Thank you for making such a cogent, wonderfully worded comment. You have described perfectly the many sides to this conversation in a very eloquent way, and shown how complicated it can be to discuss someone and their personality. As you say, Paul is a real human being, not a one-dimensional cartoon, and simply dismissing him as 'bossy' just doesn't hold water. There are two sides to every story, at the least, and several in this case, and all need to be listened to in order to gain a genuinely balanced understanding of Paul as a person and as an artist. Paul is the most successful songwriter in pop, and he already had been for many years before 1988/89, and so the fact that he was willing to take directions and to try new ideas suggested to him by other people just speaks to what a genuinely exploratory and creative person that he was/is. As a result of his success he is bound to have a certain confidence/ego, and as someone used to being successful and in control of his own life and music, he is bound to clash with other big characters some of the time, but all things considered, there is a wealth of evidence showing that Paul is surprisingly down to earth and good at putting people at ease, and that he loves to collaborate in many different fields of music with very different people.
Well, the problem is that in 1989 E.C. was not a part of this release nearly to the degree that this super deluxe package would have you believe. Now, it's upside down. Now, it's the Elvis Costello McCartney album. Either way, the album will endure all scrutiny. It's that well balanced. Flowers In The Pipe!
So I've been thinking and I still cannot help but wonder why they left off "Same Love". Maybe they're saving it for "Press to Play", which isn't really fitting. "Flaming Pie" would make more sense due to it being released on a CD single from that album. It just baffles me why the left it off. Part of me feels they should have included the versions of "Rough Ride" and "The Long and Winding Road" from Put It There, but I understand their decision not to.
Agree about that vocals. Then we have the 88 band demo of the lovers that never were that also is a wondruous thing with another more than remarkable vocal-delivery from Paul
Why do you choose to focus on that line and not the words directly below it? "I won't hear a word said against him really." People are not perfect. There's no news being broken here.
But where does that leave Ringo's new album? I assume 2018 sice he just began recording at and it was three years in between Ringo 2012 and Postcards From Paradise.
I think I read somewhere on this forum that Paul and his band chose their favorite tracks for Off The Ground and whatever remained was slated for B-sides.
...and the demo of Motor of Love . I wouldn't mind seeing a two for one including the demo of Good Sign and the non remix version.
I just thought about this guys. What if all the backlash from the whole "downloadgate" prompted MPL to include the Geoff Emerick version of "The Lovers That Never Were" as a last minute addition leaving it a hidden track? Similar like Freedom was included last minute on Driving Rain.
The one time I decide I don't need the box (and buy the downloads instead), he releases a lot of behind the scenes footage! Damn
I have not bought this set yet. I was looking at the tracklist on bullmoose & I see that CD2 and CD3 have the same songs in the same order, but cd2 is listed as "original demos" and cd3 are listed as "1988 demos". Could one of you with the deluxe box set tell me what is the difference regarding the two sets of the demos? I'm trying to decide whether I only need the two disc version or really need the super deluxe. I am not particularly interested in the videos as they will be played once and then forgotten about.
SoilyCompany76, I absolutely love the song same Love, it's another of those songs that should have been on the album at the time? It's an absolutely wonderful ballad, is that McCartney on the piano? EdenofFlowers, Twenty Fine Fingers reminds me of the Everly Brothers, it's ok.
Even John Lydon of Sex Pistols fame (Johnny Rotten) said after meeting him that he admired Paul personally as being a stand up guy without any conceit. (Even as John maintained the right not to dig his music). This lack of conceit is indeed remarkable considering all the fame and everything else he has achieved, and all the craziness he has no doubt been through as a result.
The original demos are just Elvis and Paul with acoustic guitas. The 1988 Band Demos are Paul, Elvis and Paul's band running through those songs. And that third disc is EXCELLENT. That made the purchase for me, but ymmv. With the downloadable b-sides(and extra mixes etc), two discs of great demos and a fantastic DVD I would say go for it!
So you cut out the "Dad rock" you say, but leave Rough Ride on the album? (PS @supermd I'm with you in the fight against Rough Ride) The TOW/POP sets are miles better in terms of quality control and general niceness than the VAM/SOS sets. Dude his most convincing blues track ever was "On The Way".... Damn how are these people forgetting about "On The Way"? I mean BB KING covered it for god's sake... AW FRICK YOU BEAT ME TO IT Dogs terrify me but now I think Arnie terrifies me just a little more Don't you mean strike while the skillet is hot?
The demos on disc 2 are performed by Paul & Elvis with just an acoustic guitar and/or a piano. In the deluxe set there is also a hidden track on disc 2 - a Geoff Emerick mix of The Lovers That Never Were demo. I believe that only the deluxe box set contains the hidden track but I might be wrong. The 3rd disc has band recordings - all of the 9 demos from the previous disc are performed by the band and sound much fuller, richer, some of them even sound similar to album takes (You Want Her Too, That Day Is Done), only with some minor differences. I personally think that disc 3 is the real treat of the box. And of course you get the 13 downloadable B - sides and another 3 excellent McCartney/Costello demos.
You've been on this site for almost TWELVE YEARS, why do you not use the "quote" feature and/or use the proper tagging of a fellow user (example: @maccafan) when you directly respond to someone? After that much time here, shouldn't you conform to the forum's generally accepted etiquette?
Watching the DVD for the first time now, here's some live thoughts on the "Paul and Elvis" segment: Good lord stop the screeching violin synth combo make it stop please Okay, My Brave Face!! What a hot take, even as a loose jam I love it. Hearing Elvis take a solo turn on this is a real treat (aside form him not really remembering half the lyrics lol). His phrasing and octave leap "work of a housewife" got me a little excited downst--anyways Twenty Fine Fingers: It's like Paul is teaching Elvis the track, but I think its just more of a matter of this being them re-remembering it after a while eh? This had been a while after the skillet sessions right? Ah looks like they're showing the band the track in general. Why does the drummer's kick sound like such untuned poopoo? Elvis just hammers on that acoustic I wonder if the very piece of paper Paul is reading the lyrics off on the music stand is reproduced in the DE's Ruff Book? Tommy's Coming Home: If Paul was someone I knew irl I would think his sense of humor was sometimes annoying and super punchable, but he's a god so I'll just say "hahah Paul you so silly" Cool though watching them build up the vocals of what we hear on the 1988 Demo audio My Brave Face AGAIN! This one rocks! Again very cool hearing Costello as lead vocalist hear, his voice works surprising well on this song Hahaha Paul goes too hard slaying at bass and kills the take, that's legit funny Oh see silly paul ruins the second take so we don't even get to hear Elvis sing the full tune! On to the vocal tracking, why did they take things so slow on the MBF 88 Demo? Ouch Hamish, no more high harmonies for you! Adding credence to the belief that this was never gonna be 50/50 album collab, the camera focuses on Paul A LOT more than Elvis Reading over this I'm dissing a lot, but really that was a fascinating 20 minutes TBH, this is the first time I've actually played an Archive DVD since....Mc II? Oops. Anything this good on the VAM/SOS/TOW/POP discs?
I make a big point of dissing Paul's jokes and then I watch the next segment on the DVD and when he messes up that take of This One and turns it into a vulgar improv rocker I'm in stitches! Edit: just rewatched it because I had to. His voice is so amazing there even if its just a riff. "Spontaneous combustion there"? Come on Paul, more like "I haven't rocked this hard since 1979, better get my lumpy trousers back on"
@Mr. Jinks, I must have missed that class, never saw where anyone said that was the only accepted form of etiquette? Have to say seems absolutely trivial to me, isn't the result what counts? Or is it about pressing the right buttons?
Pitchfork review for those interested: Paul McCartney: Flowers in the Dirt Album Review | Pitchfork The short version: the original album is deemed decent but patchy (Rough Ride is described as the worst second song on an album ever - which is a tad harsh!). All the real praise is reserved for the demos. I think it merited a higher score (I'm loving the deluxe set), but I'm glad it's getting attention - hopefully the positive things said in the review will encourage people to buy it.
