London Town/Back to the Egg: What if...?
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Mr. Spock:
beatlesfanrandy:
I really loved London Town. Still do. Back to the Egg not so much, and still do not think it is one of his better albums. Although coming out only one year apart (who does an album a year anymore?), he could taken the best of both albums and made one truly fantastic album...London Egg or Back to Town.
But Wings ended after Paul got out of Tokyo jail. That was the turning point.I think the bust in Japan was more of a "final straw" than a "turining point." I wonder if the performance and reception of their final two albums would have extended their life at all... Anyway, I love both albums but prefer BTTE.
Very logical assesment Mr. Spock.
But in all seriousness I think BTTE is an overall stronger album than London Town. I think if you had combined the best tracks off both albums and perhaps done a 1979 release (and assuming that John had lived past 1980) then I could see Wings lasting at least another 5 or so years after their end. -
*Perry*:
wingsdgm:
How was Back To The Egg a mistake?? It's a very cool album...my fave (and alot of others) Wings album.
I don't think the writing is anywhere near as good, nor the band. It sounds like Paul is trying to compete with the Punk kids. I also have a theory that most BTTE fans are not British.
...what does not being British have to do with anything?? ....Getting Closer ROCKS -
I'm talking about that huge Punk scene in the USA in the mid-late 70's. Back To The Egg is a bit forced but hey ho, strokes for folks and all that.
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Cord:
I was always in awe how Paul McCartney released the perfect album at just the perfect time and the music he created gave me just the right fix, so to speak, that I needed. How I wish he could generate the same amount of albums now as he did then with usually an album per year. Thinking back, and yes, I was there in 1978, thinking London Town was the perfect summer album. What a relief from the relentless Disco craze pouring from the radio to hear a new McCartney classic, With A Little Luck. To my ears, he just kept getting better and better. As usual, the entire album was melodically beautiful, and original in every way, which has always been part of his gift. As for the album's not reaching number one at the time, there were probably many reasons, mostly having to do with the culture at the time, just as there have been since. Still, quality and originality of his musical gifts have never failed him. Back To The Egg was just as original the following year. I remember hearing Getting Closer for the first time on the car radio thinking it sounded just like a brand new Beatles song. When I first played the album I thought 'this is the album of all albums, how will he ever be able to top this'? Well, of course, he did, and has been with each new studio album ever since - after all, any new McCartney song, with its freshness and originality is naturally going to top the previous - that's what makes Paul McCartney great - he can do that. It's a gift!
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wingsdgm:
*Perry*:
wingsdgm:
How was Back To The Egg a mistake?? It's a very cool album...my fave (and alot of others) Wings album.
I don't think the writing is anywhere near as good, nor the band. It sounds like Paul is trying to compete with the Punk kids. I also have a theory that most BTTE fans are not British.
...what does not being British have to do with anything?? ....Getting Closer ROCKSAgree! and I LOVE Arrow Through Me. On the surface, I wouldn't have expected to love Back To The Egg, but I do. And this medley is a good intro to the album:
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"London Town" and "Back to the Egg" are both fantastic albums, and I'm very glad they weren't "combined" into one album somehow. Would not like to have missed a single song on either of these
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audi:
wingsdgm:
beatlesfanrandy:
I really loved London Town. Still do. Back to the Egg not so much, and still do not think it is one of his better albums. Although coming out only one year apart (who does an album a year anymore?), he could taken the best of both albums and made one truly fantastic album...London Egg or Back to Town.
But Wings ended after Paul got out of Tokyo jail in 1980. That was the turning point. He decided to stay home and made McCartney II instead of doing another Wings tour....I like London Egg
That would make a cool username.
London Egg is the name of a band in NYC
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Paul went with "sound" over "melody" for BTTE. A big mistake in retrospect. Meanwhile, the folk, melodic London Town has grown to classic status over the past 3 decades.
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I like both albums, but much prefer Back To The Egg. The playing on that album is superb - great lineup too. I wouldn't combine the two, it would be like combining Please Please Me and Abbey Road.
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JoeySmith:
Paul went with "sound" over "melody" for BTTE. A big mistake in retrospect. Meanwhile, the folk, melodic London Town has grown to classic status over the past 3 decades.
Funny enough I think that BTTE has held up better than London Town in a lot of ways. But that's the beauty of this forum, so many different perspectives.
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With the 35th anniversary of BTTE here, I've been reading a lot more into the album than before. I agree with some of the insight from Ultimate Classic Rock. It does make me wonder more about what was said in this topic about had 'Egg' come out earlier, would it have made a difference...or did Paul run his course under that format? I think I appreciate BTTE more now than I did when I first became a Wings fan. I tend to like a lot of the material people put down on the album. 35 years later, what do you think? (Article below) http://ultimateclassicrock.com/wings-back-to-the-egg/
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beatlesfanrandy:
I really loved London Town. Still do. Back to the Egg not so much, and still do not think it is one of his better albums. Although coming out only one year apart (who does an album a year anymore?), he could taken the best of both albums and made one truly fantastic album...London Egg or Back to Town.
But Wings ended after Paul got out of Tokyo jail in 1980. That was the turning point. He decided to stay home and made McCartney II instead of doing another Wings tour.Actually I think most (if not all) of McCartney II was recorded in the summer of 1979, months before the Japan bust. The recordings were then set aside until 1980, when he made the decision to release them as an album.
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Another point worth noting is that each album had at least one wonderful song omitted from it: "Waterspout" left off LT; and "Cage", left off BTTE in favour of "Baby's Request". Added to the fact that "Daytime Nightime Suffering" is also from the same period, as well as "Did We Meet Somewhere Before" (which turns up in the soundtrack of the film ROCK AND ROLL HIGH SCHOOL starring The Ramones [!]), and there were several potential "undiscovered" hits which I think could have boosted sales of each album.
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Jazz Street:
Another point worth noting is that each album had at least one wonderful song omitted from it: "Waterspout" left off LT; and "Cage", left off BTTE in favour of "Baby's Request". Added to the fact that "Daytime Nightime Suffering" is also from the same period, as well as "Did We Meet Somewhere Before" (which turns up in the soundtrack of the film ROCK AND ROLL HIGH SCHOOL starring The Ramones [!]), and there were several potential "undiscovered" hits which I think could have boosted sales of each album.
well done! i don't know that i've heard any of those! ha! can those tunes be purchased on iTunes? backwards traveller is one of my fave tune tunes form LT. wish it was longer.
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Jazz Street:
Another point worth noting is that each album had at least one wonderful song omitted from it: "Waterspout" left off LT; and "Cage", left off BTTE in favour of "Baby's Request". Added to the fact that "Daytime Nightime Suffering" is also from the same period, as well as "Did We Meet Somewhere Before" (which turns up in the soundtrack of the film ROCK AND ROLL HIGH SCHOOL starring The Ramones [!]), and there were several potential "undiscovered" hits which I think could have boosted sales of each album.
I'm a big fan of "Baby's Request". "Daytime.... " is a beauty. A great B-side to one of my faves.
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Get On The Right Thing:
Jazz Street:
Another point worth noting is that each album had at least one wonderful song omitted from it: "Waterspout" left off LT; and "Cage", left off BTTE in favour of "Baby's Request". Added to the fact that "Daytime Nightime Suffering" is also from the same period, as well as "Did We Meet Somewhere Before" (which turns up in the soundtrack of the film ROCK AND ROLL HIGH SCHOOL starring The Ramones [!]), and there were several potential "undiscovered" hits which I think could have boosted sales of each album.
well done! i don't know that i've heard any of those! ha! can those tunes be purchased on iTunes? backwards traveller is one of my fave tune tunes form LT. wish it was longer.
"Daytime Nightime Suffering" is available on the "History" disc of WINGSPAN: HITS & HISTORY. "Waterspout", "Cage" & "Did We Meet Somewhere Before" are unreleased songs, not as yet commercially-available. However:
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I've always loved London Town it's one of my favourite Wings albums . It flows really well and as a nice mellow feel to it , I often cook the Sunday dinner with it playing in the background. The late 70's music scene had changed but it's always changing that's the nature of popular music , Paul pretty much rode out the changes of Punk and Disco and the early 80's synth pop boom he had four UK # 1 albums in the 80's 1 more than he managed in the 70's . He was commercially successful up and till Flowers In The Dirt in 1989 that's when his commercial decline really took hold after that release. The 60's , 70's and 80's were his golden years , London Town and Back To The Egg sold far more copies than most of his later albums
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I love London town and I think BTTE is the most under-rated lp hes made. Winter rose / love awake is a classic. I think Maccas voice slowly started deteriorating slowly but surely from then on.
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Bruce M.:
I'm not sure the timing of either album would have changed much. The music scene was changing. Disco was huge and punk/new wave was the coming thing, and Paul at that point had been a huge star for nearly 2 decades -- a much longer run as a chart-topper than most rock acts ever get. It had to slow down at some point, and this was the logical time. Popular music is a youth-oriented world -- always was and and always will be -- and Paul was no longer a youth.
And Mariah Carey is finding that out now! For sure. And not a moment too soon!!
For a while, I was concerned that she might move past the Beatles on the Top 40 Chart....most number one hits! She seems to have stalled at 18 to their 20, and her new album and all its singles tanked. Even if she had moved past them, it would have taken her about 25 years, to their less than seven, to achieve that many number one songs. While she may have a resurgence in popularity, it likely won't be on the Top 40 chart. We'll see. Getting older and losing relevancy is a bitch...as we all find out sooner or later! (Do I have any other artists to be tracking and be worried about...on this particular achievement record?? ) -
Beatles4Ever&Ever:
Bruce M.:
I'm not sure the timing of either album would have changed much. The music scene was changing. Disco was huge and punk/new wave was the coming thing, and Paul at that point had been a huge star for nearly 2 decades -- a much longer run as a chart-topper than most rock acts ever get. It had to slow down at some point, and this was the logical time. Popular music is a youth-oriented world -- always was and and always will be -- and Paul was no longer a youth.
And Mariah Carey is finding that out now! For sure. And not a moment too soon!!
For a while, I was concerned that she might move past the Beatles on the Top 40 Chart....most number one hits! She seems to have stalled at 18 to their 20, and her new album and all its singles tanked. Even if she had moved past them, it would have taken her about 25 years, to their less than seven, to achieve that many number one songs. While she may have a resurgence in popularity, it likely won't be on the Top 40 chart. We'll see. Getting older and losing relevancy is a bitch...as we all find out sooner or later! (Do I have any other artists to be tracking and be worried about...on this particular achievement record?? )Off the top of my head, I think Rihanna and Madonna are up there, but yes, Mariah seems to have had her day. Way too much competition from the younger singers, though she'll be a popular live act forever, probably. Madonna is fading a bit, too, so perhaps just Rihanna right now is a threat.
