Take It Away: The Complete Paul McCartney Archive Podcast
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thrillington wrote:
A new episode of Take it Away premiered on August 1. Ryan and Chris reviewed Driving Rain.
While I agree with them that Paul was not in good voice (the story about Paul buying the rug in India and then finding out that he was ripped off and calling the rug dealer and losing his voice is classic Paul), that the songs can feel rushed and not polished or finished, and there is there is some filler on the album, I was surprised at the quite negative reaction to the album on the show (and have since seen in tweets on the podcast's Twitter page).
Personally, I find Lonely Road, From a Lover to a Friend, Magic, I Do, Your Way, About You, Heather, Tiny Bubble, and Your Loving Flame all as solid McCartney compositions. None of them are classics but they are good McCartney songs. The title track came off better live where it was sped up and Abe's drums drive it (the 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 does bother me a bit but not as much as some) and I think She Has Given Up Talking is decent (probably agree that it is more a b side but a good b side) and I like Rinse the Raindrops as an extended jam (my wife does not).
I am a bit indifferent to Riding to Jaipur and Back in the Sunshine Again (both don't understand the negativity toward them). I could live without Freedom and Spinning on an Axis (the latter being one of my least favorite Paul songs).
I have seen the negative sentiment toward this album in the past on this message board and elsewhere and I don't get it. I would say it is a solid McCartney album and nothing close to a disaster as others seem to assert. But we all have our own views of songs and albums.
I also don't agree with Ryan and Chris' assertation that Driving Rain was a critical and commerical failure (though I believe they question their own assertion a bit on the podcast's website).
On Meta Critic, the album received 9 positive reviews and 3 mixed reviews, 0 negative reviews. http://www.metacritic.com/music/driving-rain/paul-mccartney
I remember several other good reviews that are not on Meta Critic (and there are also probably some more negative reviews). But I don't see evidence that it was not a critical success or at least evidence that it was a critical disaster. All Music (which Chris and Ryan did cite), gave it a good review by giving it four of five stars. https://www.allmusic.com/album/driving-rain-mw0000591223
Finally, as for commerical success, my memory is that the album did not sell well in the fall of 2001 in the USA which was understandable to some degree given what was going on in the world at the time. However, after Paul toured with the album in spring 2002 (and I saw him twice that year for the first times), the album charted again and ended up going Gold. It sold 399,000 in the USA and 650,00 world wide (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Driving_Rain), not great but not a commerical disaster I would argue (as album sales were lagging for everyone in the 2000s, I think). I do think that sales in Great Britain were very low for McCartney so it might had been a commerical disaster in his home country.
Of course, he followed this with a classic album (Chaos) but I consider Driving Rain a solid effort with some good song writing. I wonder what the current consensus is on the message board?
Thrillington,
Great post and I agree with almost everything you say here (although I do agree with your wife regarding Rinse the Raindrops). Yes, it did sell relatively poorly for Paul but after relistening to DR over the last few days I think the sales results are easily understandable as you say.
Also the reviews as you cite are very mixed. Those that don't like it, really disdain DR and those reviewers that really like it see it as a breath of fresh air and a continuation of his latter career hot streak with Flaming Pie, Run Devil Run and this album. Those positive critics are in the minority however from my memory.
The real surprise for me are more from the fans. The majority seem to be quite negative on Driving Rain. Album rankings from fans and this website seem to put DR way down the ladder. I personally have always had DR in the middle or upper lower tier. To me it was different with many solid songs (as you point out) so I like DR quite a bit.
As I said, after revisiting DR this week after many years (and actually listening to the complete album) the lackluster fanfare for DR does makes total sense to me. DR is certainly not the standard type Macca album for sure. Paul is especially known for his songs being on the lighter, very melodic side. Looking at the 2 previous Paul albums at the time, Flaming Pie and Run Devil Run were right down his wheelhouse as they say. The overwhelming majority of fans loved songs like Beautiful Night, Calico Skies, Somedays, Little Willow, Great Day etc as well as the rockers like "The World Tonight" and Young Boy. The follow up was mostly "early rocker covers" (and 3 really good originals) that is also a genre that Paul does exceptionally well.
DR was definitely a "different" type album especially from a mood point of view. Many of the songs and lyrics are quite heavy and deep for Paul. Worse yet, the beginning of the album especially had that "darker" feel. Combine that with Paul's poorer vocals (especially in the opening songs) was just a recipe for negativity. Here are examples:
Lonely Road - most people liked it but had to get used to it because his vocals did sound pretty ragged
From a Lover to a Friend - his vocals were even worse on the 2nd track and just as "dark"
She's Given Up Talking - while I think this is quite underrated, it is definitely a heavy, dark song and it goes on too long
Driving Rain (title cut) - many people couldn't get past the 1,2,3,4, 5 line
I Do - again not a particularly good vocal from Paul
Just looking at these first 5 tracks, it is not surprising that DR didn't resonate with the fans. As a serios Paul fan, it even took me a while to get into the album. Many Critics and fans just didn't have the patience to continue to listen to DR. But after delving into the songs, I quite like DR. It had a refreshing feel to it especially with Paul's great bass playing and as a very guitar oriented album.
The other part of the negativity that Chris and Ryan emphasized, DR was too long with too many inferior tracks. As they mentioned (and I agree), DR should have stopped after "Your Loving Flame". Cutting the length of the album with more editing and addlitonal vocal takes (or just waiting for Paul throat to heal) could have made DR much more of a fan favorite.
Thanks again Thrillington.
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More notes on Driving Rain and the "Take It Away" Podcast.
"She's Given Up Talking" is a song upon the release of DR that really resonated with me especially in the lyrics. Still to this day, I consider it a very underrated track on the album. As Chris and Ryan pointed out, it was too long (almost 5 minutes) and they were (especially Ryan) quite indifferent to the song. I think that is true with many fans. I agree with them on the length. I think if it ended around the 3 minute mark it (without all the extra guitar jamming parts in the final 2 minutes) it would have been fared much better. But still, I love the lyrics and the melody too. One of Paul's best lyrical songs (especially in his Solo Career) in my opinion.
To give a little personal background concerning the lyrics, I was like a year younger than most of the kids (especially the boys!) upon entering freshman year of a public High School in the Fall of 1962. Conversely, I was in a much smaller private (Catholic) grammar school the previous 8 years. I loved that school! In retrospect, it was quite "strict" in comparison which was much better for me at the time.
As I entered my Freshman year I got a rude awakening right from the start. Being young for my class, I was very small and thin. Conversely, many of the "older" boys (a year is a big diffference at that age) were bigger physically and some came from very poor, dysfunctional families Because the school was large and "bullying" wasn't even a social top at the time, I really went into a shell. It felt so different for me as an 8th grader where I was actually the "Class President". No big thing, but for an adolescent it was big. Entering 9th grade, I quickly lost all confidence, became very introverted and because of the bullying I became "scared". In contrast, because I had a great family (great parents and a great sister) my normal personality was competely different at home. At school I was completely quiet and shy but at home I was talking all the time. This is why I related so much to these lyrics.
She's Given Up Talking
Don't Say a Word
Even in the Classword
Not a dickie bird
Unlike other children
She's seen and never heard
She's Given Up Talking
Don't Say a Word
You see her in the playground
Standing on her own
Everybody wonders
Why she's all alone
Someone made her angry
Someone's got her scared
She's given up talking
Don't Say a Word
Ah, but when she comes home
it's yap-a-yap-yap
Words are running freely
Like the water from a tap
Her Brothers and Sisters
Can't get a word in edgeways
But when she's back
at school again
She's goes into a daze.
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Like many others I'm sure, I didn' understand the "Dickie Bird" line but later read that it is just British slang for "saying, hearing nothing". Once you get past that, you see how good (and serious) the lyrics are. Paul said that his lyrics originiated from a friend whose grandaughter had this condition that can be quite serious. Medically it is called "Selective Mutism" (SM) and people (especially kids) suffer from this anxiety disorder. The other factor that makes these lyrics so universal (over the last 10-15 years especially) is the emphasis on "bullying". I'm pretty sure that when Paul wrote this song he didn't know what "SM" was and he just had emphathy for his friend and the little girl. Just shows that when something or a phrase hits him, Paul can be a great lyricist.
I do agree with Chris and Ryan that the song didn't resonate with fans in general because the album didn't do well and specifically it is too long and the ending becomes a lenghy guitar jam session. Put this on the White Album, and the song would have been praised critically. Unfortunately, today it is only a deep cut and basically unknown.
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Nancy R wrote:
Yankeefan2 wrote:
Nancy R wrote:
B J Conlee wrote:
Nancy R wrote:
B J Conlee wrote:
Nancy R wrote:
This will probably seem crazy to you guys, but I don’t think I’ve listened to Driving Rain since it came out and the only song I really know the words and melody to is Freedom!
Nancy...if you still have the CD it might be a good warmup since Egypt Station is still close to a month away. Knowing you, I'm sure you were at the Driving Rain tour back in 2002 (probably in Atlanta). Do you remember the 3 DR songs he did on that tour...Lonely Road, You're Loving Flame and the title track. As I said, vocally he did a great job on them and better than the studio versions. The audience in Philadelphia was very strong.
I would also think you will end up skipping the last 2 tracks (not including Freedom...the hidden track). didn't like those 2 tracks at all.
You can tell by my track by track analysis...which are my favorites. Since you know Paul's current voice more than practically anyone, you may not find his vocals so bad on the original CD. Considering it was 2001, his vocals on many of tracks however should have been much better and stronger.
Yes, see in my signature area below, I saw him in 2002 and he sounded fantastic! He did 4 songs: Lonely Road, Driving Rain, Your Loving Flame and Freedom. I never thought his vocals were bad on that album. I just wasn’t crazy about the songs!
Nancy,
You should revisit the album. A really good sequence on DR is Magic and Your Way (back to back). I think you would love both songs now. Of course you know the lyrics on Magic is when Paul and Linda met for the first time. Why didn't Paul ever do Magic live as a tribute to Linda. I know he has always done "Maybe I'm Amazed" but who says you always have to play the same songs. And Your Way would be an easy one for the Band and Paul to play.
I wonder what HM thought about him writing that song? They were together at that time. I will have to revisit this album (just for you!)
Well if she had a problem with it then it would truly say a lot about her. I have a feeling Nancy probably loves the song.
Hate to say it, but I bet Nancy has never heard the song.
️You are probably right but who knows. Just because McCartney ignores his solo songs in his setlist does not mean that his family does not enjoy the music and possibly listen to it at home.
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I've been bouncing around Podcasts. No order. I said a long time ago to the people I know that I would buy these outtakes and rarities... unreleased songs. I disagree with some of their opinions, but still stick with hearing their show from start to finish. I like hearing a Tid Bits of information that seems new to me, different or reminds me that I once knew that and tucked it away. I have enjoyed London Town, Venus and Mars, Pipes of Peace episodes through headphones as I am at work. I can't miss with the music as I know I will enjoy it. I am not being very detailed here, but do like hearing their Podcasts.
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Still been listening to Driving Rain on my Car CD player each day. I know that Egypt Station is still 3 weeks away and that will certainly replace DR for my car drives shortly.
I got a kick out of Ryan saying that DR is a much better album to hear while you're "driving". They were laughing at the pun as they were repeating the line from the title track..."Go for a ride in the driving rain".
Even as I was reading the negative comments about Paul's latest single "Fuh You" on Youtube, a couple of people (who appear to like Paul in general) were referencing how bad Driving Rain was. As a big time Paul fan, I don't get it especially if you really listen to the whole album and give it a chance.
What I like most about DR is that it sounds "live". Basically it is Paul (mainly his great bass), Rusty, Abe and Gabe Dixon playing their instruments together in the studio. Gabe Dixon by the way is a great pianist!.
I remember one of Chris's criticisms about DR is that it is "underproduced". I actually think that being underproduced is what makes the album more charming than some of Paul's other albums. That doesn't mean that DR doesn't have it warts and is a top tier Paul Post Beatle album in my opinion. But I totally disagree that DR is a garbage album like some people and critics say.
The strange thing about DR is that the "middle third" of the album is the best part. The final 3rd is the weakest (after You're Loving Flame) and the 1st third after Lonely Road has its share of problems. This is, of course, just my opinion.
But after "I Do", I think the next group of songs are good to very good. Just to highlight these songs, here are some additional comments:
*Magic - love this one and the lyrics are so sweet about his 1st meeting Linda. I also love the false ending where Abe's extra drumming comes in along with the violins...great touch and surprise. As I said, criminal that Paul never did this one live as a tribute to Linda. Great song
*Your Way - another song I really like. I like the countryish feel and the way Paul repeats the title "Your Way"several times in the song. Gives it that Paul bounce.
*Tiny Bubble - one of the songs that after revisiting DR (after so many years) that sounds so much better. It is mainly the music. It is like a light guilty pleasure and I like Gabe Dixon's work on the piano. (actually this song is before "Magic)
* Spinining on an Axis - the only middle 3rd song that I wished was off the album. Not bad but maybe a B side only. It is also too long which Paul quite a few times is guilty of.
*About You - another song that after the long revisit sounds so much better. It really rocks even on the CD. As I said before, it is criminal that Paul never played it live (like 2005 or 2009/10). I know the Band and Paul could really do it well.
*Heather - always liked this one. The melody is so good!
*Back in the Sunshine Again - Perhaps the biggest surprise over the last week revisiting DR. I just love, love this one. I always like it when Paul brings out his soul/r&b voice (e.g. Souvenir from FP or The Other Me from Pipes of Peace) and again love Gabe Dixon's soulful piano. Despite some of Paul's vocal shortcomings on DR, Paul vocally sounds great on this track. Love his high register voice that has a Al Green resemblance to me.
*Your Loving Flame - as Chris pointed out, this is the Paul voice we expect. Love his vocals here just like I do on "Back in the Sunshine Again".
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This Middle 3rd section is where I strongly disagree with people that call DR garbage. They are either critics who don't like Paul in the first place (in some cases they are Lennon zealots that don't give Paul any credit) or mostly regular people who didn't give DR a real chance. Maybe they didn't like the first few tracks (maybe the 1,2,3,4,5 lyric that some negative critics really pounced on) and just gave up on DR. It's this middle section that I really like and why I consider DR to be in general a good Macca album. Despite its flaws, Paul always has "hidden gems" even on unsuccessful albums and this is certainly the case with DR.
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B J Conlee wrote:
Still been listening to Driving Rain on my Car CD player each day. I know that Egypt Station is still 3 weeks away and that will certainly replace DR for my car drives shortly.
I got a kick out of Ryan saying that DR is a much better album to hear while you're "driving". They were laughing at the pun as they were repeating the line from the title track..."Go for a ride in the driving rain".
Even as I was reading the negative comments about Paul's latest single "Fuh You" on Youtube, a couple of people (who appear to like Paul in general) were referencing how bad Driving Rain was. As a big time Paul fan, I don't get it especially if you really listen to the whole album and give it a chance.
What I like most about DR is that it sounds "live". Basically it is Paul (mainly his great bass), Rusty, Abe and Gabe Dixon playing their instruments together in the studio. Gabe Dixon by the way is a great pianist!.
I remember one of Chris's criticisms about DR is that it is "underproduced". I actually think that being underproduced is what makes the album more charming than some of Paul's other albums. That doesn't mean that DR doesn't have it warts and is a top tier Paul Post Beatle album in my opinion. But I totally disagree that DR is a garbage album like some people and critics say.
The strange thing about DR is that the "middle third" of the album is the best part. The final 3rd is the weakest (after You're Loving Flame) and the 1st third after Lonely Road has its share of problems. This is, of course, just my opinion.
But after "I Do", I think the next group of songs are good to very good. Just to highlight these songs, here are some additional comments:
*Magic - love this one and the lyrics are so sweet about his 1st meeting Linda. I also love the false ending where Abe's extra drumming comes in along with the violins...great touch and surprise. As I said, criminal that Paul never did this one live as a tribute to Linda. Great song
*Your Way - another song I really like. I like the countryish feel and the way Paul repeats the title "Your Way"several times in the song. Gives it that Paul bounce.
*Tiny Bubble - one of the songs that after revisiting DR (after so many years) that sounds so much better. It is mainly the music. It is like a light guilty pleasure and I like Gabe Dixon's work on the piano. (actually this song is before "Magic)
* Spinining on an Axis - the only middle 3rd song that I wished was off the album. Not bad but maybe a B side only. It is also too long which Paul quite a few times is guilty of.
*About You - another song that after the long revisit sounds so much better. It really rocks even on the CD. As I said before, it is criminal that Paul never played it live (like 2005 or 2009/10). I know the Band and Paul could really do it well.
*Heather - always liked this one. The melody is so good!
*Back in the Sunshine Again - Perhaps the biggest surprise over the last week revisiting DR. I just love, love this one. I always like it when Paul brings out his soul/r&b voice (e.g. Souvenir from FP or The Other Me from Pipes of Peace) and again love Gabe Dixon's soulful piano. Despite some of Paul's vocal shortcomings on DR, Paul vocally sounds great on this track. Love his high register voice that has a Al Green resemblance to me.
*Your Loving Flame - as Chris pointed out, this is the Paul voice we expect. Love his vocals here just like I do on "Back in the Sunshine Again".
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This Middle 3rd section is where I strongly disagree with people that call DR garbage. They are either critics who don't like Paul in the first place (in some cases they are Lennon zealots that don't give Paul any credit) or mostly regular people who didn't give DR a real chance. Maybe they didn't like the first few tracks (maybe the 1,2,3,4,5 lyric that some negative critics really pounced on) and just gave up on DR. It's this middle section that I really like and why I consider DR to be in general a good Macca album. Despite its flaws, Paul always has "hidden gems" even on unsuccessful albums and this is certainly the case with DR.
I agree with you BJ, DR is not perfect but certainly not garbage. IMO it is a guitar driven album and I love the "live" feel you mention. I think we both agree it is too long and album and with some cutting could have been much stronger. The songs you list above are very good and my favorites also. I would also list the title song, it just rocks also and sounded very good live. Once again, I will pounce on critics of the 1,2,3,4,5 lyrics. Want to know if they thought the 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 lyric in "You Never Give Me Your Money" was horrible. Really doubt that the same critics say that ruined the song for them because after all it was a Beatle song - lol.
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Chris and Ryan have a Take It Away facebook site, too, just started a couple months ago so it needs new members. Being small gives it a nice, intimate, kind of "exclusive" feeling, though. Their facebook is called, appropriately, "Take It Away"
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SusyLuvsPaul wrote:
Chris and Ryan have a Take It Away facebook site, too, just started a couple months ago so it needs new members. Being small gives it a nice, intimate, kind of "exclusive" feeling, though. Their facebook is called, appropriately, "Take It Away"
Thanks Susy for the info. Chris and Ryan have mentioned this but I haven't personally gotten on.
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Almost half way to be caught up; love this podcast, and thanks for alerting me to it.
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B J Conlee wrote:
SusyLuvsPaul wrote:
Chris and Ryan have a Take It Away facebook site, too, just started a couple months ago so it needs new members. Being small gives it a nice, intimate, kind of "exclusive" feeling, though. Their facebook is called, appropriately, "Take It Away"
Thanks Susy for the info. Chris and Ryan have mentioned this but I haven't personally gotten on.
Wonder if they will do podcast for "Egypt Station". Will be very interested in their reaction.
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Yankeefan2 wrote:
B J Conlee wrote:
SusyLuvsPaul wrote:
Chris and Ryan have a Take It Away facebook site, too, just started a couple months ago so it needs new members. Being small gives it a nice, intimate, kind of "exclusive" feeling, though. Their facebook is called, appropriately, "Take It Away"
Thanks Susy for the info. Chris and Ryan have mentioned this but I haven't personally gotten on.
Wonder if they will do podcast for "Egypt Station". Will be very interested in their reaction.
Yes it will be coming soon as they are beginning their 3rd season. I think they said that Chaos is first on the agenda and ES will follow that. They don't always go in order.
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B J Conlee wrote:
Yankeefan2 wrote:
B J Conlee wrote:
SusyLuvsPaul wrote:
Chris and Ryan have a Take It Away facebook site, too, just started a couple months ago so it needs new members. Being small gives it a nice, intimate, kind of "exclusive" feeling, though. Their facebook is called, appropriately, "Take It Away"
Thanks Susy for the info. Chris and Ryan have mentioned this but I haven't personally gotten on.
Wonder if they will do podcast for "Egypt Station". Will be very interested in their reaction.
Yes it will be coming soon as they are beginning their 3rd season. I think they said that Chaos is first on the agenda and ES will follow that. They don't always go in order.
Really looking forward to hearing their views on CHAOS also
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B J Conlee wrote:
Arturoman wrote:
Is anyone else listening to this podcast? It's great!
https://takeitawaypodcast.com/
They are reviewing every single Paul McCartney release from 1970 to present day. Every song on every album. Singles, B-sides, bootlegs, etc. You will most likely hear songs you've never heard before, and hear old favourites from new perspectives, all lovingly placed in the context of McCartney’s career and the musical sounds of their era.
And there is an amazing interview with Denny Laine.
They have done their podcast of CHAOS and would love to listen but I can't get podcast to work. BJ, Have you listened to it yet?
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Yankeefan2 wrote:
B J Conlee wrote:
Arturoman wrote:
Is anyone else listening to this podcast? It's great!
https://takeitawaypodcast.com/
They are reviewing every single Paul McCartney release from 1970 to present day. Every song on every album. Singles, B-sides, bootlegs, etc. You will most likely hear songs you've never heard before, and hear old favourites from new perspectives, all lovingly placed in the context of McCartney’s career and the musical sounds of their era.
And there is an amazing interview with Denny Laine.
They have done their podcast of CHAOS and would love to listen but I can't get podcast to work. BJ, Have you listened to it yet?
I think you have to sign in. If you already did, then I don’t know what else to do. BJ?
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Nancy R wrote:
Yankeefan2 wrote:
B J Conlee wrote:
Arturoman wrote:
Is anyone else listening to this podcast? It's great!
https://takeitawaypodcast.com/
They are reviewing every single Paul McCartney release from 1970 to present day. Every song on every album. Singles, B-sides, bootlegs, etc. You will most likely hear songs you've never heard before, and hear old favourites from new perspectives, all lovingly placed in the context of McCartney’s career and the musical sounds of their era.
And there is an amazing interview with Denny Laine.
They have done their podcast of CHAOS and would love to listen but I can't get podcast to work. BJ, Have you listened to it yet?
I think you have to sign in. If you already did, then I don’t know what else to do. BJ?
No need to sign in...just keep on clicking. I went through about 4 pages before I got here.
Clic on the triangle in the burgundy bar:
https://shows.pippa.io/takeitaway/chaosandcreationinthebackyard
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oobu24 wrote:
Nancy R wrote:
Yankeefan2 wrote:
B J Conlee wrote:
Arturoman wrote:
Is anyone else listening to this podcast? It's great!
https://takeitawaypodcast.com/
They are reviewing every single Paul McCartney release from 1970 to present day. Every song on every album. Singles, B-sides, bootlegs, etc. You will most likely hear songs you've never heard before, and hear old favourites from new perspectives, all lovingly placed in the context of McCartney’s career and the musical sounds of their era.
And there is an amazing interview with Denny Laine.
They have done their podcast of CHAOS and would love to listen but I can't get podcast to work. BJ, Have you listened to it yet?
I think you have to sign in. If you already did, then I don’t know what else to do. BJ?
No need to sign in...just keep on clicking. I went through about 4 pages before I got here.
Clic on the triangle in the burgundy bar:
https://shows.pippa.io/takeitaway/chaosandcreationinthebackyard
Finally got in and listenedd to the first hour which included Kit Taylor. My takeaways from the first part is that CHAOS had to grow on all of them. This dark somber record was disliked by all of them when it came out and they wondered if it had something to do with them being in their 20's at that time. They all agreed with one thing I have said for years, there is no "clunker" song on CHAOS and they give Nigel Godrich a bunch of credit for being able to "stand up" to McCartney and be honest with him. They also for the most part really liked his vocals with some minor quibble about "Jenny Wren". The first hour only had discussion of the first two songs which are "Fine Line" and "How Kind Of You" both received praise. Will try and listen to the rest of it in the very near future, this is very long episode.
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Yankeefan2 wrote:
oobu24 wrote:
Nancy R wrote:
Yankeefan2 wrote:
B J Conlee wrote:
Arturoman wrote:
Is anyone else listening to this podcast? It's great!
https://takeitawaypodcast.com/
They are reviewing every single Paul McCartney release from 1970 to present day. Every song on every album. Singles, B-sides, bootlegs, etc. You will most likely hear songs you've never heard before, and hear old favourites from new perspectives, all lovingly placed in the context of McCartney’s career and the musical sounds of their era.
And there is an amazing interview with Denny Laine.
They have done their podcast of CHAOS and would love to listen but I can't get podcast to work. BJ, Have you listened to it yet?
I think you have to sign in. If you already did, then I don’t know what else to do. BJ?
No need to sign in...just keep on clicking. I went through about 4 pages before I got here.
Clic on the triangle in the burgundy bar:
https://shows.pippa.io/takeitaway/chaosandcreationinthebackyard
Finally got in and listenedd to the first hour which included Kit Taylor. My takeaways from the first part is that CHAOS had to grow on all of them. This dark somber record was disliked by all of them when it came out and they wondered if it had something to do with them being in their 20's at that time. They all agreed with one thing I have said for years, there is no "clunker" song on CHAOS and they give Nigel Godrich a bunch of credit for being able to "stand up" to McCartney and be honest with him. They also for the most part really liked his vocals with some minor quibble about "Jenny Wren". The first hour only had discussion of the first two songs which are "Fine Line" and "How Kind Of You" both received praise. Will try and listen to the rest of it in the very near future, this is very long episode.
Yankeefan,
Finally got a chance to hear the "Chaos" Podcast and let me just say that this is a fascinating period for Paul and the guys (Ryan, Chris and guest Kit O'toole) really get into it. One of their best podcasts yet in my opinion. You're so right that this is a long episode. Thank God my new bride still works. I would never have the time. As you know, I'm a McCartney music nut and it does take time to go through these episodes.
Your summary above is "spot on". All 3 of them said that initially they weren't in love with Chaos. Ryan admitted he hated it in the beginning. Both Ryan and Chris also said that it wasn't until they prepared for this Chaos Podcast (this late!) that they now fully appreciate how good Chaos is. Kit (a very fair jounnalist when it comes to Macca's music)admitted that it also took a while for her to warm up to it. For all of them, much of it was due to the overall gloominess and darkness of the album. In contrast, Kit said that she warmed up to MAF (an album that Paul was almost working simutaneously with Chaos) almost instantly. When comparing Chaos and MAF, Chris used the dark vs. light metaphor as his comparison. I have always felt the same way about Chaos and MAF. I strangely love both albums.
My memory about my initial reaction to Chaos was a bit different than the 3 hosts. I recall really liking Chaos almost instantly as I was hearing the album over the 1st 3-4 weeks or so in my car. Paul's voice sounded very good (compared to the previous album Driving Rain) and I liked the fact that it was a very introspective album with smart lyrics and mature subjects. Conversely I remember getting a little tired of it after a couple of months. In retrospect I think it was mainly because there was too many slow moving songs and had a real dearth of bouncy, upbeat melodies that you normally expect from Paul. There was hardly any rockers unless you count songs like Fine Line and Promise to You Girl which are not even strict rockers in my opinion.
Like Yankeefan says, the hosts really get into Paul's producer Nigel Godrich for Chaos and how he impacted on the final product. I agree with Yankeefan's 100% that Nigel was a definite positive influence (just look at the critical and commercial success of Chaos) on Paul despite the sessions having a lot of tension as Ryan and Chris accurately describe. As his producer, Nigel was very different from what Paul was used to. Nigel by his own admission is very "blunt" personality wise and "knows what he likes". He was very honest with Paul if he felt something was crap. Consequently there are no weak tracks or clunkers on Chaos. Nigel's personality no doubt did create the "good tension" that made Chaos become what Kit describes "one of Paul's Best albums over the last 20 years.
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One of the good discussions on Chaos (and there were many) was when Ryan asked Chris and Kit what their "standout tracks" on Chaos were. All 3 rated Riding to Vanity Fair as one of their favs. They all felt that it was such a different type track from what Paul usually does. Paul's songs are nomally very upbeat and positive but here he is bitter and angry apparently over a crumbling relationship While the music is dark, the lyrics are intelligent and subtle as compared to a previous songs like "Angry" or "I've Had Enough. It's also one of my favs on Chaos too.
The 3 of them also discussed Jenny Wren. They talked about the pre album hype building Jenny Wren up as Blackbird 2. They felt that except for the similar finger picking guitar style that lyrically Jenny Wren was deeper and was a beautiful song in its own right. They also liked Nigel and Paul's decision to use the woodwind instrument (duduk) for th solo which made Jenny Wren distinctive.
Another part I found interesting was when they discussed one of Kit's latest Books, "Songs We Were Singing". I haven't read the book but Kit talks about songs/albums (Beatles and Solo) that deserve more attention. The guys found it interesting that Kit devotes a whole chapter on Press to Play that she feels is a highly underrated Paul Solo album. I remember from Ryan and Chris's Press to Play Podcast that they felt similar although most polls on Paul's Post Beatles' albums place Press to Play quite low. Personally, I feel the same way about Press which was making me laugh also. I like how adventurerous Press is and it is very underrated in my opinion also.
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“One of the good discussions on Chaos (and there were many) was when Ryan asked Chris and Kit what their "standout tracks" on Chaos were. All 3 rated Riding to Vanity Fair as one of their favs. They all felt that it was such a different type track from what Paul usually does. Paul's songs are nomally very upbeat and positive but here he is bitter and angry apparently over a crumbling relationship While the music is dark, the lyrics are intelligent and subtle as compared to a previous songs like "Angry" or "I've Had Enough. It's also one of my favs on Chaos too.”
I don’t think you need the “apparently” qualifier. His marriage to HM was already on the rocks. It’s no wonder that was reflected in the songs.
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Nancy R wrote:
“One of the good discussions on Chaos (and there were many) was when Ryan asked Chris and Kit what their "standout tracks" on Chaos were. All 3 rated Riding to Vanity Fair as one of their favs. They all felt that it was such a different type track from what Paul usually does. Paul's songs are nomally very upbeat and positive but here he is bitter and angry apparently over a crumbling relationship While the music is dark, the lyrics are intelligent and subtle as compared to a previous songs like "Angry" or "I've Had Enough. It's also one of my favs on Chaos too.”
I don’t think you need the “apparently” qualifier. His marriage to HM was already on the rocks. It’s no wonder that was reflected in the songs.
Nancy,
I agree that it is probably more about Heather then anyone else. But as Kit O'Toole (Ryan and Chris's guest on the Chaos Podcast) said..."Paul was very cagey about who the song is about". They brought out a couple of other theories (e.g. John Lennon, Geoff Baker (Paul's publicist that he had recently fired and was planning a "tell all" book about Paul) but for sure it is one of the most biting of all of Paul's song lyrics. I think I remember Paul saying it might be about several people. If that is correct, then it could have all 3 incorporated in the song. I do love the song and Nigel's production on it.
