Posted on 12/16/2008 10:37:20 AM PST by weegee
He's already painted himself as the most avant garde Beatle, now in what seems like another attempt to rewrite history, Sir Paul McCartney claims he was responsible for radicalising their their political views
In a statement that forces us to read Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da as a commentary on American neo-colonialism, Sir Paul has said that it is he who turned the Beatles on to politics, introducing John, Paul and Ringo to the evils of the Vietnam war.
Whereas John Lennon is widely considered the "political one", penning songs like Revolution and Give Peace a Chance, sweet Sir Paul is now presenting an alternative history. In a forthcoming interview with Prospect magazine, McCartney claims to have been the catalyst for the group's anti-war position.
"...someone said to me: 'Bertrand Russell is living not far from here in Chelsea, why don't you go and see him?'" McCartney said. Russell, then in his 90s, was a prominent philosopher and activist. "So I just took a taxi down there and knocked on the door."
"He was fabulous. He told me about the Vietnam war – most of us didn't know about it, it wasn't yet in the papers – and also that it was a very bad war."
That, McCartney explained, was enough. Filled with idealism, conviction and, er, a smattering of current events, "I remember going back to the studio either that evening or the next day and telling the guys, particularly John, about this meeting and saying what a bad war this was...."
While it's John Lennon who has retained the reputation for rabble-rousing, "I politicised the Beatles," McCartney insisted. And now he has passed the "megaphone" to a new generation of political artists, he said. People like Bono...
Somewhere in England, Paul McCartney is squeaking: "Me too!"
(Excerpt) Read more at guardian.co.uk ...
I’m back in the U.S.S.R. hey
You don’t know how lucky you are boy
Back in the U.S.S.R.
Yep!
You never see Paulie going on and on saying, “I wrote Silly Love Songs!”
Well, they did not start out as lefties. I believe it was McCartney who wrote “Taxman”.
“Taxman” would be one of the relatively rare George Harrison songs to be recorded by the band.
George Harrison
Mega pot head who gottaken to the cleaners by a crazy gimp. George was a saint. A really good man. George was treated badly by Paul and John because they would only write together. I recall the final studio sessions with yoko sitting next to John in the studio.
My guess is it was not as bad as being in Pink Floyd with libtard and bully Roger Waters. Rick Wright in Floyd was a founder and gentle soul like George. Waters treated Rick badly.
Tried listing to some of the Beatles the other day. Sir Paul wrote the most mind numbing insipid and banal songs in their archive. Only Georges songs really survive the test of time...
Actually all he did was call Yoko and talk to her about changing the credit names on one song which was YESTERDAY written by McCartney. He was and is very professional and respectful of his and John’s song writing work. Of course Yoko said no.
Actually it was George Harrison. McCartney did do the great lead guitar work on the song though.
You’re right It was Harrison who wrote it. McCartney did do the fine lead work on that particular song though which I always thought was interesting.
Harrison best single songwriter in the band. Lennon and McCartney when they by themselves pretty much sucked.
The movie “Help!” was an excercise to leave England and dodge taxes for awhile.
“Oh, I see. John Lennon the Commie had nothing to do with politcising the Beatles. Uh, huh. Right.”
But John was a kind of heroin haze politics. “Give Peace a Chance” and “Imagine” are sensible opinion pieces when you just stuck a needle in your arm.
Paul McCartney turned down Yoko in the 1960s and she’s never let him live it down.
None of the Beatles were educated men, to be charitable - musical geniuses but political toddlers. If McCartney wants to take credit for politicizing a not particularly political music group, so be it. I'd be more interested to learn who really turned them all onto LSD. That, IMHO, was a lot more infulential than politics.
Ringo Starr was treated even worse than George. Ringo left the band during The Beatles/White Album. Imagine not getting to contribute more songs on the record because they wanted to put on Revolution 9 and threatened to put on Mary Jane Had A Pain.
“Dr. Roberts”. Reportedly a dentist they knew.
McCartney was the only successful Beatle after the break-up. George nor John never came close to writing as many hits or selling as many records. Don’t get me wrong they were both great writers they just couldn’t keep up with Paul.
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