Paul McCartney/Wings-song by song thread

No , no , no..it's side 1 that's marvelous !

 

WL is DEFINITELY a 7,5 to 8, hows about that?

 

Yeah, not the song anyone would want to be remembered for. He cracked the UK top 10 a couple more times, but only made the U.S. top 40 twice more, "Press
(no. 21) and "My Brave Face" (no. 25). He consistently charted better on the UK singles chart than in the US from the mid-'80s 0n. US top 40 radio just gave up on him.

 

Oh that discussion will be lively! I just listened to Press to Play for the first time in maybe 3 years, and, uh... well, I better save it. We're almost there.

 

No. It really is that bad. It’s awful. For an awful, tired, cynical movie. Blech.

 

I can feel the good times coming...good times coming in!

 

Next One
Strangehold

This number by McCartney and Eric Stewart starts of Press to play. It ain t a bad song but like much of the album partly ruined by to much production and tinkering. Eric Stewart might have been disappointed he didn t get to produce the album but imo was right in these sentiments
Eric Stewart, about the production of “Press To Play”:

"God knows what happened, but by the time it was finished there were four producers involved and they’d messed up those songs, like ‘Angry’, totally changed them, a great song called ‘Stranglehold’, which was a beautiful song we’d written together, buggered it all up with blipping saxes going all the way through the verses"

Eric Stewart, 2017, Far out Magazine

Like much of the album I find the early recording more enjoyable than the finished one

Song facts

From Wikipedia:

“Stranglehold” is a song by Paul McCartney that was originally released on his 1986 album Press to Play. It was isued as single exclusively in the US and reached number 81.

From “Club Sandwich 42 – Autumn 1986“:

Messrs. Marotta and Padgham justify themselves immediately: the crisp drumwork is beautifully recorded and propels an arresting track which can only be described as swinging. Paul and Eric drive it along on acoustic guitars, saxophone swells occur at just the right moments and there’s some delightful, clipped electric rhythm guitar.


Can I get you to give me a minute of your time?
Can I get you to slip me the answer?
Can I get you to show me a little of your mime?
You were always a very good dancer.

I'd be happy to show you a bit of what I found,
I'd be happy to share in its beauty,
I'd be happy to lay low inevitably bound,
I would only be doing my duty.

I wait, I wait, I can wait. I can wait back in the bar.
I can wait, I can wait, I can wait back in the car.
I'll be waiting for you.

Stranglehold, you know you've got one on me,
I don't want to go without you.
Stranglehold, you've got me where you want me,
But I want to know more about you.
I want to know more about you.

Are you willing to wager a little of your life?
Are you willing to take such a gamble?
Are you ready to walk on the edge of the knife?
Then I think we can skip the preamble.

I wait, I wait, I can wait. I can wait.
I can wait back in the bar, I can wait, I can wait,
I can wait back in the car, I'll be waiting for you.
I'll be waiting...

Stranglehold, you know you've got one on me,
I don't want to go without you.
Stranglehold, you've got me where you want me,
And I want to know more about you.
I want to know more about you.

I can wait, I can wait back in the bar.
I can wait, I can wait, I can wait back in the car.
I'll be waiting for you.

 

It's my birthday today (if you're reading this on the 19th) but that won't stop me from catching up!

We All Stand Together - Nice song, but you can tell John would've hated it.
"Stop making this kind of music, Paul!"
Spies Like Us - I like it better than the next guy. Not too remarkable but good as a movie song.
My Carnival - Never cared for this one too much.
Stranglehold - Alright, but like a lot of Press to Play, it's mostly forgettable.

 

Is the early recording of Stranglehold and others available anywhere, especially if Eric is right and it is better than the 'finished' work.

 

Is this real or photoshopped?
Really awful cut, either way.

 

I'm pretty it's neither of the two.

Happy Birthday!



My Carnival 2/5 ~ B-side stuff and therefore at the right place.

Stranglehold 2.5/5 ~ A song that isn't used to it's full potential. A week opening track and a week single. Anemic.

 

Stranglehold is top tier Press to Play for me! I actually like the 80s drums here, the saxes, the bass parts and the phrasing in the verses - plus the singing also sounds pretty committed. So, I'll give it a 3.5/5.

Actually, the whole of Side 1 is pretty enjoyable stuff. Just like Pipes of Peace, it's Side 2 where things fall of a cliff.

I'm not sure about the video though ...

 

Gotta agree, it was awful.

 

Happy birthday to you!
I agree with most of the above but I do like 'Stranglehold'. I played it at a party way back then and a girl came up to me asking 'who is this' and upon my reply she said 'not bad for a guy that old'!

 

I don't really remember the movie Spies Like Us. Saw it once on a VHS somewhere in the late 80's and didn't remember afterwards what it was all about. Didn't even know the song that was playing on the end credits was in fact Paul's (turned off the player immediately having watched the movie). After learning there's Paul's input to the picture I tried to rewatch it several times, but unsuccessfully. As for the song, well, it’s dull.

 

Worst spell of Paul's career in my opinion... Dull, weak song.

 

Not one-upping Who Cares at all here. Merely just posting the singles info in order for us all to keep the remixes straight in our minds . . .


Stranglehold

7" single (B-5636)

1. Stranglehold - 3:36
2. Angry (Remix) - 3:36
   • Remix by Larry Alexander

Press
7" single (UK Only)

1. "Press" – 4:20
   • Mixed by Hugh Padgham
   • Actual running length is 3:55; other than the earlier fade, this mix is identical to the 10" single
2. "It's Not True" – 4:31

7" single (R 6133)

1. "Press" (Video Edit) – 3:35
   • Mixed by Bert Bevans and Steve Forward
2. "It's Not True" – 4:31

12" single (12R 6133)

1. "Press" (Video Soundtrack) – 4:43
   • Mixed by Hugh Padgham
2. "It's Not True" (Remix) – 5:50
   • Remix by Julian Mendelsohn
3. "Hanglide" (McCartney / Eric Stewart) – 5:18
4. "Press" (Dub Mix) – 6:30
   • Remix by Bert Bevans and Steve Forward

10" single (10R 6133)

1. "Press" – 4:20
   • Mixed by Hugh Padgham
2. "It's Not True" (Remix) – 5:50
   • Remix by Julian Mendelsohn
3. "Press" (Video Edit) – 3:35
   • Mixed by Bert Bevans and Steve Forward

Pretty Little Head
7" single (R 6145)

1. "Pretty Little Head" – 3:50
   • Remix by Larry Alexander
2. "Write Away" – 3:01

12" single (12R 6145)

1. "Pretty Little Head" – 6:56
   • Remix by John 'Tokes' Potoker
2. "Angry" (Remix) – 3:36
   • Remix by Larry Alexander
3. "Write Away" – 3:01

Only Love Remains
7" single (R 6148)

1. "Only Love Remains" - 4:11
   • Remix by Jim Boyer
2. "Tough on a Tightrope" - 4:44

12" single (12R 6148)

1. "Only Love Remains" - 4:11
   • Remix by Jim Boyer
2. "Tough on a Tightrope" - 7:03
   • Remix by Julian Mendelsohn
3. "Talk More Talk" - 5:56
   • Remix by Paul McCartney and Jon Jacobs

 

Stranglehold:
I like it fine. There’s the clinical 80’s production, I give you that, but the song goes interesting places. Love the saxophone. It shows that Paul is trying to widen his palette.

 

Press to Play by no means perfect is enjoyable (for me anyway) reminds me of an 80's Fireman album.
Some tracks fall flat, but Stranglehold is a decent pop tune.

 

Press To Play (**I’ve lifted this intro from my post in an older thread and edited some)


I'll start with saying that I've loved Press To Play since first listen.

I think most of the grief P2P has received over the years simply comes down to people's expectations of what album they thought Paul should make next. Everyone was thinking Paul would zig after his relatively vapid albums Pipes and Broad Street. He instead surprised everyone by zagging. It’s just so off the wall and unexpected for people that it didn't translate to sales.

Lots of good music came from the 80s but let's face it, production values sucked a lot of life out of pop music. Paul tried that formulaic pop sound with Pipes and Broad Street and essentially failed. No one was looking for a 40 something pop star following the new trends. Other musicians of the same ilk were also faltering at this time (Rolling Stones' Dirty Work, Bowie's Never Let Me Down).

So where he could have continued to chase the stellar pop/rock album hit which he had successfully done so many times before with Wings and so recently with Tug of War, he decided to stop with that formula.

I really consider P2P to be quite an experimental album for Paul. He chose to elevate the songs above simple runthroughs with some obligatory overdubbing. He wanted something different. I think the result is a Paul album that really sounds like no other in his catalogue. Paul knew he needed to change so change he did and created a new sound for himself with this album. It's this kind of work that I like to see more of with Paul. Even compared to other contemporary music at the time, it is completely out in left field.

Many of the songs on P2P contain a rhythmic bed from which the beat is driven or augmented that must have taken some time to put together. They are almost reminiscent of tape loops. More signs of experimentation on this album. For me, that's part of it's charm. This wasn’t a paint by numbers album for him.

If there is a gripe to be made by me, there is still a bit of that 80s overproduction seeping in to the album. Nowadays we'd probably all like the album to be a little less washed out with the sound. Listening to the album on vinyl helps. The CDs are pretty in your face with it all.

I am a firm believer, however, that we can't dismiss an album because of what was the trend or style at that time in history. It was the 80s, it was the trend for albums to sound like this. That doesn't take away from the craft that went into the art. As I made the analogy in one of the Egypt Station threads, doing so is like saying you don't think Alfred Hitchcock films are good because James Stewart and Cary Grant always wore high-waisted trousers.







Stranglehold: 3/5 A strong album opener that got a bit strangled by the production. I think the saxes were the bridge to far on this one but otherwise a strong, rocking opener. I like the tempo of the song during the verses and the guitar work throughout.





Some alternate shots from the Hurrell photoshoot

 

I'm with you, great track and a fun New sound for Paul!

Stranglehold 8/10 or 10/10 as an opening track to the cohesive whole that is Press To Play!

Press To Play whole album rating: 9.5/10

Love the album cover! Love the visual layouts of every song included with the album packaging. Prabably Paul's most elaborate album packaging until Egypt Station!

 

A thoughtful take on this album.

I don’t mean to sound flippant, but really, my expectations, or should I say hopes, were that Paul would simply put out an album with good songs. I bought P2P even after being underwhelmed by the “Press” single. My hopes always run high with Paul.

Similar to Neil Young’s Landing On Water, I didn’t mind the modern production, but objected to the poor songwriting.

I spun it several times. Then, like Landing on Water, I filed it away.

Great songs, in any production style, typically win the day in my book.

 

When I first saw the ' Press To Play ' album cover I thought it was a piss take on John and Yoko's' Double Fantasy ' cover shot.
But where that cover was a spontaneous shot which captured the 'Double Fantasy ' motif , the ' Press To Play ' photo was an overripe , over made up and overblown professional portrait which had nothing to do with its title.

 

I will say that this is a good shot of Linda. She looks sexy and mysterious rather than spaced out and high as a kite.
Maybe this should have been the album cover. Macca could have called the album ' Femme Fatale ' and written a ( hopefully ) good song with that title.

 

The good songs are in there, they just got buried in production woes.

If you have time, seek out the earlier/stripped down mixes. They are somewhere in this behemoth:



It will give you a greater appreciation.