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Re: OT: Paul McCartney - "New" album and other Macca stuff
Posted by: dmay ()
Date: December 14, 2020 02:37

I've read through some of the comments re McCartney III and comments re a new Stones album and there's a line, changed slightly, from a popular song that keeps running through my head: "I'm Jumpin" Jack Flash and I'm outta gas."

Re: OT: Paul McCartney - "New" album and other Macca stuff
Posted by: jbwelda ()
Date: December 14, 2020 02:49

Thats what they said in 1968.

jb

Re: OT: Paul McCartney - "New" album and other Macca stuff
Posted by: jahisnotdead ()
Date: December 14, 2020 23:20

Well, I took the challenge and did three "McCartney III" covers using single sheets of sheet music for each song, without having ever heard the songs before.

I don't know if it worked. I'm pretty bad. But it was an interesting and enjoyable experiment regardless. I've never seriously tried playing someone else's song without having ever heard it first. I took some liberties (to put it mildly) and make some creative decisions. In a way it was fun to pretend that I was "collaborating" in the process of bringing the songs to some sort of life. Like Paul had handed me unfinished fragments of songs and I had to take it from there. Well, he did ask for it.

Anyway, only for those who are curious, here they are. Please be gentle.

Find My Way

Lavatory Lil

Women And Wives

Re: OT: Paul McCartney - "New" album and other Macca stuff
Posted by: Hairball ()
Date: December 14, 2020 23:47

Good stuff jahisnotdead ...I listened to each one, and it made for a nice preview. I like the triple screen effect and harmonies of Women And Wives, and the whistling on Find My Way is quite catchy.
But my favorite of them all is Lavatory Lil which is surprising as I didn't think I'd like anything about that tune based on the title alone.

Still on the fence on which version of McCartney III to purchase, or whether to purchase any version at all, but if I do something tells me I might like your cover versions better than Paul's originals...winking smiley

_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......

Re: OT: Paul McCartney - "New" album and other Macca stuff
Posted by: Koen ()
Date: December 16, 2020 23:10

Paul and Rick Rubin project: [twitter.com]

Re: OT: Paul McCartney - "New" album and other Macca stuff
Posted by: MelBelli ()
Date: December 17, 2020 00:51

Keith has said this many times — the Stones and Beatles avoiding clashing with other with album and singles releases in the ‘60s — but this is the first time I’ve heard McCartney confirm it:

[youtu.be]

Re: OT: Paul McCartney - "New" album and other Macca stuff
Posted by: Hairball ()
Date: December 17, 2020 00:57

Well Paul hasn't really had to worry about the Stones getting in his way for the last 15 years or so - instead he and Taylor Swift look out for one another!

_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......

Re: OT: Paul McCartney - "New" album and other Macca stuff
Posted by: KevinM ()
Date: December 17, 2020 05:00


Re: OT: Paul McCartney - "New" album and other Macca stuff
Posted by: Irix ()
Date: December 17, 2020 15:00

90s-Previews of all 11 songs - [Music.Apple.com] .

Re: OT: Paul McCartney - "New" album and other Macca stuff
Posted by: MononoM ()
Date: December 17, 2020 16:03

Paul McQuakert
bah

Life's just a cocktail party on the street

Re: OT: Paul McCartney - "New" album and other Macca stuff
Posted by: MisterDDDD ()
Date: December 17, 2020 17:21

Quote
Irix
90s-Previews of all 11 songs - [Music.Apple.com] .

Thanks!
Listened to the generous 45 minutes of it..

Really wanted to love it. Really didn't.
Hadn't heard any until now and with the great reviews, was just starting to research which version to buy etc., and now not sure I'll purchase at all.
Paul's vocals remind me of Johnny Cash's last few albums.. great stuff, but man can you hear the voice fading fast.

Only a couple potential keepers off the album that I want to revisit when fully released.
Lavatory Lil and a bit of a surprise rocker Slidin' (which I swear has a riff from Anybody Seen My Baby in it cool smiley)

The ballads to me all sound very similar and the vocals are mostly rough.
The music sounds contrived and gimmicky with him playing the various instruments as well as him doing his own backup vocals..

Was thinking if he could have had just one musician with him playing on this it would have really helped with backing vocals etc. A bit ridiculous sounding I know, but if he could have teamed up with Ringo (Paul's drumming is almost distracting on most of this) that would have perhaps taken this to a different level.

Re: OT: Paul McCartney - "New" album and other Macca stuff
Posted by: Hairball ()
Date: December 17, 2020 19:50

Quote
Koen
Paul and Rick Rubin project: [twitter.com]

Fantastic - looks like Paul and the Beatles will be dominating the front page for quite some time.
New album w/ mostly rave reviews, and a six part documentary with Rick Rubin focusing on his entire career.





Quote
Irix
90s-Previews of all 11 songs - [Music.Apple.com] .

Nice, thanks Irix. Listened to some quick snippets and overall was better than I anticipated. Will spend more time listening later.
There's a distinct familiarity there...hard to fully describe or put in to words...like having a heartfelt conversation with an older uncle....
Hats off to Paul - truly a one man band with this release, and grateful he's still around and creating new music. thumbs up


And with that, another very positive review:

Paul McCartney Recaptures the Magic of His Earliest Solo Work on 'McCartney III'

"His music already transcended time, but with the completion of this trilogy
he has drawn a link through the past 50 years with his virtuosic compositions".


McCartney III

By Katie Tymochenko
Published Dec 15, 2020

Like its predecessors McCartney (1970) and McCartney II (1980), McCartney III was written, recorded and produced entirely by Sir Paul McCartney — this time, created alone during a COVID-19 lockdown. It is with McCartney III that one of the world's most celebrated songwriters has completed his trifecta of ultimate solo albums, proving yet again his legacy as a musical virtuoso.

From the very beginning, it's clear that this album is going to highlight McCartney's abilities as a composer. He's not concerning himself with writing any more hits; instead, he has chosen to display his talent and love for the instruments that have carried his career for over 60 years. Opener "Long Tailed Winter Bird" shows off his instrumental capabilities at their finest. With limited lyrics, the acoustic number highlights his talents as a guitar player. He uses unconventional harmonies but still finds a way to deliver an impressive instrumental track that's both rhythmic and dynamic.

McCartney conquers the blues on riff-laden "Slidin'" and "Lavatory Lil," of which the former showcases his multi-layered approach to songwriting as he performs a deeply complicated track that proves that rock'n'roll definitely isn't dead.

While instrumentation is the driving force behind the album, lyrically, McCartney doesn't fall short when addressing important issues faced in society today. On "Seize the Day," he warns about the climate crisis, while on "Find My Way," he addresses issues surrounding self-identity and anxiety. His vocals are consistently strong as he radiates enthusiasm throughout the entire record.

With much of modern day music originating from the experimental approach the Beatles took in the late '60s, it's a joy to see McCartney still exploring those sides in his current songwriting. It's safe to say McCartney hasn't abandoned his sense of exploration, as on eight-minute psych track "Deep Deep Feeling," which takes a sonic trip through his psyche.

The McCartney trilogy has charted a course through the Beatles' breakup to through the impending rise of new wave and synth pop and, now, to this year's extended isolation and the power of home recording. His music already transcended time, but with the completion of this trilogy he has drawn a link through the past 50 years with his virtuosic compositions. (Capitol)

_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......

Re: OT: Paul McCartney - "New" album and other Macca stuff
Posted by: jahisnotdead ()
Date: December 18, 2020 05:21

This is about the time I'd be getting ready to go to Tower Records for the midnight release.

Re: OT: Paul McCartney - "New" album and other Macca stuff
Posted by: Sighunt ()
Date: December 18, 2020 05:52

Interesting read re MACCA topics on Howard Stern (excuse me if this was posted):

PAUL MCCARTNEY ON ‘SGT. PEPPER’S’ ORIGINS, GETTING DISCOVERED BY JOHN LENNON, AND BEING THE ‘CUTE BEATLE’
BEATLES LEGEND RETURNS TO STERN SHOW AHEAD OF “MCCARTNEY III”

[www.howardstern.com]

Re: OT: Paul McCartney - "New" album and other Macca stuff
Posted by: jahisnotdead ()
Date: December 18, 2020 07:57

I like it. I'm relieved.

I didn't care for "Pretty Boys", "The Kiss Of Venus" or "Seize The Day". I don't quite know if "Deep Deep Feeling" earned a full eight minutes. It's still very good. It reminded me of Outkast, believe it or not. I think Paul sometimes goes with his first draft lyrics, so sometimes the lyrics seem a little simple

The rest of it was enjoyable. Eight out of eleven is a good score in my book. I think I'm going to enjoy listening to it again.

I can not wait to hear the bonus tracks. Paul saves a lot of really cool stuff for b-sides.

Re: OT: Paul McCartney - "New" album and other Macca stuff
Posted by: Hairball ()
Date: December 18, 2020 08:33

Nice new video, lovely new tune...speaking words of wisdom...




_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......

Re: OT: Paul McCartney - "New" album and other Macca stuff
Posted by: Wild Slivovitz ()
Date: December 18, 2020 14:00

It's a very good album! I love it, except for "Find My Way" which is mediocre. Much better album than I expected!

Re: OT: Paul McCartney - "New" album and other Macca stuff
Posted by: Wild Slivovitz ()
Date: December 18, 2020 14:18

Quote
jahisnotdead
I like it. I'm relieved.

I didn't care for "Pretty Boys", "The Kiss Of Venus" or "Seize The Day". I don't quite know if "Deep Deep Feeling" earned a full eight minutes. It's still very good. It reminded me of Outkast, believe it or not. I think Paul sometimes goes with his first draft lyrics, so sometimes the lyrics seem a little simple

The rest of it was enjoyable. Eight out of eleven is a good score in my book. I think I'm going to enjoy listening to it again.

I can not wait to hear the bonus tracks. Paul saves a lot of really cool stuff for b-sides.

I really like those three!

Re: OT: Paul McCartney - "New" album and other Macca stuff
Posted by: MelBelli ()
Date: December 18, 2020 14:47

I’ve given it a listen, and, all I can say is, Mick and Keith are validated in their reluctance to release new stuff for the sake of releasing new stuff.

Re: OT: Paul McCartney - "New" album and other Macca stuff
Posted by: jahisnotdead ()
Date: December 18, 2020 15:06

Quote
Wild Slivovitz
I really like those three!

I'm very glad! I didn't mean to imply they were bad songs; they're just not to my personal taste. People on Twitter also seem to especially love "The Kiss Of Venus". It goes far to show how strong the album really is.

I'm not really that crazy about "When Winter Comes". It's a well-written song and I like the little bluesy lick, but I think I would still probably pass on it.

I listened to the album three times last night, and I was impressed at how layered the songs are. They seem to reward re-listens. "Deep Down". "Long Tailed Winter Bird" and "Find My Way" are my top three tracks at this early stage. There are a lot of interesting things going on in "Deep Deep Feeling", though I would still cut that last minute that comes after the false ending. I was hoping he would turn it around and do something cool like the ending to "New", but it's really just another minute of the song as it was.

I like the bold choices he made on production. There's a surprising amount of layers. I was noticing more little things in the background each time I heard a song. That's cool.

Re: OT: Paul McCartney - "New" album and other Macca stuff
Posted by: jahisnotdead ()
Date: December 18, 2020 15:12

I look forward to the Rick Rubin documentary too. It will be interesting to hear them talk about music. I hope that Paul liked Rubin enough to let him produce the next album. Rubin can bring out something special in legacy artists, and I would be very curious to see what kinds of things they could produce together.

Re: OT: Paul McCartney - "New" album and other Macca stuff
Posted by: BN78 ()
Date: December 18, 2020 15:15

Quote
MisterDDDD
Quote
Irix
90s-Previews of all 11 songs - [Music.Apple.com] .

Thanks!
Listened to the generous 45 minutes of it..

Really wanted to love it. Really didn't.
Hadn't heard any until now and with the great reviews, was just starting to research which version to buy etc., and now not sure I'll purchase at all.
Paul's vocals remind me of Johnny Cash's last few albums.. great stuff, but man can you hear the voice fading fast.

Only a couple potential keepers off the album that I want to revisit when fully released.
Lavatory Lil and a bit of a surprise rocker Slidin' (which I swear has a riff from Anybody Seen My Baby in it cool smiley)

The ballads to me all sound very similar and the vocals are mostly rough.
The music sounds contrived and gimmicky with him playing the various instruments as well as him doing his own backup vocals..

Was thinking if he could have had just one musician with him playing on this it would have really helped with backing vocals etc. A bit ridiculous sounding I know, but if he could have teamed up with Ringo (Paul's drumming is almost distracting on most of this) that would have perhaps taken this to a different level.

I thought the same. Paul's drumming, a distraction, not a plus.

Re: OT: Paul McCartney - "New" album and other Macca stuff
Posted by: jahisnotdead ()
Date: December 18, 2020 19:01

Wikipedia says that the Japanese edition contains four alternate versions of album tracks - no unreleased songs. No word yet on the four bonus songs from the secret demo editions. Unless I'm blind and missed it, apparently the four disc soft pack of the secret demo editions is no longer listed for sale on McCartney's website.

Re: OT: Paul McCartney - "New" album and other Macca stuff
Posted by: Irix ()
Date: December 18, 2020 19:15

Quote
jahisnotdead

No word yet on the four bonus songs from the secret demo editions.

4 Bonus-Tracks - UICY-15964 - [www.Universal-Music.co.jp] , [www.CDJapan.co.jp] :

Women and Wives (Studio Outtake)
Lavatory Lil (Studio Outtake)
The Kiss Of Venus (Phone Demo)
Slidin' (Düsseldorf Jam)


Secret Demo Edition Blue Cover CD - [Shop.PaulMcCartney.com] - Bonus Track: Slidin’ (Düsseldorf Jam)
Secret Demo Edition Yellow Cover CD - [Shop.PaulMcCartney.com] - Bonus Track: Women and Wives (Studio Outtake)
Secret Demo Edition Red Cover CD - [Shop.PaulMcCartney.com] - Bonus Track: Lavatory Lil (Studio Outtake)
Secret Demo Edition White Cover CD - [Shop.PaulMcCartney.com] - Bonus Track: The Kiss Of Venus (Phone Demo)



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2020-12-18 19:55 by Irix.

Re: OT: Paul McCartney - "New" album and other Macca stuff
Posted by: Irix ()
Date: December 18, 2020 20:15

Apple Music to introduce animated album covers: [www.NME.com] - [Music.Apple.com] .

Re: OT: Paul McCartney - "New" album and other Macca stuff
Posted by: MisterDDDD ()
Date: December 18, 2020 21:20

Streaming exclusively on Spotify now.
Listened to it in its entirety hoping the preview clips didn't do it justice.

Not into this, despite my best efforts.
Love Paul, and a lot of his music, but this again seems so contrived.
Along with the distracting drumming, the lead guitar work is really weak, and lyrically most of it is damn near juvenile.

The secret demos aren't a draw either unfortunately, but if I was picking one up, I'd go with the Blue edition as in my early opinion, Slidin' is the only keeper.

Re: OT: Paul McCartney - "New" album and other Macca stuff
Posted by: jahisnotdead ()
Date: December 18, 2020 22:34

Quote
Irix
Quote
jahisnotdead

No word yet on the four bonus songs from the secret demo editions.

4 Bonus-Tracks - UICY-15964 - [www.Universal-Music.co.jp] , [www.CDJapan.co.jp] :

Women and Wives (Studio Outtake)
Lavatory Lil (Studio Outtake)
The Kiss Of Venus (Phone Demo)
Slidin' (Düsseldorf Jam)


Secret Demo Edition Blue Cover CD - [Shop.PaulMcCartney.com] - Bonus Track: Slidin’ (Düsseldorf Jam)
Secret Demo Edition Yellow Cover CD - [Shop.PaulMcCartney.com] - Bonus Track: Women and Wives (Studio Outtake)
Secret Demo Edition Red Cover CD - [Shop.PaulMcCartney.com] - Bonus Track: Lavatory Lil (Studio Outtake)
Secret Demo Edition White Cover CD - [Shop.PaulMcCartney.com] - Bonus Track: The Kiss Of Venus (Phone Demo)

Thanks! You saved me some time and some cash!

Re: OT: Paul McCartney - "New" album and other Macca stuff
Posted by: Hairball ()
Date: December 19, 2020 00:19

I'm liking this more than most latter day Paul albums - there's a fly on the wall factor of hearing these tunes in the way they've been presented...sort of stripped down...under-produced...
some sort of demo-esque. But for me that's all part of the charm - McCartney; warts and all. The Stones could take this approach rather than procrastinating for eternity, but sadly would never happen.

Another positive review for Paul via The Independent - 4 of 5 stars - amazingly haven't read a truly negative one yet.

Paul McCartney III review: Melodic charm, craftsmanship and open-minded optimism make this solo album a real treat

McCartney III

McCartney’s mood-hopping rattle bag of a third solo album sounds more like a descendant of The Beatles’ ‘White Album’ than anything else

Comparing notes with Taylor Swift on the DIY albums they both made in lockdown, Sir Paul McCartney reflected on the hard times he has survived. In the conversation arranged by Rolling Stone magazine, the 78-year-old legend reminded the 31-year-old pop star that he was born during the Second World War, and grew up gripped by the war stories of the old ladies who lived in the same housing estate as him. He also told Swift how proud he was of a table he made himself – dovetail joints, no nails! – while “at a bit of a loose end” after The Beatles broke up. And he ended the conversation with a quirky anecdote about the time The Beatles’ van slid into a roadside ditch during a blizzard. He describes the Fab Four stranded in the snow, standing in a stumped circle until one of them said: “Well, something will happen.” These anecdotes express the commitment to down-home storytelling, craftsmanship and open-minded optimism that make his third solo album such a treat.

It opens with an exhilarating blast of swamp blues called “Long Tailed Winter Bird”. The finger-hammering fretwork and slam-strumming of the hypnotic, interwoven guitar patterns is so wild and vigorous that you’d never guess the man making it was well into the pandemic’s “vulnerable” demographic. The guitar is backed by a battered drum kit, spooky, high-blown storm currents of malfunctioning whistles or recorders and insistent ghost vocals chanting: “Do you, do do you miss me? Do you, do do you feel me? Do you?”

This tornado of a track is then followed by the surprisingly comforting “Find My Way”, a typically jaunty bit of McCartney dittyfying on which the happy-go-lucky melody-maker assures his more anxious friends and fans that he’s there for us all “day or night”. “You never used to be afraid of days like this/ And now you're overwhelmed of your anxieties/ And let me help you out, let me be your guide/ I can help you reach the love you feel inside.” It reminds me of the stories of how – while imprisoned for drug possession in Japan in 1980 – he would lead singalongs of songs like “The Red Red Robin” in the communal showers to raise morale. You just have to smile.

From there McCartney showcases his still effortless melodic charm on acoustic numbers “Pretty Boys” (about male models), “The Kiss of Venus” (inspired by an astrology book he was given by Jools Holland’s wife) and “When Winter Comes” (an old pastoral yarn about his farm on which he mulls, “I must dig a drain by the carrot patch…”). There are bluesy grooves on the chunky, Helter-Skeltery riffs of “Slidin’”, the organ driven “Deep Deep Down” and the thinner, more spiteful “Lavatory Lil” (about a former work associate who did him wrong). Less successful are songs like the self-important piano preachifier “Women and Wives” and the slight-but-overblown “Seize the Day”, with an electric guitar solo that sounds like it was played by a formulaic Brian May-bot.

But at the centre lies the marvellous eight-minute sonic adventure, “Deep Deep Feeling”, which warps and shifts its shape – mixing dreamscape piano with trip-hoppy electronica – as the singer muses on “the deep deep pain of feeling … emotion/ Sometimes I wish it would stay/ Sometimes I wish it would go away”. It’s interesting to hear him sitting with these ideas for so long. When asked how often he thinks of John Lennon – who was murdered 40 years ago on 8 December – he admits he’s still in a degree of denial.

Lennon famously mocked McCartney’s first solo album. Although that 1970 release – recorded on a four track, in a wound-licking post-Beatles funk – is now regarded as a low-fi classic, Lennon sneered that it was “light and easy … Englebert Humperdinck music”. But McCartney likes to tell the story of how his experimentation with synths and sequencers on his second, post-Wings solo album (McCartney II, 1980) spurred Lennon to get back into the studio himself.

Without a living Lennon to impress, McCartney now says he often imagines they’re writing together again: “I now will often think, if I’m writing a song, ‘OK, John – I’ll toss it over to you. What line comes next?’ So I’ve got a virtual John that I can use.” Perhaps this explains why McCartney’s mood-hopping rattle bag of a third solo album sounds more like a descendant of The Beatles’ White Album than anything else. Weird, wonderful and whimsical, McCartney III finds the walrus on inspirational form. It gets a thumbs up from me.

_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......

Re: OT: Paul McCartney - "New" album and other Macca stuff
Posted by: crawdaddy ()
Date: December 19, 2020 23:09

Not sure if this has been posted recently but Macca is on BBC 1 TV in the U.K tonight at 9.20pm talking to Idris Elba.
Don't think it's been seen before and I will watch it tonight before Match of the Day.
Going to be on BBC i-player for probably 28 days as well.

Well worth a look I hope and also talking about McCartney111.

Macca on BBC.

Re: OT: Paul McCartney - "New" album and other Macca stuff
Posted by: Irix ()
Date: December 20, 2020 00:50

Review of McCartney III by [www.SuperDeluxeEdition.com] , SDE’s overall album rating: 3/5:


1: "The album opens with ‘Long Tailed Winter Bird’ and it’s a good start. It’s largely an instrumental (‘tick’) with Paul playing lead figures on a peppery acoustic guitar with some percussive muted electric keeping the rhythm going. Layers come in as the track progresses with drums and some occasional vocals keeping things interesting. At over five minutes it probably outstays its welcome, but it’s a strong opener. 4/5"

2: "‘Find My Way’ is the lead single and Paul has even made a video for it. It’s a fluid, likeable fast-paced number which has an excellent and catchy arrangement with some Vampire Weekend-style guitar-y bits sprinkled around. Everything about this track is great, except the verse vocal which is not good. It’s a monotonous melody and Paul only half sings it. Curiously, when he reaches for the higher end of his range in this song, in the break (“You never used to be / afraid of days like these), he really delivers it well. If Paul had just reworked – or even scrubbed – the verse, ‘Find My Way’ could have been a cracker, but as it stands it’s two-thirds of a good song. 3/5"

3: "‘Pretty Boys’ is an acoustic number not dissimilar in tone to New’s ‘Early Days’. Paul can surely knock out these finger-picked numbers with one hand tied behind his back and while the sparse arrangement leaves his voice fairly exposed, ‘Pretty Boys’ does get the job done without any risks or surprises. He’s done this way better many times before, and indeed later on this very album ‘The Kiss of Venus’ has a magic that this song lacks. 2/5"

4: "One of the highlights of McCartney III is ‘Woman and Wives’. It has satisfyingly dark hues, with Paul on piano singing in his ‘Lady Madonna’ voice (which works really well). He sings of “chasing tomorrow” and tells us to “get ready to run”. The song is mysterious, beguiling and over in less than three minutes. This is more like it! 4/5"

5: "The face-palm moment on the album is ‘Lavatory Lil’, which is the ‘Bogey Music’ of McCartney III. It’s one of Paul’s ‘comedy’ songs along the lines of ‘Maxwell’s Silver Hammer’, without the catchiness or the word ’pataphysical’. McCartney clearly gets a kick out of these kinds of ditties, but what I find most frustrating is that one assumes he’s trying to make the best album he can and if, by chance, McCartney III had been a masterpiece (spoiler: it’s not) Paul has just gone and ruined it by trying to be quirky; having a bit of a laff. I’d still be offended if this was an extra track on a 12-inch, not slap-bang in the middle of the album, following the excellent ‘Woman and Wives’. This should have been flushed away. 1/5"

6: "Nip to the loo, buy an ice cream and settle down because ‘Deep Deep Feeling’ is McCartney III’s feature presentation. This eight-minute track ticks all the boxes. It starts off acapella, with some call and response vocals, before sparse instrumentation enters the fray. This song is experimental, jazzy, weird, surprising and rather beautiful. It has an almost dreamlike quality. Traditional song structure is treated with disdain and you are never quite sure where you are or which direction you’re facing. It blindfolds you and spins you round and pushes you on your way. This track’s ambition is admirable and it is all executed brilliantly. This is 2020 McCartney on top of his game. That fact that this is so good makes me all the more annoyed about the risible ‘Lavatory Lil’. 5/5"

7: "The Wings-like opening to ‘Slidin’ is tantalising and it certainly has a ballsy, rocking appeal but the echoey and low-in-the-mix vocal, the flat verses are something of a handicap. It’s a shame, because the chorus is really quite exciting. Structurally, this track isn’t far away from ‘About You’, another Wings-y track from 2001’s Driving Rain. Ironically, for a song on a one-man-band album, Slidin’ would really have benefited from collaboration – you can easily imagine McCartney’s mate Dave Grohl killing it on drums and sharing vocal duties. Things pick up for the second half of the track, which is largely instrumental, bar a few choruses. 2/5"

8: "Prepare the bailiffs, since ‘The Kiss of Venus’ is an ‘earworm’ of the highest order. Paul’s simple five-note melody on acoustic guitar turns into the lead line on The Kiss of Venus and it’s lovely. Macca’s fingerpicking and strumming style on acoustic guitar is so distinctive and this song has a wonderful yearning quality and the lyric is full of great images. McCartney is very much at the top of his range here, which could be cause for concern, but it works because it’s a great melody. Better to stretch for a great tune than stay within your comfort zone for the rather flat ‘Pretty Boys’. Some harpsichord-type keyboard comes in towards the end and it’s all over by the three minute mark. I love this song. 5/5"

9: "‘Seize the Day’ is a brilliant chorus – with a classic feel good McCartney-esque descending chord progression – in search of a good song. It’s a frustrating situation but the rest of the track is forgettable and the lyric is one of platitudes and flat lines like ‘it’s still alright to be nice”. 2/5"

10: "McCartney III is all over the place in terms of tone, structure and style and ‘Deep Down’ is driven by regretful minor chord organ and with some occasional keyboard horns. There’s not a whole lot to it, with Paul largely repeating the same phrases time and time again to surprisingly good effect (think ‘Ou Est Le Soleil’). It’s goes on a bit as Paul tries out different ways of singing “I’m gonna get deep down” but I throughly enjoyed this track. Like the other ‘deep’ on the album (‘Deep Deep Feeling’) it’s gives the finger to traditional song structure and is therefore feels at home on a ‘McCartney’ album. 4/5"

11: "The last track on the album, ‘When Winter Comes’, is preceded by a brief reprise of Long Tailed Winter Bird, which is why the full title is Winter Bird / When Winter Comes. At first, I was confused as to why Paul’s voice sounded more youthful on this song but the answer lies in the fact that this was actually recorded at the same sessions as ‘Calico Skies’ in 1992. In some ways, it’s a brave decision to include this on McCartney III since it’s pretty easy to contrast and compare vocal performances which are separated by 28 years, but it’s a lovely tune with Paul playing acoustic guitar and singing of little jobs that need doing on the farm (“I must find the time to plant some trees”). It’s pure ‘Heart of the Country’ Macca, with Paul recalling life with Linda and the kids in Scotland. ‘When Winter Comes’ was nearly a bonus track on the recent Flaming Pie reissue (which would have made sense) but Paul decided it deserved more prominence and I don’t disagree. This song is perfect, it’s from the heart and it’s pure McCartney. 5/5"


"Summary: McCartney III is in many ways a typical Paul McCartney album. There are great tracks, some average numbers and a duffer or two. It’s not a masterpiece but neither is it terrible. Paul rarely makes flawless long-players; the last was probably Chaos and Creation in the Backyard from 2005, and that benefitted from Nigel Godrich refusing to be a yes man and really challenging Paul over some of the material. McCartney III isn’t even as good as his last album, Egypt Station. That 2018 record wasn’t perfect, but there’s nothing on McCartney III as good as ‘Hand in Hand’ or ‘Dominoes’. And in terms of heavy rock, ‘Hunt You Down’ is better than ‘Slidin’’, for example. One feels that Greg Kurstin, like Godrich, was a great influence. But as has been discussed, ‘McCartney’ albums are about doing something a bit different and are always interesting, if uneven, diversions. McCartney III maintains this tradition and so can be broadly regarded as a success. It delivers Paul’s musical personality on a plate; a McCartney tasting menu, if you will. Some dishes put in front of us are less appealing than others, but the experience is one to be remembered, even cherished, especially since we don’t know when, or if, we will dine at this establishment again."


More impressions in the responses to the SDE review - [www.SuperDeluxeEdition.com] .



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2020-12-20 01:05 by Irix.

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