Driving Rain revisited
-
I'm going to beat this dead horse one more time.... I'm currently listening to Driving Rain after ignoring it for probably 10 years...and it's actually a pretty good record. Great bass playing throughout, there's a mellow vibe that is just cool. I'm even digging She's Giving Up Talking, which I used to hate, and the 12345 song isn't so annoying! For something he recorded in haste with a scratchy throat, it's pretty darn good. Highlights for me: About You, I Do, Loving Flame, Lonely Road....heck all of it is pretty cool. I even like the much maligned Freedom. Heather always reminds me of video game music, maybe from Mario Cart or something. Many complained that it was too long. As a major Macca fan, I think more is always better! Anyway, not his worst by a long shot!
-
I've never understood why this album is not well-liked by a lot of fans on this site. To me, it's one of his most interesting albums he's made musically, and has some absolutely fantastic bass playing. On release, it received very strong reviews. It didn't sell well, but the only negativity I ever see regarding it is from the posts on this website. I still listen to this a lot all these years later. I love the closing of the regular part of the album with Riding Into Jaipur followed by Rinse The Raindrops. I think Rinse The Raindrops is one of his coolest tracks he's ever done. Magic is a beautiful song. To me this is definitely part of his late career resurgence with Flaming Pie, Run Devil Run, Chaos, really up the present. All of these albums have been great in different ways. I find Driving Rain far more interesting than several Wings albums and certainly most of the 80s output.
-
Totally agree, Iowa! Most seem to ignore it as a brief downturn, but too believe it should be included among a string of good tongreat stuff he's put out since Flowers.
-
I loved this album so much when it came out. Lonely Road is one of the best opening numbers he's ever done. I prefer the live version though. "I Do" is a number I never see people discuss, IMO it's one of his best ballads from this part of his career. Heather and Rinse the Raindrops are top class songs in my ears.
-
And of course Magic - great production and bass playing for a great song..
-
Danish Macca:
I loved this album so much when it came out. Lonely Road is one of the best opening numbers he's ever done. I prefer the live version though. "I Do" is a number I never see people discuss, IMO it's one of his best ballads from this part of his career. Heather and Rinse the Raindrops are top class songs in my ears.
I Do seems so Beately to me, or just classic McCartney, I can't describe it. He defined the Beatle sound with the others....now that I think of it, it sounds like it could have come from Flaming Pie.
-
"Heather" is a great song. The only problem is the title. I've heard people say they don't like it because it was named after someone they don't like. That seems pretty stupid to me.
-
HaileyMcComet:
"Heather" is a great song. The only problem is the title. I've heard people say they don't like it because it was named after someone they don't like. That seems pretty stupid to me.
Understand what you're saying Hailey... the songs on this album are very beautiful! I wonder too if some fans don't like to talk much about Driving Rain because they're hesitant about bringing up an uncomfortable subject? (She of whom most fans do not speak. ) I feel that has something to do with it, and I'm sure it's unavoidable. But in speaking for myself, that doesn't stop me from listening to the album. I feel Paul has a wonderful gift that he continues to share with us, and there are songs on every one of his albums (from the time he was a Beatle!) that I will always appreciate and enjoy listening to very much.
-
LadyLeslie:
HaileyMcComet:
"Heather" is a great song. The only problem is the title. I've heard people say they don't like it because it was named after someone they don't like. That seems pretty stupid to me.
Understand what you're saying Hailey... the songs on this album are very beautiful! I wonder too if some fans don't like to talk much about Driving Rain because they're hesitant about bringing up an uncomfortable subject? (She of whom most fans do not speak. ) I feel that has something to do with it, and I'm sure it's unavoidable. But in speaking for myself, that doesn't stop me from listening to the album. I feel Paul has a wonderful gift that he continues to share with us, and there are songs on every one of his albums (from the time he was a Beatle!) that I will always appreciate and enjoy listening to very much.
The song could easily be interpreted as being written for his daughter Heather. The lyrics are actually more suitable for his child than his wife.
-
I need to revisit Driving Rain again. Thanks Martin Luther for your post. I remember liking the album a lot in the months following its release. I also recall that I had to get used to Paul's vocals on a few of the tracks. I remember reading that Paul had a bad cold during parts of its recording. While I still don't consider DR one of Paul's top tier albums. I thought it was consistently good but didn't think it had enough "great" songs like Chaos, MAF, FP, Flowers or Tug of War had. Still I loved the diversity of the album and the "live" feel of DR. Besides Rusty and Abe joining Paul for the 1st time, I liked Gabe Dixon's distinctive electric piano on several of the tracks. Besides Lonely Road, Your Loving Flame, Heather, and From a Lover to a Friend, I also liked songs like She's Given Up Talking, I Do, Magic, Your Way, About You, and Back in the Sunshine Again (written with his Son James). I just heard this last song on the Sirius Beatle station and it sounded real good. A really good R&B/Al Green vibe to it. All in all, a good mid-tier Macca album in my opinion. I kind of put DR in the same vein as Press to Play. Press is more maligned but both albums cover many genres of music styles. I like both better than the too Pop oriented Pipes of Peace and Off the Ground.
-
I love most of the "Driving Rain" album !
-
Not a big fan of DR. I always think of it as Press to Play Vol. 2 as it has the same "feel". Very, very diverse & experimental in many ways. A very loose album - It feels like Paul recorded several of the tracks in a few takes & just put it on the album, hoping it would "stick". Like P2P, however, little is very memorable & that's why I would rank it in my lower tier Macca albums.
-
I think DR is Paul's one hiccup in a long string of very good to great albums that started with Flowers In the Dirt and has continued through New.
-
Driving Rain is such an awesome album So many great tracks in! Lonely Road, From a Lover To A Friend, I Do, Your Way, Magic, Driving Rain, Heather (the song), Your Loving Flame, Riding Into Jaipur Nice tracks: Tiny Bubble, She's Giving Up Talking, About You, Freedom There's three tracks I love less: Spinning On An Axis, Back In The Sunshine Again (I love the bridge), Rinse The Raindrops It's a very good album I think the major problem is the artwork, it makes people like less this album If he kept the title "Blue Skies" and used a colorful artwork, people would've like this album more
-
Joey's description for Driving Rain... "loose" is very true is my opinion. If you have to use only 1 word, that sums it up so well. Could DR been better with more "care or tweaking", taking out a couple of songs and replacing with better alternatives (I don't include Freedom since that was thrown at the very end because of the timing of 9/11). But for the most part, that is true with almost all of Paul's albums with the exception of BOTR and Chaos. But what I like about DR (and Press to Play and MAF) is the looseness. DR almost sounds like a "live" album and I love Paul's bass on many of the tracks. I think his vocals could have been better on some tracks but on the whole I like Paul when he is adventurous. I contrast DR with Pipes of Peace or even Off the Ground. On those 2 albums Paul got too poppy (middle of the road) and the delivery on some tracks seemed too stiff where he was trying too hard. That doesn't mean that there weren't a few terrific songs on both albums but my opinion is from a whole album point of view. Pipes of Peace didn't jell at all for me from song to song which is why I always have it as a lower tier Macca album. DR is far from perfect but it has that "looseness" that I like similar with Press to Play and MAF. In my opinion, MAF is the best of the 3 and is top tier Macca while DR and Press are mid tier. The 2 latter albums have a lot of really good tracks whereas MAF has like 6-7 great tracks. Could all have been better...for sure but I like the albums from song to song.
-
I've always rated Driving Rain, and I think it's in his top 5. You can't really beat songs like Heather, About You, Magic, Your Loving Flame, etc. I think there is a general bias against this album because of 1. its associations, 2. it's anti-cover cover and 3. it's chart failure. The latter was caused largely by the appalling choice of From a Lover to a Friend as the lead single, surely one of the album's weakest tracks, and one of Paul's worst ever songs, and by the addition of the rancid ill-advised demoxy "anthem" Freedom. Got to laugh at all those idiots who hate the 12345 lyric while watching their speedometers and odometers, and so on.
-
DR had not 1 but 2 of the worst Macca album covers ever!
-
Squid:
I've always rated Driving Rain, and I think it's in his top 5. You can't really beat songs like Heather, About You, Magic, Your Loving Flame, etc. I think there is a general bias against this album because of 1. its associations, 2. it's anti-cover cover and 3. it's chart failure. The latter was caused largely by the appalling choice of From a Lover to a Friend as the lead single, surely one of the album's weakest tracks, and one of Paul's worst ever songs, and by the addition of the rancid ill-advised demoxy "anthem" Freedom. Got to laugh at all those idiots who hate the 12345 lyric while watching their speedometers and odometers, and so on.
'From a Lover to a Friend' has a quite catchy melody, but it sounds like he recorded it in 1 or 2 takes with lousy vocal and an unfinished bridge and called it a day. It needed the George Martin or Wings treatment.
-
I woke up with "Your Loving Flame" in my head. Havent heard it in months. Played it and just left the album on. "Rinse the Raindrops" is still my favorite on there. The groove, the beat, the vocals. Reminds me of RAM a bit. Who was drummer on that track? Also, "Heather" such a beautiful, flowing melody. Love it!
-
JoeySmith:
DR had not 1 but 2 of the worst Macca album covers ever!
I love the original cover, always has. But the re-issue cover? I agree with you on that one..
