Ok, so I've finally listened to all the cds and watched the DVD in the deluxe box, and these are my impressions: - Man o man, disc 2 is the biggest highlight. Those harmonies with Elvis! So sublime! And all 9 cowritten songs are superb. If they'd put that out as the album in '88 or '89, it would have topped the charts all over the world. - it's clear that Macca tried every possible method to achieve a hit with Flowers, and got messed up with wanting a contemporary sound (for the 80's), and wanting to take the album on the road. I'm also guessing he didn't wish to share the limelight 50/50 with another artist. - these recordings reinforce my opinion that Paul's 'lumpy trousers band' period ('88-'93) was frustrating how they slowed down every song they performed, whether it be Beatles songs or newer material. Even My Brave Face ended up plodding along compared to the original demo. I would have loved it to stay at the original tempo. The band really needed a shot of adrenaline or a strong coffee Flowers is still a good album, but I now realise how much better it could have been.
I listened to Flowers(well, disc 3) today, while doing some cleaning, and I have to say I Want Her Too didn't offend me so much today, me and Flowers have had a bumpy road, but I'm starting to like it more and more..
After listening to the remaster over the last couple of weeks, I now rate the album in my very top grouping of Paul's solo/Wings albums, alongside the likes of 'BOTR', 'Electric Arguments', 'Ram', 'Chaos and Creation', 'New', 'Flaming Pie' and 'Tug Of War', and just above 'Venus And Mars' and the two eponymous albums.
Great to see comments from people as they play FITD more and listen to the extras and unfold it again, if you know what I mean. Thats why this thread holds more interest than the Pepper one for me, both when it was in the anticipatory stage and now. For me the Pepper deluxe is more or less what I wanted / expected and I (as I am sure most here do) know the original album inside and out, whereas FITD was in my collection but on the periphery of a likely listen
I'm pleased to see that, even among his fans, there is a greater appreciation of this album. As a child of the 80s I'm not offended by any of the production choices and I've always felt this album got a very raw deal. Perhaps I'm a one-man Flowers Army, but I'd argue that side one is the best side in his catalogue.
You mean this side 1, right ? 1/ My Brave Face 2/ You Want Her Too 3/ Distractions 4/ We Got Married 5/ Put it There If so, I think I might agree.
Actually, I'd include Rough Ride. I love the groove it has, even if it isn't the most remarkable bit of songwriting. If Bip Bop can be re-evaluated, there's hope for Rough Ride.
Hey! Don't go comparing Bip Bop to Rough Ride. If you want to mention a different song, like Hey Jude, that is okay. But Bip Bop is sacrosanct and does not need to be sullied by being put in the same sentence as Rough Ride.
Here's a comp of irritating and often maligned Paul songs (no jams allowed in the list). Actually a pretty enjoyable playlist. 1/ Bip Bop 2/ Mary Had a Little Lamb 3/ Mamunia 4/ Girlfriend 5/ To You 6/ Wonderful Christmastime 7/ Darkroom 8/ We All Stand Together 9/ The Other Me 10/ Spies Like Us 11/ Angry 12/ Rough Ride 13/ Motor of Love 14/ Biker Like an Icon 15/ If You Wanna 16/ Driving Rain 17/ Gratitude 18/ Everybody out There
I have another 18 songs to add to your list (which would make it a far less enjoyable listen!): Temporary Secretary (unbelievable, but there are still those who deride this song) Bogey Music (another of those 'love it or hate it' songs that is due for a re-evaluation) All You Horseriders (completing the McCartney II trifecta, this one is definitely for fans only) I Am Your Singer (some folks don't like Linda's vocal. Me, I love it!) Magneto And Titanium Man (Paul declares his love for Marvel comics in song, loses credibility points in the process) Give Ireland Back To The Irish (nice melody, good vocal, but Paul wasn't destined to write political anthems, was he?) Freedom (almost twenty years after 'Irish', and Paul still hasn't learned. The one song on this list that is most deserving of being maligned, IMHO) Really Love You (2nd most deserving ) Women Kind (I'm at a loss to understanding just WHY Paul decided to release this track ) Tug Of Peace (why, Paul?? ) Ebony And Ivory (a simple, yet pleasant enough song that some use as proof that Paul can only write banal ditties) The Girl Is Mine (listen in as 40-year-old Paul and 24-year-old Michael pitch woo at some undisclosed female. Not as enjoyable as it sounds) The Man (another Mac-Jack collab, this one is just far too saccharine sounding for my tastes) Children, Children (I know it's mainly a Denny song on London Town, but Jeez - wouldn't Waterspout sound good right about here?) Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reggae (another WTF moment for Sir Macca) Loup (1st Indian On The Moon) (Paul McCartney vs. Pink Floyd and Floyd wins by a knockout) Kreen-Akrore (Paul McCartney vs. Native Americans and our Paul loses yet again) Boil Crisis (unreleased, so probably shouldn't be evaluated, but man those lyrics and that vocal!! THIS is the same guy who wrote Hey Jude?? Prove it!)
I'd replace "To You" with "Ebony And Ivory" and then cut "Mamunia" in favour of ending with "Freedom," but otherwise the list demonstrates what is seen as the weaker side of Paul's catalogue.
Loved this album when it came out, and loved the demos ever since they started circulating. Really nice to have the demos in an upgraded status. I've listened to the 2-disc version a bunch of times over the past couple of weeks. I discovered two (obvious and unremarkable) things. I misinterpreted and unnecessarily complicated the line "Now I don't have to tell anybody when I'm gonna get back" for 28 years ("that's remarkable!") I somehow attributed "getting back" to returning from his depressed state - like he was so down he couldn't foresee a time when he wouldn't be depressed. And the other night it dawns on me - He just means that since she left he can stay out as late as he wants because there's no one to ask him when he's going to be home. Discovery #2 - "Figure of Eight" is an agapic rather than romantic love song. Add it to that long line of positive, humanist songs that runs from "We Can Work It Out" to "Hope for the Future". But lots of people who aren't me surely already knew that. I'm trying really hard to do the Walden thing a bit and stop accumulating "stuff". I'm also turned off at the prospect of spending over $100. But at the moment disc 3 is the only sizable hole in both my McCartney and McManus collections, and it's paining me to not hear that material. Lucky guy, that Thoreau, being born before CDs.
Got my nitpicky hat on, but isn't there almost 30 years between Irish and Freedom? (early 70's to 2001)
My exact feelings, Ray. Just don't have $100+ for that one, otherwise unattainable cd. Ou est le solace?
I consider them "jams" not proper songs. Otherwise really worthy additions to the list. Ahah, fun stuff, well done. Especially love the Loup/Kreen-Akrore two punches ! I tried to stick to actual "songs" of which there are not many in your additional list (except a few pretty good ones like Temporary, Singer or Magneto that I could not include because they are too good !) Good suggestions. I felt bad for To You as well… I think stuff like The Broadcast or Whole Life could fit the bill as well.
Well, you've just put the two in the same sentence, so who's doing the sullying here? Bip Bop Rough Ride Bip Bop Rough Ride Bip Bop Rough Ride Bip Bop Rough Ride Bip Bop Rough Ride
No song is sullied by being put in with Rough Ride! RR is one of the absolute best songs on that album! I know everyone likes McCartney with Costello, but just about all of that material they did together, I don't like! Motor Of Love is another one of the very best on the album, two of McCartney's' best!
