B J Conlee wrote:
Good points Yankeefan. As you know, Live and Let Die is one of Paul's monster hits that is always played on "classic rock" stations (and Paul himself has continued to play it at every one of his live shows for so many years) so I can see how anyone can tire of it. When I bought the Red Road Speedway 2018 Remaster, the bonus disc had a different studio version (maybe it was one of the singles they put out) and I loved it. This is a case where Paul's 1973 voice really enhances the song compared to much later "live versions" you often hear. Just the fact that younger bands like Guns N Roses years later started covering the song shows how admired the song is. I became a new fan of "LIve and Let Die" when I heard the version on the Red Road Speedway bonus disc. That same bonus disc (I bought it at Target) also had other songs that weren't on Ram, Wildlife or Red Road Speedway that I loved including "The Mess", I LIe Around, Best Friend, Mama's Little Girl, and I Would Only Smile (great Denny Laine song that early Wings played at their shows). Another reason why McCartney needs a true Post Beatles' Anthology by Decade. There are so many good songs that Paul fans (and even Beatle fans) just don't know.
I also like the much earlier "live versions" of Coming Up much better than his later live takes. Another case where the power in Paul's voice from about 2012 onward started to really falter. I'm really looking forward to the London Town and Back to the Egg Remaster Archive package coming out (if it ever does). They would probably have a live version or two of Paul and his later Wings' lineup singing "Coming Up" during the Europe shows that Paul did in 1979 or 1980. Again, his voice at that point was so much better.
And yet, Live and Let Die actually wasn't a monster hit when it was released. It reached no. 2 in the US and no. 9 in the UK -- a solid success, but nowhere near the chart performance of My Love, Listen to What the Man Said, etc. I think the difference is that he's made it both a staple and a highlight of his live shows, with all the pyrotechnics and flash.