Memory Almost Full has aged very well
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"Nod Your Head" is still one of my all time least favorite McCartney songs, and a big reason that Nigel Godrich was such a fab producer for Paul: He had some veto power. I mean.....these "lyrics": If you really love me baby Better than stayin' in bed If you really love me baby, nod your head If you really love me baby Till you fall down dead, she said If you ever wanna make it, nod your head Nod it up, nod it down Side to side, round and round (Round and round) If you ever wanna prove it Then you hang it on a thread If you ever wanna shake it, nod your head If you think the life your leading Is better then the life you lead If you like the life your living Well nod your head Well nod it up, nod it down Side to side, round and round (Round and round) (Round and round) If you really love me baby Better than stayin' in bed If you really love me baby, nod your head
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yankeefan7:
As for "Mull of Kintyre", I never understood why he did not play that in certain US cities, like New York for example. It seems like there is an Irish bar on every corner in NYC (lol) and there would be plenty of people who would be into that song.
Well, this Irish person rather likes Mull of Kintyre, but it should be noted that it's in Scotland not Ireland and so the song has no special context for Irish Americans. Sadly it's a song that is widely despised in Britain and is often used to disparage Paul's post-Beatles career, along with "The Frog Chorus." For some reason these songs have a cultural cringe attached to them, which no doubt began in the music press. They're easy targets for the casual sneer. Like I said, I like Mull of Kintyre; and I adore We All Stand Together.
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yankeefan7:
B J Conlee:
yankeefan7:
B J Conlee:
yankeefan7:
B J Conlee:
My Track by Track review on Memory Almost Full (MAF)- 10 is the highest- Dance Tonight (8.5) - simple lyrics but with the classic Macca melody and bounce; good album opener Ever Present Past (10) - one of Paul's great solo songs; clever lyrics and even better melody See Your Sunshine (9) - one of Paul most underrated album cuts; love his soulful "Hall and Oates" type of vocals; also love the song's middle (she picks up daises in the field...) and his bass playing Only Mama Knows (9.5) - one of Paul's best solo Rock songs with great vocals and good lyrics; like the violin intro and ending You Tell Me (8.5) - another highly underrated Macca album track despite the horrible "horn" sounds in the song production. Mr. Bellamy (10) one of Paul's best Solo songs period; clever lyrics with Macca's classic, bouncy melodies. Love the electric piano Gratitude (6) My grade is mainly based on Paul's effort...he really goes all out on his bluesy, gospel type vocals. I see the song's potential but in my opinion, his vocal performance (solo part) just doesn't measure up to Paul's normal standards. His solo vocal seems strained and forced. Like the background singing however. Maybe's Paul's peak vocal abilities in the 70's might have given the song its due justice. The low point on an otherwise great track list...strictly my opinion. Vintage Clothes (9.5) - the beginning of the "loose" 3 song medley; love this catchy song from the lyrics to the vocals...Paul letting it rip That Was Me (10) - Paul gets right into his great rockabilly vocals with very clever lyrics and his Van Morrison type "scat" vocal phrasing. Great bass Feet in the Clouds (9) Another terrific bouncy song to end the loose medley section; love the Beach Boy's like harmonies at the end House of Wax (9.5) - Classic Macca piano tune with the great electric guitar riffs; clever lyrics with strong vocals The End of the End (10) - One of Pauls greatest piano ballad songs...unlike other reviewers, I love Paul's simple melodic whistling in the middle. Makes the song even more sad and poignant. Great lyrics Nod Your Head ( - the lyrics are a bit goofy but this short rocker is just the right follow-up to the sadness and seriousness of the previous track. Bonus tracks In Private ( - an underrated instrumental in my opinion; like the melody and guitar work in the middle and the end Why So Blue (9.5) - Why wasn't this track on the main album; love both the lyrics and melody...quite Beatleesque like in the Rubber Soul era. Should have replaced Gratitude in my opinion 222 ( Jazzy feel to this mostly instrumental track.
Excellent review BJ and I agree totally. "Gratitude" is the one song that I always skip, wish he would have replaced it with one of the bonus tracks. As I have said quite often, really wish this album would have been showcased more live. "That Was Me" and "House Of Wax" were played only a few times. "Dance Tonight" is the only song that lasted more than a tour I believe.
_______________________________________________________ Thanks Yankeefan. I totally agree that Paul should have showcased MAF a lot more that tour and others. There are so many great tunes on the album and his live versions could have been as good or maybe even better. Besides Dance Tonight, he did play "Mama Only Knows" for a complete tour I think. And I think his live versions on both songs were very good. I always thought that Paul and the Band could have done a fantastic job coupling Vintage Clothes and That Was Me together similar to what he did on the album. Both songs are fantastic and would have sounded great live. It also would have given a lot of exposure to a real high point on the album. As we (and others here) have often expressed, why Paul didn't give his Solo songs more exposure has always baffled me. Like you, I also wandered why he only played "House of Wax" at a couple of shows. Even if he wasn't quite satisfied with the performance, I'm sure they would have perfected it with multiple plays. It is yet another great song from the album. I also look at songs like Mr. Bellamy and Ever Present Past...songs just dying to be played live. For some reason, Paul felt so inclined to play the "recognized hits" (Beatle and his 70's hits) that he, in my opinion, just didn't give great songs (like the ones mentioned here) a fair chance when he went on the road. Maybe it required more work and Paul just enjoyed hearing the instant applause when he just hit the first few notes of his "famous" songs. It was just too easy to go the "hits" route but it really did a disservice to his great Solo songs in my opinion.
Check out the "That Was Me " youtube clip from Paris show and it seemed the people got into it. IMO the audience in countries outside the US seem to get into the non -Beatle songs more than the US audience. Would love to have heard "Ever Present Past" live, another shake my head set list moment - lol. "House of Wax" is a killer song with cool guitar solo that should have been included, practice makes perfect - lol.
___________________________________________________ Don't know if it is still available, but I remember watching the whole Paris concert on U-Tube. It seemed to me to be an amazing concert with Paul in great voice (of course we're talking 2008 I guess). It just seemed so intimate and the crowd was electric. The venue seemed quite small, holding maybe 10 thousand or less. Paul also deviated from his normal sequence (a great thing in my opinion). He started off just opening the stage curtain himself and playing Blackbird on acoustic. The crowd went nuts. I think he then followed that with Dance Tonight with the Band joining in midway as the drums came in. Paul just seemed so relaxed and adding That Was Me and House of Wax were big surprises. He also played Mama Only Knows. In retrospect, I remember thinking how great Paul and the Band seemed that night. After playing Back in the USSR and Band on the Run back to back, the audience just went nuts. Still to this day, I think it was the best version of BOTR that I had ever heard. Maybe because the concert was so intimate it just seemed that way but I swear Paul seemed especially "on" that night. Maybe someday they will come out with a "finished" DVD of the show...I would certainly buy it became available. I think you have a point about Paul crowds outside of the US getting more into his Solo Songs. I remember how the crowd in Mexico (i believe) got so into Hope of Deliverance when he played it. Also when he plays Mull of Kintyre in Canada, the crowds always go crazy. It does seem that Paul is so much more conservative relative to his setlist in the US. Recently MTV has been playing "Rock Show" and as I was watching the 1976 Concert, it made me think how "bold and confident" Paul was during that time. Despite all the pressure at that time to play Beatle songs, Paul strictly played what "he" wanted to play. Watching Wings Over America today, it was so refreshing that the setlist was so dominated by Wings and Solo songs and even adding Denny Laine's Go Now and other rare nuggets. I think he only played 5 Beatle songs. Still to this day I have always regretted missing that tour. I must admit that when I first saw Paul live in 1989 (the Flowers in the Dirt tour) I did love it when I heard Paul's Beatle songs for the 1st time (Hey Jude, Let It Be etc. etc.) but as we have all pointed out, "real" fans don't always want to hear the same songs tour after tour. I miss the "daring" Paul of 1976 and consequently I skipped the last tour when I could have made a show or two. Not playing great Solo songs (e.g. from Tug of War, MAF, Chaos, Flaming Pie, London Town, Back to the Egg) was such a shame for the "true" fans. The good news is that we still have the albums to play. Can't wait till Flowers in the Dirt is released.
I was fortunate enough to have seen him on the 1976 tour and it was awesome !! He was fantastic vocally and the band rocked. The audience was not expecting a Beatle concert and was so into the Wings songs. Yes, they did love the Beatle songs (especially "Yesterday") but went crazy over songs they never heard before like "Soily". I have only watched the clips of "House of Wax" and "That Was Me" from the Paris show, will make a note of it to watch more of it sometime in the future. I loved the 1989 tour and did not mind that he started playing more Beatle songs since he played I believe 6 songs from FITD which I loved. As you know, he opened with "Figure of Eight" and would never do something like that now sadly. I think Mr. McCartney missed a great opportunity to really re-define himself as a live artist in 2001. He had brand new band, new album and had not toured in almost a decade. This would have been the perfect moment for him to really start new and play solo songs that had not been heard live. Instead, he did the opposite and began his climb to becoming for the most part an "oldies" act. We can still listen to the albums but I truly believe the majority of his songs sound much better live and it is a shame we will not get to hear more of these great solo songs. As for crowds outside of the US, just listen to the reaction of the audience after solo songs and they appreciate them much more than US audience. I think South American countries are the ones that really dig "Hope of Deliverance". As for "Mull of Kintyre", I never understood why he did not play that in certain US cities, like New York for example. It seems like there is an Irish bar on every corner in NYC (lol) and there would be plenty of people who would be into that song. Once again BJ, thank you for your posts. You are one of those who is a Paul McCartney (the artist) fan and not just a Beatle -Paul fan. You and some others on this board have supported Mr. McCartney by buying his solo albums for many years and it is a shame that he does not take that into consideration when coming up with setlist - oh well.
____________________________________________________ I couldn't agree with you more about the 2001 tour. I attended the Philadelphia show that year with several friends including my sister. I remember how much excitement there was outside the Wells Fargo Arena since Macca had not toured since 1992. And of course, the loss of Linda that had been so devastating for Paul. For me personally, I was also excited for this show because it would be my first opportunity to see him indoors. My previous 2 shows were in big Stadiums. I still vividly remember when the lights dimmed and you saw the silhouette of Paul's bass and then the opening notes of Hello Goodbye. While the song is not close to my favorite McCartney song, the song opener was one of the most effective of all time. All in all, it was a fantastic concert and Paul's voice was still top rate at that point. One of my favorite parts of the show was when the Band left the stage and it was only Paul alone w singing and playing Blackbird, Here Today and We Can Work It out. You could hear a pin drop and Paul did it effortless like he was in his backyard. Even someone who was not necessarily a Paul fan could not help but see his tremendous talent. After the show, I remember saying to my friends that I only wished that Paul had done a few more Solo songs. A couple of my friends couldn't quite understand my comment since the show was so great. I must admit that I was probably the only one in my group who had bought and heard Paul's latest album, Driving Rain. I also realize that I am in the minority among baby boomers. As I got older (I'm a baby boomer) I still remained a big Paul McCartney fan. My friends were Beatle fans who hardly had kept up with the Beatles as individual artists. One of the reasons I had wished for more solo songs is that I really loved the Driving Rain songs he did that night (Lonely Road, Your Loving Rain and the title cut, Driving Rain). I thought they were better than the record versions. Regardless of the fact that many in the audience hardly knew the songs, the response was surprisingly good. In retrospect, I would have preferred About You over Driving Rain but at least he did 3 of them. I agree with you that it was a big missed opportunity for Paul to give "balance" towards his overall career. It was a perfect time for him to play 2 songs each from Run,Devil,Run and Flaming Pie...his two previous albums both which were great in my opinion. And why not go back to a couple of great songs from Tug of War which he had never done live. My dream list would have been: The World Tonight (Flaming Pie) Young Boy (Flaming Pie) Take It Away (Tug of War) The Pound is Sinking (Tug of War) What It Is (Run Devil Run) Run Devil Run (Run Devil Run) Any combination of songs like this (from terrific albums) that were never done live would have done wonders for him as an overall artist and not just a Beatle. The sad thing is that he could still sing very well at the time. It would not have taken anything away from the overall concert since the people got everything they wanted with plenty of Beatle songs. It would just have showcased some of his Great solo songs that are not known to most people.
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radioflyer:
"Nod Your Head" is still one of my all time least favorite McCartney songs, and a big reason that Nigel Godrich was such a fab producer for Paul: He had some veto power. I mean.....these "lyrics": If you really love me baby Better than stayin' in bed If you really love me baby, nod your head If you really love me baby Till you fall down dead, she said If you ever wanna make it, nod your head Nod it up, nod it down Side to side, round and round (Round and round) If you ever wanna prove it Then you hang it on a thread If you ever wanna shake it, nod your head If you think the life your leading Is better then the life you lead If you like the life your living Well nod your head Well nod it up, nod it down Side to side, round and round (Round and round) (Round and round) If you really love me baby Better than stayin' in bed If you really love me baby, nod your head
_________________________________________ Radioflyer, As I mentioned in my review (and like many others here) the songs on Memory Almost Full by and large are good to great. My two exceptions are Gratitude and Nod Your Head. I give the latter more of a pass because I think Paul (more than anything) was trying to "light the mood" after the somber but great "The End of the End". It is an example of one of Paul's nonsense songs (lyric wise) that is not to be taken seriously. I got the feeling that Paul was just playing around in the studio and that he thought it would be a good was to end the album after talking about his death at some point. At least it was only 2 minutes long and as they used to say on Bandstand (now I'm showing my age) it had a good beat. It certainly did not ruin the album for me. As far as Nigel Goodrich, I do wish that Mr. Goodrich would have been the producer not because of any veto power. Nigel would have produced a far better sounding album as a whole. I hear some of the good songs like "You Tell Me" with those awful horns, you wander how a producer could let that get through. I do think that maybe Nigel could have convinced Paul to scrap a couple of the songs like Gratitude especially when he had "Why So Blue" available as a replacement. We'll never know but I don't doubt that MAF would have resulted in a more successful album if Mr. Goodrich was the producer.
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BJ, Just an FYI, the show you saw was in 2002 and prior to that he toured in 1993. https://www.paulmccartney.com/live/tour-archives/driving-usa-tour
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Nancy R:
BJ, Just an FYI, the show you saw was in 2002 and prior to that he toured in 1993. https://www.paulmccartney.com/live/tour-archives/driving-usa-tour
__________________________________________________ Thanks Nancy. As I'm getting older, I do get my dates/years wrong. One thing for sure, I do have vivid memories of going to the show in 2002. It was so exciting and Paul was singing great at that time. I noticed that Paul and Band appeared in Atlanta for 2 shows about a month later. Did you attend either show. Knowing what a big fan you are, you probably went to both. What are your memories of the 2002 show.
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B J Conlee:
radioflyer:
"Nod Your Head" is still one of my all time least favorite McCartney songs, and a big reason that Nigel Godrich was such a fab producer for Paul: He had some veto power. I mean.....these "lyrics": If you really love me baby Better than stayin' in bed If you really love me baby, nod your head If you really love me baby Till you fall down dead, she said If you ever wanna make it, nod your head Nod it up, nod it down Side to side, round and round (Round and round) If you ever wanna prove it Then you hang it on a thread If you ever wanna shake it, nod your head If you think the life your leading Is better then the life you lead If you like the life your living Well nod your head Well nod it up, nod it down Side to side, round and round (Round and round) (Round and round) If you really love me baby Better than stayin' in bed If you really love me baby, nod your head
_________________________________________ Radioflyer, As I mentioned in my review (and like many others here) the songs on Memory Almost Full by and large are good to great. My two exceptions are Gratitude and Nod Your Head. I give the latter more of a pass because I think Paul (more than anything) was trying to "light the mood" after the somber but great "The End of the End". It is an example of one of Paul's nonsense songs (lyric wise) that is not to be taken seriously. I got the feeling that Paul was just playing around in the studio and that he thought it would be a good was to end the album after talking about his death at some point. At least it was only 2 minutes long and as they used to say on Bandstand (now I'm showing my age) it had a good beat. It certainly did not ruin the album for me. As far as Nigel Goodrich, I do wish that Mr. Goodrich would have been the producer not because of any veto power. Nigel would have produced a far better sounding album as a whole. I hear some of the good songs like "You Tell Me" with those awful horns, you wander how a producer could let that get through. I do think that maybe Nigel could have convinced Paul to scrap a couple of the songs like Gratitude especially when he had "Why So Blue" available as a replacement. We'll never know but I don't doubt that MAF would have resulted in a more successful album if Mr. Goodrich was the producer.
"As far as Nigel Goodrich, I do wish that Mr. Goodrich would have been the producer not because of any veto power. Nigel would have produced a far better sounding album as a whole. I hear some of the good songs like "You Tell Me" with those awful horns, you wander how a producer could let that get through. I do think that maybe Nigel could have convinced Paul to scrap a couple of the songs like Gratitude especially when he had "Why So Blue" available as a replacement. We'll never know but I don't doubt that MAF would have resulted in a more successful album if Mr. Goodrich was the producer." I wish Nigel would have been the producer for the reasons you mentioned. CHAOS does not have that "clunker' that most McCartney albums have because Nigel had no problem telling Mr. McCartney something was garbage.
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B J Conlee:
yankeefan7:
B J Conlee:
yankeefan7:
B J Conlee:
yankeefan7:
B J Conlee:
My Track by Track review on Memory Almost Full (MAF)- 10 is the highest- Dance Tonight (8.5) - simple lyrics but with the classic Macca melody and bounce; good album opener Ever Present Past (10) - one of Paul's great solo songs; clever lyrics and even better melody See Your Sunshine (9) - one of Paul most underrated album cuts; love his soulful "Hall and Oates" type of vocals; also love the song's middle (she picks up daises in the field...) and his bass playing Only Mama Knows (9.5) - one of Paul's best solo Rock songs with great vocals and good lyrics; like the violin intro and ending You Tell Me (8.5) - another highly underrated Macca album track despite the horrible "horn" sounds in the song production. Mr. Bellamy (10) one of Paul's best Solo songs period; clever lyrics with Macca's classic, bouncy melodies. Love the electric piano Gratitude (6) My grade is mainly based on Paul's effort...he really goes all out on his bluesy, gospel type vocals. I see the song's potential but in my opinion, his vocal performance (solo part) just doesn't measure up to Paul's normal standards. His solo vocal seems strained and forced. Like the background singing however. Maybe's Paul's peak vocal abilities in the 70's might have given the song its due justice. The low point on an otherwise great track list...strictly my opinion. Vintage Clothes (9.5) - the beginning of the "loose" 3 song medley; love this catchy song from the lyrics to the vocals...Paul letting it rip That Was Me (10) - Paul gets right into his great rockabilly vocals with very clever lyrics and his Van Morrison type "scat" vocal phrasing. Great bass Feet in the Clouds (9) Another terrific bouncy song to end the loose medley section; love the Beach Boy's like harmonies at the end House of Wax (9.5) - Classic Macca piano tune with the great electric guitar riffs; clever lyrics with strong vocals The End of the End (10) - One of Pauls greatest piano ballad songs...unlike other reviewers, I love Paul's simple melodic whistling in the middle. Makes the song even more sad and poignant. Great lyrics Nod Your Head ( - the lyrics are a bit goofy but this short rocker is just the right follow-up to the sadness and seriousness of the previous track. Bonus tracks In Private ( - an underrated instrumental in my opinion; like the melody and guitar work in the middle and the end Why So Blue (9.5) - Why wasn't this track on the main album; love both the lyrics and melody...quite Beatleesque like in the Rubber Soul era. Should have replaced Gratitude in my opinion 222 ( Jazzy feel to this mostly instrumental track.
Excellent review BJ and I agree totally. "Gratitude" is the one song that I always skip, wish he would have replaced it with one of the bonus tracks. As I have said quite often, really wish this album would have been showcased more live. "That Was Me" and "House Of Wax" were played only a few times. "Dance Tonight" is the only song that lasted more than a tour I believe.
_______________________________________________________ Thanks Yankeefan. I totally agree that Paul should have showcased MAF a lot more that tour and others. There are so many great tunes on the album and his live versions could have been as good or maybe even better. Besides Dance Tonight, he did play "Mama Only Knows" for a complete tour I think. And I think his live versions on both songs were very good. I always thought that Paul and the Band could have done a fantastic job coupling Vintage Clothes and That Was Me together similar to what he did on the album. Both songs are fantastic and would have sounded great live. It also would have given a lot of exposure to a real high point on the album. As we (and others here) have often expressed, why Paul didn't give his Solo songs more exposure has always baffled me. Like you, I also wandered why he only played "House of Wax" at a couple of shows. Even if he wasn't quite satisfied with the performance, I'm sure they would have perfected it with multiple plays. It is yet another great song from the album. I also look at songs like Mr. Bellamy and Ever Present Past...songs just dying to be played live. For some reason, Paul felt so inclined to play the "recognized hits" (Beatle and his 70's hits) that he, in my opinion, just didn't give great songs (like the ones mentioned here) a fair chance when he went on the road. Maybe it required more work and Paul just enjoyed hearing the instant applause when he just hit the first few notes of his "famous" songs. It was just too easy to go the "hits" route but it really did a disservice to his great Solo songs in my opinion.
Check out the "That Was Me " youtube clip from Paris show and it seemed the people got into it. IMO the audience in countries outside the US seem to get into the non -Beatle songs more than the US audience. Would love to have heard "Ever Present Past" live, another shake my head set list moment - lol. "House of Wax" is a killer song with cool guitar solo that should have been included, practice makes perfect - lol.
___________________________________________________ Don't know if it is still available, but I remember watching the whole Paris concert on U-Tube. It seemed to me to be an amazing concert with Paul in great voice (of course we're talking 2008 I guess). It just seemed so intimate and the crowd was electric. The venue seemed quite small, holding maybe 10 thousand or less. Paul also deviated from his normal sequence (a great thing in my opinion). He started off just opening the stage curtain himself and playing Blackbird on acoustic. The crowd went nuts. I think he then followed that with Dance Tonight with the Band joining in midway as the drums came in. Paul just seemed so relaxed and adding That Was Me and House of Wax were big surprises. He also played Mama Only Knows. In retrospect, I remember thinking how great Paul and the Band seemed that night. After playing Back in the USSR and Band on the Run back to back, the audience just went nuts. Still to this day, I think it was the best version of BOTR that I had ever heard. Maybe because the concert was so intimate it just seemed that way but I swear Paul seemed especially "on" that night. Maybe someday they will come out with a "finished" DVD of the show...I would certainly buy it became available. I think you have a point about Paul crowds outside of the US getting more into his Solo Songs. I remember how the crowd in Mexico (i believe) got so into Hope of Deliverance when he played it. Also when he plays Mull of Kintyre in Canada, the crowds always go crazy. It does seem that Paul is so much more conservative relative to his setlist in the US. Recently MTV has been playing "Rock Show" and as I was watching the 1976 Concert, it made me think how "bold and confident" Paul was during that time. Despite all the pressure at that time to play Beatle songs, Paul strictly played what "he" wanted to play. Watching Wings Over America today, it was so refreshing that the setlist was so dominated by Wings and Solo songs and even adding Denny Laine's Go Now and other rare nuggets. I think he only played 5 Beatle songs. Still to this day I have always regretted missing that tour. I must admit that when I first saw Paul live in 1989 (the Flowers in the Dirt tour) I did love it when I heard Paul's Beatle songs for the 1st time (Hey Jude, Let It Be etc. etc.) but as we have all pointed out, "real" fans don't always want to hear the same songs tour after tour. I miss the "daring" Paul of 1976 and consequently I skipped the last tour when I could have made a show or two. Not playing great Solo songs (e.g. from Tug of War, MAF, Chaos, Flaming Pie, London Town, Back to the Egg) was such a shame for the "true" fans. The good news is that we still have the albums to play. Can't wait till Flowers in the Dirt is released.
I was fortunate enough to have seen him on the 1976 tour and it was awesome !! He was fantastic vocally and the band rocked. The audience was not expecting a Beatle concert and was so into the Wings songs. Yes, they did love the Beatle songs (especially "Yesterday") but went crazy over songs they never heard before like "Soily". I have only watched the clips of "House of Wax" and "That Was Me" from the Paris show, will make a note of it to watch more of it sometime in the future. I loved the 1989 tour and did not mind that he started playing more Beatle songs since he played I believe 6 songs from FITD which I loved. As you know, he opened with "Figure of Eight" and would never do something like that now sadly. I think Mr. McCartney missed a great opportunity to really re-define himself as a live artist in 2001. He had brand new band, new album and had not toured in almost a decade. This would have been the perfect moment for him to really start new and play solo songs that had not been heard live. Instead, he did the opposite and began his climb to becoming for the most part an "oldies" act. We can still listen to the albums but I truly believe the majority of his songs sound much better live and it is a shame we will not get to hear more of these great solo songs. As for crowds outside of the US, just listen to the reaction of the audience after solo songs and they appreciate them much more than US audience. I think South American countries are the ones that really dig "Hope of Deliverance". As for "Mull of Kintyre", I never understood why he did not play that in certain US cities, like New York for example. It seems like there is an Irish bar on every corner in NYC (lol) and there would be plenty of people who would be into that song. Once again BJ, thank you for your posts. You are one of those who is a Paul McCartney (the artist) fan and not just a Beatle -Paul fan. You and some others on this board have supported Mr. McCartney by buying his solo albums for many years and it is a shame that he does not take that into consideration when coming up with setlist - oh well.
____________________________________________________ I couldn't agree with you more about the 2001 tour. I attended the Philadelphia show that year with several friends including my sister. I remember how much excitement there was outside the Wells Fargo Arena since Macca had not toured since 1992. And of course, the loss of Linda that had been so devastating for Paul. For me personally, I was also excited for this show because it would be my first opportunity to see him indoors. My previous 2 shows were in big Stadiums. I still vividly remember when the lights dimmed and you saw the silhouette of Paul's bass and then the opening notes of Hello Goodbye. While the song is not close to my favorite McCartney song, the song opener was one of the most effective of all time. All in all, it was a fantastic concert and Paul's voice was still top rate at that point. One of my favorite parts of the show was when the Band left the stage and it was only Paul alone w singing and playing Blackbird, Here Today and We Can Work It out. You could hear a pin drop and Paul did it effortless like he was in his backyard. Even someone who was not necessarily a Paul fan could not help but see his tremendous talent. After the show, I remember saying to my friends that I only wished that Paul had done a few more Solo songs. A couple of my friends couldn't quite understand my comment since the show was so great. I must admit that I was probably the only one in my group who had bought and heard Paul's latest album, Driving Rain. I also realize that I am in the minority among baby boomers. As I got older (I'm a baby boomer) I still remained a big Paul McCartney fan. My friends were Beatle fans who hardly had kept up with the Beatles as individual artists. One of the reasons I had wished for more solo songs is that I really loved the Driving Rain songs he did that night (Lonely Road, Your Loving Rain and the title cut, Driving Rain). I thought they were better than the record versions. Regardless of the fact that many in the audience hardly knew the songs, the response was surprisingly good. In retrospect, I would have preferred About You over Driving Rain but at least he did 3 of them. I agree with you that it was a big missed opportunity for Paul to give "balance" towards his overall career. It was a perfect time for him to play 2 songs each from Run,Devil,Run and Flaming Pie...his two previous albums both which were great in my opinion. And why not go back to a couple of great songs from Tug of War which he had never done live. My dream list would have been: The World Tonight (Flaming Pie) Young Boy (Flaming Pie) Take It Away (Tug of War) The Pound is Sinking (Tug of War) What It Is (Run Devil Run) Run Devil Run (Run Devil Run) Any combination of songs like this (from terrific albums) that were never done live would have done wonders for him as an overall artist and not just a Beatle. The sad thing is that he could still sing very well at the time. It would not have taken anything away from the overall concert since the people got everything they wanted with plenty of Beatle songs. It would just have showcased some of his Great solo songs that are not known to most people.
"One of the reasons I had wished for more solo songs is that I really loved the Driving Rain songs he did that night (Lonely Road, Your Loving Rain and the title cut, Driving Rain). I thought they were better than the record versions. Regardless of the fact that many in the audience hardly knew the songs, the response was surprisingly good. In retrospect, I would have preferred About You over Driving Rain but at least he did 3 of them. " It is such a shame he never did "About You", one of his best rockers. DR was a very guitar oriented album and sounded great live.
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Squid:
yankeefan7:
As for "Mull of Kintyre", I never understood why he did not play that in certain US cities, like New York for example. It seems like there is an Irish bar on every corner in NYC (lol) and there would be plenty of people who would be into that song.
Well, this Irish person rather likes Mull of Kintyre, but it should be noted that it's in Scotland not Ireland and so the song has no special context for Irish Americans. Sadly it's a song that is widely despised in Britain and is often used to disparage Paul's post-Beatles career, along with "The Frog Chorus." For some reason these songs have a cultural cringe attached to them, which no doubt began in the music press. They're easy targets for the casual sneer. Like I said, I like Mull of Kintyre; and I adore We All Stand Together.
_________________________________________________________ Squid Never knew that so many in England despise "Mull of Kintyre". I assume you are talking about the music press and it has filtered down to the masses. I have never been to England so I seriously don't know. Maybe it is because the song was so successful throughout England that it got way overplayed. I always thought that was the reason that "Ebony and Ivory" in the US got such a bad rap. It was so big that it was way, way overplayed on US radio. I think it was #1 for about 7 or 8 weeks. The big radio stations in the major markets played it at least 10-12 times a day. That went on for at least 3 months. That kind of over saturation will destroy any song no matter how good, average or bad it is. In the US, Mull of Kintyre got little radio airplay in many sections of the country. In some of the big metropolitan markets (like New York, Philadelphia, Boston, DC etc) the big stations chose to play the flip-side "Girl School" instead. Consequently, many people in the US (unless they are Paul McCartney fans like us) aren't that familiar with the song. Mull of Kintyre no matter what critics say, is a song that the masses would like if if was heard. Now I'm not talking about being way overplayed like it probably was in England. The song is a great song in my opinion and taking a modern Pop/Folk song and including "Bagpipes" was a brilliant idea by Paul. It also has great lyrics. By the way, Paul always plays Mull at most of his Canadian shows and he usually plays it at the end (in the Encore or right before it). As soon as he hits the first few notes, the crowd goes nuts. Just U-Tube one of the Canadian shows (e.g. Toronto) and the proof is in the pudding as they say. I think Yankeefan's main point is that Paul does a disservice to his Solo career by playing it too safe with his Setlists. He has never played Mull at a US show as far as I know. Whether US radio made a mistake by not playing "Mull of Kintyre" at the time or that it didn't become a hit is not the point we"re trying to make. Paul, in my opinion, should have been far more "bold" relative to his setlists since 2002. If there was ever a place to play "Mull of Kintyre"during these years, it was in the big US markets where he could control getting it heard to US audiences. The Paul of 1976 wouldn't care if Mull of Kintyre wasn't a hit in the US. As Yankeefan pointed out, the last encore song that Paul played on his Wings Over America tour was Soily. That song wasn't known at all at the time he put it in the Setlist as his final encore song. Paul was bold. He wanted the fans to hear it and by God they were going to hear it. Unfortunately, as much as I love Paul, he didn't show that kind of boldness during these last 16 years where he was constantly touring. My only point is that it did hurt his Solo song reputation in my opinion. Many people at a McCartney show who weren't that all familiar with Mull, would be going home humming it. It would be like a "new" song to them.
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Squid:
yankeefan7:
As for "Mull of Kintyre", I never understood why he did not play that in certain US cities, like New York for example. It seems like there is an Irish bar on every corner in NYC (lol) and there would be plenty of people who would be into that song.
Well, this Irish person rather likes Mull of Kintyre, but it should be noted that it's in Scotland not Ireland and so the song has no special context for Irish Americans. Sadly it's a song that is widely despised in Britain and is often used to disparage Paul's post-Beatles career, along with "The Frog Chorus." For some reason these songs have a cultural cringe attached to them, which no doubt began in the music press. They're easy targets for the casual sneer. Like I said, I like Mull of Kintyre; and I adore We All Stand Together.
Understood it is in Scotland, my point is that there are bagpipes playing in the song and Irish people like to listen to bagpipes. As a veteran of watching many St. Patrick's Day parades in NYC, bagpipes are a bit hit. In addition it is in a way a big production number song and I am sure it would go over well in concert in NYC. (kind of like Fleetwood Mac doing "Tusk" with marching band).
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B J Conlee:
Squid:
yankeefan7:
As for "Mull of Kintyre", I never understood why he did not play that in certain US cities, like New York for example. It seems like there is an Irish bar on every corner in NYC (lol) and there would be plenty of people who would be into that song.
Well, this Irish person rather likes Mull of Kintyre, but it should be noted that it's in Scotland not Ireland and so the song has no special context for Irish Americans. Sadly it's a song that is widely despised in Britain and is often used to disparage Paul's post-Beatles career, along with "The Frog Chorus." For some reason these songs have a cultural cringe attached to them, which no doubt began in the music press. They're easy targets for the casual sneer. Like I said, I like Mull of Kintyre; and I adore We All Stand Together.
_________________________________________________________ Squid Never knew that so many in England despise "Mull of Kintyre". I assume you are talking about the music press and it has filtered down to the masses. I have never been to England so I seriously don't know. Maybe it is because the song was so successful throughout England that it got way overplayed. I always thought that was the reason that "Ebony and Ivory" in the US got such a bad rap. It was so big that it was way, way overplayed on US radio. I think it was #1 for about 7 or 8 weeks. The big radio stations in the major markets played it at least 10-12 times a day. That went on for at least 3 months. That kind of over saturation will destroy any song no matter how good, average or bad it is. In the US, Mull of Kintyre got little radio airplay in many sections of the country. In some of the big metropolitan markets (like New York, Philadelphia, Boston, DC etc) the big stations chose to play the flip-side "Girl School" instead. Consequently, many people in the US (unless they are Paul McCartney fans like us) aren't that familiar with the song. Mull of Kintyre no matter what critics say, is a song that the masses would like if if was heard. Now I'm not talking about being way overplayed like it probably was in England. The song is a great song in my opinion and taking a modern Pop/Folk song and including "Bagpipes" was a brilliant idea by Paul. It also has great lyrics. By the way, Paul always plays Mull at most of his Canadian shows and he usually plays it at the end (in the Encore or right before it). As soon as he hits the first few notes, the crowd goes nuts. Just U-Tube one of the Canadian shows (e.g. Toronto) and the proof is in the pudding as they say. I think Yankeefan's main point is that Paul does a disservice to his Solo career by playing it too safe with his Setlists. He has never played Mull at a US show as far as I know. Whether US radio made a mistake by not playing "Mull of Kintyre" at the time or that it didn't become a hit is not the point we"re trying to make. Paul, in my opinion, should have been far more "bold" relative to his setlists since 2002. If there was ever a place to play "Mull of Kintyre"during these years, it was in the big US markets where he could control getting it heard to US audiences. The Paul of 1976 wouldn't care if Mull of Kintyre wasn't a hit in the US. As Yankeefan pointed out, the last encore song that Paul played on his Wings Over America tour was Soily. That song wasn't known at all at the time he put it in the Setlist as his final encore song. Paul was bold. He wanted the fans to hear it and by God they were going to hear it. Unfortunately, as much as I love Paul, he didn't show that kind of boldness during these last 16 years where he was constantly touring. My only point is that it did hurt his Solo song reputation in my opinion. Many people at a McCartney show who weren't that all familiar with Mull, would be going home humming it. It would be like a "new" song to them.
"I have never been to England so I seriously don't know. Maybe it is because the song was so successful throughout England that it got way overplayed. I always thought that was the reason that "Ebony and Ivory" in the US got such a bad rap." I never totally understood song getting bad rap because it was overplayed. every Beatle #1 song was overplayed on the radio. Tell me a Michael Jackson song off "Thriller" that was not played to death. I just think it is a song that did not age well and critics found the racial theme too simplistic.
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radioflyer:
"Nod Your Head" is still one of my all time least favorite McCartney songs, and a big reason that Nigel Godrich was such a fab producer for Paul: He had some veto power. I mean.....these "lyrics": If you really love me baby Better than stayin' in bed If you really love me baby, nod your head If you really love me baby Till you fall down dead, she said If you ever wanna make it, nod your head Nod it up, nod it down Side to side, round and round (Round and round) If you ever wanna prove it Then you hang it on a thread If you ever wanna shake it, nod your head If you think the life your leading Is better then the life you lead If you like the life your living Well nod your head Well nod it up, nod it down Side to side, round and round (Round and round) (Round and round) If you really love me baby Better than stayin' in bed If you really love me baby, nod your head
To me, "Nod Your Head" is a highlight of MAF. Of course it's silly, that's the idea. It's the perfect contrast to "The End of the End" and enables the album to end on a note of celebration. After literally whistling past the graveyard in the prior song (to which I've always had a strong emotional reaction as it came out when my dad was dying), Paul now howls in full-on Little Richard roar, "If you like the life you're living, nod your head!" And the voice inside my head says, "Yes!!!" "Nod Your Head" is perfect.
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B J Conlee:
Nancy R:
BJ, Just an FYI, the show you saw was in 2002 and prior to that he toured in 1993. https://www.paulmccartney.com/live/tour-archives/driving-usa-tour
__________________________________________________ Thanks Nancy. As I'm getting older, I do get my dates/years wrong. One thing for sure, I do have vivid memories of going to the show in 2002. It was so exciting and Paul was singing great at that time. I noticed that Paul and Band appeared in Atlanta for 2 shows about a month later. Did you attend either show. Knowing what a big fan you are, you probably went to both. What are your memories of the 2002 show.
Look at the bottom of my post to see the Paul shows I've been to. My ex and I went to the 2002 and had pretty decent floor seats. Only saw the one show. He got the tickets for my birthday which was the day before the show. I remember thinking how great he still sounded at age almost 60! And he sang I Will which was one of the Beatles songs played at our wedding. Did he also do Here, There and Everywhere? (We had that one played too!)
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Mull of Kintyre remains wonderful to me.
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Nancy R:
B J Conlee:
Nancy R:
BJ, Just an FYI, the show you saw was in 2002 and prior to that he toured in 1993. https://www.paulmccartney.com/live/tour-archives/driving-usa-tour
__________________________________________________ Thanks Nancy. As I'm getting older, I do get my dates/years wrong. One thing for sure, I do have vivid memories of going to the show in 2002. It was so exciting and Paul was singing great at that time. I noticed that Paul and Band appeared in Atlanta for 2 shows about a month later. Did you attend either show. Knowing what a big fan you are, you probably went to both. What are your memories of the 2002 show.
Look at the bottom of my post to see the Paul shows I've been to. My ex and I went to the 2002 and had pretty decent floor seats. Only saw the one show. He got the tickets for my birthday which was the day before the show. I remember thinking how great he still sounded at age almost 60! And he sang I Will which was one of the Beatles songs played at our wedding. Did he also do Here, There and Everywhere? (We had that one played too!)
Lucky for you that he always seems to visit Atlanta on his US tours. He has only been in Charlotte NC in 1993 and 2010. The 1993 show was the one that was televised on FOX.
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yankeefan7:
Nancy R:
B J Conlee:
Nancy R:
BJ, Just an FYI, the show you saw was in 2002 and prior to that he toured in 1993. https://www.paulmccartney.com/live/tour-archives/driving-usa-tour
__________________________________________________ Thanks Nancy. As I'm getting older, I do get my dates/years wrong. One thing for sure, I do have vivid memories of going to the show in 2002. It was so exciting and Paul was singing great at that time. I noticed that Paul and Band appeared in Atlanta for 2 shows about a month later. Did you attend either show. Knowing what a big fan you are, you probably went to both. What are your memories of the 2002 show.
Look at the bottom of my post to see the Paul shows I've been to. My ex and I went to the 2002 and had pretty decent floor seats. Only saw the one show. He got the tickets for my birthday which was the day before the show. I remember thinking how great he still sounded at age almost 60! And he sang I Will which was one of the Beatles songs played at our wedding. Did he also do Here, There and Everywhere? (We had that one played too!)
Lucky for you that he always seems to visit Atlanta on his US tours. He has only been in Charlotte NC in 1993 and 2010. The 1993 show was the one that was televised on FOX.
He hasn't been to Atlanta since Oct. 2014 though! That was a rescheduled show from June when he got sick.
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Nancy R:
B J Conlee:
Nancy R:
BJ, Just an FYI, the show you saw was in 2002 and prior to that he toured in 1993. https://www.paulmccartney.com/live/tour-archives/driving-usa-tour
__________________________________________________ Thanks Nancy. As I'm getting older, I do get my dates/years wrong. One thing for sure, I do have vivid memories of going to the show in 2002. It was so exciting and Paul was singing great at that time. I noticed that Paul and Band appeared in Atlanta for 2 shows about a month later. Did you attend either show. Knowing what a big fan you are, you probably went to both. What are your memories of the 2002 show.
Look at the bottom of my post to see the Paul shows I've been to. My ex and I went to the 2002 and had pretty decent floor seats. Only saw the one show. He got the tickets for my birthday which was the day before the show. I remember thinking how great he still sounded at age almost 60! And he sang I Will which was one of the Beatles songs played at our wedding. Did he also do Here, There and Everywhere? (We had that one played too!)
___________________________________________________ I Will and Here There and Everywhere are two of Paul's greatest songs of all time. I would put both of them in my Top 10 "Paul" Beatle songs. The amazing thing is that neither song was a Single as far as I know. In a way, that was good in that they didn't get overplayed. By the way I would also include For No One and Eleanor Rigby (like Here There and Everywhere, they were also on Revolver) in my Top 10 McCartney Beatle songs.
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B J Conlee:
Nancy R:
B J Conlee:
Nancy R:
BJ, Just an FYI, the show you saw was in 2002 and prior to that he toured in 1993. https://www.paulmccartney.com/live/tour-archives/driving-usa-tour
__________________________________________________ Thanks Nancy. As I'm getting older, I do get my dates/years wrong. One thing for sure, I do have vivid memories of going to the show in 2002. It was so exciting and Paul was singing great at that time. I noticed that Paul and Band appeared in Atlanta for 2 shows about a month later. Did you attend either show. Knowing what a big fan you are, you probably went to both. What are your memories of the 2002 show.
Look at the bottom of my post to see the Paul shows I've been to. My ex and I went to the 2002 and had pretty decent floor seats. Only saw the one show. He got the tickets for my birthday which was the day before the show. I remember thinking how great he still sounded at age almost 60! And he sang I Will which was one of the Beatles songs played at our wedding. Did he also do Here, There and Everywhere? (We had that one played too!)
___________________________________________________ I Will and Here There and Everywhere are two of Paul's greatest songs of all time. I would put both of them in my Top 10 "Paul" Beatle songs. The amazing thing is that neither song was a Single as far as I know. In a way, that was good in that they didn't get overplayed. By the way I would also include For No One and Eleanor Rigby (like Here There and Everywhere, they were also on Revolver) in my Top 10 McCartney Beatle songs.
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Bruce M.:
radioflyer:
"Nod Your Head" is still one of my all time least favorite McCartney songs, and a big reason that Nigel Godrich was such a fab producer for Paul: He had some veto power. I mean.....these "lyrics": If you really love me baby Better than stayin' in bed If you really love me baby, nod your head If you really love me baby Till you fall down dead, she said If you ever wanna make it, nod your head Nod it up, nod it down Side to side, round and round (Round and round) If you ever wanna prove it Then you hang it on a thread If you ever wanna shake it, nod your head If you think the life your leading Is better then the life you lead If you like the life your living Well nod your head Well nod it up, nod it down Side to side, round and round (Round and round) (Round and round) If you really love me baby Better than stayin' in bed If you really love me baby, nod your head
To me, "Nod Your Head" is a highlight of MAF. Of course it's silly, that's the idea. It's the perfect contrast to "The End of the End" and enables the album to end on a note of celebration. After literally whistling past the graveyard in the prior song (to which I've always had a strong emotional reaction as it came out when my dad was dying), Paul now howls in full-on Little Richard roar, "If you like the life you're living, nod your head!" And the voice inside my head says, "Yes!!!" "Nod Your Head" is perfect.
__________________________________________________ Bruce, great post. As I mentioned earlier, I recently found my long lost MAF CD in storage after a return trip to the Northeast from Florida. I do remember not liking Nod You Head years ago when MAF initially was released. Listening to "Nod" and the whole album after close to 9-10 years, did give me a different feeling about the song. In retrospect, I didn't give it chance before because of the "silly" lyrics but it is the "contrast" (and Paul's vocal delivery) that you described so beautifully that has given me a whole different and new perspective on why Paul not only included "Nod" on MAF but deliberately placed it after "The End of the End". It does make a lot more sense to me now. One thing that separates MAF from several of Paul lesser albums is that the 2nd half of MAF is just as good as the first half. I love MAF from Vintage Clothes on and the craziness of "Nod" just completes the 2nd half of the album very well. As you allude, Paul needed something totally silly after "End". And the fact that the song is short and ends so abruptly makes the ending of the 2nd half even better. Not comparing it to Side B of Abbey Road, but MAF's 2nd half tracks do work very well together and as you said, "Nod" ends it perfectly. This Contrast idea you stated between the 2 MAF songs also makes me think how Chaos and MAF as back to back albums have a similar (and to me positive) "contrasting" characteristics. I agree with you (and others here) that I love both albums pretty equally (in my opinion, both are in the top 5 to 6 ti my ears) despite the fact that they are quite different. I see Chaos as a great album and especially consistent (as Yankeefan says "no clunkers"). All the songs are good to great in my opinion and Nigel Goodrich was a terrific producer for Paul because of this consistency. If I was going to describe the overall characteristic of Chaos I would probably say that the songs and vocals are pretty "conventional" classic Paul. If you like "conservative" side Paul from his Beatle days, then Chaos is great album for you. MAF on the other hand is Paul being very adventurous with both the song styles and his vocals. You mention Paul's "Little Richard" vocals on "Nod" but he really let loose and let his hair down vocally on a number of other tracks including Only Mama Knows, Vintage Clothes, and That Was Me. To me the strength of MAF is this adventurous spirit that permeates the entire album. By and large, I love these "back to back" albums because of this stark "contrast" between them. Because they are so different is one reason why they are both great in my opinion. I like "conservative and adventurous" Paul pretty equally.
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B J Conlee:
Bruce M.:
radioflyer:
"Nod Your Head" is still one of my all time least favorite McCartney songs, and a big reason that Nigel Godrich was such a fab producer for Paul: He had some veto power. I mean.....these "lyrics": If you really love me baby Better than stayin' in bed If you really love me baby, nod your head If you really love me baby Till you fall down dead, she said If you ever wanna make it, nod your head Nod it up, nod it down Side to side, round and round (Round and round) If you ever wanna prove it Then you hang it on a thread If you ever wanna shake it, nod your head If you think the life your leading Is better then the life you lead If you like the life your living Well nod your head Well nod it up, nod it down Side to side, round and round (Round and round) (Round and round) If you really love me baby Better than stayin' in bed If you really love me baby, nod your head
To me, "Nod Your Head" is a highlight of MAF. Of course it's silly, that's the idea. It's the perfect contrast to "The End of the End" and enables the album to end on a note of celebration. After literally whistling past the graveyard in the prior song (to which I've always had a strong emotional reaction as it came out when my dad was dying), Paul now howls in full-on Little Richard roar, "If you like the life you're living, nod your head!" And the voice inside my head says, "Yes!!!" "Nod Your Head" is perfect.
__________________________________________________ Bruce, great post. As I mentioned earlier, I recently found my long lost MAF CD in storage after a return trip to the Northeast from Florida. I do remember not liking Nod You Head years ago when MAF initially was released. Listening to "Nod" and the whole album after close to 9-10 years, did give me a different feeling about the song. In retrospect, I didn't give it chance before because of the "silly" lyrics but it is the "contrast" (and Paul's vocal delivery) that you described so beautifully that has given me a whole different and new perspective on why Paul not only included "Nod" on MAF but deliberately placed it after "The End of the End". It does make a lot more sense to me now. One thing that separates MAF from several of Paul lesser albums is that the 2nd half of MAF is just as good as the first half. I love MAF from Vintage Clothes on and the craziness of "Nod" just completes the 2nd half of the album very well. As you allude, Paul needed something totally silly after "End". And the fact that the song is short and ends so abruptly makes the ending of the 2nd half even better. Not comparing it to Side B of Abbey Road, but MAF's 2nd half tracks do work very well together and as you said, "Nod" ends it perfectly. This Contrast idea you stated between the 2 MAF songs also makes me think how Chaos and MAF as back to back albums have a similar (and to me positive) "contrasting" characteristics. I agree with you (and others here) that I love both albums pretty equally (in my opinion, both are in the top 5 to 6 ti my ears) despite the fact that they are quite different. I see Chaos as a great album and especially consistent (as Yankeefan says "no clunkers"). All the songs are good to great in my opinion and Nigel Goodrich was a terrific producer for Paul because of this consistency. If I was going to describe the overall characteristic of Chaos I would probably say that the songs and vocals are pretty "conventional" classic Paul. If you like "conservative" side Paul from his Beatle days, then Chaos is great album for you. MAF on the other hand is Paul being very adventurous with both the song styles and his vocals. You mention Paul's "Little Richard" vocals on "Nod" but he really let loose and let his hair down vocally on a number of other tracks including Only Mama Knows, Vintage Clothes, and That Was Me. To me the strength of MAF is this adventurous spirit that permeates the entire album. By and large, I love these "back to back" albums because of this stark "contrast" between them. Because they are so different is one reason why they are both great in my opinion. I like "conservative and adventurous" Paul pretty equally.
I agree, CHAOS and MAF are great and if you really look at the albums Mr. McCartney has put out since 2001 I would argue it is his best creative period ever. (Driving Rain, Chaos & Creation, Memory Almost Full, Electric Arguments & New).