Current Paul McCartney news thread (interviews, articles, miscellaneous)

Very big loss for Paul. Truly a best friend to him for many years.

 

You know, as an American, I was always kind of mystified by the UK popularity of "Mull Of Kintyre", but I think I get it now:

Anthemic
Pastoral
Nostalgic for the comfort of home and family
Pub singalong style
Slowly building arrangement
Big spectacle with pipe band live

Not a bad little song, that.

Nice treat for the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Canada shows, too.

 

I just listened to Maybe I'm Amazed this way in headphones. Wow. So much there I hadn't even realized before. I guess I've heard the song so many times that I kind of listen around it now. Never realized he vocalizes during the first guitar solo. Struck me for the first time just how much his wonky drumming is the heart and soul of the song - like he's got to pound on these things to get it all out, and if it's kind of indiscriminate so be it. Now I understand why the much more "proper" WOA single version just doesn't land the same way.

 

As well as the things you mention, there's one other big factor and that's the way the UK singles chart often worked in the 1970s.

Many people would buy one single per year, or would buy or receive a single as a Christmas present, and this lead to some massive sellers by songs that were completely against the trends of the time (see also Amazing Grace by The Pipes & Drums & Military Band of The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, biggest selling single of 1972).

So take a song like Mull Of Kintyre, release it at the right time of year, and add the McCartney factor, and it has the chance to go absolutely stratospheric, in this case becoming, for a while, the biggest selling single in UK chart history!

 

Hence the phenomenon of the "Christmas Number One", right?

 

Certainly the phenomenon of some extremely bizarre Christmas number 1s!

 

I’m not ashamed to say I think Mull Of Kintyre is one of Paul’s best.

 

Yep, his solo Yesterday.....

 

I blew it off when it first came out. But one day I got it, I think Paul should be very proud of that song.

 

Me, I don't care about "Yesterday" but I love "Mull Of Kintyre".

 

Me, I don't care about "Yesterday" nor "Mull Of Kintyre", but I love "Bip Bop".

 

I even think "Bip Bop" is better than "Yesterday". The "Wings Over Europe" version is quite enjoyable! No hiding under the chair this time!

 

For No One>Yesterday>Hey Jude>Maybe I'm Amazed>The Back Seat Of My Car>Let It Be>TLAWR>Beautiful Night>No More Lonely Nights>Wanderlust>My Love>Mull Of Kintyre>Warm And Beautiful>Dear Friend

Did I miss any big Macca ballads?

 

Robbers Ball

 

Here There and Everywhere

 

It would go in #2 for me -- I left off stuff like and I love her and Things We Said Today because they sort of seem like small ballads to me, if that makes sense

 

Here Today ?

 

The original mix never quite worked for me, but yeah, this is an improvement. Nice!

 

Interesting video showing filming locations for the Back To The Egg TV special.

 

Pancreatic cancer is the WORST.

In August of 2006 I visited my aunt. In seemingly perfect health she told us she was diagnosed with pancreatitis. In February 2007 she died.

 

No More Lonely Nights, Only Love Remains, This Never Happened Before, Anyway.

 

I'm one American who's always loved this song and never understood why Capitol really didn't promote it here.

 

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