Paul McCartney/Wings-song by song thread

"Stranglehold" is an okay song that would have been a decent Wings rocker (I'm picturing it with the V&M-era lineup). But the production tries so hard to sound current for the era that the end result is kind of a mess. It's not as bad as much of the rest of the album, but the problem with Press to Play is not, as someone stated, that Paul zigged when we wanted him to zag. The problem is that 90% of it feels like the geeky kid at school trying to dress like the cool kids and just not pulling it off. Except for a couple of tracks, there's hardly a moment on the album that doesn't feel strained, awkward and fake.

Bear in mind, P2P came as Paul for the first time was struggling with album sales. Even the weakest-selling Wings albums, like BTTE, cracked the top 10, but both POP and Broad Street failed to do so, despite successful singles. Most of P2P has the desperate feel of an artist straining to stay relevant but kind of lost at sea. In some cases the stripped-down mixes that exist are meaningfully better. The released versions, for the most part, are just unfortunate.

 

The Velvet Underground would disagree...

 

Eddie Rayner does not play guitar. He’s a keyboard player. They misinterpreted the “eddies guitar” written by Paul. Funny! It took me years to understand what really means!!!

 

This little guy = sarcasm

I do know it's a song.

 

Good Times Coming / Feel The Sun

An excellent mix of songs, one nostalgic, and the other an explosion of happiness, a moment to enjoy, to shine. Another way of interpretation is a long waiting for the good times, an obscure era, skinny cows, or bad moments, and then a ray of hope for better times, dreaming about that, and then, in an unexpected way, the good times, fat cows, happy moments are here.

Great vocals, harmonies and guitar riffs with an exquisite solo by Carlos Alomar. Paul is creating another experimental mix of interesting sounds, and a lovely break between the two songs. Bravo!!!

Lyrics:

I was thinking about that summer so long ago,
Pack up your bags and yell ‘Geronimo'.
That was a golden summer. Wasn't it hot?
We laughed a lot that summer, laughed a lot.

Laughing at the good times coming,
Laughing at the good times coming in.
Good times coming, laughing at the good times coming in.

There was something about the weather, what can I say?
Nothing like any other holiday.
That was a silly season, was it the best?
We didn't need the reason, just a rest.

Happy at the good times coming,
Happy at the good times coming.
Good times coming, happy at the good times coming in.

I'm loving you, I'm loving you, I'm loving you now.
I'm loving you, I'm loving you, I'm loving you now.

There was a golden summer before the war.
They laughed a lot that summer, lah de dah.

Laughing at the good times coming,
Laughing at the good times coming in.
Good times coming, laughing at the good times coming in.

Good times coming… good, good.
Good times coming in… good, good.

Feel the sun shine in, shine in, shine in. Feel the sun shining in on you.
Feel the sun shine in, shine in, shine in. Feel the sun shining in on you.

All the beauty, all the pain. Will it ever be the same again?
If you love me, show me now. It's the only way that we know how.

Feel the sun shine in, shine in, shine in. Feel the sun shining in on you.
Feel the sun shine in, shine in, shine in. Feel the sun shining in on you.


Credits:

Produced by Paul McCartney and Hugh Padgham
Written by Paul McCartney
Backing Vocals, Bass, Electric Guitar, Electric Piano (?), Keyboards (?), Shaker (?), Vocals by Paul McCartney
Electric Guitar by Eric Stewart
Electric Guitar by Carlos Alomar
Drums by Jerry Marotta
Keyboards by Eddie Rayner
Backing Vocals by Ruby James
Backing Vocals by Kate Robbins
Engineer, Mixing: Hugh Padgham
Label: Parlophone
Release Date: September 1, 1986
Recorded at Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK
Length: 4:56 minutes

Paul's own words:

Sound On Sound Magazine, October 1986:

""There's a nostalgic air about hot summers that have gone. It's a pretty strong feeling, even for people who are only 17, they can remember a summer when they were 10. In Britain you tend not to get too much of that stuff anyway, so you tend to remember 'em.

To me the song is three summers: one when I was a kid going to Butlins in my short trousers, feeling embarrassed cos I wanted long trousers. That was a good one, sort of donkeys on the beach summer.

Then the second verse is a bit more grown up, when I imagine you're working, so I associate that lyric with The Beatles - 'It was a silly season, was it the best? We didn't need a reason, just a rest!' That's one of my favourite lines on the album. It reminded me of The Beatles because of some photos taken by Dezo Hoffman, great shots of us in old-fashioned Victorian bathing gear, John doing the Charleston - classic stuff.

Then the third verse is kinda ominous, talking about a great summer before the war; that takes the good-time edge off it. I remember I heard there were a couple of really cracking summers in 1936 and 1937, or whenever, but Hitler was just round the corner. I always imagined people playing a great game of cricket, in their whites, everything as it should be: gentle applause, tea... and then the next year they're all gonna be off at war. That's the twist in the tail of that song.""

 

Side 1 of WILD LIFE sucks big time.
"Mumbo" is at least dumb fun.
But "Bip Bop" is awful. It should have been a bit song (like "Wild Honey Pie") but instead goes on for over 4 minutes of inane, boring repetitive crap sung in Paul's worst vocal ever.
"Love Is Strange" is...well strange.
"Wild Life" is a promising idea that just goes on way too long.
I do like side 2 of WILD LIFE though.
I recently got the CD. I like it much better than the album as I can listen to "Mumbo", the first 45 seconds of "Bip Bop", then skip ahead to a bit of "Love Is Strange", about half of "Wild Life", and then go to side two.
I like the track called "Bip Bop Link" too.

 

Good Times Coming-weird and boring
Feel The Sun-nice melodic bit of a song

 

Hmmm...I don't think you'll be too impressed to hear I think side one is one of McCartney's best album sides.
Oh , well ,at least you listen to some of it.
Cheers

 

Oh ! Sorry...I never pay attention to those things. Never use them.
In the back of my mind though I was thinking : he must know the VU song !

 

We All Stand Together (7.5/10)
I can see why this was a successful children’s song and the wintery feel I get from this reminds me of “Wonderful Christmastime” but while that was a synth orchestra, this was a glorious George Martin moment – Paul did give him a lot of room on some of the songs from this era-kudos. A Paul song had not been as bombastic as the conclusion to this – where the big brass and strings get together for one final moment as the chorus is declared one final time. It’s a catchy chorus that’s for sure.

We All Stand Together (humming version) (5/10)
More of George Martin’s orchestral work. This is the most Martin work I’ve heard in some time hearing these last three albums & the singles. Paul wrote the main melody and we hear some humming of it. It’s a pretty melody. Not too interesting though and actually, this might be too proper without those frogs that give the single the McCartney quirk factor we like.

Spies Like Us (7.5/10)
One of the few top ten McCartney songs that was difficult to get a hold of in the CD era. I remember looking around for this one. Everything’s big on this including the hook. The drums thump extra hard and wide, the guitar distortion is at the highest I’ve heard on a Paul song, the synth horns pounce and stab the rhythm sporadically in a jarring way. It’s got a unique rhythm in general which draws interest, and the darker moments are gripping, but it’s a playful song so the vocals are light. The lyrics are too but they don’t touch on spy stuff enough. Other than a couplet, it’s too general to be about spies. I like how the song speeds up at the end, but the backing vocals sound ridiculous repeating the title. I dig that it’s a rocker even if it’s generic. Again, Paul did maybe 10 or less rockers for the decade so I’ll take this. The DJ version is shorter and probably more tolerable to some.

Spies Like Us (party mix) (6/10)
Spies can have parties too ya know. Some movie dialogue is sprinkled in, there’s some alterations in the texturing, but it’s still big and bold and goes on for 7 minutes. I’ve never heard the full version til now. There’s some additional guitar licks too on this that aren’t on the other versions. With all the guitar, I was able to tolerate the full duration. Paul does some curious vocalizations that are outside his norm to wrap up the tune. I wish they were on the single version.

My Carnival (4/10)
A bare root of a song with way too much repetition. We get it. It’s your carnival and you can have it already, just get off my back. Geez. It’s too hokey and cheesy and nothing really happens. Sounds like fun but I never could get into this and it was a struggle to hear this and the party mix.

My Carnival (party mix) (2/10)
Carnival party time baby yeah yeah. This is like a ferris wheel riding off its gears through a carnival, rolling and wrecking everything in sight before crashing into a cotton candy fire.

 

For all I know it was a dream I had, but I seem to remember maybe Me. Belamy and an old one like Ram On both done in the same graphic style as the PTP tracks .

 

No worries at all. You're good.

 

I think the extra Spies vocals you are referring to actually are lifted from a demo/early take.

 

You're not wrong.

Which brings me to Good Times Coming/Feel The Sun. Here are another two fragments that Paul never bothered to complete. In this case, that's a good thing as each fragment on its own isn't anything special. But together they are pleasant enough. Again, the arrangement is very Howard Jones. Lots of blips and electronic farts. Now, don't get me wrong - I like Howard Jones's music. I've seen him live. He's a proper pop songwriter and a good keyboard arranger. But when I want to hear Howard Jones I don't reach for Press To Play.

Press To Play does have it's highlights - but they aren't displayed in it's first two tracks.

 

Ironically Feel The Sun was a complete song and it was truncated for the album.

 

SPIES LIKE US - Absolutely horrible!
GOOD TIMES COMING - Next.
FEEL THE SUN - Love it, should have been a song all on it's own!
MY CARNIVAL - Oh yeah, I've always liked this party song! Totally sounds like that New Orleans Mardi Gra vibe! I like the version that has the prominent guitar solo and horns!

 

Press to Play was the first CD I ever bought back in 1986 and I played it almost constantly my freshman year of college. Consequently, although I can objectively recognize that it may not be his best, I love every track on it. Stranglehold and Good Times Coming feel like visiting old college buddies after not hearing them for so long.

 

Interesting. I think I'm now the third person to write that Press to Play was the first CD they bought. As such. I wish I liked it more. I've never minded the listening experience while it's happening, but none of it stays with me once it's over.

 

Dang are stories are almost identical! It was also my first CD.

 

But not the last

 

I don't get the love for this one. It's okay, and less gross than much of the album, but barely midpack in Paul's catalogue.

 

Next one

Talk more Talk

Wow-this is pretty bad. I m aware there are a few different mixes of this song and that some really like it. Well I m being such a big Paul-defender hate to say this but this experimental songs is-for me-bordering on the unlistenable. I can see Paul. want s to go a bit experimental and most of his experimental stuff I like. That s because it mostly seems natural to him. Here he seemingly tries to do something in the way of -say Peter Gabriel. Some examples-the voices in the beginning are meant to be arty but to me they sound more like something out of Monte Python. Pauls vocals sounds strained and unpleasant. The music don t exactly shine and sounds extremely dated. As someone else said-the eighties production mostly didn t benefit Paul. Paul also forgot to write a melody.
One should give Paul credit for trying something different but as far as I am concerned this experiment ended in a train-wreck of a track.
A few years ago after listening back to Press to play Pauls reaction was-"Oh my god what was I on at that time". A most relevant question Sir Paul

From “Club Sandwich 42 – Autumn 1986“:

This piece of controlled eccentricity stands out for its syncopation even on Press. Indistinct conversation leads into Paul duetting with himself in superb style. “The basic track was done in a day. Lyrically it was picking out quotes that I liked from, I think, a Tom Waits interview. ‘I don’t actually like sitting-down music’, great things like that“. There’s a 12-string guitar in there somewhere and slowed-down and speeded-up voices express great thoughts like ‘All he wants is a handyman; all he wants is quick service‘ and ‘I hear water going through the pipes‘.



Lyrics

Spoken word:
A master can highlight the phrases,
Sleazy instruments, half talked, half baked ideas...
Dad, you didn't say O.K...
The window was open, outside was a spaceship,
(A master can highlight the phrases) it took off into the sky
leaving a trail of smoke behind it...

Short of the standard. Was it the sum?
What was rehearsal? Conventional drum?
Not quite a hundred. Less than a ton.
Clearly the time came, the plan had begun.

With talk, more talk. Chat, more chat,
Words of a feather are worn in a hat.
Talk, more talk. Chat more chat.
I'm happy to do it for you…

Developed since earlier days at the school.
Cheapest sensations were used as a rule.
Outstanding to memory, major free flow.
Bio-degradable, look out below for…

Talk more talk,
Oh I love to hear the gentle sound
Of conversation sprinkled around
A room where I can be at one with you for…

Talk more talk. Chat more chat,
Words of a feather are worn in a hat.

Talk more talk. Chat more chat. Happy to do it for you…
I'm happy to do it for you… I'm happy to do it for you…
I'm Happy to do it, I'm happy to do it..
I'm happy to do it for you.

Digital organ, finishing stretch,
Instrumentation, analogue Gretsch.
Not quite a thousand, lower than that.
Possible bargain for listening at that…

Talk, more talk. Chat, more chat,
Words of a feather are worn in a hat.
Talk more talk. Chat more chat.
I'm happy to do it for you…

Spoken word:
All you want is a handyman and all you want is quick service.
Because I'm a house owner. I am a house owner.
It may be worth something someday.
I hear water going through the pipes.
I don't actually like sitting down music. Music is ideas.

Talk, more talk. Chat, more chat.
Words of a feather are worn in a hat.
Talk more talk. Chat more chat.
Talk, more talk. Chat, more chat.
Words of a feather are worn in a hat.
Talk more talk. Chat more chat.

Spoken word:
A master can tell, highlight the phrases his words to digress.
Grey flannel trousers…Grey flannel trousers.
A blazer and grey flannel trousers.

 

Good Times Coming/Feel the Sun 3.5/5
By far the best song on the album. I like Paul doing some reggae and can feel that hot summer vibe here. Nice guitar solo.

Talk More Talk 0.5/5

Funny, I was going to post something similar. Compared to Peter Gabriel's "So" album many songs from P2P (which is from the same year!) sound like Paul desperately trying to keep up with the state-of-the-art sound. "So" is a masterpiece btw.
"Talk More Talk" is hard to listen to. The drum sound is terrible and the vocals sound forced. This song is really, really bad.

 

It is

 

Totally agree about the straining to stay relevant bit. It's interesting to note, however, that Pipes peaked at No.4 in the UK, while Broad Street somehow made it to to No.1!

That sums it up beautifully.