Am I the only one who believes RDR is an extension of 'Flaming Pie'? I don't mean musically because FP has original songs and RDR has a lot of covers. I mean about Paul's moment in his life. When I hear FP I feel that Paul is preparing for the hardest punch in his life, and when I hear RDR I feel he's showing how strong he is. I heard a lot of artists talking about his admiration for this LP. He could made a soft-sad album about the things he lived with Linda, a kind of Off The Ground but with sad and tragic colors... songs like 'Somedays', 'Jenny Wren' and stuff like that. But instead he made a cover of 'No Other Baby' (one of the best covers I've ever heard, a song that made me cry the first time I heard it), 'Lonesome Town', an aggressive version of a sad feeling (the 'Run Devil Run' song)... come on, is amazing. If I lost my wife, the mother of my children, the woman who went with me for 30 years... I couldn't do something like that.
Posts made by WingsOfMacca
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'Run Devil Run' appreciation post
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RE: Defense Case 1- Press to Play
Hendrix Ibsen:
I remember Phil Collins produced Eric Clapton's "Behind the Sun" at this time, it doesn't sound so good, I think, there is too much production, Clapton the guitarist and bluesman is buried underneath it. It's not the most suitable sound to his style, but well, he tried at least on something else, I guess you can't know how the result will be until you've done it.
He also produced 'August'... even worse than 'Behind The sun'.
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RE: Defense Case 1- Press to Play
moptops:
HaileyMcComet:
Hendrix Ibsen:
I agree that "Press to Play" is better than "Tonight", I don't dislike it either but it must be Bowie's laziest record, he was into his rock holiday record period. I believe Hugh Padgham produced Phil Collins' "No Jacket Required" in between these two which was a massive hit and also probably more of a defining attempt at a state of the art mid-80s production with booming synth drums and programming.
Hugh Padgham also did Invisible Touch the same year as Press To Play. If you hire the guy who just worked with Genesis, Phil Collins and the Police, you know what you're going to get.
Phil Collins wanted to produce! Paul politely declined.
Good decision. Phil is great, a great musician. But the never produced the songs he did. 'In The Air Tonight' (and the whole 'Face Value' LP) was produced by Hugh, the same for 'Hello, I Must Be Going' (it has 'You can't hurry love', 'It don't matter to me') and specially 'No Jacket Required', his greatest solo album.
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RE: Defense Case 1- Press to Play
Honestly, I don't know what is the thing Paul saw in Stewart... he found his best partner in Costello, but Eric? I never get it.
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RE: Defense Case 1- Press to Play
Of course, everybody have their own opinion. Mine is he did PTP for reasons that I don't know, but I'm pretty sure he didn't do it because he felt he had good material in his hands. Honestly, I feel I'm hearing Hugh Padghman featuring Paul McCartney. It should be the opposite way. Like TOW, where you feel Paul doing magic and George improving everything he made. Anyway, PTP didn't have to be great as TOW to have a good consideration. It just needed good compositions.
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RE: Paul's most underrated songs?
'Distractions' is another underrated song. Incredibly beautiful.
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RE: Defense Case 1- Press to Play
Bruce M.:
Interesting comments, and some truth to them, I'd say. Press to Play feels to me like an uncomfortable attempt to sound modern that mostly doesn't succeed. For my money the 3 originals on "Broad Street" run circles around anything on Press to Play. For those who enjoy the album, by all means enjoy. Mostly I'd rather listen to my washing machine, which at least sounds like it's doing something meaningful.
You know, it feels like Paul did everything he needed to do to make a great album, but he fail in the most important thing: the composition. The sound is modern, but the producer can't do a great work if he doesn't have the appropriate material.
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RE: Defense Case 1- Press to Play
Beatles4Ever&Ever:
At that exact moment Paul should have fired his ass! This Hugh guy should have been honest up front with Paul if that's how he felt about the material. Sounds to me like he was covering his own ass just in case things should go awry. I never thought the production was particularly memorable or noteworthy...or as a reason why we should even remember the album. I don't buy this Paul was lost crap either. He may have been older but....so what. He's much older now and that doesn't seem to affect how he thinks of himself or the music he writes and plays. Paul probably would have benefited from George Martin coming along and handling the production of PTP.
My opinion is that Paul though he had a great material for the album. That's why he hired Hugh. But he was wrong... come on, he did it with Martin in Pipes Of Peace, making an album with wasted material from Tug Of War. Sometimes Paul doesn't accept critics from his producers, and is OK because he's a musical genius. In fact, Padgham and Paul had a little fight during de recording sessions. I don't remember song was, but Hugh recommended to raise up the volume in some choirs... and Paul answered: 'how many nº1's did you write?'. Paul is a little arrogant, and thank God he is. But I have no doubt: he was lack of inspiration in that time.
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RE: Defense Case 1- Press to Play
I think Paul tried to be a little more 'abstract', you know, making songs with other kind of charm, something like he did in 'Fixing a Hole' twenty years before. Maybe that's the reason of why is PTP a weird album, is not Paul's territory.
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RE: Defense Case 1- Press to Play
PTP is, IMO, the result of some negative experiences in Paul's life. -Pipes Of Peace and Give My Regards To Broad Street. Bad works, and it had passed four years since Tug of War. -John's death. Is not a surprise, but after his death and the results of his last works, many people (music critics) began to believe that Paul's time was over, or worst, they said that he was completely lost without his best friend. Pure opportunism, but it was a straight attack to his confidence. He called Ian Stewart to write some songs, and when he came to his house the first day, he asked Paul "what did you write?". Paul said "nothing"... he was empty, lost... that's why he called Ian. Anyway I guess he had a big ambition, that's why he called the great Hugh Padghman to produce Press To Play. When Paul gave Hugh his new material, Hugh said himself "man, this is a complete shit". We're talking about a man who produced 'Genesis' and 'Invisible Touch' from Genesis, all Collins's solo albums in the 80's, The Police's 'Synchronicity'... he probably was the most requested producer of the moment. Bad choice... if you call a great producer, make sure you have good stuff to give. Press To Play is more famous for his production, not for his songs. I love 'Footprints', is delightful, specially the chorus. The rest of the songs... they can be nice or not, depends of the opinions. But the conclusion is that PTP is an album created in a period of chaos and personal crisis. The 80's were not confortable for him, he was a 40 years old man trying to create his own space in the middle of big (and younger) stars like Michael Jackson, Madonna, Simple Minds and others.
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RE: FourFiveSeconds- new collab. with Rihanna, Kanye and Paul
A living legend like him doesn't need to play instruments for nobody. Let's get serious: when Paul was onfire he made some of the most brilliant songs of all time. This is Rihanna's and Kanye's time, and what did they do? what is their best song? does it compare with 'Hey Jude', 'Yesterday', 'Band On The Run', 'Hope Of Deliverance'...? I don't know, I can't understand. An ex-Beatle playing for Rihanna and West... it doesn't have any sense for me. That's my opinion.
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RE: Paul's most underrated songs?
SusyLuvsPaul:
"When the Night" always sounded like an instant classic to me All or most of the songs on Red Rose Speedway are very good to great. What did you mean by "media class" songs? Thanx for info
Maybe I didn't express well. With 'media class songs' I'm talking about the songs that are not hits, the songs that involve the main track. In RRS's case, the main track is 'My Love' (if we talk about commercial success and general opinion), and the rest of the songs complete the LP. All that songs have a great level of composition. 'Band On The Run' is a similar case: you have BOTR as main track, and the rest of the songs 'surround' that track, so you have '1985', 'Bluebird', 'Mrs. Vanderbilt', extraordinary non-hit songs. I don't include 'Jet' on that list because I think it was released as single and it has a big success, and in some way is the second star of the album. 'When The Night', 'Single Pigeon', 'Little Lamb Dragonfly', 'One More Kiss', 'Get On The Right Thing', 'Big Barn Bed'... they are the base of the LP, and is an amazing base.
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RE: Paul's most underrated songs?
SusyLuvsPaul:
"One More Kiss" from Red Rose Speedway is a delightful rockabilly number with slide guitars. Reminds you of Carl Perkins and the like. In face I think Perkins chimes in on this song (?)
Red Rose Speedway is amazing. It has everything that a great album needs: a big hit and great "media class" songs. 'Single Pigeon', 'When The Night' and specially 'Little Lamb Dragonfly' are amazing.
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RE: Tug of Peace
There is no possible way to combine Pipes Of Peace's tracks whit Tug Of War's tracks. It's like making a bigger Tug Of War, adding the songs that Martin didn't approve and were included in PoP. Maybe that's the reason of why PoP is not a good album. It had been made with wasted material.
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Recommending albums!!
Pleas, recommend me some albums. Modern albums (from 2010 to this time). I have the need of hearing modern music... I'm stuck in the past!! If it's possible, I would like to hear new music from old artists. You know, like 'Songs of Innocence' (U2), 'Lullaby and the Ceaseless Roar' (Robert Plant) and 'The Next Day' (David Bowie). And of course, like 'New' from sir James Paul!! that's the way, new/modern music from old glories.
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RE: Pick an album: Rank the tracks
Band On The Run 1. Band On The Run 2. Jet 3. Nineteen Hundred And Eighty Five 4. Let Me Roll It 5. Bluebird 6. Mrs.Vanderbilt 7. No Words 8. Helen Wheels 9. Mamunia 10. Picasso's Last Words
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RE: THE MOODY BLUES...
Three songs that I really like: 'Question', 'Steppin' in a slide zone' and 'Blue world'
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RE: Wild Life - A New Perspective
Is a distended LP, with no big ambitions, just the idea of meet each other. I feel nature in that album.