Paul McCartney/Wings-song by song thread

Yeah that really something to crank up on ones system. The bass-lines on the track are so simple but still so effectice. I also think Paul had a great musical connection with Denny Seiwell -something clearly heard on Loup

 

Loop 7/10

I quite like it, always love hearing it. But it does not fit the mood of the album at all IMO.

 

I agree that Loup is a bit of a change from the rest of the album. Back in the days it used to irritate me but nowadays I m used to it. In fact it belongs there. It took a few years to reach that conclusion though

 

Loup 3.5/5

I simply love it when Paul does far out stuff! (Be ready for my McCartney II ratings folks )

So "Loup" is a jazzy Spaghetti Western in space ...
It works as an album track and again Henry does great stuff on his guitar. Great bass line!

 

Spoiler: Medley: Hold Me Tight/Lazy Dynamite/Hands of Love/Power Cut

9/10

A brilliant piece of work from Paul and one of RRS's definite highlights.
It might be fun to break the piece down too:
Hold Me Tight 7/10
Lazy Dynamite 7/10
Hands Of Love 9/10
Power Cut 10/10

 

Not of one my favorites although over the years I've learned to dig it more. A little interesting note: it borrows a small part of the melody from "Tomorrow" in the section that starts with "I never will forget the night..."

 

Spoiler

I really like that the whole medley is more than the sum of its parts for you!

 

We will get to the medley soon but not yet
Please You all be patient

 

Loup - always liked it. Funky ass bassline. Good musical drama. 4/5

 

Loup is awesome. A definite 9/10and one of the highlights of this album, fer shur.

 

There's an alternative version of Loop that I prefer to the one chosen to go on RRS. Artists? What do they know!

 

Next one-on request

Ok we bring on the medley now

More than 11 minute medley split between four song is the finale to Red Rose Speedway. A rather perplexing one to. The medley ain t no grand statement-just four love-songs cleverly glued together. I remember first hearing the album-expecting the rockers I have heard Wings play live and towards the end we got Loup and then this medley.

However confused these choices made me I liked the medley from the start and today I seriously love it. What the medley lacks in stamina and grandeur it gains in charm, melody, musical intelligence and brilliant arrangements.


Musically much of the medley sounded a bit old-fashioned -like pop-music were composed at the time of the early Beatles. Lyrically it somehow also felt a bit like older love-songs. That musical style was out of fashion 1973 which might explain why this medley were a bit over-looked and considered lightweight.


Nowadays one can listen with different ears and I personally find the medley absolutely timeless. It s a unique piece that defines eras and times. The lyrics are very simple but showcase the overall love-theme theme of the album. The melodies are very catchy and the arrangements multilayered filled with surprising choices. The finale when all melodies are played simultaneously are nothing sort of genius.

The medley must be viewed as a whole but here follows my thought of the individual songs

Hold Me Tight- A very catchy melody with som ”granny-music-infliences. Great sing-along and very nice arrangement. Feather-light but with so much charm takes us to Lazy Dynamit -strange lyrics but the edgiest song on the medley. Great vocals from Paul and very tasty guitar-licks from Henry. A nicet song that leads into the great.. Hands of Love – A very Buddy Holly styled pop-song that I find impossible not to like. Brilliant acoustic guitar and a catchy pop-melody delivered masterly and with humour brings us to the conclusion Power Cut. That song has lyrics that atleast reminded of when it was recorded since it was inspired by the energy-shortages back in 73. Another good old-fashioned melodious pop-song that ends with all melodies played simultaneously on guitar. The linking of these melodies somewhat jaw-dropping

So -the medley is really a case of music that has grown better with age. Just like fine wine.

I really like it

No I love it- Vintage and weird McCartney

 

I think Red Rose Speedway is a transition album. The first post-Beatles albums (McCartney, Ram, Wild Life) are a reflection of McCartney following his muse and whims.

Now (then, of course) he has a new band and has a purpose. To succeed with his new project and make Wings a commercially successful band on its own terms.

RRS is the first step in that direction IMO.

This is McCartney still writing on a whimsical mood, such as the one prevailing in his first three solo records but going into the studio with the mindframe of creating a commercially successful record.

He would get much better at re-establishing himself as a commercially successful artist in the following Wings' records, but losing some of the charm of those "pure McCartney" post-Beatle records in the process.

 

I mostly like McCartney's weird instrumentals. "Loup" is one of those.

 

Love parts of the medley, the start and finish in particular. I could take a whole album of this kind of whimsical, old fashioned McCartney. Only quibble is Lazy Dynamite could be trimmed back a tad. But, overall, this is the sort of Paul I adore. Forget the critics, this is joyous.

 

Have all of you downloaded the bonus audio from Paul's website? There's "Hands Of Love (Take 2)"

 

Highlight of the lp. I got chills when all the themes were combined at the end. I guess Power Cut is the weakest of them all, but look at how great the others are.

 

Red Rose Speedway Medley 4/5

The medley is beautiful and masterfully blended. I feel enthusiastic about the final where all ends meet everytime I listen to it - what an ending!

My favourite is "Power Cut" which I even cut out digitally to include it on my own Macca CDs.

 

The medley is a masterpiece. The re-occurrence of all the melodies at the end as part of nearly-dueling guitars? Perfection.

 

Hold Me Tight/Lazy Dynamite/Hands of Love/Power Cut: 5/5 The sum is indeed greater than its parts. I like how this truly is a medley, not some tracks just pasted together with brief or no breaks in them (see MAF for this). There are some bridges and connecting pieces that really help tie it all together. An epic ending to the album.

It also seems to encapsulate the greater style of the album: Different songs all mashed together and somehow forming a cohesive whole.


-Hold Me Tight: 2.5/5 Starts off covering all the scale progressions known to man and then switches into a 20s/vaudevillian-esque ditty. A slow an decent way to open this medley up but not much by itself. The “I’ve waited all my life for you” opener is excellent though.


-Lazy Dynamite: 4/5 The middle bits where he isn’t saying lazy dynamite over and over are perhaps the most wonderful moment on this album. But saying lazy dynamite over and over certainly is not one of those moments.


-Hands of Love: 5/5 We do get a bit of a hard cut into Hands. In the same vein of Little Woman Love, Hands is a fast-paced tune that is highly enjoyable. The “but when I saw you last night, I knew for the first time that you were the one I'd been dreaming of” sections are again, one of the most wonderful moments on this album. I like how he starts way down there and finishes high. Very uplifting, figuratively and literally.


-Power Cut: 5/5 Fade to the final section which is a pulsing slow burn. The track is another amazing melody. The vocals emotive and then really floor you with lush backing vocals during the “I may never tell you” sections. But the coup de grace comes with the build up at the end and the alternating guitar solos which run through all the medley songs once more. It’s so effortless and seamless you would swear he had it all planned out ahead of time when he wrote these individual pieces. This is truly one of the best moments on a McCartney album in its design and execution.


And for fun I will start doing this. Hope you all join in.

My album ranking from favorite to least favorite so far:

Red Rose Speedway
RAM
McCartney
Wild Life

 

I'm in!

Wild Life
Red Rose Speedway
Ram
McCartney

 

Frankly, I am surprised at how well received Loup is on this thread. Why? Because it has a cool bass line? Loup is utter nonsense. But the fact that there is an entire album of alternate material available makes Loup indefensible. In a strange way, though, it adds balance to the album. There is one stellar, amazing track (Dragonfly) one worthless track (Loup) and the rest are all good to very good.

I think RRS is an example of the whole being greater than the parts. In reviewing the songs, they are all pleasant but little that is jaw dropping. But the effect of listening to the album as a whole is very rewarding.

 

Tomorrow

A slower piano ballad. Really beautiful.

Lyrics:

[Verse 1]
Oh, baby, don't you let me down tomorrow
Holding hands, we both abandon sorrow
Oh, for a chance to get away tomorrow

Hey, baby's got a lazy day on Sunday
Here's a pound, we hang around 'till Monday
Oh, baby don't you let me down on Sunday

[Bridge]
Bring a bag of bread and cheese
And find a shady spot beneath the trees
Catch a breath of country air
And run your pretty fingers through my hair

[Chorus]
Tomorrow, when we both abandon sorrow
Oh, baby, don't you let me down tomorrow
Through the week we beg and steal and borrow
Oh, for a chance to get away tomorrow

[Bridge]
Honey, pray for sunny skies so I can speak to rainbows in your eyes
Let's just hope the weather man is feeling fine and doesn't spoil our plan

[Chorus]
Tomorrow, when we both abandon sorrow
Oh, baby, don't you let me down tomorrow
Holding hands we both abandon sorrow
Oh, baby, don't you let me down tomorrow
[Outro]
Oh, for a chance to get away tomorrow
Baby, don't let me down tomorrow
Baby, don't let me down tomorrow
Oh, don't let me down
Baby, don't let me down tomorrow
Baby's, don't let, let me down tomorrow
Baby, don't let me down tomorrow

Credits:

Produced by Paul McCartney
Written by Paul McCartney and Linda McCartney
Backing vocals, Bass (?), Electric guitar, Piano, Vocals by Paul McCartney
Backing Vocals by Linda McCartney
Backing Vocals, Bass (?), Electric Guitar by Denny Laine
Drums by Denny Seiwell
Label: Apple Records
Release Date: December 7, 1971
Recorded at Abbey Road Studios, London, UK
Length: 3:24 minutes

Paul's own words:

Rolling Stone 1974

"Well, “Tomorrow.”
Yeah, “Tomorrow” is one of them. It’s like, when I’m talking to people about Picasso or something and they say, well, his blue period was his only one that was any good. But for me, if the guy does some great things then even his downer moments are interesting. His lesser moments, rather, because they make up the final picture. Some moments seem less, he was going through kind of a pressure period. You know, you can’t live your life without pressure periods. No one I know has."

Source: Paul McCartney: The Rolling Stone Interview

Club Sandwich Winter 1994 No. 72

"Any chance of you re-recording the song ‘Tomorrow’ from the Wild Life LP? It’s such a great song and yet it’s been buried.From Amy Benbow, Stroud, England

Another good question. Linda’s Dad, who is no longer alive, was a great fan of this song, and he was always saying to me “You should do it again. You’ve thrown it away and it deserves re-making.” I asked him how he thought I should do it and he said “Slow, really slow”. It got to be a joke in the end, how slow he thought it ought to be. I haven’t yet got around to doing it, though."

Source: Club Sandwich

 

It was surprising to see that I was not alone in enjoying Loup.
Also seems to be some love for the great medley
Overall the songs on Red Rose Speedway have been more popular here than I expected
In fact I liked some of the songs more than I realised

 

Dear Friend

A highlight. This song is gorgeous and has an incredible orchestration with a nice melody. The lyrics are perfect and the voice of Paul is majestic. The mixture of sounds is a journey into melancholy and the piano gently weeps. Simply beautiful. At the end a masterpiece work. Bravo!!!

Lyrics:

[Verse]
Dear friend, what's the time?
Is this really the borderline?
Does it really mean so much to you?
Are you afraid, or is it true?

Dear friend, throw the wine
I'm in love with a friend of mine
Really truly, young and newly wed
Are you a fool, or is it true?

[Refrain]
Are you afraid, or is it true?

[Verse]
Dear friend, what's the time?
Is this really the borderline?
Does it really mean so much to you?
Are you afraid, or is it true?

Dear friend, throw the wine
I'm in love with a friend of mine
Really truly, young and newly wed
Are you a fool, or is it true?

[Refrain]
Are you afraid, or is it true?

Credits:

Produced by Paul McCartney
Written by Paul McCartney and Linda McCartney
Bass, Piano, Vibraphone (?), Vocals by Paul McCartney
Drums, Trumpet (?) by Denny Seiwell
Orchestration by Richard Hewson
Label: Apple Records
Release Date: December 7, 1971
Recorded at Abbey Road Studios, London, UK
Length: 5:49 minutes

Paul's own words:

Club Sandwich Winter 1994 No. 72:

"Was 'Dear Friend' about John Lennon,

“Dear Friend” was written about John, yes. I don’t like grief and arguments, they always bug me. Life is too precious, although we often find ourselves guilty of doing it. So after John had slagged me off in public I had to think of a response, and it was either going to be to slag him off in public — and some instinct stopped me, which I’m really glad about — or do something else. So I worked on my attitude and wrote “Dear Friend”, saying, in effect, let’s lay the guns down, let’s hang up our boxing gloves."

Source: Club Sandwich

2018

"And then with ‘Dear Friend’, that’s sort of me talking to John after we’d had all the sort of disputes about The Beatles break up. I find it very emotional when I listen to it now. I have to sort of choke it back. I’m not going to cry in front of all you lot though! [Paul gestures to the five of us in the room sitting on the edge of our seats, captivated by the story!] But, for me, it is a bit like that. I remember when I heard the song recently, listening to the roughs [remastering works-in-progress] in the car. And I thought, ‘Oh God’. That lyric: ‘Really truly, young and newly wed’. Listening to that was like, ‘Oh my God, it’s true!’ I’m trying to say to John, ‘Look, you know, it’s all cool. Have a glass of wine. Let’s be cool.’ And luckily we did get it back together, which was like a great source of joy because it would have been terrible if he’d been killed as things were at that point and I’d never got to straighten it out with him. This was me reaching out. So, I think it’s very powerful in some very simple way. But it was certainly heartfelt."

Source: You Gave Me The Answer' - 'Wild Life' Special