Would "Maybe I'm Amazed" have been a number 1 hit if it was released as a single from "McCartney"?

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Pizza, Mar 20, 2017.

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  1. It certainly could have gone to number 1. But wow that would have canabalized album sales.
     
  2. I think that Paul, if he had decided to release this song as a single, would have put it out as it is.

    I still think it's interesting how it was Paul that went to an obviously more 'bare bones' approach to recording his first 2 solo albums, which in my view was incredibly brave and ballsy, especially after the slicker production of Abbey Road.

    John and George, in contrast, went in for what many had trashed Paul for doing too much of at times with more lush production.

    I just listened to this album on Cd for the second time this month. Paul's first two solo albums are simply treasures to me.

    Paul claimed to be suffering from a lot of insecurities, and depression in this period of his life, and I can certainly believe that, but to me, he still had a ton of fortitude to take the reins the way he did, and subsequently re-invent himself. Almost without taking nary a breath, after the Beatles crumbled.
     
  3. JamieC

    JamieC Senior Member

    Location:
    Detroit Mi USA
    Not necessarily. Singles buyers were not necessarily album buyers. You really have to look at the way record sales were driven in 1970. AM top 40 was still the driving force for singles. Maybe I'm Amazed was big on FM both by Paul as well as Rod Stewart and the Faces some months later.
     
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  4. PaulKTF

    PaulKTF Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    Sure, it's the same great song.
     
  5. noahjld

    noahjld Der Wixxer

    Nowhere near as good as the studio version.
     
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  6. ukrules

    ukrules Forum Resident

    Location:
    Kentucky
    [​IMG]
     
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  7. noahjld

    noahjld Der Wixxer

    Yes indeed. Horses for course etc. :righton:
     
  8. noahjld

    noahjld Der Wixxer

    Can't believe the studio version was never pulled as a single in the UK. Any reason given why it wasn't??
     
  9. Pizza

    Pizza With extra pepperoni Thread Starter

    Location:
    USA
    How do you feel about the song or Paul? Do you feel there was a better choice from the album for a single?
     
  10. tommy-thewho

    tommy-thewho Senior Member

    Location:
    detroit, mi
    I would say no.

    Too slow a song.
     
  11. majorlance

    majorlance Forum Resident

    Location:
    PATCO Speedline
    Well, I do believe this is the first time I've heard the production of John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band described as "lush." :doh:
     
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  12. slane

    slane Forum Resident

    Location:
    Merrie England
    Or the production of 'Ram' described as 'bare bones'.
     
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  13. True but the song is so vastly different in sound to the rest of the album that I could see it having a notable impact. Who knows though.
     
  14. bob60

    bob60 Forum Resident

    Location:
    London UK
    I prefer the live version, but maybe that's because it was a single so I heard it a lot on the radio back in the day.
    For me Ringo released the best solo Beatles singles in the early 70's, he had a good run of them.
    I think a good mixed solo compilation album from all four of them up to the mid 70's would be better than any album the Beatles released. Of course I realise I am in a minority of one on here with that one.
     
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  15. JamieC

    JamieC Senior Member

    Location:
    Detroit Mi USA
    The thing is that McCartney has a somewhat grungy sound, probably because its not technically a studio recording. It was a home recording which limited how many tracks there were(four). To release it as a single would entail major remixing and probably overdubs. IMO it was too sparse and dirty a recording to work on AM radio. This is not a dig at the song, just the way that Paul recorded it. It was a personal project.

    With all that said I know that the record WAS played on top 40 as an album track, and it actually charted in some places as an album track, but nowhere near number one.
     
  16. Bingo Bongo

    Bingo Bongo Music gives me Eargasms

    Location:
    Ottawa, Canada
  17. slane

    slane Forum Resident

    Location:
    Merrie England
    Maybe I'm Amazed was recorded on 8-track at Abbey Road. Not all of 'McCartney' was home recordings. Besides EMI, Morgan Studio was also used.
     
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  18. AFOS

    AFOS Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brisbane,Australia
    Uncle Albert is the exact opposite
     
  19. slane

    slane Forum Resident

    Location:
    Merrie England
    Any record that features the NY Philharmonic would be (though that particular track is the worst song on that album for me).
     
  20. Ephi82

    Ephi82 Still have two ears working

    Location:
    S FL
    Please xplain what you would change?
     
  21. Culpa

    Culpa Forum Resident

    Location:
    Philadelphia, PA
    "Please Don't Feed The ABKCO". :)
     
  22. GLENN

    GLENN Forum Resident

    Location:
    Kingsport,TN, USA
    I think it would have been a massive hit and I wouldn't have changed a thing about the production.
     
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  23. videoman

    videoman Senior Member

    Location:
    Lake Tahoe, NV
    The production and performance is definitely "demo" sounding and not at all up the standard Paul set with his solo singles going forward. Would this have been a reason he would not have wanted it as a single? I have no idea. Would it have hampered the public reaction to the single in 1970? Hard to say.
     
  24. videoman

    videoman Senior Member

    Location:
    Lake Tahoe, NV
    Short of re-recording it with more overdubs and better-mic'd drums? I would have added compression and limiting to the individual tracks to smooth out the rough edges and give it a more radio-friendly sound. The guitar track, especially, is a mess from this standpoint. The rawness of it all adds to the charm of the recording, in many ways, of course. But it does prevent it from being the sort of state-of-the-art studio quality track that was common at the time.
     
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  25. videoman

    videoman Senior Member

    Location:
    Lake Tahoe, NV
    Who was the engineer? Regardless of where Paul recorded it, it still sounds like a home demo. He may as well as have recorded it at home for all the benefit he got from using Abbey Road on this one.
     
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