Paul McCartney/Wings-song by song thread

Just saying he channeled The Fabs in general on the album. Yes, primarily John and Paul though.

Certainly, Paul specifically has been a major influence on Billy (In some ways “Maybe I’m Amazed” seems the blueprint for Billy’s career). Though I think Billy’s music and songwriting has much more to it than just being a McCartney wanna-be. He would not have lasted this long if he were just that.

 

I Saw Her Standing There (from Live at Shea Stadium)

Let It Be (from Live at Shea Stadium) [Official Video]

Billy Joel Hid His Meat During a Visit From Paul McCartney (2010)

 

Not going to argue that Paul was being particularly badass at this point of his career, but I like this mostly forgotten gem anyhow. At least Paul was rocking again, and his backing band was a good one.

Unclear to me what “one-armed bandits in the swimming pool” means, exactly. But then, I also enjoy “Junior’s Farm” and I don’t claim to understand all the lyrics in that one either.

Besides, Paul’s saying he’s not such a bad boy any more (Double negative in the song aside. It’s a time-honored rock tradition). Fun little rocker, stands out above most of his ’80s output for me. 4/5.

 

Joel's a giant in the music industry.

 

If diminutive in actual height.

 

Not Such a Bad Boy - One of the better songs on the album it was on.

 

Not Such A Bad Boy is pedestrian rock at best.

 

I like Not Such a Bad Boy, and indeed I like most of the originals on Broad Street -- but especially the rockers. These have a loose, casual feel that's fairly unusual for Paul's rockers, which are often (with notable exceptions, of course) sometimes a little too polished in the studio versions. This is a good, solid, fun track.

I must say I'm disappointed that our moderator has chosen not to discuss the remakes on this album, which are most of the album and its truly puzzling aspect. So many are nearly note-for-note recreations that in an interview at the time George Harrison quipped, "He rerecorded them?"

The one remake that really does work for me in a slightly unexpected way is Here, There and Everywhere. While it adheres pretty closely to the original arrangement, there's a subtle but noticeable difference in Paul's vocal. The original version sounded almost ethereal, as if he was singing about a fantasy lover, not a real person -- and perhaps he was. The Broad Street version, to me at least, feels subtly but unmistakably more real, like he's singing about an actual human being. It's one of two remakes here that I like better than the original.

The other is The Long and Winding Road. I don't really love the smooth jazz sax, but it's better than the Phil Spector Wall of Sludge. Still, I really wish Paul had just done a proper studio recording of the arrangement he played on the Wings Over America tour.

 

If people want to discuss the re-makes on the Broad Street album it s no problem.I choose not to because they just don t belong in a song by song thread. We have already discussed Wanderlust, So bad and the other recent songs. Songs like Yesterday hardly fits on a thread that is meant to discuss Pauls solo/Wings stuff song by song
Personally I sort of enjoy the re-recordings of the Beatles stuff given Broad Street is a soundtrack album. I really enjoy the smooth jazz-version of Long and Winding road
But
My favorite Long and Winding road is the one featured on Wings over America. Just love Pauls vocals and the horns on that one

 

There seems to be a lotta talking about songs we're not talking about !
Bemagnus , take control or we're gonna wind up talking about Paul's covers of ' A Taste of Honey' and " Till There Was You ' from those vintage Beatles days.

 

Not Such a Bad Boy

It's time to rock and have fun!!! Great performance with strong vocals, guitar riffs and a unique drums sound by Ringo.

Lyrics:

I laughed at the teachers
Who taught in my school
They kept one armed bandits in the swimming pool

They don't understand me
But they never will
And if was there I'd be telling them still

I'm not such a bad boy no more, no more, no more
I'm not such a bad boy no more, no more, no more

I followed the leader
Into her tent
But nobody told me that she owed some rent

She wanted to love me,
I wanted to go.
But she taught me things that I needed to know

I'm not such a bad boy no more, no more, no more
I'm not such a bad boy no more, no more, no more

She wanted to love me,
I wanted to go
Well she taught me things that I needed to know

I'm not such a bad boy no more, no more, no more
I'm not such a bad boy no more, no more, no more

I talked to my lawyer,
he picked up my bail
Won't someone get me out of this lousy jail?

We're both in agreement
that crime never pays
And I should be out in a couple of days

I'm not such a bad boy no more, no more, no more
I'm not such a bad boy no more, no more, no more
I'm not such a bad boy no more, no more, no more
I'm not such a bad boy no more, no more, no more

Credits:

Produced by George Martin
Written by Paul McCartney
Bass, Vocals by Paul McCartney
Backing Vocals, Keyboards by Linda McCartney
Drums by Ringo Starr
Backing Vocals, Electric Guitar by Dave Edmunds
Backing Vocals, Electric Guitar by Chris Spedding
Percussion by Jody Lindscott
Engineer: Geoff Emerick, John Kelly
Engineer assistant: Stuart Breed, Jon Jacobs
Label: Parlophone
Release Date: October 22, 1984
Recorded at Abbey Road Studios / AIR Studios, London, UK / CTS Studios, London, UK
Length: 3:29 minutes

 

Sometimes we have to loosen up a bit. But soon we will get back to business.

 

@Victor46542 this is your avatar, right?

 

Their music doesn’t even sound the same.
Billy’s music is obviously piano-based with a jazzy influx at times. Paul’s music by and large can’t be even more different.

 

Episode 0 – An Introduction

Episode 1 – McCartney

Episode 2 – Ram – Part 1 of 2

Episode 3 – Ram – Part 2 of 2

Episode 4 – Wild Life

Episode 5 – Red Rose Speedway

Episode 6 – Band on the Run

Episode 7 – Venus and Mars

Episode 8 – Wings at the Speed of Sound

Episode 9 – London Town

Episode 10 – Back to the Egg

Episode 11 – McCartney II

Episode 12 – Tug of War

Episode 13 – Pipes of Peace

Episode 14 – Give My Regards to Broad Street

 

Not Such A Bad Boy:
Exactly the kind of thing POP was missing.
It’s not an out-and-out rocker, but I simply love it’s spontaneous live-in-the-studio nature. This is a perfect example of Paul not trying too hard, relying on the talents of the musicians around him and just having a blast.

Without discussing the songs in order it’s going to be a bit harder to be objective about the album as a whole since there’s so many selections, but when I have some time to kill I’ll put in my two cents.

 

I finally sat through the entirety of Broad Street a few years ago. Aside from a couple of great musical sequences, it's terrible.
You know things are bad when Paul can't even play himself convincingly.

 

Not Such a Bad Boy is a great little rocker. Better than almost anything on Pipes.

 

Next one

No values

Another rocker-this one I enjoy slightly more than Not such a Bad Boy. More interesting chord-changes and lyrics also better. Whoever Paul sings about he seems genuinely upset. Still not a very good song and I still think this crack-band could have sparked a bit more fire. Aces like Edmunds and Spedding plus Ringo Starr deserved a better faith than this. Imo of course

I hear them telling me that you're selling off the furniture
And even keep my personalized autographs
You might as well go all the way and sell your granny to the zoo
And while you're at it, may I go to my psychiatrist?
He's making money out of making me laugh
But I don't mind, I wish that I could say the same about you
It seems to me that you've still got no values
Oh you know you're not so hot, no values
And I'll be glad if you went away again
No values... no values... no values at all

The city shark is at the dark and of the alleyway
You pays your money and you takes your choice
The artful dodger says he wants to pick a pocket or two
But you, you've taken up a place in high society
A personal friend of Messrs Rolls and Royce
Got them all convinced that everything you say to them is true

It seems to me that you've still got no values
Oh you know you're not so hot, no values

You know you've got a lot, but no values
And I'd be glad if you went away again
No values... no values... no values at all

I like your wife's smile, I like her car
If I had your lifestyle, I wouldn't go far wrong
On the waters of life you row your boat
Into the strongest tide that you can find
On the darkest of nights we were two of a kind
We went through it all before the tide went out
And left us stranded on the shore
How was I to know
How was I to know



Well you ain't got no values
You know you think you're hot, no values
You know you've got a lot, but no values
And I'd be glad if you went away again
No values... no values... no values at al

 

Oh there’s plenty of The Beatles, and Paul, in Billy’s work. The Nylon Curtain album being most obvious (And it’s a great album), but I can point you to tracks all the way back to Cold Spring Harbor (His solo debut) thru River of Dreams (the underrated album he ended on) that show the Fabs influence.

There’s a reason he’s covered so many Beatles songs onstage, has shared the stage with Paul a few times, and why Billy is tapped now and then to talk about The Beatles on Sirius XM, and wrote a piece for Rolling Stone a few decades back about Beatles songs.

You don’t hear Paul here? This is the original version, with the longer jam at the end (Later reissue was shortened).

 

I like “No Values.” Not as catchy as the other two new songs, but still an interesting song that has more of the punch Pipes of Peace sorely lacked.

Not an all time classic, but for 80s Paul it rates well enough for me. Some of the lyrics really don’t make much sense to me though. The opening lines:

“I hear them telling me that you're selling off the furniture
And even keep my personalized autographs”

Wha?? Selling the furniture, but keeping the personalized autographs. This is bad, why exactly?

Also not clear who he’s singing to, or who “he” is when Paul briefly mentions someone other than the main object of his ire. If I understood all that better, I might like it more. As it is, 3/5.

 

Not to get too far off topic, but here’s one more “Beatlesque Billy” example... From what is apparently his final album (Been over 25 years). Today’s Paul song (“No Values”) reminded me of this one, as Billy’s song is similarly full of angst.

The lyrics are a bit surreal, but it’s specifically about his former manager, who Billy had only recently learned had been rippjng him off years. “No Values” indeed.

This one might be a bit more John, or maybe even George in places, than Paul, but the Beatles influence is strong here, from the backing vocals to the strings to the mysterious voices in the background near the end: