And now the time is near....
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The abuse I've got from people since the performance has been shocking, poor Paul really needs to stop this! He's even getting negative comments on his own Facebook, come on Stuart Bell, please please take some notice!!! @Callum He thinks his voice sounds the same, I heard an interview lately where he said the usual "I'm lucky, my voice hasn't changed" story.
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Nancy R:
Adrian A:
At what age have other vocalists retired? Have any kept performing well into their 70s? I could do with some expert input on that - failing that, I will google the question.
Well, look at Tom Jones' great performance--and he will be 72 tomorrow!
I do think Tom has been very lucky. He must have an amazing technique, his voice has barely changed. Kudos. BUT then he hasn't written some of the most beautifully crafted, melodic songs out there! I'm hoping we haven't heard a new US tour is good news, that Paul is taking stock. He could easily say the Olympics is his last and then quite simply not do anymore unsatisfying 10-15 minute tv performances. I do think he is over exposed and people are bored of that. There is no thrill anymore. I too wait longingly for the new album but I also wish Paul some peace away from the spotlight.
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lisalou7:
Nancy R:
Adrian A:
At what age have other vocalists retired? Have any kept performing well into their 70s? I could do with some expert input on that - failing that, I will google the question.
Well, look at Tom Jones' great performance--and he will be 72 tomorrow!
I do think Tom has been very lucky. He must have an amazing technique, his voice has barely changed. Kudos. BUT then he hasn't written some of the most beautifully crafted, melodic songs out there! I'm hoping we haven't heard a new US tour is good news, that Paul is taking stock. He could easily say the Olympics is his last and then quite simply not do anymore unsatisfying 10-15 minute tv performances. I do think he is over exposed and people are bored of that. There is no thrill anymore. I too wait longingly for the new album but I also wish Paul some peace away from the spotlight.
But isn't the problem that he's addicted to the spotlight? He doesn't seem to want the peace. And unfortunately, he has a habit of not listening in the past when people around him have been telling him something he doesn't want to hear ("Paul, Give My Regards to Broad Street is a mess of a movie," or "Paul, that woman is a nasty piece of work." ) He should (1) Drop out of the Olympics now. (2) Take a year off. Stay out of the spotlight. Work on a new album or even two! (3) Work on his reissues. (4) And if he wants to perform, do a couple small shows here and there. (5) Finally, see a throat specialist and/or voice coach. Plenty of famous singers like Adele and Roger Daltry have, and it has helped their singing.
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I was very critical of his voice the other,to me he sounded terrible granted there where things perhaps beyond his control hampering him as well the night,lets be fair very few came off better than before the performance in my eyes at least. But having seen him in Liverpool back in December i refuse to accept his voice has deteriorated so much because he did sound wonderful that night on most songs,so i do feel it was an off night with a fairy poor song selection. But he has to stop these TV slots people are getting fed up with him and its beginning to tarnish his huge legacy,i know he wont but i wouldn't cry to much if he dropped out of the Olympics as for him touring i suspect he'll carry on because,and ive said this here before now,when he does stop touring i doubt he'll get out on the road again
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hengirl:
i know he wont but i wouldn't cry to much if he dropped out of the Olympics
I hope he either drops out OR performs A LOT better and redeems himself infront of millions. This performance has generated a lot of backlash all over various different social networking platforms. His own fans on his own Facebook page were commenting about it, every single one of my friends have mentioned his poor performance to me (ranging from the kind "he struggled don't you think" to the darn right cruel and predictable "past it" "hasn't done anything since The Beatles" and the crazy "couldn't sing anyway". The very fact that so many have openly talked about it on here shows the general feeling, if you're a fan like us it makes you feel sad and if you're one of the haters it's just another opportunity to bash. The people I worry about are the ones who were indifferent before. What must they be thinking now? The people that have never heard Beatles music, never heard his solo music, what are they going to find when they type "Paul McCartney" into YouTube? This can only damage his overall public perception and his legacy amongst the general public. It has genuinely been a PR disaster, way more so that X Factor was and somebody needs to put things right before it's too late!! I just read that an estimated 4 billion people will watch the Olympic opening ceremony, the prospect is enough to make a Macca fan shake!
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Paul has always struggled because he writes using his entire vocal range which has incredibly high notes. Still, I do wish he'd cut back on doing this live stuff. He obviously only does it for the money - God knows he doesn't need more adulation. I also fear if he doesn't calm down he'll eventually lose his voice like others have done. It is possible to wear your voice out. If that happens, we won't even be getting new albums. I say step back and put things into perspective - before it's too late.
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A '99 performance of a song that -- not only I didn't expect Paul to ever do live -- but he blew me away:
Paul needs to have a moment like this at the Olympics. -
Bruce M.:
Martin Luther:
Isn't it possible he just had a bad night? Just a little hoarse, maybe a slight cold, not properly hydrated? I heard him last Summer 2011 in Detroit and he was amazing.
Sure, it's possible he had a bad night. But the sad truth is that lately his bad nights are pretty frequent (last year's Saturday Night Live appearance being another example) and his good nights (vocally, that is) increasingly rare. Bear in mind, too, that in a TV performance you're going to hear him much more clearly than in a stadium with 50,000 people. It's much easier to miss the vocal shortcomings in that sort of live situation. Personally, I doubt I will see Paul live again. I've seen him half a dozen times, and I don't want my last memory of Paul performing to be the equivalent of Muhammed Ali's sad last fights or Sinatra's gravel-voiced, struggling later shows. In the studio, it's a different matter. You can control the conditions, and if it's a bad day you can just come back and try again next week after some rest. But even in those circumstances he often struggles to sound good. While his voice on KOTB mostly works for the material, parts of it for me are painful to listen to. There are moments when he doesn't just sound strained or hoarse -- there is a fair amount of that on Back to the Egg, after all, but it works -- he sounds elderly. There's nothing wrong with growing old -- hell, I'm 56 and I'd sure prefer growing old to the alternative -- but there's also something to be said for going out on top, and for knowing when you just can't do some things anymore. But it's gotta be hard. He clearly loves performing.
I'm ok with the declining voice--sorta! What I'd really like to see is him perform some new material.
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Yeah - he was reaching vocally this time around. Age is creeping up on him for the clean vocal songs. 10 years later since he began touring again it is apparent that his voice is not as strong as it was in 2002.
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I agree with Michelley Paul does love the spotlight and he often has blinkers on and a refusal to listen to other people. But he's backed himself into a bit of a corner performance and personality wise. He thinks all people want him for is as a former Beatle, conversation, interview wise and as a touring tribute band. I know he 'thrives' on the spotlight but I wish he could let that go now. Live more peacefully. Where does his constant need for adulation come from??? Surely he's had enough adulation for anyone's lifetime. Still tour, still write, still record but take these incredible stresses of these tv performances away. I wish he too would back out of the Olympics (I very much doubt he would though, he would feel he was letting a lot of people down). Wouldn't it be great if he was just more honest with himself, just by admitting that this time perhaps he's not up to the job. I think he would gain a lot of sympathy and warmth and even look a little human.
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I think a lot of viewers blew his performance way out of proportion, just by reading the comments on various sites. I was terrified to watch it...but I honestly don't think he sounded much different than all the other times I've heard him in the past few years. So he blew a big note on Live and Let Die and struggled on MMT? He brought it back around eventually. The thing that hurts the most is hearing people denigrate him, saying he never had it to begin with, or "John would never have done the Jubilee..." Oh, please...as if they know what John Lennon would do. He barely knew what he would do from one minute to the next! I do agree he needs to cut back on the tv performances, if only because people are getting tired of him and because his voice isn't perfect for these shows. But honestly, whose is? If you want perfect vocals, go watch American Idol or something, where the soul is lacking and the singing is plastic.
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He should stop touring for the immediate future. Concentrate on making a new album and getting it done perfectly so when its ready he can come out and really promote it. I would also like him to concentrate more on the remasters and the promotional side. Try and get people to realise how amazing his solo work is, that should be his legacy not trying to promote The Beatles 24/7 40 years since they split. The Beatles legacy is untouchable anyway.
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cfergoid:
"hasn't done anything since The Beatles"
That type of comment shows so many people up! I mean even if you don't like Pauls music how can anybody even think that. He was probably one of the most hated people in music post beatles (getting blamed for the break up etc) and he went on to take a band from nothing to one of the biggest of the decade and made them even more successful than the beatles by the time of their break up!
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Martin Luther:
lazydynamite88:
Bruce M.:
Martin Luther:
Isn't it possible he just had a bad night? Just a little hoarse, maybe a slight cold, not properly hydrated? I heard him last Summer 2011 in Detroit and he was amazing.
Sure, it's possible he had a bad night. But the sad truth is that lately his bad nights are pretty frequent (last year's Saturday Night Live appearance being another example) and his good nights (vocally, that is) increasingly rare. Bear in mind, too, that in a TV performance you're going to hear him much more clearly than in a stadium with 50,000 people. It's much easier to miss the vocal shortcomings in that sort of live situation. Personally, I doubt I will see Paul live again. I've seen him half a dozen times, and I don't want my last memory of Paul performing to be the equivalent of Muhammed Ali's sad last fights or Sinatra's gravel-voiced, struggling later shows. In the studio, it's a different matter. You can control the conditions, and if it's a bad day you can just come back and try again next week after some rest. But even in those circumstances he often struggles to sound good. While his voice on KOTB mostly works for the material, parts of it for me are painful to listen to. There are moments when he doesn't just sound strained or hoarse -- there is a fair amount of that on Back to the Egg, after all, but it works -- he sounds elderly. There's nothing wrong with growing old -- hell, I'm 56 and I'd sure prefer growing old to the alternative -- but there's also something to be said for going out on top, and for knowing when you just can't do some things anymore. But it's gotta be hard. He clearly loves performing.
and please anyone who wants to post.."i saw him in -------- and he sounded great blah blah blah.. please....if think it has been stated a million times that whilst you are at a gig you always think he sounds great. 'live tv' is not harder to do or anything...its just that we get to see/hear a truer picture . by the way 'tom jones' sounded great and he was on live tv as well...i also thought 'elton john' and 'stevie wonder' sounded miles better than mccartney and they were both inferior vocally to mccartney as little as 10 years ago. the mohamid ali comparisson is very valid and a good one. call it a day paul now[on stage] before you are defined by theses sketchy vocal performances.....by the way i would have offered the same advise to 'lennon ' in the 1970s as he sounded equally bad despite his young age.
And please, anyone who wants to post replies in order to mock, disregard, blah blah blah----is a useless dustbin lid. Surely you aren't trying to be an internet warrior now, are you? Blah blah? Do you own this site? Are you the gatekeeper of what kind of input gets offered, even if it's redundant, been said a million times---hasn't everything about Macca been said a million times? Asshats like you have been saying he should pack it in since the 80s. Oops, here's more evidence you can gather for your persecution complex, you know, the price you have to pay for telling it like it is.
i dont know why you feel the need for a personal attack on me....indeed one line in particular appeared highly offensive and pathetically missplaced. however i will not reply with a repost slingback but simply report you to the moderating team.lets see if they leap to my defence as quickly as jump on me.
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My mum thought he looked ill , she asked me if he had heart problems , she said he looks just like your dad with those thin blue lips . My dad as heart failure and as those thin blue lips like Paul . I hadn't thought about this , but looking at him in the line up at the end of the show he doesn't look well . At 70 i think he's over doing it , and needs to take a rest .
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Paul sounded bad as far back as the 1986 Princes Trust. He can still cut the mustard in concert today, but I agree - he needs to can these TV gigs.
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Sir Guy Grand:
My mum thought he looked ill , she asked me if he had heart problems , she said he looks just like your dad with those thin blue lips . My dad as hear failure and as those thin blue lips like Paul . I hadn't thought about this , but looking at him in the line up at the end of the show he doesn't look well . At 70 i think he's over doing it , and needs to take a rest .
Yes, he needs to slow down. He's always on the go or working on something.
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^^^^ Yes i think he needs to slow down , his dad was dead at 73 i think ? His family and new wife are far more important than live performances .
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I think anyone would put in a little extra if they were being paid a million plus a night. He's entitled to an off night at a freebie. Even for the Queen!
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Sir Guy Grand:
^^^^ Yes i think he needs to slow down , his dad was dead at 73 i think ? His family and new wife are far more important than live performances .
I would be happy for him to just hang up the (live) mic after this year. He's never going to stop writing good music and he can continue to record new albums but concentrate, like you say, on his new wife and his children and grandchildren. He has nothing to prove and doesn't owe anybody anything. Time to look after himself and just enjoy life. Although I do think he loves the adulation too much and just loves performing. I would have just hoped that with the remasters series he would try and get his own music out there for the world to see how good it is instead of flogging the beatles horse again and again and again.