Tag: Paul McCartney

The Brilliance of Now!

So, it’s finally here: ‘Now and Then’, the ‘new’ single from the Beatles. At the time of writing, it’s number one in the charts, too. What an astonishing achievement.

What to make of it all? Well, the tremendous commercial performance more than vindicates Paul McCartney’s decision to push for this song’s release. Decades after it was ostensibly discarded, the resurrection of ‘Now and Then’ is the ultimate modern day Beatles’ success story. It’s wonderful news.

In this age of streaming and the likes of Taylor Swift dominating the charts, it’s a phenomenal accomplishment to even have the Beatles in the conversation for relevance, let alone topping the charts for the first time in 54 years. Kudos to all involved.

The song itself is very good, if not exceptional. John’s demo, as many of you know, is decent but needed colossal work, hence George Harrison’s well publicised objections. Clearly, a huge amount of effort went in to clean it up with the crucial help of Peter Jackson’s boffins.

The end result is as good as we could expect. It’s superbly produced and packaged-Giles Martin always does a terrific job in that respect. In my view, ‘Now and Then’ is an inferior song to both its predecessors, ‘Free as a Bird’ and ‘Real Love’, but the production masks any deficiencies. Make of that what you will.

Furthermore, the video’s reception has been mixed, but I like it. There’s something incredibly poignant in seeing those images of forever young superstars juxtaposed with the older, frailer figures McCartney and Starr cut these days. Time waits for no-one, after all, not even Beatles!

It’s argued they shouldn’t be doing this at all, but who are we to grumble? There isn’t much left in the tank, not in the surviving two’s lifetimes anyway. Where this goes after that, considering the rapidly increasing advances in technology, is anyone’s guess. Posthumous protection of the catalogue will be so important in the years ahead without its fiercest gatekeepers around.

That’s for another day. For now, we simply marvel and celebrate yet another landmark for the most important group of all-time. In this troubled world, it’s lovely to have something put a timely smile on our faces. As fans, we’re not deluded. We know it’s not really a new Beatles’ song, but it’s as close as we’ll get. And that’s good enough.

@rorymcgimpsey

Now or Never

As you may have heard, Paul McCartney recently announced a new Beatles record. Yes, that’s right. And the way it was announced was incredible. This seismic announcement was casually dropped into an interview promoting McCartney’s new book: Eyes of The Storm. Unbelievably, it was mentioned right at the end of the interview, almost as an afterthought!

What? What song was he referring to? When will it be released? And, how is any of this even possible, given that George Harrison passed away in 2001? So many questions. Well, the song referred is believed to be Now and Then, a demo John Lennon composed in 1979. The background to this is, of course, the Anthology Project of 1995, where the three remaining Beatles at that point completed and then released two Lennon demos recorded before his murder in 1980: Free as a Bird and Real Love.

However, there was a third demo they didn’t get round to finishing. That song is Now and Then. Rumour has it that McCartney was keen to finish it, but Harrison disliked the third demo and prevented that from happening. That, we thought, was that. Now, all of a sudden, the project is back on, with artificial intelligence apparently being used to clean up the vocals.

The announcement has met a fair bit of scepticism and surprising negativity. This is puzzling. It seems some are conflating the talk of AI with the myriad videos populating the internet these days. You know the sort of awful thing: Jimmy Hendrix singing an Elton John song etc. But that’s clearly not what this is. All we’re talking about is using technology to clean up and finish an old demo. In that sense, it’s no different to what they did in 1995.

Others seem aggrieved that Harrison’s wishes are seemingly being overridden. This objection is a little odd. The Beatles work collectively and as a democracy. In fact, unanimity is required for any project to get the green light. Therefore, all parties (that is McCartney, Starr and the Lennon/Harrison estates) are clearly on board for this project to be announced in the first place.

Paul must be taken aback by some of the scepticism. After all, he’s not used to that. Well, not in recent years anyway. I, for one, think it’s fantastic. In our fandom, experiencing the enduring nature of this remarkable band, we forget how quickly time passes. Paul, sprightly though he is, has just turned 81 and Ringo, 83. Thankfully, both men are in rude health. But time waits for no-one. There won’t be many more opportunities to do these type of things. That’s the brutal reality.

A time will come, and it’s not that far away, when we’ll look for the next big Beatles project and realise it’s too late. At that point, the wonderful projects we currently take for granted will be confined to the past. So, let’s celebrate this project and look forward to what they’re planning. Scepticism undoubtedly has its place, but let’s not tarnish our understandable excitement. With the Beatles, we must make hay while the sun shines. It’s now or never!

@rorymcgimpsey

Who Needs Yesterday?

If you haven’t already, I suggest you watch Paul McCartney’s headlining Glastonbury set. Even if you’re not a Beatles’ fan. Even if you don’t particularly dig that type of music. Watch it. You’ll not be disappointed.

For an 80 year-old to headline the most prestigious festival in music is impressive enough in itself. But it’s the way McCartney did it. In a set that lasted nearly three hours, the former Beatle didn’t pause or draw breath. The only short interlude in the entire performance was prior to the encore. And that was a matter of minutes.

For the rest of it, Paul was relentless; entertaining the vast crowd with anecdotes in between the comprehensive rendition of the most impressive catalogue in rock n’ roll. Brilliant, as an adjective, fails to capture the awesomeness of it.

Still, there were detractors, of course. Some complained about the composition of the set. This allegation was peculiar given that McCartney rattled through loads of Beatles’ classics, as well as Wings’ staples such as Maybe I’m Amazed and Band on The Run.

Some moaned about his voice. Sure, it’s not what is used to be, understandably, but see how well it held up, without backing, during I’ve Just Seen A Face and George Harrison’s Something.

Others complained about a lack of crowd enthusiasm. I assume they switched off before the end. Yes, the set started slowly (as is the way with these things), but by the end Sir Paul had the audience eating out of the palm of his hand. What else to expect from a legend with over 60 years’ experience in the industry?

Criticism of McCartney has often been fashionable. Yet, no-one has achieved what he has. In truth, no-one’s even come remotely close. Such an accomplished history. The Beatles’ stuff alone is peerless, but look at all he’s done since. And he’s still going!

Paul’s last two albums, New and Egypt Station were damn good. Keen observers also note that the veteran entertainer found time during Lockdown to complete McCartney III. On top of all that, he’s still touring, performing to tens of thousands of people per night in stadiums all over the world. Evidently, the fire still burns brightly.

It’s not as if he’s doing it for the money. McCartney’s still stretching himself at this stage of his career because he still loves it and is so damn good at it. Paul McCartney could have retired comfortably years ago and with his place in music history long since assured. The fact that he hasn’t tells all about this remarkable man.

The Glastonbury show ended, of course, as is now customary, with the finale of the Abbey Road medley. You sensed the palpable disappointment from the crowd that it was all over. Because we felt it too watching on our tv sets. There was no shortage of emotion. Headlining Glastonbury at 80: what an incredible achievement.

So, complain if you want to. Be negative if it makes you feel better. But I know what I prefer to do. How long can he keep this up? Who knows? But, one thing I do know for sure. Make the most of this iconic human being while he’s still around. For we will never, ever see his likes again.

@rorymcgimpsey

McCartney The Master

As I write this piece, I’ve just finished watching the Paul McCartney interview, filmed as part of BBC Radio 4’s Mastertapes series. The interview  was broadcast on Saturday 28 May 2016 and featured a 45-minute long conversation with the legendary entertainer, focusing primarily on his post-Beatle career. The interview was presumably intended to coincide with the imminent release of McCartney’s compilation album, Pure McCartney (scheduled for 10 June 2016), which chronicles the former Beatle’s extensive solo catalogue, including the massively underrated Wings material that emerged following the break-up of  The Beatles in 1970.

As a massive Beatles fan, I devour anything remotely connected to the group, and was therefore eager to hear the latest musings from the evergreen McCartney. Most encouraging, though, is the fact that Macca is still busy as ever, planning the next phase of a career that’s seen him scale every conceivable height. I know it’s hard to believe, but the Liverpudlian musician turns 74 next month. For Beatles’ fans, the interview is certainly  worth a look, and although it understandably finds Paul in nostalgic mood, there is no indication that McCartney is hanging up his guitar just yet.

I came to the Beatles relatively late, and it’s fair to say I found their music from a position of acute scepticism. Despite the fact that many of my favourite bands cited The Beatles as an influence, my younger self struggled to see the appeal. Back then, I knew a handful of the Beatles’ hits and although they seemed okay, the music didn’t strike me as particularly earth shattering. And the image of mop topped young men performing to hordes of screaming teenage girls didn’t seem especially cool either. Yet, for all that, the Beatles just wouldn’t go away; their music proving enduringly popular across several generations. Why? And why did respected figures like Noel Gallagher insist this band was the greatest thing since sliced bread? I wasn’t sure.

Out of curiosity as much as anything else, I decided to find out what the fuss was about. In 2009, The Beatles released remastered versions of their albums, and this seemed as good a time as any to get better acquainted with their music. I purchased all thirteen original albums, from Please Please Me to Let it Be, and from that moment I was hooked. I immediately got it. It was all there: the beautiful melodies, simple, yet profound lyrics, and a diversity of musical output that I hadn’t heard from any other recording artist. What particularly struck me was how fresh and original the music sounded, 40 years after its original release. This was supremely inventive music, captured in extremely creative albums like the experimental Revolver and the psychedelic Sergeant Pepper. At once, I saw how virtually every band that had emerged since had been influenced (either directly or indirectly) by these sounds.

The biggest revelation, though, was Paul McCartney. Although I was familiar with the genius of John Lennon, I was genuinely shocked and delighted to discover how brilliant Paul McCartney is. I suspect, like many others over the years, I had been fooled by Macca’s amiable and genial image. I probably thought he was a bit naff. What a pleasure, then, to find out the extent of McCartney’s magical, mercurial talent. Of course, it shouldn’t really surprise that the man who wrote Yesterday, Let it Be, and Hey Jude was worthy of celebration, but I was legitimately taken aback by the sheer breadth and quality of his work. I’m fairly sure that perceptions of McCartney have been coloured by the Beatles’ break-up and the rancour that briefly ensued in the following years. When Lennon compared McCartney’s work to Muzak in 1971’s How Do you Sleep?, the idea became embedded in popular consciousness, I think. It now seems quite absurd to suggest that McCartney can’t rock (he wrote Helter Skelter for goodness sake!), but such sniping must be viewed in the context of the time. Break-ups are rarely civil after all!

The Mastertapes interview shows McCartney as the legendary, iconic figure he is, respected and admired in equal measure by generations of his fans. Kindred spirits like Gallagher and Paul Weller remain keen to show their appreciation. For a time, it seemed that McCartney hadn’t got the kudos his talent deserved; but at long last the former Beatle is consistently cherished for what he is, an international treasure. Beatles’ fans have long understood the genius of Paul McCartney, and we can only be thankful that his importance as an artist is celebrated in his lifetime. One hopes Sir Paul performs long into the future, but alas none of us can go on forever. It is heartening, therefore, that perhaps the most successful songwriter of all time continues to enjoy critical acclaim as well as commercial success. Because McCartney is the master. Long may he reign. We are extremely fortunate indeed to experience his enduring genius.

Twitter: @RoryMcGimpsey