Sorry if I'm asking a question that has been covered endessly... is there a way to purchase high res downloads for the entire deluxe set and bonus tracks, without buying physical product? I've looked all over the site and can't find it. For McCartney II, I was able to purchase high res of everything without buying the box. Is this no longer possible?
The set comes with a hi Rez download of all 3 disks but not the download material which is not offered in that form ...it comes in 16 bit not 24 bit
HAHAHA, wow. So the people who want everything on CD are forced to download a number of the tracks, but those "extra" downloads aren't actually available to those who may prefer ONLY to download? Astounding. They really have managed to leave no one satisfied this time around. I'm lukewarm on this album anyway so maybe I'll just take a pass!
Just to add a little something positive to the mix, my favorite moment in all of Flowers is in Distractions right after the guitar solo, when everything stops, the voices swell and then the final verse commences with Paul doubling himself in falsetto. Gives me chills every time.
After 3-4 years straight through with George Martin late 1980 through early 84. Or whatever the dates were, understandably Martin & McCartney both wanted to work with someone else. After the lackluster Press To Play , where he did cowrite but ultimately fire Eric Stewart, & then the non fruitful Phil Ramone sessions, which produced mostly demos, B sides, outtakes & one good single " Once Upon A Long Ago " Someone Geoff Baker ? Had the good idea to hook up McCartney & Elvis Costello. It worked better for everybody than they could dream, Costello got the only radio hit of his career "Veronica" & McCartney cowrote much better songs than he had a year earlier with Eric Stewart. The Stewart cowrites were experimental & quirky, but the new songs were almost all instant classics, in terms of quality.. There are a lot of reasons for this, McCartney was highly motivated to continue as reigning king, & working with someone as good as Costello brought out McCartney's talent, no sidemen, yes men this time, but one of the best songwriters to come down the pike since The Beatles, Dylan, & the 60s greats. They were also compatible artistically & while not a great vocalist like McCartney, Costello is a decent singer, & blends well with McCartney singing typical Beatles style harmony singing close just a 3rd below or whatever was needed. Costello was no Patsy or yes man, this was a huge honor for him, & a big chance to enlarge his popularity, to say nothing of the great artistic challenge, for both of them. Costello was willing to play junior partner or member in some regards, agreeing to abandon hopes of a joint album as co/artists. But Costello wanted to be a coproducer on the album, & help McCartney pare down the arrangements & rock a bit. What's my point ? I'm getting there, almost bear with me one more sec. Channeling George Martin, had he been there, this is what he would have said to McCartney, picture George Martin's voice saying " Now Paul you've written some very good songs on your own for this album, This One, Put It There, Distractions in particular, also We got married & Figure of eight are rather good. Now Paul I realize you're reluctant to share the credit & limelight 50/50 with this Elvis, & you don't want comparisons to you & John of course. But Paul these are some marvelous songs you've cowritten with Elvis, & great songs are king, great songs when you are lucky enough to have them, count yourself lucky. The best unbeatable album, a great 12-14 track album should be the best songs you've got. Don't limit yourself to 4 of the cowrites, choose the best you've got, & in this case, choose your best 5 you wrote alone, & 7-8 of these marvelous cowrites for the best album you can make. Ok so, bottom line, no question the "4" songs released for first time yesterday + Lovers That Never Were 88 version, those 5 should have been on the Flowers album. That's the point of my post, I realize this is subjective just imo. But I'm right, a coach wants his best players, a director his best actress, & an album should have it's best songs... As to the 16 B-sides, outtakes, I believe the best are Flying To My Home & Loveliest thing imo. It's all moot, because what I'm suggesting didn't happen. But as a fan, as a listener, no one can tell McCartney what to do, but if I had worked at the record company submitted a list of best songs, I would have included these 4 just released new songs in place of 4 weaker non cowrites. 1. My Brave Face 2. Put it There 3. You Want Her Too 4. We Got Married 5. Distractions 6. Twenty Fine Fingers 7. Playboy To A Man 8 This One 9 Flying To My Home 10. So Like Candy 11 Figure Of Eight 12 Tommy's Coming Home 13.That Day Is Done Now there's an album
The download-only disc tracks are all parenthetically titled "(2017 Reissue)" -- which to me indicates they are NOT remastered. But some have pointed out that "Flying To My Home" sounds less compressed than the old CD single version, and I haven't A-B'd any of the other tracks, soo......
Yes, it certainly does, since "maybe I'm amazed" at how anyone can dismiss Temporary Secretary, or the whole of Mc II, even. My second fave Macca solo album, after Mc I.
Interesting shuffling of the album. Does anyone else have an alternate Flowers to prepare using the new 1988 demos and b-sides?
I am, too. It is excellent, and actually on-par with McCartney II in terms of awesome bonus material, something I wasn't sure I'd get to say again.
01 My Brave Face 02 Figure Of Eight 03 So Like Candy 04 Twenty Fine Fingers 05 This One 06 That Day Is Done 07 Playboy To A Man 08 Distractions 09 Twenty Fine Fingers 10 Put It There 11 Tommy's Coming Home 12 We Got Married CD Bonus Tracks 13 Flying To My Home 14 Don't Be Careless Love 15 Rough Ride
Couldn't have said it better myself. I have a new found love for Motor Of Love after I got this new set. I even enjoy Party Party as a fun jam, reminds me a bit of a Prince jam. The only thing on the album I have second thoughts about is the arrangement of Don't Be Careless Love (but we´re lucky he didn't went with the arrangement from the band demo disc). I think that the great song run from My Brave Face to (and including) This One is very unique in a McCartney album. I have difficulties naming one of his albums from the top of my head that has 8 tracks as strong as these starting an album, even including the Beatles. Maybe Band on the Run can beat it? I tried to test it on Revolver, and the great song run can perhaps be seen as being interrupted by Love You To (even though I do enjoy the track). On Flowers, we then get Don't Be Careless Love, which is a decent song with a peculiar arrangement, and then we are treated to a real gem with That Day Is Done. I don't understand all the hate for How Many People, it's a decent track. And I enjoy Motor Of Love and Ou Est Le Soleil a lot as decent tracks, wouldn't call them strong. This is all just my opinion guys, maybe I've been blinded by the fact that Flowers was my first Paul album when I was 10. I played the cassette until it broke.
In some respect this is even better than the McCartney 2 set. More audio and video-content secures this edition as-imo-the richest and most rewarding yet in the archive-series.
The sad thing is that the original band jam from the rehearsals (as heard in part in the doco) is actually quite fun. The remixes sucked all the goodness out of it.
I don t find Party Party offensively bad and the clubmix is fun. However Paul might be a lot of things but James Brown he aint
OK, so I know that nobody gives a monkeys about Ou Est Le Soleil, but I'm intrigued by the discussion with Steve Lipson that @englandmademe had. In it, Lipson (corroborated by Trevor Horn) says "The night before, he said “Well, why don’t we come in tomorrow morning and just see what happens?” We came in the next day and he goes “Anyone got any ideas?” I went “Yes, I have”. I hit play on my computer and, forgetting the vocal and backwards guitar – [Steve plays the track from the start for about 50 seconds] – that came out from beginning to end. And then Paul put seven words in French on one note on the top and said he had written the song, which actually, [as] he said it is lyrics and melody, you can’t really argue. I had a discussion with him about it and you know what… it worked out fine. I think I got an arrangement credit or something, and we did some deal. Whatever. But it is fine, he didn’t want to give me a writing credit and I think that is his prerogative. It would have been nice, but it is his prerogative. And it doesn’t make me think any less of the man." The point of this is that Lipson is claiming that he created the backing track used for the song. Notwithstanding the question of whether he should or should not have been entitled to a songwriter credit, what intrigues me is that this is totally at odds with what @lennonology had to say on the subject in Eight Arms to Hold You. According to Chip, Soleil was born when another track called Valley Road was coupled with a new set of lyrics. Of course, it may well be that Valley Road is the track Lipson alludes to in Super Deluxe Edition's interview, but my interpretation of Chip's explanation has always been that Valley Road was an unreleased McCartney track. Can either gents offer any further insights into this minor mystery?
My main concern with Soleil is the fact that Paul actually brought a saw into the studio and recorded the sound of sawing through wood and used that sound on the track. There is pictures of this event in the deluxe-book. After reading that I clearly hear this sound somewhere at the start of the song. Besides that Iv always found Soleil an entertaing listening and some of the remixes even more so.Not much of a song but fun. Who wrote or did what I don t know I thought the foundation were from the seventies In the end it s the sound of the saw cutting through wood that matters. At least it says something about Pauls creativity in the studio
This video clip is proof that lyrics and the main part of the "melody" were already there in the mid-70s. So the questions remains what the origin of the mysterious "Valley Road" is. If I remember correctly McCartney is quoted in "Eight Arms To Hold You" that this was a track he didn't like originally and thus he combined it with that old tune from the 70s. On the other hand the pure backing track is very reminiscent of other songs Lipson and Horn wrote and/or produced during the 1980s..
I'd do something similar: Phase I — the early Beatles through Beatles For Sale, as the albums were generally relying on the stage performances Phase II — the classic Beatles era of Help! through Magical Mystery Tour, in which John and Paul sit even in numbers and challenge each other Phase III — the end of The Beatles, because John turns to Yoko and Paul dominates the band's hits and intentions Phase IV — McCartney & Ram, since Paul is re-finding himself, followed by Wild Life & Red Rose Speedway as defining Wings Phase V — Band On The Run through Wings Over America, the classic Wings Phase VI — London Town through McCartney II, as Wings searches for a new direction and can't find it Phase V — Tug Of War through Broadstreet, in which Paul retrenches in the studio with Martin and produces songs not for the stage Phase VI — Press To Play through Paul Is Live, in which we see the determination to become a hit again and stay that way Phase VII — Anthology through Standing Stone, a period of rediscovery of what actually makes a great song & losing Linda Phase VIII — Run Devil Run through Back In The World, in which he's redefining after Linda and the critics love him Phase IX — Chaos through today, in which Paul is focused on being remembered (Grammys, legacy, re-releases, hot tours, etc.)
