buy it again with all the additional tracks. I liked it a lot initially but not sure it would reach my "Top Tier" status. Playing it again might give me an idea of how well it has aged and just how underrated it might be. Broad Street is another CD I would separate from his standard studio album rankings because he is covering so many of his Beatle songs as well as his own Solo/Wings songs. Finally, because Paul has so many good unreleased songs as well as other rare songs (B-sides) that never made it onto a proper album is another reason that Mr. McCartney needs a box set or at least a continuation of Pure McCartney in the future. All of this being said, I can't wait for a totally new 2017 original album.
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Ranked from Gold to Lead. Gold Tier- Flaming Pie Chaos and Creation in the Backyard Tug of War RAM Silver Tier - Memory Almost Full?NEW Off The Ground Bronze Tier - ?Flowers in the Dirt McCartney II McCartney Lead Tier - Pipes of Peace Driving Rain Press to Play
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B J Conlee:
B J Conlee:
JOHNNY BOOM:
hello everyone i'm jean i live in france and this is my first post on this forum but i've reading you for years ! this is a good topic to begin with! here's my personal ranking! absolute favourite (stellar songwriting..!) 1- TUG OF WAR 2-RAM 3- FLOWERS IN THE DIRT has to be in the top 10 4-BAND ON THE RUN 5-VENUS AND MARS 6-FLAMING PIE 7-CHAOS AND CREATION wonderful and underrated (even on this forum ...sometimes ) 8-LONDON TOWN 9-WILD LIFE (for the spontaneity and the attitude !) 10-PIPES OF PEACE (yes i'm a POP guy...such a fun record and at least 6 amazing songs on this!) 11-RED ROSE SPEEDWAY (SERIOUSLY UNDERRATED HERE!) great albums 12- BACK TO THE EGG 13 and 14-MC CARTNEY I and MC CARTNEY II for the charm despite the inconsistency 15-MEMORY ALMOST FULL great but just a tiny bit less great 16-AT THE SPEED OF SOUND 17 NEW (although i suspect this won't age very well) 18- PRESS TO PLAY (some really funand unusual stuff on it.... i like it way more than most people here) 19- OFF THE GROUND ( not very well produced but the songwriting is generally very good on it) albums i like ...for some songs only 20- DRIVING RAIN (but half of it is very very good !) 21-BROAD STREET (love all the original tracks and , actually , a couple of the re-dos) 21- THE FIREMAN STUFF (dont really click on me..for some reason) 22- RUN BABY RUN...great energy but i don't really care for covers albums i never play 23- KISSES ON THE BOTTOM...bad energy and i dont really care for covers 24- the russian album...was fun to hear once live albums : wings of america is amazing , unplugged is good , and i have a great affection for tripping the live fantastic (discovered mc cartney with this as a kid !) i don't care for the others.
_______________________________________________________ Johnny Boom, Very good summary of Paul's albums. For me, I would take certain albums out and rate them separately from Paul's basic studio Pop-Rock albums. These would include all his live albums including his Unplugged CD, all his predominately Rock cover albums including Run Devil Run which I really like, Kisses on the Bottom, the classical stuff and even the Fireman trilogy. There surely a lot of good stuff on those albums but it is very difficult to compare them to Macca's basic studio albums. That being said, I agree with your top 7 above being TOP TIER/BEST OF McCartney albums. I would also add MEMORY ALMOST FULL to that top 7 to make it Paul's Great 8. Johnny Boom, perhaps you should revisit MAF because I think most of the songs on MAF are vintage Macca. After this Top 8, there are some albums that come close to TOP TIER in my opinion. And I'm looking at overall albums and not just 3 or 4 great songs which Paul always seem to have even on sub par Paul albums. The 3 most underrated albums (again as full albums) in my mind are London Town, Back to the Egg and Press to Play. I know many fans might be surprised with those 3 picks but I can listen to those album from beginning to end and really find them enjoyable. Yes, they have some slight down moments and could have been better with some tweaking, but Paul seems to be having fun during those sessions and really going all out. Some of the other albums are also near misses but seem to have more bad moments at least to my ears. They include: At the Speed of Sound - 2nd half just seems to tail off in terms of quality except for the final track...Warm and Beautiful Red Rose Speedway - could have been Top Tier except for the 2nd half with the dreadful medley. Initially this was suppose to be a double album and when you think of the very good songs performed during these sessions that were left off, it is mind boggling that he included that silly Medley. Driving Rain -- a bunch of good songs but too many misses Pipes of Peace -- too "Pop" for my taste but as is the case with Paul's sub par efforts, there is some really good stuff Off the Ground -- some very good songs but Paul doesn't seem to be having fun. Not sure why but his vocals seem dull like he was more or less going through the motions. Too middle of the road but again, there are some terrific songs. Paul sounded much better when he sang them on the follow-up tour. I'll come back to some of the other albums a little later. Have to run right now. thanks
__________________________________________________________ Just to finish up on the rankings... I should point out with my top 8 (minus the albums that I'm separating out because they are so different from Paul's basic rock/pop formula), it is too difficult for me to put them in order. For me it all depends on my mood. If it is evening or raining outside and I'm more interested in the ballad/introspective Paul, I might go to Chaos, Tug of War or Flaming Pie. If the weather is sunny and I'm more ready for the Rocking Paul, I might choose Band on the Run, Venus and Mars or Ram. You get the picture. I would recommend these top 8 to any non Paul fan. Going back to where I left off above regarding albums.... McCartney 1 and McCartney 2 - while I really like both albums and obviously contain some great Paul Songs, for me they are both mid-tier Macca albums. Just a little too many instrumentals or filler type songs. Still each album contains 3 or 4 "great" songs. Wild Life - while I understand why some fans love this album for the fun and spontaneity of it, Wild Life is a little too relaxed for me. Not enough top rate songs but still there are some gems for sure. I really like Tomorrow and Dear Friend. New - Because this is Paul's last album, I feel like I need to put it back on my Macca CD rotation. I have not listened to it for probably 3 years. I played it heavily when it first was released but the other day I couldn't even find it. Might have to buy it again with all the additional tracks. I liked it a lot initially but not sure it would reach my "Top Tier" status. Playing it again might give me an idea of how well it has aged and just how underrated it might be. Broad Street is another CD I would separate from his standard studio album rankings because he is covering so many of his Beatle songs as well as his own Solo/Wings songs. Finally, because Paul has so many good unreleased songs as well as other rare songs (B-sides) that never made it onto a proper album is another reason that Mr. McCartney needs a box set or at least a continuation of Pure McCartney in the future. All of this being said, I can't wait for a totally new 2017 original album.
nice comments BJ conlee ! Memory almost full is actually an album i play A LOT more than others , i keep revisiting it precisely because i 'm not sure how much i like it and i love this feeling of "gotta give it another listen"! for the exact same reason i listen to a lot of driving rain ,new , off the ground or wild life.. and not so much ram or band on the run which i feel somehow already delivered all their secrets! MAF certainly grew up a lot on me since 2007 and i think the production is better (more tasteful) than on new , and the mc cartney-esque variety of styles is more enjoyable to me than ,say,chaos and creation. BUT ! i think the songwriting is very good, but the problem i have with MAF is that i cant help but feel that the best songs would have sounded so much better if recorded in the 70's / 80's (vocals + production) you take the joyful synth-pop EVER PRESENT PAST , it would have been fantastic on Pipes of Peace , ONLY MAMA KNOWS is a great rocker that screams for a Wings treatment , and i can only dream of what MR BELLAMY or DANCE TONIGHT would have sounded like on RAM,etc.... on the other hand i think Vintage clothes, the end of the end or house of wax sound perfect they way they are.. i dont have the same problem with flaming pie or Chaos , thats why i ranked them higher. i'm with you on press to play (and the great review you posted about it some time ago) , it's a lot of fun, and also with what you said on off the ground ! but i actually really really like the goofy medley at the end of Red rose speedway. ohh.. and i believe there are some fantastic things on the B side of at speed of sound : must do something about it and time to hide (i wish paul sang them though) + silly love song and warm and beautiful. Cook and the house and san ferry ann really really hurt the album!
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JOHNNY BOOM:
B J Conlee:
B J Conlee:
JOHNNY BOOM:
hello everyone i'm jean i live in france and this is my first post on this forum but i've reading you for years ! this is a good topic to begin with! here's my personal ranking! absolute favourite (stellar songwriting..!) 1- TUG OF WAR 2-RAM 3- FLOWERS IN THE DIRT has to be in the top 10 4-BAND ON THE RUN 5-VENUS AND MARS 6-FLAMING PIE 7-CHAOS AND CREATION wonderful and underrated (even on this forum ...sometimes ) 8-LONDON TOWN 9-WILD LIFE (for the spontaneity and the attitude !) 10-PIPES OF PEACE (yes i'm a POP guy...such a fun record and at least 6 amazing songs on this!) 11-RED ROSE SPEEDWAY (SERIOUSLY UNDERRATED HERE!) great albums 12- BACK TO THE EGG 13 and 14-MC CARTNEY I and MC CARTNEY II for the charm despite the inconsistency 15-MEMORY ALMOST FULL great but just a tiny bit less great 16-AT THE SPEED OF SOUND 17 NEW (although i suspect this won't age very well) 18- PRESS TO PLAY (some really funand unusual stuff on it.... i like it way more than most people here) 19- OFF THE GROUND ( not very well produced but the songwriting is generally very good on it) albums i like ...for some songs only 20- DRIVING RAIN (but half of it is very very good !) 21-BROAD STREET (love all the original tracks and , actually , a couple of the re-dos) 21- THE FIREMAN STUFF (dont really click on me..for some reason) 22- RUN BABY RUN...great energy but i don't really care for covers albums i never play 23- KISSES ON THE BOTTOM...bad energy and i dont really care for covers 24- the russian album...was fun to hear once live albums : wings of america is amazing , unplugged is good , and i have a great affection for tripping the live fantastic (discovered mc cartney with this as a kid !) i don't care for the others.
_______________________________________________________ Johnny Boom, Very good summary of Paul's albums. For me, I would take certain albums out and rate them separately from Paul's basic studio Pop-Rock albums. These would include all his live albums including his Unplugged CD, all his predominately Rock cover albums including Run Devil Run which I really like, Kisses on the Bottom, the classical stuff and even the Fireman trilogy. There surely a lot of good stuff on those albums but it is very difficult to compare them to Macca's basic studio albums. That being said, I agree with your top 7 above being TOP TIER/BEST OF McCartney albums. I would also add MEMORY ALMOST FULL to that top 7 to make it Paul's Great 8. Johnny Boom, perhaps you should revisit MAF because I think most of the songs on MAF are vintage Macca. After this Top 8, there are some albums that come close to TOP TIER in my opinion. And I'm looking at overall albums and not just 3 or 4 great songs which Paul always seem to have even on sub par Paul albums. The 3 most underrated albums (again as full albums) in my mind are London Town, Back to the Egg and Press to Play. I know many fans might be surprised with those 3 picks but I can listen to those album from beginning to end and really find them enjoyable. Yes, they have some slight down moments and could have been better with some tweaking, but Paul seems to be having fun during those sessions and really going all out. Some of the other albums are also near misses but seem to have more bad moments at least to my ears. They include: At the Speed of Sound - 2nd half just seems to tail off in terms of quality except for the final track...Warm and Beautiful Red Rose Speedway - could have been Top Tier except for the 2nd half with the dreadful medley. Initially this was suppose to be a double album and when you think of the very good songs performed during these sessions that were left off, it is mind boggling that he included that silly Medley. Driving Rain -- a bunch of good songs but too many misses Pipes of Peace -- too "Pop" for my taste but as is the case with Paul's sub par efforts, there is some really good stuff Off the Ground -- some very good songs but Paul doesn't seem to be having fun. Not sure why but his vocals seem dull like he was more or less going through the motions. Too middle of the road but again, there are some terrific songs. Paul sounded much better when he sang them on the follow-up tour. I'll come back to some of the other albums a little later. Have to run right now. thanks
__________________________________________________________ Just to finish up on the rankings... I should point out with my top 8 (minus the albums that I'm separating out because they are so different from Paul's basic rock/pop formula), it is too difficult for me to put them in order. For me it all depends on my mood. If it is evening or raining outside and I'm more interested in the ballad/introspective Paul, I might go to Chaos, Tug of War or Flaming Pie. If the weather is sunny and I'm more ready for the Rocking Paul, I might choose Band on the Run, Venus and Mars or Ram. You get the picture. I would recommend these top 8 to any non Paul fan. Going back to where I left off above regarding albums.... McCartney 1 and McCartney 2 - while I really like both albums and obviously contain some great Paul Songs, for me they are both mid-tier Macca albums. Just a little too many instrumentals or filler type songs. Still each album contains 3 or 4 "great" songs. Wild Life - while I understand why some fans love this album for the fun and spontaneity of it, Wild Life is a little too relaxed for me. Not enough top rate songs but still there are some gems for sure. I really like Tomorrow and Dear Friend. New - Because this is Paul's last album, I feel like I need to put it back on my Macca CD rotation. I have not listened to it for probably 3 years. I played it heavily when it first was released but the other day I couldn't even find it. Might have to buy it again with all the additional tracks. I liked it a lot initially but not sure it would reach my "Top Tier" status. Playing it again might give me an idea of how well it has aged and just how underrated it might be. Broad Street is another CD I would separate from his standard studio album rankings because he is covering so many of his Beatle songs as well as his own Solo/Wings songs. Finally, because Paul has so many good unreleased songs as well as other rare songs (B-sides) that never made it onto a proper album is another reason that Mr. McCartney needs a box set or at least a continuation of Pure McCartney in the future. All of this being said, I can't wait for a totally new 2017 original album.
nice comments BJ conlee ! Memory almost full is actually an album i play A LOT more than others , i keep revisiting it precisely because i 'm not sure how much i like it and i love this feeling of "gotta give it another listen"! for the exact same reason i listen to a lot of driving rain ,new , off the ground or wild life.. and not so much ram or band on the run which i feel somehow already delivered all their secrets! MAF certainly grew up a lot on me since 2007 and i think the production is better (more tasteful) than on new , and the mc cartney-esque variety of styles is more enjoyable to me than ,say,chaos and creation. BUT ! i think the songwriting is very good, but the problem i have with MAF is that i cant help but feel that the best songs would have sounded so much better if recorded in the 70's / 80's (vocals + production) you take the joyful synth-pop EVER PRESENT PAST , it would have been fantastic on Pipes of Peace , ONLY MAMA KNOWS is a great rocker that screams for a Wings treatment , and i can only dream of what MR BELLAMY or DANCE TONIGHT would have sounded like on RAM,etc.... on the other hand i think Vintage clothes, the end of the end or house of wax sound perfect they way they are.. i dont have the same problem with flaming pie or Chaos , thats why i ranked them higher. i'm with you on press to play (and the great review you posted about it some time ago) , it's a lot of fun, and also with what you said on off the ground ! but i actually really really like the goofy medley at the end of Red rose speedway. ohh.. and i believe there are some fantastic things on the B side of at speed of sound : must do something about it and time to hide (i wish paul sang them though) + silly love song and warm and beautiful. Cook and the house and san ferry ann really really hurt the album!
________________________________________________________ Johnny Boom, Thanks for the comments. The great thing about being a "true" McCartney fan like many on this board is that he has so much variety that even us die hard fans differ on our favorites. But as I said, I'm with you on your Top 7. They are all among his "best albums" in my opinion. As I also said, it is very difficult for me to put them in any order because it depends on my mood. Relative to Red Rose Speedway, I really like the first half (until the "Loup" track). And we just have to agree to disagree with the 10 minutes "Medley" finality to the original album. Just way to Barry Manilow for me. I keep on thinking about the tracks that were left off from the Red Rose Speedway Sessions. Remember it was going to be a "Double Album". Those tracks include: Mama's Little Girl I Lie Around Country Dreamer The Mess Soily Give Ireland Back to the Irish Just including The Mess, Give Ireland Back to the Irish, and Soily would have given a lot of great "rock" to Red Rose Speedway. Plus Country Dreamer and Mama's Little Girl are also far better to any portion of the Medley in my humble opinion. I think many of us agree that there are several Paul Pop/Rock albums that could have been been quite a bit better (even top tier) with more editing and better song selection. Paul always has the material but isn't always the best judge of his own work. I always find it fun disecting Paul's Post Beatle work because I believe it is so underrated. And I can't wait for the next album (let's hope in 2017).
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Band on the Run Venus and Mars Flaming Pie Ram New London Town McCartney At The Speed Of Sound Tug of War Memory Almost Full Driving Rain Chaos and Creation in the Backyard McCartney II Flowers In The Dirt Electric Arguments Press To Play Red Rose Speedway Wild Life Run Devil Run Off The Ground Pipes of Peace Give My Regards To Broad Street Kisses On The Bottom Choba B CCCP Back To The Egg Rushes Strawberries Oceans Ships Forest
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Band on the Run New Ram Flaming Pie McCartney Off the Ground Memory Almost Full Red Rose Speedway Wild Life Tug of War Flowers in the Dirt Electric Arguments Chaos and Creation in the Backyard Driving Rain Back to the Egg Wings at the Speed of Sound Venus and Mars London Town Run Devil Run McCartney II Give My Regards to Broad Street Kisses on the Bottom Choba B CCCP Pipes of Peace Press to Play
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Hmmm well here goes for me. 1. Driving Rain 2. Choas And Creation in the Backyard 3. Memory Almost Full 4.New 5. Off the Ground 6. Flaming Pie 7. Flowers in the Dirt 8. Wingspan Hits and History 9.Back in the US 10.Good Evening New York City 11. Kisses on the Bottom 12. Tug of War 14. Ram
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I'll do solo & Wings together: 1. Back to the Egg 2. RAM 3. Band on the Run 4. Flaming Pie 5. Chaos and Creation in the Backyard 6. New 7. Venus and Mars 8. Tug of War 9. McCartney 10. Memory Almost Full 11. Flowers in the Dirt 12. Off The Ground 13. At The Speed of Sound 14. McCartney II 15. Red Rose Speedway 16. Pipes of Peace 17. London Town 18. Wild Life 19. Press to Play 20. Driving Rain LIVE Albums - 1. Good Evening New York City 2. Tripping the Live Fantastic 3. Wings Over America 4. Paul is Live 5. Back in the World 6. Back in the US Compilations- 1. Pure McCartney 2. Wingspan 3. All The Best 4. Wings Greatest
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I'll just list my top 12 Chaos and Creation. BOTR. Ram. Electric Arguments Flaming Pie. Macartney 2. Macartney. New Tug of War. Flowers in the dirt. MAF. Venus and Mars.
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FlowersOnTheRun:
I'll do solo & Wings together: 1. Back to the Egg 2. RAM 3. Band on the Run 4. Flaming Pie 5. Chaos and Creation in the Backyard 6. New 7. Venus and Mars 8. Tug of War 9. McCartney 10. Memory Almost Full 11. Flowers in the Dirt 12. Off The Ground 13. At The Speed of Sound 14. McCartney II 15. Red Rose Speedway 16. Pipes of Peace 17. London Town 18. Wild Life 19. Press to Play 20. Driving Rain LIVE Albums - 1. Good Evening New York City 2. Tripping the Live Fantastic 3. Wings Over America 4. Paul is Live 5. Back in the World 6. Back in the US Compilations- 1. Pure McCartney 2. Wingspan 3. All The Best 4. Wings Greatest
_____________________________________________ FlowersontheRun, I had to respond with your #1 Album choice...Back to the Egg. I don't have it in in my Top 10 but I think BTTE is a very underrated album. I haven't heard it in a long time (hope we get a full treatment Reissue) and I have lost my copy. I know I like a lot of the songs and the rocking style of several tracks but I would have to hear it again to see just how well it jells as a whole album. I know that FITD has gone up the ladder for me mainly because I think upon hearing the reissue that it "jells" quite nicely except for the last 2-3 tracks. FITD could have been a top 5 for me with some minor treatment but that seems to happen with a lot of Paul albums. He's not good in picking out his own best songs for an album in my opinion. Can you believe that since all the Worldwide Tours Paul has given (since 1989) Paul has never played a single song from BTTE. Just baffles me. Just because critics or certain music artists didn't like the overall album, doesn't mean that Paul should just give into those opinions. Songs like Getting Closer, Arrow Through Me, Spin It On, So Glad To See You Here etc. would have sounded good in any Setlist in my opinion. Not all on the same tour but just spread them out.
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christophero30:
I'll just list my top 12 Chaos and Creation. BOTR. Ram. Electric Arguments Flaming Pie. Macartney 2. Macartney. New Tug of War. Flowers in the dirt. MAF. Venus and Mars.
Could you at least spell McCartney correctly?
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When you have a Mc name, people always want to Mac it.