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ivan@stellysee.de
| From | adamghost@aol.com |
| Subject | Re: Macca |
| Date | Mon, 25 Jun 2007 14:23:43 -0400 |
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Vis a vis Lefsetz et al:
I think Paul McCartney, like a politician, has been caught up in a "media narrative" for years, which goes something like "Paul sucks solo, with the exception of _______________ [McCartney or BOTR], and his latest album which is his best since (your favorite '80s album, usually Tug of War or Flowers In The Dirt." I think everyone's reaction to anything Paul does is framed either with that narrative or counter to it, and when it's counter, it's usually to say that everything sucks. Again, like politics, people use their feelings about Macca to make statements about who they are and what they stand for. Easy target, and all that.
I think that in twenty years people will look back and view everything Paul did from FLAMING PIE onward as being pretty solid. I lost interest in McCartney in the late '80s and will never forget the shock when a friend of mine played me RUN DEVIL RUN and, quite simply, it smoked. It was fresh, vibrant and loose and didn't sound like an olides cover record at all. I finally broke down and bought CHAOS AND CREATION IN THE BACKYARD and man, I don't think I've played any record that much in years. It had nothing to do with Paul being an ex-Beatle or not or being brainwashed; I'm easily bored and a lot of what Paul does bores me. I just loved the production, the vibe, and most of the songs, which rarely went where I predicted they would. Granted, there are some weaker moments even on his '90s CDs, but not any more to my ears than on, say, an Elliott Smith record. So who's got the double standard here?
I have the new one but my IPod is on shuffle so I've only heard "Gratitude" thus far. It's good. Other than that I can't render an opinion. I doubt I'll like it as much as CHAOS, but that's fine.
adam
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