What is your favourite 1980s Beatles record?

Most of these seem to be available in full on YouTube at the time of writing, for anyone who is interested.

I have a feeling Mc2 is gonna grow legs and walk this

http://b.vimeocdn.com/ts/136/347/136347816_640.jpg

I grew up near Liverpool in the 90s and it seemed incredible to me when i found out that Matthew Street was apparently more or less entirely free of Beatles related stuff as recently as the early 80s (The Cavern Club itself having been filled in with concrete in the 70s when the Merseyrail underground was expanded). By the 90s it seemed like the city centre was heaving with Beatles related tat/tourist traps. There seems to have been a massive change in what the Beatles *meant* over the course of the 80s, i don't know though, i'm too young to really remember myself.

FP = Flag Post? Or something else?

this thread exceeds the board's permitted Beatles quotient so i had no choice but to flag it

in descending order:

Press to Play
Cloud Nine
Flowers in the Dirt

This thread was sort of inspired by listening to Press to Play on spotify and being knocked out by how good it was. It's odd, whenever I had read references to it it was always this brief dismissal as being McCartney's nadir before he 'returned to form' w/ Flowers in the Dirt. I think it was his first record with no big hits? By Flowers in the Dirt I don't think people really saw him as a singles artist anymore.

Press to Play his first album with big hits, to be clear.

his first album with big tits

http://www.brooklynvegan.com/img/music2/paul-mccartney-turkey.jpg

was gonna say 'stan vote for press to play' but apparently 0_o

cloud 9

mccartney 2 followed closely by double fantasy.

Flowers In The Dirt is my favourite from this bunch.

mccartney II > double fantasy > milk & honey > flowers in the dirt > cloud nine > fuck it press i guess

i always wanted to love 'choba b cccp' but it isn't really that good. i think the two 1980 albums are way way way above the rest here. i have some fond memories of 'gone troppo' -- at least the title track, and 'wake up my love' -- but haven't listened to it in half a lifetime.

Gone Troppo

there it is!

Start up the cement mixer.

Voted Tug of War over Double Fantasy. Cloud Nine next.

Start up the cement mixer.

― timellison, Wednesday, August 7, 2013 8:11 PM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Cavern Club is actually filled with the bodies of everyone involved in recording of "Gone Troppo"

McCartney II will crush this poll, maybe slightly unfairly - it's great, but I dunno if it's necessarily the best thing in its genre or anything, it's just that people who don't necessarily love solo Beatles type music are glad that one of them made something that doesn't sound like that. But I really do like it. Not sure it's straight up a better album than Double Fantasy or Tug of War, which are just solid entries in the genre (good tunes, some attempts at updated production, reasonably performed). I'd say it's more consistent than Flowers in the Dirt (which I do very much like) or Press (which I'm surprised to see rated so highly - aside from the 'weirder' cuts I think the CW is right, "Stranglehold" is one of his worst attempts to 'rock' ever). Pipes of Peace and Choba B CCCP are the most disposable Macca records here - Pipes is just the b-list material from Tug (despite "Say Say Say") and Choba is so much more forced and predictable than the later Run Devil Run that it becomes cringe-inducing although I really like the cover art.

I think I actually listened to Stop and Smell the Roses a while ago, couldn't tell you anything about it beyond "yeah, I still basically like 'Wrack My Brain' for whatever reason." I refuse to believe anybody has actually listened to Old Wave.

Most curious about the Harrison records - I like the singles off them quite a lot. Worth delving?

Somewhere in England is my least favorite of the Dark Horse records, but there is definitely some stuff I like on it. Gone Troppo has some really good songs and some super goofy stuff.

Cloud Nine yes: the first of the Wilbury records. What a difference colaboration made! His others are worthless.

I can't endorse tbe McCartney II love. Marcello wrote a lovely mixed review for his UK #1s blog last week.

Lol Tim and I will never agree about George's merits.

See "Stranglehold" has those melodic bits at the end of each hard rockabilly chorus and a sharp horn chart. "Press" meanwhile might be my favorite boomer-goes-syndrum moment of the eighties.

Chorus=verse

There's a great cover of "That's the Way It Goes" (from Gone Troppo) by Joe Brown on The Concert for George.

The Marcello review is of Tug of War, not McCartney II, but it is an interesting read, good call. Particularly like the case made for "Get It" as the best song on the record, though I don't think I could ever really buy it. http://nobilliards.blogspot.com/2013/07/paul-mccartney-tug-of-war.html

Oops, here's the Macca II review: http://nobilliards.blogspot.com/2013/01/paul-mccartney-mccartney-ii.html

My phone ate the TOW allusion in my Marcello mention for some reason.

that his crescendo towards the word “tears” in “Here Today” comes from the deepest part of him.

Wow, that's beautiful Marcello - if you're reading this.

TOW is a good record and i always thought it was the token stan pick, i guess before M2 got reissued. that was entirely because when i was a teenager i took allmusic's ratings as canon and they had TOW at 5 stars. (ram too, i think)

er, token critic pick*

it's funny, mccartney I and II are far and away my fav solo albums of his. wonder what a mccartney III would sound like.

McCartney II has always had tons of internet-nerd pull, but I know where you're coming from b/c I was also a teenage AMG reader and recall clearly their praise of ToW and pan of M2.

Been really rocking McCartney II these days.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRLSSGra1HI

tug of war is good but dated badly. I really like the weird things on it like "wanderlust" and "the pound is sinking".

"wonder what a mccartney III would sound like."

that was kind of what chaos in creation was meant to be, I thought; mccartney allegedly played almost everything himself

i don't necessarily agree with his conclusions, but alfred is undoubtedly my go-to guy for overlooked '80s records -- just wish he'd champion donnie iris briefly

Perhaps I will!

Ignore the simpering inanity of the video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4t_WvnLsXGk

totally forgot that Macca had a mullet.

In that way, at least, Oklahoma might not have been too far off the mark.

wonder what a mccartney III would sound like.

electric arguments?

Double Fantasy easily and I'm not listening to any of this crap even if it's good.

I've definitely heard some of the McCartney here and was unimpressed at the time.

The Marcello review is of Tug of War, not McCartney II, but it is an interesting read, good call. Particularly like the case made for "Get It" as the best song on the record, though I don't think I could ever really buy it. http://nobilliards.blogspot.com/2013/07/paul-mccartney-tug-of-war.html

I really enjoyed this take on the album, though I think I'm more well disposed to 'Here Today' than Marcello. I always herd the “For you were in my song” bit as McCartney trying to be humble, like McCartney writing about what Lennon meant to him personally, rather than make some big statement trying to sum him up. I suppose if you're an ultra-famous pop star trying to sound humble can just come across as conceited and arrogant? I think the awkwardness and the self consciousness make it more touching for me.

See "Stranglehold" has those melodic bits at the end of each hard rockabilly chorus and a sharp horn chart.

God, the 'you were AL-ways a VE-ry good DA-ncer' bit from 'Stranglehold' is an all time top ten McCartney moment for me, no question.

Is 'Stranglehold' McCartney's first attempt to try and do a kind of sexy thing for a while? Like, after the mid sixties most Beatles stuff is kind of sexless, or McCartney's songs anyway. Which is strange, when all the early songs are about sex, and they were such massive sex symbols and so forth. Is that why some people are so down on 'Stranglehold', because it's trying to do a sexy beatles thing and failing (in their opinion?)

I guess there's some 70s McCartney stuff that you could point to, but all seems to be kind of awkward and embarrassing like the 'get you ready for my body gun' bit from 'Hi Hi Hi', or 'I got a little woman i can really love/My woman fit me like a little glove'. 'Stranglehold' is awesome, though.

"eat at home" isn't awkward or embarrassing!

I don't know (m?)any of these records so I tried to lol vote but there were too many choices

then of course there's "Press."

RIGHT there. THAT'S it. YES.

I'm relistening to Press To Play right now... I haven't listened to this for months, and I'd forgotten how nuts 'Talk More Talk' (those voices!) and 'Pretty Little Head' (Ursa Major! Ursa Minor!) were. There's some beautiful songs on this, though, 'Only Love Remains' is one of my favourite McCartney slowies. Then there's 'Angry'... Paul apparently trying to do a "punk" song, with Phil Collins on drums.

Does anyone know who those voices on 'Talk More Talk' are? Is it a sample from something, or was it recorded specifically for the album?

Recorded specifically for the album. Steve Jackson, Matt Howe, John Hammel, Eddie Klein and the young James McCartney are credited on the album with "spoken word".

Kinda wishing he'd waited a little while so he could have got 'Once Upon A Long Ago' on this.

Does anyone know who those voices on 'Talk More Talk' are

The album credits are frustrating.

One of my favorite bits: the "Feel The Sun" part of "Good Times Coming." It's gorgeous, especially when that keening guitar enters.

Something which isn't apparent until one actually dives deep into McCartney's catalogue is that the throwaway/experimental nature of McCartney II didn't cease to happen after that album and certainly existed beforehand. The only difference between the stuff that's on McCartney II and later tracks like 'Pretty Little Head' and 'Ou Est Le Soleil?' is the production, where those tracks would have had a scrappy charm to them if done in the style of McCartney II (and wouldn't have felt out of place either), McCartney decided to "buff up" his later experimental throwaways with big production.

And what about 'Loup' from Red Rose Speedway, part of which is kinda McCartney's attempt to "do a Floyd"?

I'd agree with that assessment of 80s McCartney - the weirdness doesn't go away, but it gets clattering and clean and brisk and and sessiony, and just ends up sounding like everything else. I am immensely fond of "Good Times Coming," "Pretty Little Head," and "Ou Est Le Soleil," not to mention "Ode To A Koala Bear," "Love Come Tumbling Down," etc. I do draw the line at "P.S. Love Me Do" though.

My problems with "Stranglehold" have a lot more to do with this junky loudness than with the sex theme of the track. Damn thing gives me a headache to listen to it.

Yeah, the snare sound is very sharp, brittle and trebly throughout the whole album; it really stuck out to me on that last listen. It's the overwhelming double whammy of the Padgham gated snare sound mixed with late '80s digital recording.

Does the version of the album you're listening to have 'Write Away' on it? I'd say it's McCartney's sophisti-pop moment.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

Wow. Now there's revisionism at work.

LMAO at Flowers In The Dirt getting the same amount of votes as Pipes Of Peace (one of the weaker McCartney solo albums, IMO) and Gone Troppo... and Press To Play coming higher? Those are some truly exclusive to ILX results, right there :P

the intro to Talk That Talk sounds like 80s Kate Bush.

pretty amazing that almost as many people like Press To Play as Tug Of War.

Progress!

I like FITD. I may be alone in thinking "Distractions" and "This One" two of his best ballads. Gilmour's solo on "We Got Married" is almost as lovely as his work on "No More Lonely Nights."

Those are some truly exclusive to ILX results, right there :P

isn't that the point of polls on ilx

Poor Ringo.

It's one of those "Those that might have voted for y, had already voted for x"

Remove Mac2 from the list, see how that pans out..(and DoubFant prob)

OK that does it, I've def gotta hear "Press To Play" (never heard the single even though I remember floormates making fun of it. And a friend bought the cassette weeks before the CD was available. He bought that too.)

Might have to hear "Gone Troppo" too for the goofiness

I may be alone in thinking "Distractions" and "This One" two of his best ballads. Gilmour's solo on "We Got Married" is almost as lovely as his work on "No More Lonely Nights."

― first I think it's time I kick a little verse! (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 12 August 2013 00:18 (20 hours ago) Permalink

Nope, you're not alone there, I rate both 'Distractions' and 'This One' quite highly myself :) I still think 'My Brave Face' is one of McCartney's best solo singles, too. In fact, the only tracks I would bump off there are 'Rough Ride' and 'How Many People', really. Currently have 'That Day Is Done' running through my head as I type, which is maybe a sign that I should give this album another spin!

xpost:

Press To Play definitely worth listening to in full at least once!

One more word about Gone Troppo - I've probably mentioned liking the production on the late '70s/early '80s Dark Horse albums more than once, but Gone Troppo is particularly lush. Nice use of synths and I wonder if George was using a Roland Jazz Chorus amp or something because his tone is so clean.

Oh, and his voice sounds so good, too.