Tug of War--Almost Thirty Years On
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I liked Linda's backing vocals "pushing...pulling" during Tug of War, thought they added a lot, I must admit.
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SusyLuvsPaul:
I liked Linda's backing vocals "pushing...pulling" during Tug of War, thought they added a lot, I must admit.
I like those as well, as they greatly add to the song. This album sounds so much better on CD than it did on the original vinyl I still have from 1982. Hopefully, we can also hope for TOW to get the updated sound deluxe treatment someday.
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Try to keep this thread going with some guesswork on what might appear on a Tug of War Deluxe edition. On the second audio CD, we could expect: Ebony and Ivory--the vocal solo of Paul that appeared on the 12 inch single. Rainclouds-B-side of Ebony. I'll Give You A Ring--B-side of the Take It Away single. Boil Crisis--Unreleased track, wasn't this done around then? Any other songs that would fit in, please add them in. Thanks.
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John Mackintosh:
Try to keep this thread going with some guesswork on what might appear on a Tug of War Deluxe edition. On the second audio CD, we could expect: Ebony and Ivory--the vocal solo of Paul that appeared on the 12 inch single. Rainclouds-B-side of Ebony. I'll Give You A Ring--B-side of the Take It Away single. Boil Crisis--Unreleased track, wasn't this done around then? Any other songs that would fit in, please add them in. Thanks.
Most outtakes are on Pipes Of Pap.
I'd have preferred Rainclouds and I'll Give You A Ring on the album rather than the out of place Stevie duets. -
Tug of War - thirty years ago? Made me stop and do some math. Man, that is hard to believe.
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BOYCIE:
John Mackintosh:
Try to keep this thread going with some guesswork on what might appear on a Tug of War Deluxe edition. On the second audio CD, we could expect: Ebony and Ivory--the vocal solo of Paul that appeared on the 12 inch single. Rainclouds-B-side of Ebony. I'll Give You A Ring--B-side of the Take It Away single. Boil Crisis--Unreleased track, wasn't this done around then? Any other songs that would fit in, please add them in. Thanks.
Most outtakes are on Pipes Of Pap.
I'd have preferred Rainclouds and I'll Give You A Ring on the album rather than the out of place Stevie duets.I agree with you on either Rainclouds or I'll Give You a Ring being a better selection than at least one Stevie duet, the "What's That You're Doing?" I guess though that saying Stevie was on two albums tracks rather than just Ebony sounded better for publicity purposes.
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i love 'whats that you're doing'....a rare chance too hear a mccartney duet that dosent stink of cheese.
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'Seems like old times' is a great TOW demo. It should be on the reissue!
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JoeySmith:
'Seems like old times' is a great TOW demo. It should be on the reissue!
never really liked it myself...corny lyrics and an annoying tune.
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His voice sounds very unusual, like the tape speed was jiggered to make it slightly higher but not quite as much on Coming Up. P.S....love the stadium photo.
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TOW remains my all-time favorite Paul album, though several of his works from Flaming Pie forward are within striking distance. Wanderlust, Here Today and The Pound is Sinking are certifiable masterpieces. It's the only Paul album without a single track I don't care for. I even like the much-maligned Ebony and Ivory. Not his all-time best, sure, but the sentiment is lovely, and seeing Paul and Stevie sing it at the White House for America's first black president choked me up.
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Bruce M.:
TOW remains my all-time favorite Paul album, though several of his works from Flaming Pie forward are within striking distance. Wanderlust, Here Today and The Pound is Sinking are certifiable masterpieces. It's the only Paul album without a single track I don't care for. I even like the much-maligned Ebony and Ivory. Not his all-time best, sure, but the sentiment is lovely, and seeing Paul and Stevie sing it at the White House for America's first black president choked me up.
Glad to find someone who loves this album as well. After it came out, it was probably my favorite but it and his others have been eclipsed by Chaos and Creation. In general though, I find this entire pick the best album selection very frustrating and eventually useless, for as soon as I have made up my mind, I will hear songs off of a different one of his and say "This is It! The best one!" Also, I could never understand the knock against Ebony and Ivory. Too cutesy, some said? To me, they are just great sentiments for a better world, all welded into one song.
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John Mackintosh:
His voice sounds very unusual, like the tape speed was jiggered to make it slightly higher but not quite as much on Coming Up. P.S....love the stadium photo.
thanks....its a little place we call 'paradise'
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lazydynamite88:
John Mackintosh:
His voice sounds very unusual, like the tape speed was jiggered to make it slightly higher but not quite as much on Coming Up. P.S....love the stadium photo.
thanks....its a little place we call 'paradise'
Celtic Park, right? Used to live in Scotland but have never been there. It's the green seats matching the green field that make it so photogenic. A good place for you know who to do a concert.
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I'm sure he was meant to do a concert at Celtic Park around 2007...
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i just bought a fun club tug of war t shirt on ebay, always wanted one, also git a take it away shirt, i will be wearing them proudly soon. i love the album, had it playing in the kitchen at work yesterday
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1982 was an odd time for the "superstars" of pop and rock in my eyes,where did they go,what to do,some like Queen tried to go the disco route(ok a few years too late but hey)with Hot Space,others such as Roxy would release one more album and wither away and in Pink Floyds case they would soon comment on the year with their album The Final Cut,the point i'm trying to make is they all seemed to struggle these rock stars they had become dinosaurs seemingly over night,punk didnt do it for them it what was came after. So to Tug Of War and Paul and what did i make of it? well i thought he dodged the bullet with it as i think its a fine album that stands up even today,there was signs sadly of what was to come with say Ebony and Ivory over produced pap but for the most part its a great album with some wonderful tunes on it,for my money it would be many years before Paul hit these heights again with Flaming Pie,of course there was flashes of brilliance in-between just not as overly consistent album wise. Yes the '80's a difficult time for any established rocker they ALL overgged the production pudding with the oddles of tech that came along (David Gilmour has more than once said he would love to go back to the Floyd album Momentary lapse of reason and "de"-eightfi it) they all did it,the ones that came through that strange time came out stronger and went on to make some wonderful music in the '90's and beyond.
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hengirl:
1982 was an odd time for the "superstars" of pop and rock in my eyes,where did they go,what to do,some like Queen tried to go the disco route(ok a few years too late but hey)with Hot Space,others such as Roxy would release one more album and wither away and in Pink Floyds case they would soon comment on the year with their album The Final Cut,the point i'm trying to make is they all seemed to struggle these rock stars they had become dinosaurs seemingly over night,punk didnt do it for them it what was came after. So to Tug Of War and Paul and what did i make of it? well i thought he dodged the bullet with it as i think its a fine album that stands up even today,there was signs sadly of what was to come with say Ebony and Ivory over produced pap but for the most part its a great album with some wonderful tunes on it,for my money it would be many years before Paul hit these heights again with Flaming Pie,of course there was flashes of brilliance in-between just not as overly consistent album wise. Yes the '80's a difficult time for any established rocker they ALL overgged the production pudding with the oddles of tech that came along (David Gilmour has more than once said he would love to go back to the Floyd album Momentary lapse of reason and "de"-eightfi it) they all did it,the ones that came through that strange time came out stronger and went on to make some wonderful music in the '90's and beyond.
You look how dated Press To Play sounds when compared to George's Cloud Nine album that came out a 15 months later. At the time Cloud Nine sounded old fashioned, now it sounds much less dated than a lot of '80's production.
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BOYCIE:
hengirl:
1982 was an odd time for the "superstars" of pop and rock in my eyes,where did they go,what to do,some like Queen tried to go the disco route(ok a few years too late but hey)with Hot Space,others such as Roxy would release one more album and wither away and in Pink Floyds case they would soon comment on the year with their album The Final Cut,the point i'm trying to make is they all seemed to struggle these rock stars they had become dinosaurs seemingly over night,punk didnt do it for them it what was came after. So to Tug Of War and Paul and what did i make of it? well i thought he dodged the bullet with it as i think its a fine album that stands up even today,there was signs sadly of what was to come with say Ebony and Ivory over produced pap but for the most part its a great album with some wonderful tunes on it,for my money it would be many years before Paul hit these heights again with Flaming Pie,of course there was flashes of brilliance in-between just not as overly consistent album wise. Yes the '80's a difficult time for any established rocker they ALL overgged the production pudding with the oddles of tech that came along (David Gilmour has more than once said he would love to go back to the Floyd album Momentary lapse of reason and "de"-eightfi it) they all did it,the ones that came through that strange time came out stronger and went on to make some wonderful music in the '90's and beyond.
You look how dated Press To Play sounds when compared to George's Cloud Nine album that came out a 15 months later. At the time Cloud Nine sounded old fashioned, now it sounds much less dated than a lot of '80's production.
Isn't there a way to strip out all the production on Press to Play -- like Yoko did for Double Fantasy? I am no expert -- at all -- but isn't that possible? I wish Paul would allow someone to tinker with his 80s stuff, or maybe put together a stripped-down compilation with the best songs from several albums.
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hengirl:
1982 was an odd time for the "superstars" of pop and rock in my eyes,where did they go,what to do,some like Queen tried to go the disco route(ok a few years too late but hey)with Hot Space,others such as Roxy would release one more album and wither away and in Pink Floyds case they would soon comment on the year with their album The Final Cut,the point i'm trying to make is they all seemed to struggle these rock stars they had become dinosaurs seemingly over night,punk didnt do it for them it what was came after. So to Tug Of War and Paul and what did i make of it? well i thought he dodged the bullet with it as i think its a fine album that stands up even today,there was signs sadly of what was to come with say Ebony and Ivory over produced pap but for the most part its a great album with some wonderful tunes on it,for my money it would be many years before Paul hit these heights again with Flaming Pie,of course there was flashes of brilliance in-between just not as overly consistent album wise. Yes the '80's a difficult time for any established rocker they ALL overgged the production pudding with the oddles of tech that came along (David Gilmour has more than once said he would love to go back to the Floyd album Momentary lapse of reason and "de"-eightfi it) they all did it,the ones that came through that strange time came out stronger and went on to make some wonderful music in the '90's and beyond.
Yeah, early 80s was definitely a new era. Most of the classic 60s/70s bands/performers were regarded as irrelevant & past their prime, if they hadn't broke up already: Eagles, Led Zep had broken up; Elton, Queen, Fleetwood Mac was done creatively; Pink Floyd, the Stones, Bowie had maybe 1 good album left in them, but they were basically done. McCartney couldn't win unless he went alternative & redefined himself (e.g., by releasing Electric Argument type albums & not worrying about hit singles), but that wasnt his style. The only way to stay relevant is to produce good music without worrying about commercial styles or preferences. Definitely a "tug-of-war" for most artists.
