Driving Rain: Your favorite track
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I liked "Driving Rain" album more than most people, had some pretty good songs (Lonely Road, About You, Magic etc). Yes, it did have a couple of "clunkers", but most McCartney albums do -lol. I thought I read that the reason that song was not included was because it was different style from the rest of the album.
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@yankeefan2
Like you Yankeefan, I like Driving Rain much better than most fans. Besides the tracks you really like (Lonely Road, About You, and Magic) I also like Your Way, She's Given Up Talk, Back in the Sunshine (Co-Written with his Son James) , Riding into Jaipur, and the mostly instrumental Heather. I even like the disco flavored "Tiny Bubble" as well as the title cut "Driving Rain" despite the 1,2,3,4 lyrics.Songs I didn't particularly like were Rinse the Raindrops (too long), Freedom and Spinning on an Axis. Personally, I think Driving Rain is one of Paul's most underrated Albums. I like the spontaneous aspect of DR and it was the first time he worked with Rusty Anderson and Abe. I also really liked the work from Gabe Dixon on Piano, Keyboards, Organ etc. Gabe's playing was very distinctive imo. I had read that Paul was seriously considering having Gabe as part of his future Band but Gabe declined because of his desire for a Solo Career.
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What makes me laugh is the flak Paul got from the "1,2,3,4" lyric in the song "Driving Rain". He is mocked for that, but it was just fine and wonderful when the Beatles sang "1,2,3,4,5,6,7 all good children go to heaven". I agree with you, I liked "Heather" also and in retrospect it might have been cooler if he made it just an instrumental song - lol.
With some editing, "Rinse The Raindrops" could have been a bunch better, kind of like the "Deep" songs on "McCartney III". I understand why they put "Freedom" on the album, but it was a mistake. It just did not fit in with the vibe of the rest of the album.
Like most McCartney albums, with some editing this could have been even better. Wish David Kahne was a bit more like Nigel Godrich and told McCartney when a song was not good enough and needed to be cut or changed.
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@yankeefan2 said in Paul McCartney- New Album for 2023:
What makes me laugh is the flak Paul got from the "1,2,3,4" lyric in the song "Driving Rain". He is mocked for that, but it was just fine and wonderful when the Beatles sang "1,2,3,4,5,6,7 all good children go to heaven". I agree with you, I liked "Heather" also and in retrospect it might have been cooler if he made it just an instrumental song - lol.
With some editing, "Rinse The Raindrops" could have been a bunch better, kind of like the "Deep" songs on "McCartney III". I understand why they put "Freedom" on the album, but it was a mistake. It just did not fit in with the vibe of the rest of the album.
Like most McCartney albums, with some editing this could have been even better. Wish David Kahne was a bit more like Nigel Godrich and told McCartney when a song was not good enough and needed to be cut or changed.
I loved the song Driving Rain, on first listen.... couldn't give a shite about the 1-2-3-4.... I thought it was a great song.... Heather... now, some say it should've been left alone as an instrumental... no, I think it should've been a fully-fledged song. I think it is great... one of my fave tracks from that album... And... "From a Lover to a Friend"... that being said, only the first minute and a second ... before it just dissolved into ordinariness. The first minute of that song is great... Wonderful!... But, I love Lonely Road.... I Do and Your Way... funny thing, is I think many criticised the album for having too many songs!... There are a couple of songs that could've been B-sides... but... you know.... Sod off.
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As for "Heather", I could have gone either way. Make it a full instrumental or a full-fledged song, Paul was just indecisive with what he wanted to do with the song IMO. It some ways it sounds like something the band would do in a soundcheck. I loved the song "Driving Rain" and did not care about the number lyric. That being said, many critics and people on this board gave him, "flak" about it. Best thing about "Lonely Road" to me is Paul's vocal, just incredible.
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Hmmm... This is hard. Driving Rain has a bunch of tracks I like, but nothing I utterly love the way I love, say, Wanderlust, Mr. Bellamy or Do It Now. I think if pushed I'd have to go with Lonely Road as the punchiest, tightest, catchiest track on the album. And I'd give a special nomination for Most Frustrating Track to From a Lover to a Friend, which comes so close to being a masterpiece, but he just never quite got all the moving parts to mesh.
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@bruce-m said in Driving Rain: Your favorite track:
Hmmm... This is hard. Driving Rain has a bunch of tracks I like, but nothing I utterly love the way I love, say, Wanderlust, Mr. Bellamy or Do It Now. I think if pushed I'd have to go with Lonely Road as the punchiest, tightest, catchiest track on the album. And I'd give a special nomination for Most Frustrating Track to From a Lover to a Friend, which comes so close to being a masterpiece, but he just never quite got all the moving parts to mesh.
You and are in alignment, Bruce.... As I said... From a Lover to a Friend.... It was so close to being a magnificent song... it just lost its way after the first minute or so.... As we say, so close to being a masterpiece..... The Lah Lah's lost it for me.... Otherwise.... Wonderful song, that could've been so much better.... potentially, one of his best.... A wasted opportunity. A great song in the waiting.
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@yankeefan2 That's easy. The only one I liked was "Lonely Road." Just didn't care for the album...starting with the cover. He has some nice melodies here and there.....the guy ALWAYS has some good melodies. I sorta like Tiny Bubble. Sounds quite lovely.
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@beatles4ever-1 said in Driving Rain: Your favorite track:
@yankeefan2 That's easy. The only one I liked was "Lonely Road." Just didn't care for the album...starting with the cover. He has some nice melodies here and there.....the guy ALWAYS has some good melodies. I sorta like Tiny Bubble. Sounds quite lovely.
@beatles4ever-1 said in Driving Rain: Your favorite track:
@yankeefan2 That's easy. The only one I liked was "Lonely Road." Just didn't care for the album...starting with the cover. He has some nice melodies here and there.....the guy ALWAYS has some good melodies. I sorta like Tiny Bubble. Sounds quite lovely.
The album cover picture was an issue with me, too. I didn't like the album much, anyway, but the cheapo picture was taken by Paul on his wristwatch that had facilities for taking photos. Ugh!! He shoulda spent thousands having a really lovely album cover picture. The "Press" album cover, for example, was a frigging work of art. Sheer class.
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@wandy
Listening to this album again in full... I still will say 'From A Lover to a Friend' was a wasted opportunity... so much promise... 'Lonely Road' was a great opener! I like 'Driving Rain'. 'I Do' is a great song. Tiny Bubble is good fun... 'Your Way' is great!... a great underrated song. Reminds me of 'Put it There'... 'About You' gets a pass mark. Fine song. 'Heather' is wonderful, although should've got the full vocal treatment.... A great listen.... Joyful.
'Your Loving Flame'... not bad. Belongs on Press to Play, as a power ballad. I really like it.
'Freedom' doesn't annoy me as much as it used to, in fact I kinda now like it. Didn't like it when it was first released, cos it seemed forced, but it does sound so much better now.
Not a bad album. Two or three better songs would've helped. The absence of 'Back in the Sunshine Again' wouldn't have hurt.... My least favorite song. It goes for four minutes more than it should. 'Magic'... take it or leave it... She's Given Up Talking... started OK.
Spinning on an Axis... I kinda liked it. At first. Ends up sounding like a rejected song from the great Back to the Egg. Thereabouts. Not good enough.
One of "Riding into Jaipur' or 'Rinse the Raindrops', not both.
ps. I'm still getting over 'Deep Deep Feeling' and 'Deep Down' being on the same album.... still wondering if either of them should've been on it. Both Underwhelming. Ruined the album. Along, with no great overriding hit being on the album. Bring on the next album!
pps. I'm kinda liking listening to 'Rinse the Raindrops' again.... a worthy addition. I never took it seriously back in the day... but, I was wrong.... very wrong. It gets my tick. I'm really enjoying listening to it again, after all these years.... in fact, it is quite wonderful.... Very wonderful!!.. Wow!!!!... A great song. Serves its purpose on the album with majestic poise. ... In retrospect, it might be one of his most-unheralded songs. I missed it as being so good, when I first heard it, but happy to be proven wrong. The voice. He lets it rip. Like, we haven't heard since. The attitude. Shades of The Doors.... He nailed it. Underrated. A long listen. But, a great song.
Overall... Driving Rain...not a bad album. 7/10
