Paul McCartney - Back in the U.S. Live 2002
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Free Music Notes for Back in the U.S. Live 2002
Free Music Review: Paul is Live and Kicking
Hit: 5 Stars
To help place this review in some sort of context, I must tell you two things. Firstly, I am not a rabid and fanatic McCartney, Wings, or Beatles aficionado. I truly like some of the music produced by each of these, but I am not a blind "buy-anything-with-McCartney's-name-on-it" fan -- I own a Beatles cd or two, a few Wings cd's, and have owned at one time or another several post-Wings McCartney discs, but I don't collect the stuff. Secondly, I love good live discs and I believe that it is in concert where bands prove themselves. Studio gadgetry and layers of production could make even me sound good (well...maybe), but on stage these devices (in theory) are removed and we can judge if these guys can really play and sing. "Back in the U.S., Live 2002" contains a nice overview of McCartney's career. Twenty of the songs are from the Beatles' catalog and the remaining 15 songs are post-Beatles. The Beatles' cuts span the phases of that band's existence from early ("All My Loving," "I Saw Her Standing There"), middle ("We Can Work It Out," "Yesterday"), and later ("Hey Jude," "Let It Be," "Long and Winding Road"). The post-Beatles offerings include post-Beatles-pre-Wings ("Every Night," "Maybe I'm Amazed"), Wings ("Jet," "Band On the Run," "My Love"), and post-Wings ("Coming Up," "Lonely Road"). The various career "phases" identified above obviously aren't represented equally, and undoubtedly we can quibble about what should have been included and what should have been avoided; but all in all, it's not a bad selection of songs. Are there songs missing that I would have liked included?...yep. But there are some pleasant surprises ("Getting Better," "Every Night") that I would not have thought to include in my wish list. Sir Paul didn't call me ahead of time to work out a set list, but left to his own he did pretty well.
What really strikes me about this 2-disc set is the quality and conviction with which these songs are delivered. This is not a nostalgia act...this is not a tired rocker from the past attempting to remind us of how he once produced good music. This is not (please accept my apologies in advance) the Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, the Rolling Stones, or Elton John. I own McCartney's two other recent live offerings ("Tripping the Live Fantastic" and "Paul is Live") and admittedly those discs are safe - they contain some nice cuts but are generally safe, somewhat tame. Not so with "Back in the U.S." - this one reminds me more of the classic (and still undefeated) "Wings Over America" which I also own. "Back in the U.S." features a small band (two guitarists, a keyboardist, a drummer, and McCartney on bass, guitar, and keyboards) that doesn't hide behind excessive overdubs, programming, or layers of extra musicians. These guys are good, they are the real deal, and they play with honesty and vigor. They do not mask deficiencies with excessive volume, cover weaknesses with extra musicians and singers, nor hide faded talent behind a cacophony of distracting keyboards, synthesizers, horns, extra percussions, and back-up singers. They rock, and they are loud, but they work within the design of the songs instead of hiding from the opportunities or covering lack of skill/conviction with noise. They do not offer tired versions of what were originally (mostly) good songs - they are salt used properly to emphasize the quality of what is inherent to the songs. "Can't Buy Me Love," "Lady Madonna," "Hello Goodbye," "Band on the Run," and other songs breathe with vitality. "Maybe I'm Amazed" punches with life and is more reminiscent of the original studio version than of the live cut from "Wings Over America" (interestingly, the current version also harkens back to The Faces' somewhat sloppy cover of this song on "Long Player"). Believe it or not, McCartney et al. injects new life into "Live and Let Die" and delivers a version of "Coming Up" that is not just good (which I had thought impossible for this light-weight ditty) but actually strikes an enjoyable balance between funk, rock, and fluff. The acoustic set (including "Blackbird," "Mother Nature's Son," "Vanilla Sky" among others) is tastefully and sincerely delivered without sappy and false emotion, and cuts from the relatively recent studio album "Driving Rain" actually pique my interest in that album (I may buy it). The ukulele-accompanied tribute ("Something") to the late George Harrison is delivered honestly and seriously, not as cheap pandering.
Does everything on "Back in the U.S" work...? Nope. "Here Today" is a sincere tribute to the late John Lennon but as a song it just kind of meanders. "Carry that Weight" could have been better (check out this cut as part of the famous trio on 1990's "Tripping the Live Fantastic"). "Fool on the Hill" is good but...well, I'm biased as I never liked this song. But much more often than not, McCartney and band score direct hits. Sir Paul's voice sounds good throughout, hitting the notes he needs to hit, growling appropriately, and he and his band handle love songs ("Your Loving Flame"), rockers ("Back in the USSR"), and fluff ("C Moon") with equal sincerity.
Unlike some recent live offerings by bands still nominally functioning after three to four decades, McCartney does not strike a hollow pose...he delivers the past without resting in it, pumps the older songs with energy as when they were conceived, and the newer stuff in general stands up well in the mix. I did not expect to judge "Back in the U.S." so highly, but I am impressed and I want to hear more. When McCartney and gang come back around, I'll go see them...and when Sir Paul decides to release a new studio album, I probably buy it.
Free Music Review: Good live album from a great tour
Hit: 5 Stars
I got to see Paul for myself on April 17th, 2002. It was the first and so far only time I have seen him. I was not born early enough to have seen the Beatles or even Wings live. I was also too young to be interested during his early 90s tours. So I have nothing in my own memory to compare this too, but I am grateful for Paul to have given me at least a glimpse of what it must have been like, and for a moment, for the Beatle music to live again.Unfortunately, no recording technology exists in my opinion that can truly give you the feeling of being there. But for a CD, this is pretty good. The sound quality is excellent, as is Paul's voice, which is actually better then on his 1990 Tripping the Live Fantastic. All songs are included and in order. There is no dialog included, and while for many songs it was not necessary, for some it would have been nice. Especially for the tribute songs, such as Here Today (John), Something on Ukulele (George), My Love (Linda), and Loving Flame (Heather). Aside from the removal of dialog however, this is an excellent live album, one of his best. Here are some highlights for me:
Hello Goodbye: The show opens with this song (following a few guitar cords and drumming used to open the show.
Jet: Contained on this CD is one of his best live performances of the song to date. Reminds the listener that besides writing silly love songs, Paul knows how to rock.
Coming Up: Another great rocker, finding Paul once again in fine voice
Driving Rain: Good to hear the other two new album tracks live too, but this one especially, as it's opening has been changed. Instead of some sort of synthesized sound effect, it now opens with some excellent drumming and Paul strumming his base guitar.
The acoustic set: Pretty much all songs here are great, Blackbird, Everynight, We Can Work it Out, Mother Nature's Son (I don't think it was performed live before), and the Fool on the Hill. It was excellent to see Paul playing by himself, just him singing and playing the guitar/piano. Vanilla Sky is a good song, not his best, but not bad, and after seeing the movie, I can say the song does indeed work. Also, the live version seems to be done at a slightly faster tempo then the original, will have to compare it back to back sometime to be sure. Also, his tribute songs are wonderful. Here Today, which he wrote after John was murdered, was played and song beautifully, again, just him and his acoustic guitar. Paul played George Harrison's Something on the Ukulele, which as he explains at the concert, was an instrument that George would play at home all the time.
The second disc continues the acoustic set with Eleanor Rigby. Wix synthesizes the strings on his keyboards. The band sings harmonies here quite well. Here There And Everywhere is next, and ends the acoustic set with Wix on accordion and Abe playing drums with brushes and singing harmonies.
Things get rocking at this point with Band on the Run, which seems to have an edgier sound then the original in the "If we ever get out of here" section. Back in the USSR is next and continues the rocking pace. Maybe I'm Amazed is next. Paul's voice on this disc is much better then on the Tripping disc, though I have heard bootlegs of this tour that are even better then this one.
C Moon is an okay song, like this live version a bit better then the original, but would have preferred Paul pick a different song from his Wings/Solo career then this one. My Love is probably Wing's best pre-Band on the Run song. At the concert I was at (April 17, 2002), he mentioned that it had been four years to the day that Linda had died, and said he that he was playing it as a tribute to her, and from other reports I have read, he dedicated it as tribute to Linda in all the concerts after that. Would have been nice if one of those dedications was included on the CD, but like the other tribute songs, it wasn't.
The show continues with Can't Buy Me Love, then into the new September 11th tribute Freedom (better appreciated live). Live and Let Die is next (wish the new Die Another Day theme could be one-tenth as good as this Bond theme). The classics Let It Be and Hey Jude are next. During Hey Jude, Paul does his usual audience sing along, this time having the men and women sing separately at times. At one point, he also says "Everybody in New York City", indicating this song, or at least part of it, was taken from one of the Madison Square Gardens concerts.
The show ends with The Long and Winding Road, Lady Madonna, I Saw Her Standing There, Yesterday, and an excellent medley of Sgt. Pepper's Reprise and The End.
To summarize this already to long review, I would say this is a perfect live CD except for the fact the dialog was removed. Really, it didn't need it all kept, just the important dialog such as the intro, the tributes, the info on songs such as Getting Better and Blackbird, and at the end where he thanks everyone. Still, this is an excellent live CD. While some have also wondered if the CD has been cleaned up in spots in the studio, I must say I really don't think it has. There are errors in some of the songs, and the strange sound on The Fool On The Hill. Plus, at the New Jersey concert I saw him at and have a VHS bootleg, the band and Macca's voice were REALLY excellent, and some cases, even better then on here.
Free Music Review: THE PAUL MCCARTNEY PACKAGE DEAL
Hit: 5 Stars
As can be gleaned from the other reviews you can read here, one will either love this CD or hate it. For someone who is reputed to be the most amiable of the former Beatles McCartney certainly has generated his fair share of animosity. The common wisdom has it that McCartney gave us the sweet and sentimental side of the Beatles while John Lennon gave us the witty and biting leavening to the final product. For the most part, this holds up across most of the Beatles catalogue. There are instances where it seems Lennon and McCartney had reversed roles. Indeed, a brief survey of Lennon's post-Beatles output shows the supposedly acidic ex-Beatle waxing poetic and "moon and June" sentimental. A similar survey of McCartney will examples critical intelligence and sarcasm. But for the most part if one considered McCartney's entire song cat ague you will find a troubadour of love and light. It would be interesting to know if McCartney thinks of himself primarily an artist or and entertained. Lennon for sure thought of himself as an artist. But one gets the notion that McCartney doesn't see himself as all that removed from the old English music hall tradition his father played a part and which McCartney loves.The John Lennon fan club hates McCartney for a variety of reasons-all of which boil down to McCartney isn't more like Lennon. There is also resentment that by virtue of differing lifespans McCartney's songbook will dwarf Lennon's in terms of sheer size. Lastly there is a fear that McCartney's version of the Beatles story will become the official historical version of events. Lost will be that side of the Beatles that offended and threatened the status quo. No small part of loving the Beatles was that the grownups hated them so much.
In addition, many (not necessarily belonging to the John Lennon Fan Club) sense behind McCartney's friendly demeanor is a calculating and manipulating individual. They feel that one simply cannot take McCartney at face value. All this friendliness and crowd-pleasing behavior mask a gifted individual who sold his soul for money and fame. Exactly when this sale of his soul occurred is up for debate. Most date it from the days just after the Beatles breakup. Whether you believe this or not, understand that a good part of the resentment against McCartney stems from this perception of duplicity and money grubbing.
So in picking up this CD, read the label and know what you are getting. You are getting the Paul McCartney package deal. It had been almost ten years since his last "live" album. A lot of water has flowed under the bridge-not the least of which the deaths of George Harrison and Linda Eastman McCartney. A retrospective stock taking of his whole career is only natural.
And what an excellent CD this is. I personally loved mixing up the old material with the new. In spite of the fact that many of these songs are over thirty years old they sound fresh and stimulating. The playing is tight and the musianship of the band is first rate. In an unusually understated way, this is McCartney's love letter to America-a place in many ways his second homeland.
I have misgivings about McCartney's songwriting after the Band On The Run/ Venus And Mars period. I don't think the later part of that divide measures up to the first. McCartney's last album "Driving Rain" frankly left me unimpressed. I had believed (maybe naively) that "Flaming Pie" would mark an upswing in his creativity. Perhaps it is simply not to be. But there is no denying that McCartney is a magnetic performer. As this CD shows, he can still leave the audience wanting more.
John Lennon desperately wanted to be loved by the audience but there was also a part of him that would get embarrassed by it all and tell everyone to just go and screw themselves. McCartney has not such qualms. Some don't like him for that. But like him or not, McCartney can put on a wonderful concert as this CD shows.
Free Music Review: Immediately one of the great live CD's in rock
Hit: 5 Stars
I had the extreme fortune to see Paul McCartney live in concert at Tacoma this past October. After an incredible three-plus hours of musical greatness, I walked away telling people that this was the best concert I had ever seen. It was with extreme pleasure that this tour was captured for posterity on a 2-CD set.A product of the "post-Beatles generation", but with an ever-growing appreciation of their music, I never would have thought it likely to ever see their music played live, much less by one of the Beatles themselves. Then Mr. McCartney graciously goes on this tour, drawing deep and long from the Beatles catalog, as well as from his rich store of songs from his solo and Wings careers.
This CD set captures the concert virtually in its entirety and, in terms of the setlist, in order as Mr. McCartney played in concert. He sounded great on this tour, and that is conveyed very well in this recording, as is the stellar musicianship of his backing band. The sound quality is, for a live show, tremendously sharp and vibrant, thus making it even more possible for those of us who witnessed it in person to close your eyes and vividly re-live those memories and emotions.
One of the treats of this tour is that Mr. McCartney played several songs solo intermittently throughout the show. It was at these times where he was perhaps at his most poignant, and really tugged at your emotions. This was evidenced in his back-to-back tributes to John Lennon ("Here Today") and George Harrison ("Something", played delightfully on the ukulele), but also in songs like "Blackbird" and "Yesterday".
In the full band setting, the music was well-executed and full of outstanding moments. The "Live and Let Die" sequence was just one of those phenomenal moments, though listeners to this CD miss the stunning pyrotechnics that accompanied this number. The band should also be commended for carrying off the McCartney/Beatles catalog with tremendous aplomb, while at the same time staying enough in the background to allow the audience to focus on Mr. McCartney.
Mr. McCartney was also very well-served in limiting the new material on this tour, as evidenced here. He performed three or four new songs early in the show that were, frankly, mediocre compared to the rest of his setlist. He also performed "Freedom" later in the show, which was the best of the new crop and one that fit in well with that part of the concert.
Those of us who saw the later shows on this tour do not get the live versions of "Michelle" and "Let 'Em In", which he performed in place of "Vanilla Sky" and "C Moon" that are featured here. This is an extremely mild criticism, but one that is by no means detrimental to the overall package.
Another strong point of this CD is that his banter between songs is cut out. While it does remove some funny moments and the explanations behind some songs (not to mention the lead-ins to the Lennon and Harrison tributes), it keeps the CD well-paced. It also keeps it "generic" enough so that it is not fully obvious as to where the songs were actually recorded, thus maintaining at least the illusion that at least one song was recorded at the show you attended. But, far too often, the banter is left in, and it can be amazingly disruptive and inane (I cite the Billy Joel Millenium Concert CD as the prime example). Mr. McCartney left the music to speak for himself.
In my opinion, this is one of the best live CD's in the rock genre that you will find on the market. It gets an unwavering five-star rating from this reviewer, and I recommend it wholeheartedly to Beatles fans, McCartney fans, or simply fans of great music.
Thank you, Mr. McCartney, for the wonderful memories, and for preserving them for all to enjoy.
Free Music Review: The Best Album Ive Heard For A While
Hit: 5 Stars
Certainly the greatest album I've heard in a long time, Paul McCartney's 'Back in the US' is a rock and roll party all the way through, featuring some of the best (mainly) McCartney penned Beatles songs mixed with some of his solo career highlights. His voice is still amazingly strong for his age, so much so that I prefer many of the songs on this album to their studio versions, and I really couldn't pay a higher compliment to this album than that. I was even more surprised when I saw Paul live at Earls Court, London the other week, in that I thought his voice may perhaps be a let down because this album features his best live recordings, but I was proved wrong as it sounded almost identical to how it does on this album.'Hello Goodbye' is a great opener, turned, like many on this album, from being a lightweight pop song into a rousing, foot stomping live anthem. 'Jet' sounds better than ever before, as does 'Let Me Roll It'. Three songs from his latest album are then played, 'Your Loving Flame' being my personal favourite. What follows is a nice acoustic session, my only complaint is 'Carry That Weight' being a part of it. It isn't really suited to an acoustic sound, and would have been better near the end in its original rock sound. 'Blackbird' and 'Mother Nature's Son' are two of the best in this section, and it finishes with two fine tributes; 'Here Today', a touching ode to John Lennon, of what McCartney would have said to him had he been alive today, and 'Something', probably the album's most interesting song, a ukulele version of George Harrison's classic hit, done so in this fashion because of Harrison's love of the instrument. I found it quite odd that there was no tribute to his late wife Linda, why not?
Onto the second half. It begins with 'Eleanor Rigby' and 'Here There and Everywhere', both more lively versions than their originals. Then comes the magnificent 'Calico Skies' from the equally magnificent 'Flaming Pie' album, the only song featured from it on this disc. Then follows one of McCartney's greatest ever songs, 'Band on the Run'. 'My Love' and 'She's Leaving Home' provide a soft touch to this part of the album. 'Live and Let Die' is tailor-made for stadium singalongs, and doesn't disappoint here, I will never forget the explosions at the beginning and end when he played it onstage. Towards the end it features four of not only McCartney greatest songs, but four of the twentieth century's greatest; 'Let It Be', 'Hey Jude', 'The Long and Winding Road' and of course 'Yesterday', all done with the necessary onstage enthusiasm. 'Hey Jude' is the exceptional standout. This wonderful album finishes suitably with 'Sgt Peppers' and 'The End', complete with an extended jam.
My only disappointment was the fact that because Paul has so many great hits, there could have been many more that I would have loved to listen to. However, you can't have everything.