Paul McCartney - Egypt Station (#1 album in US) Appreciation Thread 2.0 - New and Improved

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Dr. Pepper, Sep 19, 2018.

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  1. Antivenom9808

    Antivenom9808 Forum Resident

    No. None of these songs are leftovers.

    "Back in Brazil" is the oldest song -- 2012 ??? 2014????

    Hand in hand is also one of the first song written for this album too.

    "Happy with you" -- 2015 or so

    All the other songs were in time.

    The Tedder productions are the latest.
     
  2. Ed59

    Ed59 Forum Resident

  3. Ringo Hendrix

    Ringo Hendrix Resident Pest

    LOL Egypt Station is the best damn bluegrass album that has ever been.

    Don't ya just love that fiddle on Hand In Hand?:agree:
     
  4. Bruce M.

    Bruce M. Forum Resident

    Location:
    Hilo, HI, USA
    A number of people have compared ES to Ram, mostly in a complimentary way, saying they're similar. At the risk of kicking up controversy, I want to disagree. I think the 2 albums are worlds apart.

    It's no secret here that I'm not a fan of Ram, but that's not central to the argument I am making. I get (well, sort of), what people like about Ram, even though it doesn't hit me the same way. I just think ES is a whole 'nother sort of beast.

    What the 2 albums have in common is fairly elaborate production and a sense of exuberance that leads to Paul being all over the place musically. The latter is, of course, not really unusual for Paul, but it's more pronounced here than on many of his albums.

    But I think the differences outweigh the similarities. First, ES has a streak of melancholy running through it that's totally absent from Ram. There's nothing on Ram with anything remotely like the feelings of wistfulness and regret that run through I Don't Know and Confidante, to pick 2 obvious examples.

    ES feels like the work of a guy with a lot on his mind, both emotionally and intellectually. The feelings he's trying to express -- successfully, in my view -- are really subtle and complex. To take Confidante as an example (since it's currently my favorite song on the album, though that may change tomorrow), there's a lot going on here. He's talking about a relationship he gave up on (and whether it's with a person or a guitar doesn't really matter), and looking back on it fondly and wistfully -- and yet he never says he regrets ending it. The feeling one's left with is, "I'm sad this ended and I kinda miss it, but I had to move on" -- though it's never said that explicitly. Indeed, one could take Confidante as a sequel to Do It Now, which is about picking up and abandoning what you have to find something new.

    This is deep, emotionally complex stuff, and Paul's music enhances the words perfectly. Whatever else it is, ES is an album with a lot on its mind -- and that's before we even get to the songs addressing social and political issues, which have a more prominent place here than on any Macca solo album.

    Ram, whatever one thinks of it musically, is for the most part an album with nothing on its mind. There are a couple exceptions, of course -- Too Many People and Dear Boy -- but they stand out because they're exceptions. One doesn't look to tunes like Uncle Albert, Smile Away, Monkberry Moon Delight, 3 Legs, Ram On, etc. for deep insights into the human condition. One can like or dislike the almost manic energy behind the album and the way it explodes in a hundred different musical directions, but its pleasures are more sonic than emotional or intellectual.

    And yes, that does get to the heart of why Ram's never done much for me. The music that stays with me is music that makes me feel something, and -- except for Too Many People -- Ram makes me feel very little. But the point here is that ES is the work of a man who's lived a long, complicated life filled with both incredible triumph and gut-wrenching tragedy, and he's trying to make sense of it in song in a way that we're not at all used to from Paul, who's generally pretty guarded about such things. Ram, love it or hate it, just isn't like that.
     
  5. bward

    bward Senior Member

    Location:
    Boston, MA USA
    Finally got myself a vinyl play copy of Egypt Station.
    I managed to find the Deluxe 180g vinyl at Newbury Comics.
    And it's every bit as excellent as my hi fidelity brothers and sisters have described.
    What an experience!
    Even the lesser (to me) songs sound fantastic.
    And, as others have noted, the old fashioned album side breaks make this a much more enjoyable listen, rather than one long run through all the songs.
    But seriously, if you have a turntable, get this. You won't regret it.
    Oh yeah, and play LOUD.
    C-Link is giving me chills.
     
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  6. Sean Murdock

    Sean Murdock Forum Intruder

    Location:
    Bergenfield, NJ
    Well, Paul calls the Beatles "a good little band," so if that's the curve he's grading on, his "pretty fair tracks" must be great! :righton:
    From the Rolling Stone interview:

    The album has 16 songs. Were more recorded?
    Oh, yeah. There’s like 20-something songs that are recorded.

    Will they come out in some form?
    I have a feeling they will be released in some way at some point. We live in a time now where things are released digitally. I think they’ll have a use for everything. We finished pretty much every song that we put on the table. I think there’s 20, but there could be as many as 25.
     
  7. Ringo Hendrix

    Ringo Hendrix Resident Pest

    The Beatles were a "good little band" and Wings were "terrible". Wonder what he's got to say about The Fireman?


    God, a new Fireman album- in the vein of Electric Arguments, with vocals on each track- actual songs- would be AMAZING
     
  8. Wiserforthetime

    Wiserforthetime Forum Resident

    What song from new was in a movie and which movie?
     
  9. Ringo Hendrix

    Ringo Hendrix Resident Pest

    Cloudy with a chance of meatballs 2


    I was the only one in the classroom lit up because a song from a Beatle was playing. They were playing at end of year in 8th grade. That's all I remember of the movie.
     
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  10. streetlegal

    streetlegal Forum Resident

    Love what you have to say here. Particularly the light you shine on "Confidante"--and how it contrasts with the carpe diem quality of much of the album. One thing, though--I find pathos (melancholy and nostalgia) on Ram; I think it is implicit lyrically in "Uncle Albert" and "Back Seat" (nostalgia and the sadness of the generation gap), and certainly in the music . . . but that might just be me.
     
    Last edited: Sep 22, 2018
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  11. paulmccartneyistheman

    paulmccartneyistheman Forum Resident

    “New” and Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs 2
     
  12. streetlegal

    streetlegal Forum Resident

    I need to stop playing this damn album. It hasn't left my CD player, and I don't want to get sick of it . . .
     
  13. streetlegal

    streetlegal Forum Resident

    Little in-joke on "DRW":

    "Best crew on the planet" line is followed by "The best crew on the planet!" done as an in-concert call-out to the stage-hands followed by audience applause! (actually, he uses this very line in the Central Station concert when thanking the crew).
     
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  14. Dr. Pepper

    Dr. Pepper What, me worry? Thread Starter

    If you really want to experience the great works of Paul's Renaissance , I really think I've caught lightning in a bottle with this playlist! I've spent a lot of time getting the sequence right and making sure that the songs play together well!


    PR Paul - for Post Renaissance Paul a Playlist by Dr. Pepper on Spotify
    Despite Repeated Warnings
    Jenny Wren
    Back In Brazil
    Too Much Rain
    Ever Present Past
    People Want Peace
    My Valentine - Live at Capital
    Dominoes
    Why So Blue
    Sing The Changes
    English Tea
    Mr. Bellamy
    Fine Line
    Highway
    On My Way To Work
    Appreciate
    Road
    Hunt You Down/Naked/C-Link
    The End of The End
     
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  15. Bemagnus

    Bemagnus Music is fun

    I see lotvs of similarities between the approach of Ram and Egypt Station but there is a life-tome between 28 year old and 76 year old Paul so a comparison is not meaningful. That s why I
    named ES a Ram for 2018
    It s difficult to claim thats inga like Back away of my car doesn t mean anything. Actually I think lot s if Ram has to do with breakin free.’
    But if course the lifetime that separates ram-Paul and ES-Paul
    Don t think Ram Paul ever could have written stuff like I don t know but perhaps Fuh you
    Who knows
     
    Mr. Explorer likes this.
  16. streetlegal

    streetlegal Forum Resident

    In intend to give this a listen when I extract ES from my turntable . . . ;)
     
  17. Ringo Hendrix

    Ringo Hendrix Resident Pest

    Ooooh yes! Good list!
     
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  18. Bemagnus

    Bemagnus Music is fun

    I like both of them in different ways
    It s easy to see that Despite repeated warnings ain t loved by everyone. I find it harder to understand how anyone can find that track boring.
    But to each their own
     
    Last edited: Sep 22, 2018
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  19. streetlegal

    streetlegal Forum Resident

    Slightly off-topic. I just got New collector's edition. Liking it a lot. "Struggle"--just wow. That's the "Nothing's for Free" of New--dare I say even better. Awesome track!

    (should be on your Renaissance Collection Dr P.)
     
  20. sunking101

    sunking101 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Yorkshire, England
    It's the best song on the album for me.
    I find it hard to see how people dig Who Cares and Back In Brazil when I find them to be the weakest tracks but hey-ho.:shh:
     
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  21. I333I

    I333I Forum Resident

    Location:
    Ventura
    I think the whole “yes, we can do it” segment is one of the best moments on this great album. This album ends so strongly. Love DRW.
     
    theMess, JDeanB, Eska68 and 6 others like this.
  22. angelees

    angelees Forum Resident

    Location:
    Usa
    RAM and Egypt Station are my favorites because they mirror each other. A man in the summer of his life; a man in the winter of his life. A man trying to find happiness with all his might; a man trying to hold on to happiness with all his might. A man bold, brash, vibrant; A man humbled, seasoned, peaceful. A man searching for purpose; a man knowing his purpose. A man contented in his defiance; a man defiant in his content. A man growing up; a man growing old. A man playing at invincibility; a man recognizing his own mortality. A man wounded and shaken, anxious about the future, trying to pick up the pieces; A man grounded and sturdy, anxious about the future, trying to keep the pieces together. A man who wants to Ram on, and move forward without a doubt; A man who wants to slow down, savor everything and enjoy right where he is at. A man who is hopeful; A man who is reflective. A man who wants to motivate himself to do his best; A man who wants to motivate others to do their best. A man who has everything to prove; a man who has nothing to prove. An inspired man who loves to make music; an inspired man who loves to make music.
     
  23. Dr. Pepper

    Dr. Pepper What, me worry? Thread Starter

    I was thinking about it. If I added one more track, then that would be the one, or honestly any track from ES. When you listen to my playlist, it's amazing how much ES tracks just come across as so much more musically inventive and playful than everything else. The other tracks just tend to sound so sparse almost like demos in comparison. Seriously have a listen.
     
  24. DrJ

    DrJ Senior Member

    Location:
    Davis, CA, USA
    Just got the Target edition with 2 bonus tracks.

    Have only listened through the first 5 songs. It's shaping up to be a super strong release. By far the favorite so far is "Happy With You" which made me cry on the way to work in the car. I guess some people will always view Paul songs like this as saccharine and simplistic, just too "pat," but I've always felt that 9 times out of 10 he's one of the artists who absolutely thrives on and completely carries off this kind of material.

    For me this song is a profound beauty, and a shining example of why we desperately need 76 year old artists making pop albums and sharing their wisdom.

    The whole lyric is incredibly poignant for me, but the part that made me completely lose it was:

    "Watching reunited friends
    Loving one another"

    I'm losing it again right now just thinking about it. Partly I think I react that way because I believe this is a pretty obvious reference to his reconciliation of sorts with John before the latter's death - but even putting that resonance aside, it is just a remarkable observation and sentiment, like the best of Paul's work seemingly obvious but then you stop to think that you've never heard anyone call it out before.

    How much better does life get?

    Also I agree very much with Bruce M's post - so far I am hearing absolutely nothing that sounds remotely like RAM. But even though RAM is my favorite Paul album, that is not an insult. If anything I'd say what I hear so far sounds like a (far) more upbeat CHAOS AND CREATION, also one I'd put in Paul's top drawer.
     
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  25. Mr. Explorer

    Mr. Explorer Trumpet Man/Dapper Dan

    Location:
    Nashville, TN, USA
    Not gonna lie this was beautifully written and manly tears are welling up in my eyes
     
    tages, theMess, angelees and 8 others like this.
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