Paul McCartney Archive Collection - Flowers In The Dirt*

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Sean Murdock, Sep 18, 2015.

  1. Munros1969

    Munros1969 Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    It's helpful to see exactly how it looks. As a big fan of the Archive collection I'd initially been up for this, then decided "no" after the download issue and pricing came to light. Recently I relented and placed an order via Amazon. Looking at the content here and subsequently viewing the unoxing video on the web I've just cancelled the order. I appreciate some fans love this album but, from my perspective, this just seems hugely overpriced and overengineered for something I'd rarely pull off the shelf to look at or listen to. I agree with the subsequent comment by AppleCorp3 that this could easily be a scaled down version like some of the other sets. The completist in me is cheesed off that I didn't make it through the series but enough is enough.
     
  2. Bemagnus

    Bemagnus Music is fun

    I think Trevor Horn nailed the problems with Flowers when he said he prefered album with a sense of unity something Flowers with it s different styles and producers doesn t have. Using different producers doesn t mean it has to be this way-I personally see New as an album that floats very well even though they used different producers. But on Flowers that s an obvious fact. It s an album were the different parts are far better than the total summary of things. Guess thats why I never put Flowers in the group of absolutely and totally great Macca albums. On the other hand the album contains a few of my alltime favourite McCartney songs . It s definively also an album where I see the deluxeedition as a real imorovement just like McCartney 2. It makes it possible to make my own playlist and voilà -suddenly I have one of the most rewarding McCartney listening experiences I can think of. Also I have lately rediscovered some tracks I never though much of in the first place like Rough Ride-a song I used to think was a generic attempt to go funky and modern. Now I think it s a stunning track containing very interesting musical stuff, good lyrics and a stunning bridge. Motor of Love is a song I often having refered to as one of Pauls worst. Now I can t say I actually think it s a great track, the production is to much -as even the producer admitted. But inside there is a nice melody and a brilliant bridge.
    That a one of the great things with these rereleases-it makes you reevaluate some old wiews and discover new things
     
  3. Bemagnus

    Bemagnus Music is fun

    If someone else likes a song I don t like I would never ever think that there taste in music is not great. It s just that they hear and experience things I don t-their luck. I would never consider someone who doesn't like songs I like narrow minded-for the same reason. Enjoying music, movies,literature or art is-imo-a highly personal and subjective thing. We need to respect our different wiews-really.
    Agree with you that How many people is substandard. Can understand it seemed a good idea with a message song at the time. It s a very generic song that really doesn't t fit the album.
    That s the amazing thing with the greats like Macca or Dylan-they can put on true masterpieces and utterly forgetable even unlistenable stuff on the same album.
     
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  4. daveidmarx

    daveidmarx Forem Residunt

    Location:
    Astoria, NY USA
    But in reality, it's more tied in with Flowers, as it was recorded almost two full years after the Press To Play sessions (and, indeed, seven months after that album had been released), with a different producer (Phil Ramone). Also, it was recorded during the same sessions as the "demo" for This One and several months after Loveliest Thing had been recorded. To me, it seems that minus the David Foster sessions from 1984, that the real sessions for what became 'Flowers' began in August 1986, with the recording of the original version of Beautiful Night and Loveliest Thing. At this point in time, PTP was about to be released and it would seem that Paul was going back to the drawing board with a new producer to work out ideas for his next LP.
     
  5. ccbarr

    ccbarr Forum Resident

    Location:
    Iowa, USA
    My box set just shipped, now it is time to wait until Friday. Someone once said that the waiting was the hardest part...;)
     
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  6. OobuJoobu

    OobuJoobu Forum Resident

    Location:
    Yorkshire, UK
    Have you used your download card yet? If so, any comments on the download process, was it straightforward, stress free, different process to previous sets?
     
  7. englandmademe

    englandmademe Forum Resident

    Location:
    London, UK
    Wow, high praise. Many thanks. And thanks to everyone's great feedback.
     
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  8. Perian

    Perian Forum Resident

    Location:
    Oslo
  9. OobuJoobu

    OobuJoobu Forum Resident

    Location:
    Yorkshire, UK
    They've just announced the interview will also contain talk about his new album :)

    Here we go, it's started.....
     
  10. Paul H

    Paul H The fool on the hill

    Location:
    Nottingham, UK
    Well, there's nothing there to confirm that the download-only material hasn't been remastered. There IS confirmation, though, that the tracks haven't been re-transferred from analogue tapes: they've simply used the original production master tapes which were, of course, CD res. That means that we won't get high res versions of these songs but that's not to say that they won't be remastered.
     
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  11. Thrillington

    Thrillington McCartney Scholar

    Location:
    Cardiff, Wales, UK
    Jotting a few notes down from this interview
     
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  12. OobuJoobu

    OobuJoobu Forum Resident

    Location:
    Yorkshire, UK
    Paul twice says he's "in the middle of making a new album". This interview was recorded after Chuck Berry's death.

    I hope he's further on than "in the middle" !
     
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  13. Thrillington

    Thrillington McCartney Scholar

    Location:
    Cardiff, Wales, UK
    Okay. This is a very rough transcription of the main points. Nothing too interesting.

    It took less than 30 seconds for John to be mentioned by the introduction - before the interview had begun!


    Paul felt like he had got some songs, so he should get busy, record and go out on tour - it was time. It was suggested he work with Elvis. Good idea. Lots in common. Etc

    Interviewer suggested if they were ‘writing nose to nose with guitars'. Cue Paul mentioning how he wrote with John with guitars etc.

    ‘I’ve said it a million times, but it’s always my big memory’

    Carries on explaining how he wrote with John. The way he liked to write, and with Elvis, ‘He was John, and I was Paul.’

    Inteviewer: this songs have got a real bite to them, duality, power?

    'We both wanted to do well, Elvis not intimidated, I was glad he was getting down to business.' Elvis would tell stories about gran etc, powerful story, so they start writing it. Shared background was handy.

    I: Is there an aim when going into writing a song?

    P: You have a basic aim, but it’s not a big thing, plan, concept. Just a starting point. Remembering things his dad said - how Put It There was written - his dad’s phrase, developing it into a song that anyone could relate to.

    I: It’s got that beautiful GM arrangement

    P: Yeah, George was always his favourite person to go to. Lucky in The Beatles, as they got better in their writing, moved on from early stuff to story songs Norwegian, Eleanor, great to have George along for the ride. Paul tells the familiar story of ‘Yesterday’. George said ‘I can hear a string quarter’. And then at the session seeing the quartet, Paul thinking ‘this is a bad idea’ - but he was thrilled in the end. 'Wow. Went to a club that night, telling all my mates about this string quartet.' So top choice for Put It There.


    I: There’s all this beautiful extra material, raw demos sounds glorious. Been fun going back?

    P: We had a writing session in afternoon, 3 hours, go down to studio, say to Eddie Klein - let's do a quick recording. They’d do it. Performances are raw, straightforward, no time to think. [sadly no mention of ‘hot off the skillet’]. When we got to producers and official recording producers, extra work happened - demos have more spark and life than recordings we ended up with eventually.

    I: Do you learn something from every person who colab with?

    P: Yeah, my thing with colab, I know I can never have a better colab than John, inescapable, just know he can never find someone who he can writer better stuff with. But interesting in working with other people, they bring their own thing - it's an education as they bring their own way of working. Paul tell's the story of Stevie being ten hours late for lunch due to him playing on his keyboard. With MJ, they just sat in his office and they made up a song. With Kanye, he had no idea what was gonna happen - not two acoustic guitars! ‘Here goes nothing’. His own provision was, if he feels it doesn’t work out he won’t tell anyone ‘ Kanye who?’ He Went into it with an open mind - Kanye’s like the anti-composer, he’s a collector and he’ll then collate. Paul brought his guitar - but he just sat around and listened and they chatted. He told Kanye various stories, one example being the familiar story about writing Let It Be. - that become ‘Only One’ - Paul got the chords and melody.

    I: Asks about Chuck.

    P: Didn’t work with him, but met him after a concert in St. Louis. Thinking back to pre-Beatles, suddenly heard intro to Sweet Little Sixteen. (Paul plays it on guitar). Never heard anything like it, Huge influence on them, and copied a lot from his guitar style. Paul always saw him as a poet - capture high school, rock and roll stuff, continued to influence them for years. - Paul tells the story of Come Together. Paul briefly demos the song just as John did originally. He encouraged John to change it, but John would not let go of the lyrics.
    'It’s a bit of nick, isn’t it?' Paul asked,
    John: ‘No, it’s a quote’.

    I: References the losses of the past year or so. Do you think about how you’ll be remembered?

    P: Yeah, everyone does, and you put it out of your mind. Remember John once saying ‘I wonder how I will be remembered, will I be remembered well?
    Paul said to him, ‘Yeah, look at me, you’ll be remembered you’ve done so much great stuff.’ Etc

    You think when you're gone, 'What they gonna say, are they gonna take your worst reviews, or will they take your best stuff? Won’t matter because I won’t be here. I don’t worry.'

    I: What’s next?

    P: I’m making a new album, which is great fun, in the middle of that. Working with a producer I first worked with two years ago for animated film, he went on to work with Beck, then Adele, just won all these awards, including producer of the year. He worries people will think - here's Paul going with the flavour of the month - but great to work with. He's next off to Japan, nice time to go.

    ‘I’m at it, beavering away, doing what I love to do.’​
     
    Last edited: Mar 23, 2017
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  14. Arnold Grove

    Arnold Grove Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC
    Thanks for the summary.

    Looks though like we won't be seeing any brand-new album until much later in 2017.
     
  15. Arnold Grove

    Arnold Grove Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC
    What do you mean by a "double-sided book"? Do you mean two separate books (or booklets) that share a common middle, with one opening from the left and the other one opening from the right?

    Like this (as an example)?:
    [​IMG]
     
    theMess likes this.
  16. Oyster Boy

    Oyster Boy Forum Resident

    Thanks for posting. Did R6 play anything from FITD, original tracks or demos?
     
  17. Thrillington

    Thrillington McCartney Scholar

    Location:
    Cardiff, Wales, UK
    Yes, they played very brief samples dotted throughout the interview of:

    You Want Her Too, We Got Married, Put It There, That Day Is Done [Demo], Figure of Eight.

    They also played near-enough the full My Brave Face [Demo], which they said was 'exclusive'.
    The demos are the same ones we've been able to listen to for the past few weeks. Nothing new on that front I'm afraid.

    Those in the UK (or proficient in using VPNs) can listen to it here, it's about 20 minutes.
    BBC Radio 6 Music - Shaun Keaveny, Rhys Thomas joins Shaun, Sir Paul McCartney talks to 6 Music about collaborations, Chuck Berry, his new album and his own musical legacy.
     
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  18. Oyster Boy

    Oyster Boy Forum Resident

    Thanks
     
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  19. rppvaldez

    rppvaldez Forum Resident

    Location:
    Palo Alto,Ca,USA
  20. Thrillington

    Thrillington McCartney Scholar

    Location:
    Cardiff, Wales, UK
    theMess likes this.
  21. rppvaldez

    rppvaldez Forum Resident

    Location:
    Palo Alto,Ca,USA
    In case anyone can't get to it I've uploaded it to wetransfer here (link good until March 30th) : 20170322_Sir Paul McCartney talks to 6 Music about collaborations, Chuck Berry, his new album and his own mus.mp4

    Now if someone can share a snippet of "So Like Candy" (1988) that would be cool for those who haven't received their box yet !
     
  22. theMess

    theMess Forum Resident

    Location:
    Kent, UK
    The praise is deserved; so often, especially when it comes to McCartney, the same questions get asked again and again, and we don't learn a lot that is new, but thanks to you, we now have a much greater understanding of what Paul is like in the studio, how much he is willing to try new ideas, and where his limit is when it comes to being told what to do/being critiqued.

    Great job, and thanks again! :righton:
     
  23. rppvaldez

    rppvaldez Forum Resident

    Location:
    Palo Alto,Ca,USA
    Terrific work, thanks again for sharing, fascinating stuff even (especially!) for Macca diehards!

    Oh, one thing I was wondering about, did you get a chance to ask Trevor Horn if he had indeed been given a tape in early 1988 that allegedly later got used for the wonderful "Return to Lindiana" boot McCartney sessions with Trevor Horn and Steve Lipson (1987/1988) ? Based on the interviews it seems this myth might have been debunked though (no further work planned/discussed after the four tracks were completed).
     
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  24. wino14

    wino14 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Edenton, NC
    Did anyone else pre order the 2lp from Popmarket?? I preordered and paid way back at the end of December and now their website is down and I cannot check order status or anything else.
     
  25. Frank

    Frank Senior Member

    It's all the Dirty Florists checking their order status!

    Seriously, that's not a good sign right there. Isn't that a Sony-owned site? Site errors like that seem rinky-dink for a large corporation.
     
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