fortuleo

It has finally become a McCartney thread ! It feels so good.

I agree Paul could have done with some self editing, I think writing songs comes somewhat easy to him and some of his solo work comes across as just quickly dashed off. I guess I give him credit for not crumbling under the weight of his legacy and being willing to put something out there that he knows people are going to criticize. He certainly has not cranked out the solo material and he is obvioulsy not in it for the money at this point. He's a songwriter, that's what he does. Sometimes the stars align and you put something out people love, sometimes not. Robert Pollard, Paul Westerberg, Jay Farrar, etc... have all certainly released crap songs, does not make me think less of them.

 

But if the guy bugs you he bugs you, I can certainly understand that. I just have not seen him do much that bugs me. I saw a show (20/20 or something) that showed his tour crew crying at the end of the tour. They seemed to honestly love working for the guy. Things like that make me wonder what he does to piss people off.

I think he pisses people off because he plays music with monkeys, talks to astronauts during live performances or rides a bike on the Red Square (all seen on one of his DVD's). Those are the reasons I can understand. What I do not understand is when people insult him for dying his hair or because he writes songs for children, or because he married whomever, or because he likes tea. I mean, give him a break. As for the self editing… It's true, of course. But most of the time, even in the crappies songs he wrote there's one redeeming bass link or a ridiculously good melodic idea to make the transition between the bridge and the verse etc. I mean, I remember being SPEECHLESS when I first heard Hope of Deliverance (don't boo me please), just for the eh-eh-eh vocal line at the end of the first chorus. Pure genius.

Yes. I agree.

 

What'd be Paul's legacy had he died after Band on the Run? Or even Back to the Egg?

I disagree that John being dead helps his legacy. It used to be very true but it changed for at least three reasons. 1/ Paul started to make very strong music again since Flaming Pie. 2/ With time, the weakness of John's solo records, apart from the first singles and the first two albums, has become quite obvious to everyone. I mean, Walls & Bridges ??!!?? 3/ Paul still talks. It's been almost thirty years since John had his last say about the Beatles, who did what etc. With time, Paul's point of view has become the "official" truth.

John was maybe a little more willing to experiment or change directions which Paul certainly could help with.

Yet I remember John being quoted saying he resented the fact Paul did too much experiment on his songs, namely Strawberry Fields which he thought would have been better if more straightforward. My impression is Paul wanted to add stuff to the other's music, but wanted them to do as he told them on his own stuff. That's where he was a bit contradictory. Urging them to be a "band" and welcome his ideas on one part, but using them as sidemen on the other. The fact is he certainly had good reasons to act that way, at least musically, since all the Beatles output done in the years he dominated the band (more or less 66-69) is outstanding.

You didn't like Spies Like Us???

Things change. I'm 39. When I was younger, up until maybe the mid-90's, everybody, and I mean EVERYBODY thought Lennon was far superior in every aspect (music, lyrics, attitude, solo carreer etc.). Then it started to evolve and change. But it's a fact that 15 years ago, Ram was completely unknown except to maccamaniacs. Even All Things Must Pass was a largely forgotten album. What I mean is that it's no surprise some people still react as if they HAVE to plead McCartney's cause after all the bashing he got in those days. I remember reading an article in one of the most important french rock magazines in te 90's where an renowned writer attributed Helter Skelter to Lennon and Good Night to McCartney. I swear the god it's true. And don't mock the french too much. You could read the exact same kind of crap in british or american magazines. People just DIDN'T KNOW.

As for Lennon's help to make Paul's songs better, an obvious example would be his spectacular piano intro in Obladi Oblada. Right ?

I'll be very interested to know how many songs will have been cited on all our lists !!

(I can sense this sentence is not correct english, sorry about that. But even if it's not, it sure must be amusing word for word french grammar translated in english. Have fun, people !)

Let's be clear: "I'll Fight" isn't even Top 12 on the album.

I really don't get all this hate towards I'll fight, by far the best song on (the album) for my taste. I mean you guys talk about it as if it was the Yellow Submarine of (the album). It's absurd. To me, most songs on this disc could be part of other albums (BBN on AGIB, Deeper Down on YHF, Country Disappeared on SBS, You Never Know on ATMP etc.) but I'll Fight is the only one that could fit perfectly on any Wilco album to this day, thus being in a way the quintessential Wilco song : melodic, easy on the ear, slightly countryish but marvelously pop, melancholic and bouncy at the same time. Just great.

1/ Jesus etc.

2/ Remember the Mountain Bed

3/ Hummingbird

4/ I’ll Fight

5/ Someday Soon

6/ How to Fight Loneliness

7/ Black Eye

8/ When the Roses Bloom Again

9/ Either Way

10/ New Madrid

11/ Summerteeth

12/ I’m the Man Who Loves You

13/ Forget the Flowers

14/ Please Tell My Brother

15/ Handshake Drugs

16 / Deeper Down

17/ Ashes of American Flag

18/ Company in My Back

19/ She’s A Jar

20/ Radio King

I finally decided that Jeff had to sing lead. You need to have clear rules to be able to sleep at night.

If there's any confusion come to me with what you want to vote for and we can decide.

Well, what about "Listen Joe", on 'Another Fine Day" ?

Mike, does Jeff have to sing lead on the song ? I mean, Listen Joe ????? And frankly, I feel bad about doing this a mere few days before we all have a chance to listen to the Seven Worlds Collide album, in which I bet we'll get a few more contenders for the list. I mean, Let's do this right, indeed !

Maybe it was posted before elswhere, but there's even a George H. song called "I don't care anymore". And THIS, I'd like to know if the band is aware of.

It's a song called "The New World" by a band called X. And I may be wrong, but it doesn't sound like Wilco to my ears

I am really enjoying both these songs quite a bit! I'm especially loving the song from the second night- I can't seem to stop playing it! I think it has a very beautiful sound and feel to it. I enjoyed these two more on the first couple listens then I did with "One Wing" and "Sunny Feeling" and "You And I," although, I do like those songs as well! These two songs though make me very excited to hear what's coming next!

What is "You and I" ? I must have missed that one…

This list is fun. Lists are always fun. Myself, I like the Laurie & John album. And Down by the Old Mainstream.

I think it's rather common for an artist to reflect on previous work for jumping off points. Sometimes it results in some really, really good material. Springsteen has done this quite a lot in the past fifteen years, with some amazing results.

True. Sky Blue Sky and Ruling Class are amazing songs, too. I just hope this process is not a sign of diminishing inspiration but, on the contrary, like in Springsteen's case, the sign that Jeff now masters his craft even better than before.

yeah, either that or they just thought it'd be funny to throw that obscure riff in there as the basis for that song as sort of a tongue in cheek thing

Obviously, Jeff's writing process leads him to listen to old tapes full of old ideas and demos and refine them. We know for sure that at least LNGCA (Let's Hear it for r'n'r), Sky Blue Sky (Lullabies for rafters and beams) and Ruling Class (All my Life) have been written this way in recent years. I'm not sure it is reassuring to know he tends to rely more and more on older stuff rather than writing completely new material

guys, guys, guys

Someone knows who sings what on the album ?

The album is OK, I guess. But if the Raconteurs are no more the band that Jack White uses to express his poppier side, what's the use

http://www.myspace.com/snakecrosscrown

there's also a link for the album somewhere on bolachasgratis, july 2007.

Don't know if it's been discussed here yet. If it has already, cool, please redirect me to the thread, I'd love to read the board's impressions about THIS : Cotton Teeth by this band The Snake the Cross the Crown is an unbelievable record, the first time I listen to an album that is clearly "following" Wilco's path and turning its influence into something else than an avant garde clich

To me all the SBS bonus tracks so far have just proved that Wilco are absolute masters of quality control. In my opinion, the two best outtakes - thanks I Get, One True Vine

yes, we Europe people are very tired of all these US only tracks. The same thing happened to me recently with the Amazon bonus tracks of the Gary Louris solo record. We are just not ALLOWED to buy them in ANY FORMAT. And now it happens with a Wilco song ! All american help will be very much welcome. Thanks.

I'm starting to think Paul McCartney wrote "Hate It Here" for McCartney but new it was best sung by Jeff Tweedy 37 years in the future.

Very true.

But then, McCartney also released this song 10 years ago on "Flaming Pie". It was called "Souvenir" and he sang it masterfully. Remember it ?

Hmmmmm......."Jeff Tweedy with special guests,Autumn Defense!"

Please tell me that Nels is not wasted on this album.......

-Robert.

No, nothing like Autumn Defense, it's not that kind of "mellow". And no, there's nothing like horns and female back up singers, thank god.

You can relax