Paul McCartney/Wings-song by song thread

Im happy Im not the only one who enjoys the wild Bogey music. I love the way deconstructs boggie woggie. Clever and fun

 

Front Parlour: 2.5/5 For the life of me, I have never been able to recall this song from memory ever. Is it really even that memorable? It is interesting and another form of an experimental example with Paul’s new equipment. This always seemed like a TV show theme to me somehow. It would be a great one actually.


Summer’s Day Song: 4/5 Achingly beautiful and somehow just so very slightly boring at the same time. Still, it gets a great score. Amazing song.


Frozen Jap: 3/5 I’ll never understand why he thought this was an ok title. Especially after the Japan bust. He had to know that this term had a negative connotation from WWII. At least it does in the US, maybe it's different in the UK. Somehow the song is still compelling nonetheless.


Bogey Music: 1/5 This is dumb. But thanks for experimenting, Paul. Keep it up. 1 dud out of a 100 is a great score.

 

Without Bogey Music life would be incomplete. Always loved this one too.

Me neighbor used to have a huge blue pit bull named Bogie - I'd sing this to him. He seemed to enjoy it LOL

 

Bogey Music

Pure Madness McCartney. This is the work of a genius having fun. Terrific performance, smart lyrics, strong vocals and crazy mix of sounds. For some strange reason the music invite us to dance!!! Bravo!!!

Lyrics:

Everybody bogey
Dig that bogey beat
Man that bogey rhythm
Smells so clean and sweet
Everybody bogey
Bogey on to the street
Without bogey music
Life is incomplete
Without bogey music
Life is incomplete

Everybody bogey
Dig that bogey beat

If you little bogeys
Want to sing along
Clean your bogey act up
And learn the bogey song
Without bogey music
Life is incomplete
Without bogey music
Life is incomplete

Bogey music, bogey music
Bogey music, bogey music
All right, here we are now
Tonight in bogey land

Bogey music, bogey music
Well, when the younger bogeys
Hear that bogey sound
Every little bogey
Got to bogey down
Bogey man bogey
Bogey man bogey
Bogey man bogey on down
Bogey music, bogey music, bogey music
Bogey music, bogey music, bogey music
Bogey music
Bogey man bogey on down
Bogey music

All you little bogeys
I want you to sing along
Clean your bogey act up
And learn the bogey song
Without bogey music
Life is incomplete
You know, it is...suckers
Bogey music, bogey music
Bogey music, bogey music

Credits:

Produced by Paul McCartney
Written by Paul McCartney
Bass, Drums, Electric guitars, Engineer, Mixing, Synthesizers, Tambourine, Vocals by Paul McCartney
Eddie Klein: Mixing assistant
Label: Parlophone
Release Date: May 16, 1980
Recorded at Home Studio, Peasmarsh, Sussex, UK / Spirit Of Ranachan Studio, Campbeltown, Scotland / EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Length: 3:28 minutes

 

"Frozen Jap" sounds very much like the music for some online games that my daughters played some years back (Papa's Pizzeria and others).

In the vein of the previous instrumental but a bit more current.

"Summer's Day Song" is reminiscent of Brahms' lullaby IMO. It's pleasant enough.

 

More about Bogey Music...

It was inspired by Fungus The Bogeyman, a children’s picture book by British artist Raymond Briggs:

​

 

More about Bogey Music...

Without bogey music
Life is incomplete​

 

My point, I guess missed, was whether the suits at Columbia by the time M2 came out were grumbling a bit that Paul wasn’t performing up to expectations commercially.

And, did Johns death in a few months maybe deter Columbia from pushing Paul on this issue? Or do you think they ever talked with him?

I can quote charts too. But in spring 1980 after laying out for the biggest contract ever, what’s Columbia thinking?

 

Next one

Darkroom

In my mind one of the weirdest songs on the album-if not from the sessions. It s a groove-piece with lot s of vocal-effects and a very repetitive chant as lyrics.

This is another track I believe divides the listeners. I kind of like it-mainly because the killer deep bass and grooves and also because of the vocals. Especially the full-lengt-version features some really weird vocal-effects. It s contains somewhat creepy and unusually dark moods coming from Paul. This place were the narrator want s us to go seems far from inviting

A strange, fascinating and for me oddly listenable piece



From the Beatles bible

The shortest song on Paul McCartney’s second solo album, Darkroom was an improvised song based around a single-chord groove. McCartney wished the sessions for McCartney II to be light and full of improvised, with the result that many of the songs were frivolous and lacking hidden depth.

Darkroom was no exception, and featured a mantra-like chant at its heart.



It wasn’t anything to do with Linda, and the darkroom where she develops her pictures. Actually, somehow I just heard the word ‘darkroom’ and thought it had lots of connotations. It could be a dark room, a photographic darkroom, or just a room which is dark. You know, a fellow saying to a girl, ‘Come to my dark room,’ is a bit like a ‘Come, let me take you to the Casbah,’ kind of thing. So I thought of this double meaning and it’s just a chant that says, ‘Comma, come along to my darkroom.’ And then I added a sort of atmosphere thing in the background and that’s it. It’s supposed to sound like a sort of freaky darkroom or something.

Paul McCartney

Darkroom was almost cut from McCartney II prior to its release, when several songs were omitted in order to reduce it from a double album to a single one.

Originally Darkroom wasn’t going to be on this album because we had to knock off about eight or nine tracks at the beginning. We had planned a double album, but then it came down to a single album. I was going to lose Darkroom because the original version is a very long track and goes on through all sorts of little crazy noises. But I edited it down because I liked it, and now it’s on the album.

Got a place we can go
Lights are low
Let me show you to my darkroom

Came a come along with me to my darkroom
Come a come along with me to my darkroom

Come a come along with me to my darkroom
Come a come along with me to my darkroom
Come a come a come a come a come a
Come a come a come a come a come a

Got a place we can go
Lighting low
Let me show you to my darkroom

Come a come along with me to my…

 

"Darkroom" is great. The best of the experimental electronic tracks IMO.

 

Definitely one of my favourite songs on the album, it's so infectious and has a great groove and ambience. It very much reminds me of certain music released in the decades since.

 

Darkroom - love it. I always thought Paul was doing his Lennon impression with the Ha Ha Hee Hee stuff towards the end

 

Bogey Music sounds like something made for a kid's birthday party as a joke. It's basically one joke stretched out to 3 or 4 minutes -- or is it 3 or 4 hours? Seems that way at times.

 

Next one

One of these days


Pauls finishes his most left-field and experimental album to date with a gorgeous, classic McCartney acoustic song. It s like Paul wanted to tell the listeners not to worry, that the Paul many knew and love still was there.

I love this song-in my mind one of Pauls finest acoustic dittos. The song has a nice Hare Krishna-message. Musically it really is like a breath of fresh air with it s open, invitating melody and great performance and recording. This one would have fitted on the White album. It s that good and share the vibes of that album

A hidden jewel and another truly great deep track


The Beatles Bible

The final song on Paul McCartney’s second solo album stood in stark contrast to the experimental, often electronic songs that came before it.

One Of These Days was classic McCartney territory, a pensive acoustic song that showcased his unmatched melodic skill. It was inspired by the serenity of a Hare Krishna devotee that visited him during the McCartney II sessions.


One Of These Days all happened when a Hare Krishna bloke came round to see me. He was a nice fellow, very sort of gentle. After he left, I went to the studio and the vibe carried through a bit. I started writing something a bit more gentle that particular day. The song seemed right as a very simple thing and it basically just says, ‘One of these days I’ll do what I’ve been meaning to do the rest of my life.’ I think it’s something a lot of people can identify with.

Paul McCartney

Sounding more like a Rishikesh-inspired outtake from The Beatles’ White album than a summer 1979 song, the lyrics to One Of These Days – with their references to breathing fresh air and enjoying freedom – took on an added poignancy in the light of McCartney’s incarceration after his arrest for cannabis possession in Japan in 1980.
One of these days
When my feet are on the ground
I'm gonna look around and see
See what's right, see what's there
And breathe fresh air, ever after
One of these days
When a job just takes too long
I'm gonna sing my song and see
See what's right, see what's there
And breathe fresh air, ever after
It's there, it's round
It's to be found
By you, by me
It's all we ever wanted to be
One of these days
When we both are at our ease
When you've got time to please, yourself
See what's right and see what's there
And breathe fresh air, ever after
It's there, it's round
It's to…

 

Darkroom 3.5/5 ~ A song with a pleasant groove. A bit monotonous that's why I prefer the edit in this case.

One Of These Days 4.5/5 ~ A great stripped down and intimate ballad. The song is on par with some of his finest Beatles ballads.

 

One of These Days -- nice song. A great way to finish the record.

 

Dark Room: 4/5 Yeah, now we’re back into the swing of things. Who said experimenting can't be fun and crazy weird? I like how this song seems to materialize out of thin air in the very beginning and then bam! we are hit with that very street level riff. Paul makes the song a bit eerie/creepy too given the connotations of the songs lyrics.


One Of These Days: 5/5 Paul ends this album on a high note with another very beautiful song. Zero complaints here. That's two amazing deep cut ballads on here (Summer's Day Song being the other). Lots of good stuff on this album.






McII cumulative score: 42.5/55 77% While enjoyable in it's own way, side 2 really keeps this from rocketing to a very high ranking on my list. Despite the strong side 1, I’m going to nestle it under RAM and lower on my list because it isn’t as cohesively solid as the other albums.

No deductions because of the synths or experimentation. He already had some songs assembled that would ultimately become Tug of War/Pipes of Peace so it’s interesting he didn’t try those out for this album. I guess he was saving them for Wings and really considered this a side project.


BOTR 43/45 96%
V&M 49.5/65 76%
RRS 36/45 80%
BTTE 52/70 74%
LT 49.5/70 71%
RAM 41.5/60 68%
McII 42.5/55 77%
WATSOS 43/55 78%
McC 43/65 66%
WL 28.5/40 71%

 

Hang on, guys...

Bogey Music:
This is just Paul having fun in his studio.
It actually is about something, I give him that too.
What else to say?... Well, it’s defiant and I love the little, pitched guitar runs between the verses.
And remember....
Without Bogey music your life is incomplete, SUCKAAAASSSS!!!!

Darkroom:
Probably my favourite deep cut on the album.
It’s catchy, a little naughty and it’s got a mysterious vibe I can’t put my finger on. I also like how the rhythm wavers a bit at points, going in double speed at the end. Lovely little song!

One Of These Days:
After all this chaos we’ll pull the curtains with a very Beatlesque ballad in which only the heavy reverb on the vocals gives away it’s genesis. I always pair it with Summer’s Day Song for some reason, like two charming little interludes.

 

Darkroom

A dark and weird mystery song. Paul is having fun and mixing a lot of crazy, obscure, mysterious and strange sounds with double meaning lyrics and different vocals from light to darkness with a sinister laugh to enhance the performance.

Lyrics:

Got a place we can go
Lights are low
Let me show you to my darkroom

Come a come along with me to my darkroom
Come a come along with me to my darkroom

Come a come along with me to my darkroom
Come a come along with me to my darkroom

Come a come a come a come a come a
Come a come a come a come a come a

Got a place we can go
Lighting low
Let me show you to my darkroom

Got a place
Got a place we can go
We can go
Come a come along with me to my darkroom
Lighting low
Let me show you to my darkroom
Come a come along with me to my darkroom


Credits:

Produced by Paul McCartney
Written by Paul McCartney
Bass, Drums, Electric Guitar, Engineer, Mixing, Shaker, Synthesizers, Vocals by Paul McCartney
Eddie Klein: Mixing assistant
Label: Parlophone
Release Date: May 16, 1980
Recorded at Home Studio, Peasmarsh, Sussex, UK / Spirit Of Ranachan Studio, Campbeltown, Scotland / EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Length: 2:20 minutes

Album version:

 

More about Darkroom...

Twin Freaks version:

 

They got Tug Of War correct? Then they didn't have much to complain about.

 

One Of These Days is the best song on MCCARTNEY II
I also like Summer's Day Song and the live version of Comin Up quite a bit
The studio Comin Up is good, but the live is better
Frozen Jap and Front Parlour are OK instrumentals
Waterfalls is OK, but deservedly not a hit single in the US
Darkroom is boring
Bogey Music is just weird
I can't stand Temporary Secretary. It's like Paul thought it was so clever that the words "temporary" and "secretary" sort of rhyme and it would be cool to just repeat them, complete with his worst vocal since "Bip Bop" as he sang them.

 

On to a plethora of b-sides we go...

 

Half-like.

 

Yes. Three years later they got their hit.