Beatles the Solo Years Album by Album Thread: Approaching the 2000s and Beyond!

I'm pretty sure that Ringo will have another live All Star band release before we wrap this thread up .

This years band members:
Regis Philbin
Kelly Ripa
Larry King
Mark Hudson
and others still TBA

 

I believe that, quit honestly, the next three albums we will be covering are all Ringo's, and all three have been released winin the past year. What is this 1970?

 

All Ringo ! All Starr ! All the time !

 

I didn't like Flaming Pie, nor what I heard of Driving Rain. Not massively impressed with what I heard from Run Devil Run either. I still like Dance Tonight and Ever Present Past. Basically for me it's an album I can actually enjoy listening to, which I have found a good number of his in that last 20 odd years not to be the case. I also prefer it to some of the 70s stuff which was at times quite corny, or again just not enjoyable. It has far less stuff that I'd skip than many of his other albums. I much prefer it to, say, Travelling Wilburys Vol 3 too.

 

I'm very intrigued by the things you and Squealy have said about Memory Almost Full. You said earlier that all the songs were "above average" but that there were no songs that MADE you want to listen to it. This prompted me to describe your feelings toward it as "ho-hum," which you objected to, but how else can you characterize it when you say that all the songs are GOOD but you don't feel particularly inclined to listen to them? I certainly didn't mean it as an insult, but that to me sounds like a ho-hum reaction. Perhaps "lukewarm" is a better word.

Squealy said that all the songs on MAF are "B-pluses" or "A-minuses" but that it's not a "classic" album. Maybe we have different scales for grading, but I don't have too many albums in my entire collection where ALL the tracks are B+ or better! This is why I suggested that Paul has set the bar so high for himself over the last decade that now even triumphs are met with only faint praise.

On the other hand... I think I know what you both are getting at. I've noted in my reviews of both Chaos & Creation and Memory Almost Full that Paul is very audibly working extremely hard to make strong albums. This is laudable, of course, especially since he's had extended periods of time where he didn't seem to be working that hard at all; however, it has perhaps robbed his work of the "breeziness" or the effortless "feel" of his best solo work.

Paul's not a cocky young rock star anymore. I believe that he spent the first 15 years of his solo career acting completely on instinct; he could roll out of bed, strap on an acoustic guitar or sit at the piano, close his mind, and SOMETHING interesting or even magical would happen. He's older now, more measured, more cautious. There is, to my ears anyway, a giddy, addictive joy to his best solo songs; all I have to do is hear the opening notes of any number of 1970s and 1980s songs and I feel happy. Heck, there are songs I don't even LIKE that have this quality, which is why I call it "addictive."

Paul has done a lot of outstanding work in the last decade, but if it lacks that certain addictive "breeziness" it makes up for it in craft, effort and sincerity. He may never record anything again that magically lifts my spirits like "Listen To What The Man Said," but he's released many brilliant songs that I can really LOVE -- not "guilty pleasure" love as with some of his earlier work, but real LOVE. "The World Tonight." "Little Willow." "Somedays." "Lonely Road." "At The Mercy." "Too Much Rain." "A Certain Softness." "You Tell Me." "Mister Bellamy." "Feet In The Clouds." These are just a few, and while they may or may not reach the heights of his 1970s classics, they have greater depth and more heart than most of those earlier classics.

If any of that makes sense, I'll go back to Memory Almost Full, because that's what Chief was asking about. The most striking thing about it is the breadth of the music, and the depth of the lyrics. When Chaos & Creation came out, and fans heard the guitar "solo" in "Promise To You Girl," a lot of people ridiculed it, saying Paul couldn't "rock" anymore. Does anyone still believe that after hearing "Only Mama Knows" or Paul's scorching solos in "House Of Wax"? "Ever Present Past" may be a "mere" pop song on the surface, but the lyrics are surprisingly vulnerable and revealing. Paul's acoustic ballads have often been gorgeous confections with nonsense filler lyrics, but "You Tell Me" has real melancholy in it. "Mister Bellamy" is a return to the whimsical, theatrical song arrangements of "Uncle Albert," but instead of silly non-lyrics, there's a real story here, and real emotions. The whole album is shot through with reflections on ageing and the sorrow of heartbreak.

I could go on, but I won't. I don't necessarily dispute that Memory Almost Full is all "B+" and "A-" songs, but in my book that makes it a classic. Other than "Mister Bellamy," perhaps it doesn't have an unquestioned classic -- and there were several of those on Chaos & Creation. But it also doesn't have any C- stinkers in there either, messing up the flow of the album and pulling you out of your enjoyment of it. I've gotten over the fact that he's not a young man anymore, and that his music is different. I'll trade the effortless giddyness of his earlier work for the maturity and sincerity of his current work.

 

I know this is mostly not addressed to me, but I don't mean to suggest that I don't want to listen to the albums. I listen to both albums regularly. I think they're very enjoyable listens -- but are they Paul's best work? I don't think so.

But a real classic album to me would be full of A's. I don't know that Paul has *ever* succeeded at that on his own, though.

Yes -- what I feel is that it is quality music, and I am glad that he is being more conscientious about not tossing things off, but on the other hand, I don't hear the sheer inspiration/magic/what have you of his best work, either with the Beatles or without. There's something more workmanlike about it to me. But Paul has retained more of his gifts than any of his peers (or many many artists younger than him).

Like I said, I don't know which Paul I prefer, really. Certainly it's nice to have McCartney albums you can play all the way through without wincing or skipping anything.

 

You know, when I look at the new and fairly new songs in your post, it makes me realize that Paul has written and recorded some amazing material in the last ten or eleven years, because I could probably add ten or fifteen more "must have" songs to your list . A nice run for Paul .

 

Maybe on a track-by-track basis, the Memory Almost Full songs don't quite match his greatest achievements, but I think his last two albums rank among his very best ALBUMS. As you said, there's nothing to skip or cringe at in these last two, and that's a welcomed change.

Paul may not have ever managed an album of all "A"s -- but then again, who HAS? Even universally regarded "classics" have songs on them that are not "A" songs. The "album" as a format almost requires "filler", for the sake of ebb and flow. "Up To Me" might be better than three or four of the songs on Blood On The Tracks, but where would you PUT it? Sometimes a song just fits because it FITS, not because it's the best available song you've got in the can. (I'm hoping you get the reference, based on your avatar!)

Yes -- "workmanlike" is a very good word for it ... although I still do hear flashes of the magic/inspiration in his recent work.

 

I couldn't agree more. I could make a "best of" CD just from the last four albums, and I'd have to leave songs OUT.

 

I'd be willing to make a case that Ram, Band On The Run, and Chaos & Creation In The Backyard are all A's. I'd take the case, but I might not convince the jury. I'd even take Tug Of War, but I know I couldn't prove it beyond a reasonable doubt.

There really ARE albums that I think are filled with all A's. All killer, no filler. I'm sure there would be disagreements, but there are at least ten or so albums I think fall into that category.

 

It's all subjective, of course, but I think Band On The Run comes the closest -- although many would disqualify "Picasso's Last Words" (I wouldn't). My own five-point grading system (elaborated during the C&C discussion) would knock Ram down to a B+/A- solely on the basis of it's frequently terrible lyrics. "What's That You're Doing," "Get It" and "Dress Me Up As A Robber" would all be problematic for Tug Of War's report card. For me, Chaos is very nearly there, but "Follow Me" is just too perfunctory to be an "A" song.

I don't disagree, and it would probably be an interesting thread all on its own. But think about it -- only TEN albums in the entire rock era that get "straight As" ... it would be awfully hard to argue that more than ONE Paul McCartney record can belong on that hallowed list. If the "All As" list is that small, then there's certainly something to be proud of in an "All A-" album, isn't there, or even an "All B+/A-" album? That was my main point with Squealy -- who said that Memory Almost Full was all B+/A-, but NOT a classic. Well, if it isn't, it's pretty darn close.

 

Let's not take my grading thing too seriously, OK? I haven't actually gone through each album assigning letter grades. It was just a way of saying I think the albums are consistently very good without quite reaching the level of Paul's classic work.

 

I hear you ... no controversy intended.

 

That would be a pretty cool thread topic in itself Chief. Oops. Sean mentioned this already a couple of posts above. So...sue me .

 

For a 65 year old man who has been making records for 45 odd years, to still be making music as good as he is is a remarkable accomplishment.

 

Great minds think alike!

 

No ! Let's do it ! We will get men with white lab coats and pocket protectors to evaluate every song and assign specific point totals, so that we know an albums quality beyond a shadow of a doubt ! Of course, I want to be one of those guys.

"Picasso's Last Words" ? 3.7 on a scale of one to ten. I'm sorry. That's the way it is. There is nothing that I can do. Move on . Next song please !

 

If so, how did WE come up with the same idea ?

 

Because between the two of us, we have ONE great mind!

 

I don't know. Maybe there are a couple dozen or so in my collection in which I'd consider everything to be an A. Ten is a little low. I was thinking about it a little over the day, and off the top of my head I came up with Motherload, Manassas, Wind On The Water, George Harrison, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, Who's Next, Led Zeppelin II, Live A Little (Pernice Brothers), Rings Around The World (Super Furry Animals), Rust Never Sleeps, Surfer Rosa (Pixies), The Queen Is Dead, and Black Rose (J.D. Souther). I'm sure there are many more, but those ones stick with me.

"Picasso's Last Word" isn't a favorite of mine, but I could argue why it is an "A" song. I think there are some songs that are really good even if I don't necessarily appreciate them as such.

 

I can only think of eleven right now.

Joni Mitchell - Blue, Court and Spark, Hejira

Michael Nesmith - And The Hits Just Keep On Comin'

Marvin Gaye - What's Going On

Beatles - Sgt. Pepper

Rush - Permanent Waves

Police - Synchronicity

Sting - Soul Cages

U2 - Joshua Tree

Miles Davis - Kind Of Blue

 

This thread is pretty close!

http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/showthread.php?t=139909&page=4

 

I forgot about Joni. I'd say everything from Ladies Of The Canyon through Hejira. And Marvin Gaye! All of seventies stuff is impeccable. And Stevie, Curtis, Al Green... they all have some "all killer" albums.

 

Posting a little early because I will not be able to post for the next week or so, carry on.



Photograph: The Very Best of Ringo Starr
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Photograph: The Very Best of Ringo Starr
Compilation album by Ringo Starr
Released 28 August 2007
Recorded 1970 - 2005
Genre Rock
Length 67:53
Label EMI, Apple, Capitol

Photograph: The Very Best of Ringo Starr (the latter word visually rendered as Star) is a career-spanning best of compilation album by Ringo Starr and is the first such album since the release of 1975's Blast from Your Past. The release of the collection coincides with the that of Starr's first four solo albums for EMI in digital format on August 28, 2007.

The compilation debuted at No. 26 in the United Kingdom album chart on September 2, 2007. This represents Starr's highest UK album chart peak since 1974, when the Goodnight Vienna album debuted and peaked at No. 30. The following week, the album went down to No. 56. In the third week the album barely made the top 100, charting at No. 99. The album had also a chart debut in the United States, at No. 130, with sales of 5.426 copies. The following week, the album went down to No. 189, currently with total U.S. sales of 9.109 copies.

Track listing

1. "Photograph" (1973) – 3:58
2. "It Don't Come Easy" (1971) – 3:01
3. "You're Sixteen (You're Beautiful and You're Mine)" (1973) – 2:49
4. "Back Off Boogaloo" (1972) – 3:19
5. "I'm the Greatest" (1973) – 3:26
6. "Oh My My" (1973) – 4:15
7. "Only You (And You Alone)" (1974) – 3:24
8. "Beaucoups of Blues" (1970) – 2:33
9. "Early 1970" (1971) – 2:18
10. "Snookeroo" (1974) – 3:24
11. "The No-No Song" (1974) – 2:31
12. "(It's All Down To) Goodnight Vienna" (1974) [single version, first time available on CD] – 3:02
13. "Hey! Baby" (1976) – 3:10
14. "A Dose of Rock 'n' Roll" (1976) – 3:54
15. "Weight of the World" (1992) – 3:24
16. "King of Broken Hearts" (1998) – 4:43
17. "Never Without You" (2003) – 5:23
18. "Act Naturally" (with Buck Owens) (1989) [first release on a Ringo Starr album] – 3:00
19. "Wrack My Brain" (1981) – 2:21
20. "Fading in and Fading Out" (2005) – 3:58

Collector's edition DVD

1. "Sentimental Journey" (1970 promotional film)
2. "It Don't Come Easy" (1971 promotional film)
3. "Back Off Boogaloo" (1972 promotional film)
4. "You're Sixteen (You're Beautiful and You're Mine)" (1973 promotional film)
5. "Only You (And You Alone)" (1974 promotional film)
6. "Act Naturally" (with Buck Owens) (1989 music video)
7. "Goodnight Vienna" (1974 promotional film for album)

 

I'm waiting to get this CD until they release a version with Ringo flashing the peace sign, I mean how else could it be a true Ringo album.