Posted on 11/05/2014 4:28:33 PM PST by lee martell
For some reason, this song just came into my head. I had not thought about the album McCartney in a long time, although I have been listening to Paul's album called Ram. I'm fond of that title song RAM, usually played on Ukelele or Banjo. This album McCartney, was Paul's first released after John told the group that he (John) "wanted a divorce from the Beatles". When Paul released McCartney, many were struck by the bare bones instrumentation and production quality. Some plainly did not consider it a worthy product from a former Beatle.
I listened again to that cut of Every Night and was struck with it's simple structure, it's variation of texture and percussion. I was struck with how Paul creates a space of tension with his guitar by use of a pendulum-like consistancy. He even uses the silences as part of the structure. Then, as lne of his refrains, Paul doesn't bother writing more words, he uses melody and a lift of two octaves only. It works. Someone who knows how to perform music (not me) would know what kind of acoustic guitar he uses in this cut. I already hear the bass. I noticed how often Paul uses his bass in a rhythm similar to the human heartbeat. J. S. Bach often did this too, relying on natural rhythms of the heart and of the human breath, going in, going out. My favorites on this album at this time are a. Every Night, b. Momma Miss America (extraordinarily funky for Paul! Those drums will ROCK you.) c. Maybe I'm Amazed.
I was driving and just finished listening to "I Talk To The Wind" by Crimson King. I am not sure, but I have been told that the lead in music was done via Mellotron, not by a flute. Either way, it's a fine performance. This song exists in sharp contrast to the rest of that album, 'Court of The Crimson King' an album best described as as aggressively progressive rock.
There is the Frank Zappa method of Progressive rock which tended to fuse jazz and light pop throughout most his career. Frank was perceived as the very picture of a stoned out , semi awake hippy stereotype. All the biographies I have read about Frank say that actually, he did not indulge in the more popular vices of that day. Frank Zappa had such an active, creative mind by nature, that he didn't need to use drugs to produce what he wanted. And expected his band members to be clear eyed enough to do their jobs while on tour. I still use CDs, and have to search around for good retail outlets. I don't like ordering online unless it's to replace something already in my collection. I e
My opinion is that almost everything McCartney has done since his Beatle days is crap - Band on the Run, Live and Let Die, Silly Love Songs . . . no!
Paul is dead. Have you ever listened to a Wings album?
I guess Frank was a perfectionist. Read up on Steve Vai, his early 80s guitarist (he of the shred). Vai often talks about Zappa in interviews and he was a fascinating guy.
Paul was shot after singing “Give Ireland back To The Irish.”
“Silly Love Songs”
A guilty/catchy pleasure. But not a great song in the classic sense. I never really got the Beatles or the Stones. That era just wasn’t for me. I Don’t hate it. Just not for me.
>> “Paul is dead. Have you ever listened to a Wings album?” <<
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One has to “listen” with at least 200 micrograms of LSD in your veins to reach that conclusion!
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My opinion as well.
needs more mellotron
I know a lot of his work is ‘overly sugared’ shall we say, but some pieces are very well composed. I give you the song ‘Band On The Run’. You may think you know it, but wait. Have you listened. really listened to the instrumental intro which lasts about four minutes.
Listen to that lead guitar and farfasia synth and the Wa-Wa pedals. Very creative and artful. Then comes the heavy weight, trombone like notes that introduce the actual song. The actual song is fun and ‘nice’, not terribly unique. It’s almost like listening the The Cure with Roger Smith twenty years later (Disintegration) where Roger’s signature style was to have a very long, very elaborate introduction.
‘
He was always dead unless you consider bubble gum music as being worthy of the term artistry.......
Great jangly and somewhat minimalist instrumental piece.
My sentiments as well. However I do like Paul McCartney's music AFTER the Beatles. The album Venus and Mars is one of my favorites. McCartney is a much better song writer than Lennon was.
Paul says he made it up as he went along. He performed all the instruments on that album, the same as another one of my music heros, Todd Rundgren in Something/ Anything. Todd acted as foster dad for actress Liv Tyler for most her childhood. She discovered Steve Tyler was her dad when she was about 13.
I think so. I’ve heard all the Beatles stuff hard to love music and avoid it) and they did some cool stuff. Tomorrow never Knows being exhibit 1. Overall though, between the two, yea. Paul over John. I like his voice more and he did have talent. We can thank John for Automatic double tracking though since he was too lazy to double his vocals the right way.
Which is a cool story in itself.
Yeah, the hundreds of songs.. All crap. But, if you knew anything about music you would know that nearly all great songs are written by the young. Most musicians peak by age 30. Just a fact. Now that you are educated, what’s your opinion?
I saw King Crimson as an opening act when their first album came out and was blown away. That is indeed a flute, played by sax and woodwind player Ian MacDonald. He did also play keys including mellotron, but I clearly remember him playing the flute in that song.
It's sort of ironic that both Harrison and Starr managed better pop records post-Beatles than the two "greatest" Beatles. Did all that weed and other drugs dull their minds, or did they just run out of ideas like many musicians? Probably a combination of both.
Thank you for clarifying that. I always thought that sounded too realistic to be some synthetically produced noise, but, not being a musician, I didn’t know. That song brings me to a peaceful plane whenever I think about it, including the sound of the Cymbal being struck or brushed at the end of the measures.
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