Paul McCartney - Tug of War
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Free Music Notes for Tug of War
Free Music Review: A silver classic!
Hit: 5 Stars
This silver classic,reportedly released in March 1982,spawned three Top 20 hits,the title track,TAKE IT AWAY and EBONY AND IVORY,the latter featuring moral support from Motown great Stevie Wonder. There is one track which serves as a tribute to Sir Paul McCartney's fellow ex-Beatle John Lennon. This album is McCartney's first since Lennon's December 1980 murder. Also,this is McCartney's third on the Columbia label,originally. His Columbia predecessors are 1979's BACK TO THE EGG and 1980's McCARTNEY II. According to Norm N. Nite's Rock On Almanac,this album was one of 1982's top albums. McCartney,whose first major label was Capitol,returned to that label in 1986. His Columbia releases were later re-released on Capitol.Free Music Review: Welcome back, Paulie
Hit: 4 Stars
McCartney's seven-year slump ends here, with a strong song cycle including What's That You're Doing, a dance club R-and-B number that holds up even now.
WTYD is one of two duets with Steve Wonder, the other the syrupy classic Ebony and Ivory. Addtionally, there are the excellent Take It Away, Here Today, Wanderlust, Dress Me Up Like a Robber(a favorite obscurity), and the majestic title cut.
Free Music Review: Enjoyable, creative, multifaceted effort
Hit: 4 Stars
Paul McCartney's post-Beatles work has ranged from brilliant to mediocre. I have been a fan of the Beatles since I saw them on the Ed Sullivan Show one memorable night when I was five, and have enjoyed every stage of McCartney's career since--as a Beatle, a Wing and a solo artist. Some albums have gotten constant time on my stereo--almost all the Beatles, Band on the Run, Wings Over America, Flaming Pie, Chaos and Creation. Others have been listened to a few times and then gathered dust, only to be enjoyed occasionally.
I have always kind of steered clear of this album. I find "Ebony and Ivory" to be one of the all-time worst songs, despite its optimistic message. However, when I picked up an LP copy used a few weeks ago and put it on the turntable, I was pleasantly suprised by the diversity and musicality on the album. The music ranges from rocker numbers to ballads, has a catchy dance number or two, has a hard-funk number with Stevie Wonder, a duet with Carl Perkins, features the talents of Sir George Martin, and has a whole clutch of good songs on it. McCartney's tribute to John is short and tender, but not sappy. The instrumentation is lush on some numbers in late-Beatles style, but never Phil Spector 'over-the-top' lush. Lots of goods strings and horns throughout. The first number that McCartney and Stevie Wonder do together is absolutely worth the price of admission. Funk meets the Beatles.
This is a great, eclectic album that will give you many hours of listening pleasure. It's a fun album. You can tell McCartney had fun making it. It's not a classic, and it's not deep. It's just good solid music.
Just make sure you skip 'Ebony and Ivory'. This is easy on the LP, because it's the last song on the B-side. Unless you like it---then crank that puppy.
Free Music Review: So good it brings tears to one's eyes.
Hit: 5 Stars
This is the second of his three solo masterpieces. First being BAND ON THE RUN and the third being CHAOS AND CREATION IN THE BACKYARD. TUG OF WAR was produced by none other than the one and only Sir George Martin. Ringo also plays drums on a few tracks as well. Therefore, this record is sort of a Beatles reunion, and it shows. The only flaw is McCartney's second and inferior collaboration with Stevie Wonder. But,I can ignore the bad album closer that is 'Ebony and Ivory'enough to give it five stars. This CD is also very emotional considering it was MACCA's first release since John Lennon's murder. The one song he dedicates to John on TUG OF WAR 'Here Today' is worth the price alone. Free Music Review: Possibly Paul's Worst
Hit: 3 Stars
I love Sir Paul. I am not a Wings basher or even a Linda basher. I do not think he did nothing post-Beatles that matched his efforts before. In fact, I think some of both McCartney II and Flaming Pie surpass anything he personally did with his mates.
Not Tug of War, however. This is a CD That Tries Too Hard. This is Paul reading the polls like a politician and summoning up a political hack to tell him what to do. Ringo and George and Elton John and probably the band practicing in the garage down the block had all written a song about John, and had a hit, so he figured it was time he forced himself to write a song about John. And forced it seems, the melody going every which way but, well, in any kind of a melody.
And is it bad enough that he goes around bragging about how he can't read music (but wants to be taken seriously as a classical musician), but then he writes a song about "ebony and ivory" "liv[ing] together in perfect harmony" on his keyboard? Well maybe on your keyboard, sweetheart, but on mine if I play the black and white keys that are next to each other, it sounds pretty tense until I play a chord that separates them. Not the kind of analogy I think he was looking for. Which means, guess what, somebody was slapping songs together and not thinking. Or smoking a little too much ganja.
Not that big a deal. He's allowed some down time in a stellar career--nobody hits the jackpot every time. Just caveat emptor...if you want a fine effort by Sir Paul McCartney, this Rock & Roller...and major Beatles fan...would not recommend Tug of War.