The Beatles' Solo Careers Poll - Voting and General Discussion Thread

I can't find the post now, but I think on another thread someone suggested that Press To Play = McCartney II, but with all the weird little songs produced in the style of mid 80s blockbuster pop smashes rather than lo-fi demos, which seems accurate?

it's a little sad that he never really did anything as odd and freewheeling as this again, at least under his own name. Starting with Flowers In The Dirt he kind of slips into a kind of careful, respectable elder statesman zone (I like Flowers In The Dirt in though) (and I guess you could argue that the careful, respectable elder statesman stuff starts with Tug Of War and him working with George Martin and self-consciously trying to sound like 'classic' Paul McCartney?)

Write Away should have been on Press To Play instead of just being a b-side, I think this is maybe the most Jazz FM he ever went?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsRdM8iBHh0

"Spies Like Us" sucks, doesn't it?

"Spies Like Us" sucks, doesn't it?

The second Fireman album - Rushes - is good. Used to listen to it a lot on shrooms in the early 2000s, though always needed to skip an unbearably jarring third track.

The third Fireman album - though widely lauded at the time - is sadly dire, as I recall Lex pointed out in a review at the time.

"Spies Like Us" sucks, doesn't it?

― morning wood truancy (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, May 25, 2018 3:45 AM (one hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

it's p bad afaict

"write away" is good though!

I can't find the post now, but I think on another thread someone suggested that Press To Play = McCartney II, but with all the weird little songs produced in the style of mid 80s blockbuster pop smashes rather than lo-fi demos, which seems accurate?

whoever this was is otm

it's not a perfect record by any means but i'm thrilled that it exists

like a dating profile that's clearly a thinly-veiled screed against the last person dated. "looking for someone real authentic, NOT FANCY, who'll just stick with one note per chord and really thud it out ad nauseum! rock and roll, not some MUSIC HALL BULLSHIT FOR GRANNY OR JAZZ!!! must be chill cause i am too :)"

glad you guys like Press

doesn't really do anything for me

"Dark Horse" (title track) is really one that I can almost hear done by the Beatles. Would have been awesome! (With Harrison in good voice, of course.)

"why not" is one of the coolest pieces of music i've heard all year

heh, i just got through listening to Dark Horse the album, and can't remember any of the songs, even ones i liked yesterday. i like the sound and the playing all the way through (tho yes the vocals were very hoarse in several places) - peppy, varied, some nice little accents. but not a lot of super strong tunes coming into focus.

went back and listened to title track tho and yeah that's not bad, though severely overlong and criminally hobbled by the vocal take. real shame to squander an album's worth of someone's oeuvre by not letting them record it at full strength. but it's got an idea and that main strummy hook and the flute wandering in are nice.

"once upon a long ago" is... really good?

I always like when Paul plays lead guitar, and I think he does on "...Long Ago."

“wanderlust” is incredibly lovely as well. this record seems stranded between at least three identities but the introverted orchestral pop part is great

― flamenco blorf (BradNelson), Thursday, 24 May 2018 23:44 (yesterday) Permalink

'Wanderlust' is one of my favourites - a beautiful song, but also quite funny when you find out it was actually written about a real incident that happened during the recording of London Town. They were recording on a boat (not called Wanderlust, although that was the name of one of the other boats) and were sufficiently far enough away from land where McCartney could smoke his spliffs without any trouble. Unfortunately, the captain was anti-drugs and threatened to bring the boat in to get Paul busted.

i identify with paul’s dedication to weed

McCartney wanted to work with Padgham simply because he was a hot name at the time with Genesis and Phil Collins, and The Police before that. He fell out with both Padgham and Eric Stewart during that record. 'Only Love Remains' and 'Press' are my favourite tracks during this period. 'Once Upon a Long Ago', from roughly around this time (although later than Press to Play rules. 'Spies Like Us' is crap, I agree.

As for Klaus Voorman, I can't say I'm much of a fan of his playing either.

flowers in the dirt is pretty good! think i enjoyed every track except “how many ppl.” i did lmao a little through “motor of love”

The thing about 'Motor of Love' is that I really, really like the tune but jesus christ that lyric.

Rough Ride is a nothing.

I love Figure of Eight beyond reason. So loose!

I'll warn you in advance, Off the Ground isn't one of McCartney's better albums... I wouldn't call it an awful record, but it does have more than a few bland moments.

'The Lovers That Never Were' fucking rules, though.

'Figure of Eight' is one of my favourite McCartney songs, plus 'My Brave Face', 'Distractions', 'Put It There', 'We Got Married', 'This One', 'That Day Is Done' ...

after flowers i might check out flaming pie, chaos and creation, memory almost full, and the last two fireman records, which lol sounds like a lot of albums still but i’m not gonna exhaustively approach post-‘80s paul

“figure of eight” and “we got married” are both amazing

Yeah, that pretty much covers all the stuff that I'd suggest you must hear, but you have to hear 'Rinse the Raindrops' from Driving Rain at the very least!

and twin freaks!

oh yeah that’s on the list

man I dunno how you guys can brave all of Macca's post 1980 output, it's so dire. I couldn't make it through "The Pound is Sinking".

Coming to the conclusion that Paul is definitely the *weirdest* Beatle, he's kind of inscrutable in his stoner randomness and bad judgment.

the listener's patience is running right out, and only the strong are survivors

I know David Gilmour reprises his magnificent "No More Lonely Nights" solo in "We Got Married," but it works.

I haven't been doing much new listening for this poll, but I started Chaos & Creation last week and really liked "How Kind of You" -- it reminded me of something else but I wasn't sure what. Finally got around to reading the wiki and thought "oh, right, Radiohead."

It's not that I "brave" McCartney's post-1980 output, it's that I enjoy it.

Yeah seriously. Lots of great albums. It's not hardly as excruciating as braving most of Harrison's albums...

Though I will admit I am enjoying George's self titled album this last week or so.

There's waaaay less of Harrison's albums!

Harrison only has three '80s albums!

Just meant george's albums in general. But point taken.

each one better than the last, frankly

I don't know what my resistance was with Brainwashed! I freaking love George Harrison.

New > Flaming Pie

New is pretty incredible

I haven't contributed much to this thread, but I must admit I've really enjoyed it. Good work everyone!! And I can definitely see my using this as a guide for perusing, or some of them not, these records in the future.

It's not just a lovin' machine, it doesn't work out if you don't work at it!

1. While I like the idea that Press is weird McC I and II shit with an Invisible touch budget, I didn't dig it on first listen last night. Yet I remember from a 1986 RS cover story that Townshend and Phil play with Paul on "angry," a song which he claimed then had something to do with being mad that thatcher did not want sanctions against South Africa. "wow," 15 year old me thought, "that might be pretty rockin.'" 32 years later, I learn that its pretty darn weak for one of his "okay, now THIS is the RAWK tune on this album" selections.

2. Wild Life is the worst record I've heard yet from my trawl through 70s Harrison and McC. At least Red rose has Little Lamb Dragonfly.

idk wild life kinda grew on me even though it’s def the worst wings record. “tomorrow” is just too good

has anyone come out of this exercise with a greater appreciation for Denny Laine? Who's the best Wings guitarist?