Sir Walrus – Part 2

For years I carried a somewhat negative view of Paul McCartney and his music. To me McCartney came across in interviews as a phony and a windbag, many of his songs were saccharine, and he is the one who broke up the Beatles (I always blamed Paul, not Yoko). But I think I may have judged the Walrus too harshly and unfairly as there are a lot of good things to say about the man and his music. McCartney has brought the world a lot of happiness through his songs and even after his best friend Lennon's murder and his wife Linda’s death he’s kept going, talking about peace and love, and making music.

I remember when a “tell-all” book about John Lennon was published in 1988 depicting Lennon as a monster and a fraud and claiming Paul was the only real talent in the Beatles. McCartney called the book trash and told people not to buy it. McCartney is a vegetarian and for decades has championed animal rights- and that makes him all right in my book. As for his music, I recently read a Playboy interview with Paul and Linda McCartney from 1984 in which the interviewer asks Paul to discuss his post-Beatles music (with Linda) and I find McCartney’s thoughts on his Wings period to be honest, intelligent, and enlightening.

“Those are the songs that some people thought were not as good as my earlier stuff, or too commercial. I know people from time to time used to say that, but my attitude was, ‘Sorry, folks, it’s about the best I can do right now. Sorry! You know, this is me trying to do it. I’m trying to do it honestly and genuinely; if some of it’s not working to your taste, what can I say?’ But it helped us claw our way back.”

“I used to think that all my Wings stuff was second-rate stuff, but I began to meet younger kids, not kids from my Beatle generation, who would seriously say, ‘No, wait a minute; can't have you say that about your work. We really love this song or that song.’”

“There’ll be people who mention ‘My Love’ or ‘Band on the Run,’ and for us that’s a big thing. Or ‘Mull of Kintyre’ or ‘Ebony and Ivory.’ No matter what I may think about them... I can view them cynically, even ruthlessly... even I have to admit there definitely was something there with some of the Wings songs. In fact, the more I bother looking at it again, the more I discover what I was trying to do. I think there’ll be a lot of that Wings stuff sort of rediscovered in years to come.”

Here are some (more) of my favorite Paul McCartney songs. Enjoy!

01. Paul McCartney and Wings – “Silly Love Songs” (1976)
02. Paul McCartney – “Only Our Hearts” (2012)
03. Paul McCartney – “Put It There” (1989)
04. Paul McCartney – “The Song We Were Singing” (1997)
05. Paul McCartney – “I’ve Just Seen a Face (Live)” (1991)
06. Paul McCartney – “On My Way to Work” (2013)
07. Paul McCartney – “And I Love Her (Live)” (1991)
08. Paul McCartney – “Hope of Deliverance” (1993)
09. Paul McCartney – “Early Days” (2013)
10. Paul McCartney – “Ever Present Past” (2007)

Listen to the playlist on Spotify... 

Sir Walrus – Part 1

Like many people, I grew up listening to and enjoying the Beatles’ music but it wasn’t until I was much older that I began to learn the truth behind the dream. Although most of the Beatles’ songs said “Lennon-McCartney” John and Paul often wrote songs separately- but still shared the songwriter credit. Generally speaking, Paul’s songs tended to be more sugary and upbeat (“silly love songs”) while Lennon’s were wilder and more experimental (“the walrus was Paul”) but it was McCartney’s feel-good songs that paid the bills and kept the Fab Four rich.

By the time I reached college, I was still listening to the Beatles but was becoming less interested in Paul’s romantic melodies and more interested in John’s (and George’s) weirder stuff. When it comes to the Beatles’ solo material, I mostly stuck with John and George over the years but then, last summer, I started getting a bit more into McCartney’s solo period (first with his wife, Linda, then with Wings, and then on his own). Maybe it's because I’m older now but much of Paul McCartney's solo work sounds really good and original (while most of my John Lennon and George Harrison music now gathers dust).

Although at the time it was often maligned by critics and considered lightweight and lame after his work with the Beatles, I feel like Paul McCartney’s solo music- especially from the ‘70s and ‘80s- has recently started undergoing a reappreciation and renaissance and maybe the guy was just ahead of his time (or maybe a lot of today’s music just isn’t very good). Here are some of my favorites from Sir Paul. Enjoy!

01. Paul McCartney – “Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey” (1971)

02. Paul McCartney – “Waterfalls” (1980)
03. Paul McCartney and Wings – “Live and Let Die” (1973)
04. Paul McCartney – “Here Today (2015 Remix)” (1982)
05. Paul McCartney and Wings – “Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five” (1973)
06. Paul McCartney – “Another Day” (1971)
07. Paul McCartney and Wings – “Band on the Run” (1973)
08. Paul McCartney and Wings – “My Love” (1973)
09. Paul McCartney – “Wanderlust (2015 Remix)” (1982)
10. Paul McCartney – “Too Many People” (1971)

Listen to the playlist on Spotify... 

 

Recommended Links:

Interview of Beatles, Why the Beatles Broke Up

Where's My Sandy Beach?

I’m not exactly sure how American Chrissie Hynde (from Akron, Ohio) ended up in ‘70s Great Britain where (with three Englishmen) she formed the Pretenders - but I’m glad she did. When I was a kid, Chrissie and the boys were a staple of radio and MTV and- along with the Clash and Elvis Costello- the Pretenders were supposed to be the kids who were going to save rock & roll. Unfortunately, two of the Pretenders’ founding members died within a year of each other (drugs) but Chrissie (and the drummer) soldiered on and both are still currently performing.

Forget all the clichés about Hynde being tough on the outside but soft on the inside- the Pretenders wrote and performed great rock songs with edge, realism, and to which every person can relate (many of their songs play like mini-movies and that’s hard to do). Like other great artists, the Pretenders grasp- and don’t shy away from- the human condition (we are finite beings with infinite desires) and the best of their songs help listeners reach lofty heights before returning to earth. With the exception of The Singles, I’ve never really had a favorite Pretenders album but the cream of their output is still some of the best music out there and deserves to be heard. Here are some of my favorites. Enjoy!

01. Pretenders – “Stop Your Sobbing” (1979)

02. Pretenders – “Human” (1999)

03. Pretenders – “Back on the Chain Gang” (1982)

04. Pretenders – “Message of Love” (1981)

05. Pretenders – “Watching the Clothes” (1984)

06. Pretenders – “I’ll Stand by You” (1994)

07. Pretenders – “Mystery Achievement” (1980)

08. Pretenders – “Brass in Pocket” (1979)

09. Pretenders – “Kid” (1979)

10. Pretenders – “Don’t Get Me Wrong” (1986)

Listen to the playlist on Spotify... 

... or check out the playlist on YouTube

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Recommended Links:

Punk: Attitude

It Can't Happen Here

Based on real life political events in ‘60s Greece, Z is a French movie- filmed in Algeria- but the story takes place in a fictional unnamed country where the Attorney General has appointed a dogged special prosecutor to investigate whether or not right-wing government officials have colluded with street thugs in the suspicious death of a beloved opposition leader (Yves Montand). Will truth and justice prevail?

Z is funny, intelligent, and brilliantly illustrates the timeless and universal struggle between those who want to change the system- and those who do not- as well as the age-old tricks and tactics both sides employ (while the media just stirs the pot for its own benefit). In our current era of political cynicism, Z is a must see political thriller- especially for those who hunger for truth, justice, and sanity. And if you think your rights can’t disappear overnight- think again. Grade: A

Game Night

The Essential Bob Dylan is a pretty faultless collection of songs and is probably the only Dylan album the casual listener will ever need. We listened to this album a lot last summer on Long Island during our family Scrabble nights and everyone really enjoyed it. The sound quality and sequencing are both great and although there have been several different versions of this collection released over the years any version will do (the 2010 version includes “Blind Willie McTell”).  Grade: A-

Listen to the album on Spotify... 

Recommended Links:

No Direction Home

Rough Patch

For years I avoided Bob Dylan’s music mostly because of his fans. In college there were all these young, pony-tailed neo-hippies smoking pot, wearing sandals, and referring to Bob Dylan as a prophet- and that just scared me off (it scared Dylan, too). At some point in the ‘90s I purchased the educational box set Biograph and for years it was the only Dylan music I needed in my collection. Although I've tried listening to Dylan's studio albums over the years there is only one I have ever really enjoyed from beginning to end: Blood on the Tracks. I’ve heard different things about Blood on the Tracks: Dylan recorded it in his home state of Minnesota; Joni Mitchell’s Blue inspired it; it’s about the break up of Dylan’s first marriage; it was his last great studio album.

Perhaps all these things are true but for me Blood on the Tracks is just a good collection of timeless songs that doesn’t really sound like any other Dylan album. I first heard Blood on the Tracks in the late ‘90s when I moved back home to live with my parents and attend graduate school on Long Island. I used to take long bike rides at night with my Walkman listening to Blood on the Tracks on my headphones. As I rode through the dark, quiet streets of my hometown the songs from Blood on the Tracks flowed together like a story or like a man looking back on his life and though I was young at the time and looking ahead to the future the wistful songs still resonated with me.

So, does the album still hold up for me twenty years later? Yes, I think if one is in the right mood Blood on the Tracks can still serve as a proper break up and/or looking back on your life album- or just some chill late night background music. It's not a folk album, it's not a rock album, it's just a thirty-something Dylan trying to get through a rough patch and doing the only thing he knows how to do. Grade: B+

Listen to the album on Spotify...

R. Zimmerman from Minnesota – Part 5

“The thing about rock n’ roll is that for me anyway it wasn’t enough, Tutti Frutti and Blue Suede Shoes were great catch phrases and driving pulse rhythms and you could get high on the energy but they weren’t serious or didn’t reflect life in a realistic way. 

I knew that when I got into folk music, it was more of a serious type of thing. The songs are filled with more despair, more sadness, more triumph, more faith in the supernatural, much deeper feelings...My Bonnie Love Is Lang a Growing, Go Down Ye Bloody Red Roses even Jesse James or Down by the Willow Garden, definitely not pussy stuff. There is more real life in one line than there was in all the rock n’ roll themes. I needed that.

Life is full of complexities and rock n’ roll didn’t reflect that. It was just put on a happy face and ride sally ride, there was nothing even resembling Sixteen Snow White Horses or See That My Grave Is Kept Clean in even the vaguest way. If I did anything, I brought one to the other. There was nothing serious happening in music when I started, not even the Beatles. They were singing Love Me Do.” 

– Bob Dylan, Biograph

01. Bob Dylan – “Most of the Time (Alternate)” (1989)

02. Bob Dylan – “Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here with You (Live)” (1975)

03. Bob Dylan – “All Along the Watchtower” (1967)

04. Bob Dylan – “Red River Shore” (1997)

05. Bob Dylan – “Summer Days” (2001)

06. Bob Dylan – “It Ain’t Me Babe (Live) (1975)

07. Bob Dylan – “One Too Many Mornings” (1964)

08. Bob Dylan – “Standing in the Doorway” (1997)

09. Bob Dylan feat. Johnny Cash – “Girl from the North Country” (1969)

10. Bob Dylan – “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall” (1963)

Listen to the playlist on Spotify... 

... or check out a song from the playlist on YouTube

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Recommended Links:

Bob Dylan – Nobel Lecture

Bob Dylan – “Series of Dreams”