McCartney's 'Coming Up': Do you prefer the studio or live single?

I think if John did say "more of Paul's granny music **** about a song from 68 than the "more" means he felt that way about previous ones.
Honey Pie was recorded after Ob la di ob la da so that but When I'm 64 as you know is late 66.
Also, Your Mother Should Know could be another.

 

Not a big fan of either, but I do prefer the live one.

 

I read (somewhere) John heard Coming Up on the radio in New York and was impressed. That was almost certainly the live version. And supposedly this was his inspiration to get back into the studio and make Double Fantasy.

Perhaps he ended up hearing the studio version and liking that too, or better on the day he was interviewed. Lennon gave many completely opposite opinions all the time.

 

True, but even if Emerick's quotation is accurate, we have no idea which songs the previous ones were. People can speculate, but no one can say with certainty. What Maxwell and Ob-La-Di have in common is that they are both sing-songy, almost like children's songs, and they both (in John's opinion) took too long to record. I don't think "Honey Pie", "Your Mother Should Know", or "When I'm 64" necessarily fit into the same category. They are all more old-timey, music hall influenced songs, which is a different thing.

 

He definitely did hear the studio version, as is verified in the interview in this earlier post upthread. He says he prefers the studio version (which he described as "the freak version") and says that "If I'd been with him, I'd have said that's the one." He goes on to complain about the record company pushing the live version.

In 1980 interviews, Lennon claimed not to keep up with McCartney's work and said he was only familiar with the recent singles. But according to Fred Seaman, Lennon bought the McCartney II album and listened to it a fair amount, and liked it.

 

I prefer the video! Hilarious.

 

That's very endearing in a way.

 

If there were a pic of John purchasing McCartney II it would be priceless.
Do you think the clerk knew it was John in the NY record store buying McCartney II?

 

I like them both equally.

 

i think john liked "honey pie", or why would he add one of hist best guitar solos to it ?

 

IIRC, the story was the Lennon sent Seaman out to get it for him. I didn't mean to suggest that Lennon actually went to the store and bought it himself.

 

I remember in some other discussion here somebody posted one of Lennon's shopping lists from 1979 that included a request for a copy of Back To The Egg- clearly John was buying his old partner's latest albums for one reason or another...

John Lennon wanting a copy of McCartney II? Hey, the guy had good taste in music!

 

Well the way John walked freely about NYC .....

 

the studio version obviously XD

 

Live; fuller, more organic sound.

 

One thing I've found kind of interesting in this thread is just how many people are at least a bit into the Beatles and Paul/Wings, but who were apparently not buying every Paul/Wings (and John, George, Ringo and possibly even Yoko) album as soon as they appeared. A lot of people are commenting that they didn't have McCartney II, or saying things that clearly imply that they didn't (and maybe still don't) have it.

I was one who was even buying Yoko's albums as soon as they came out.

 

Many were not adults with money.
I was 9 and 10 in 1980.
Others were still young kids or teens who were even younger in the 70s.

 

Not just the crowd noise - the funked-out 1989-90 "Coming Up" includes a sample from the orchestral crescendo from "A Day in the Life."

The other Beatles have sampled the studio recordings in concert too - George used the freak out count-in from "Taxman" and Ringo uses the sound effects during the bridge on "Yellow Submarine."

 

+1! The studio-version is witty and dry. Live is good to, but I prefer the original album version....

 

Studio version.

 

I prefer the studio

Also pointing out that the actual 45 version of the live song was not on the MII remeaster.

There is another live recording with some alternate lyrics. Probably superior

We could make it if we meet
Is replaced by
There will be music in the street

 

Live as a single, stand-alone.

Studio version as part of the McCartney II album listening experience.

Jeff

 

Studio version.

 

It's "We can make it, stick with me"

 

Yeah, exactly. I was in 7th grade when McCartney II came out. At that point, I'd been a Beatles fan for about two years, and I was still gradually saving up and purchasing the Beatles' catalog, buying a "new" Beatles album every two to three months. So while it was fun to hear solo singles on the radio, there was no way was I going to purchase any solo album when I still didn't even own all the Beatles' records.