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Post by Cunning Old Fury on May 26, 2012 1:08:00 GMT -5
I have not bought the deluxe package (4CDs, 1DVD, book, pix and so on), as here in Sydney (Australia) the price is a silly $150. But I've downloaded the stereo RAM and the "bonus tracks" as lossless FLACS (ripped from CDs), and a needledrop (= ripped from vinyl) of the mono RAM also in lossless FLAC. So I've heard all the music. Bearing in mind that I don't think all that highly of RAM overall, here's what I think of these releases.
STEREO REMASTERED RAM (CD1) A good job, but not all that different from the original as far as I can hear.
STEREO BONUS TRACKS (CD2) I had heard most of these songs before but some outstanding mixes here, that I had not heard before. I REALLY enjoyed these mixes, and I wish Paul had used some of them instead of the tracks that I think spoil the original RAM album. Ditch Halsey, Eat At Home & Long Haired Lady for A Love For You, Little Woman Love, Cock & Seagull Race, even Rode All Night even tho it does go on a bit.
THRILLINGTON If I can say it emphatically if a little crudely: this album is a pile of rubbish. Tea party music. Egg records in Newtown in Sydney currently have an orginal vinyl copy of Thrillington - for around $75. I wish I liked the album - that would have been a great find. But no.
MONO RAM If you have heard this album before (a couple of good needledrops available around the net), you know it's quite good. Rocks a bit. BUT ... BUT this remaster is brilliant. NOW I believe the aphorism "Stereo Ram is a pop record, but Mono Ram is a rock record." The searing start with Too Many People, the weird0 3 Legs, the thumping Smile Away, the in-your-face Monkberry (great great vocal). Even when Paul is not rocking, the sound is crystal clear, sharp, and deep.
I went out and bought a vinyl copy of Mono RAM - the serial number is quite low. I'm happy.
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Post by Cunning Old Fury on May 26, 2012 1:11:02 GMT -5
If this is appropriate, I can give you a link for downloading this stuff. For previewing before buying mind.
Send me a message. I hope this is OK.
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Post by ursamajor on May 26, 2012 1:21:13 GMT -5
COF I'm listening to the bonus CD first right now, it's sounds awesome, I could only find the two cd set, stereo remaster with bonus cd, I wanted to get the full package but at $150.00 I'm glad I didn't, I bought mine from JB Hi-Fi.
A Love For You should have been on it, I would have dropped Long Haired Lady, Eat At Home has a thumping beat so I don't mind it.
The Mono RAM I must get, everyone keeps talking it up.
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Post by Cunning Old Fury on May 26, 2012 1:36:48 GMT -5
The Mono RAM I must get, everyone keeps talking it up. I promise you will not be disappointed. Go for it! It is exceptionally cool. If you are in Sydney, Red Eye Records is the place to go: they have every possible combination of the package. Utopia might be good too, but Paul McCartney is not really their scene. Happy listening
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Post by ursamajor on May 26, 2012 2:33:46 GMT -5
Yep I know Red Eye very well, will pop in when working in town next week Thanks for the heads up !!
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Post by Joe Karlosi on May 26, 2012 6:12:18 GMT -5
I'm still completely stumped as to which version of this thing to get. I saw the DELUXE BOX for $110, but that's just way too rich for my blood. I really won't pay more than $60 for these full sets. I'm really disappointed too that the Deluxe version is much thicker than the previous three book versions. Why don't they just make RAM the same size as the others? I like things to be uniform. And then there is the vinyl. I'm back to collecting vinyl so I don't know if I want these Macca re-releases on vinyl or CD. If I get the vinyl, I miss out on some of the extras..!!!
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Post by Joe Karlosi on May 26, 2012 6:15:05 GMT -5
MONO RAM If you have heard this album before (a couple of good needledrops available around the net), you know it's quite good. Rocks a bit. BUT ... BUT this remaster is brilliant. NOW I believe the aphorism "Stereo Ram is a pop record, but Mono Ram is a rock record." The searing start with Too Many People, the weird0 3 Legs, the thumping Smile Away, the in-your-face Monkberry (great great vocal). Even when Paul is not rocking, the sound is crystal clear, sharp, and deep. I went out and bought a vinyl copy of Mono RAM - the serial number is quite low. I'm happy. You just may have convinced me to buy the Mono RAM on vinyl!
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Post by nicole21290 on May 26, 2012 8:19:23 GMT -5
Ah, getting tempted to head up to Sydney (*looks at train timetables*) now just to get the Mono RAM. Memo to self: Convince Mum to give me back my borrowed $1000 so I can spend it on yet another Beatles related product. Also, I'm going to have to get the Deluxe version. Because I want the pretty book and lyric sheets etc. Yes, I'm shallow. No, I am not ashamed...
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Post by Joe Karlosi on May 26, 2012 16:58:23 GMT -5
Well, I did it... today I bought the new vinly RAM in MONO! Still haven't decided what to do about the rest of the versions.
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Post by Cunning Old Fury on May 26, 2012 18:35:47 GMT -5
Well, I did it... today I bought the new vinly RAM in MONO! Still haven't decided what to do about the rest of the versions. I do hope you like the mono RAM. As you know, I'm totally into it right now. As for the rest, I've decided to wait until local prices for the deluxe package go down. Meanwhile, my downloads of the CD rips will satisfy my hunger.
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Post by Sir Frankie Crisp on May 26, 2012 20:32:24 GMT -5
How many bloody times am I going to buy this album?
At least once more because I bit the bullet and pre-ordered the Ram deluxe box set for $80 (Canadian). While the price may be a bit of a kidney punch it’s well worth the bruise. Of all the deluxe editions McCartney has released this is without question the best of the lot. The packaging is first rate and chockfull of goodies – you’ve got 4 cd’s (remastered stereo/mono; Percy Thrillington version; and outtakes) plus a dvd; 8x10 photos bound in a manila envelope; an envelope with papers replicating McCartney’s hand written lyrics, complete with coffee stains and doodles; a 107 page (soft bound) book with photos and lyrics, commentary and liner notes for those who are interested in the finer details of who did what. Denny Seiwell and David Spinozza add their two cents worth as they discuss auditioning for the McCartney’s in a dingy New York basement flat which they thought resembled a crack house. There are interesting tidbits like Paul admitting that “Too Many People” was directed towards John’s tendency to preach and how it got up his nose. As we know Lennon crucified McCartney by recording his scathing response with “How Do You Sleep.” Paul in turn considered writing a song called “Quite Well, Thank You” but considered otherwise. This kind of stuff is golden for Beatle nerds everywhere.
I was introduced to Ram 41 years ago as a pre-teen sitting in my bedroom with my transistor radio pressed to my ear as some mysterious radio station from the great beyond played the entire album prior to its release. The signal would fade in and out and that kind of added to the excitement and mystique of hearing something that wasn’t yet available to the public. It’s hard to say if the memory of that moment coloured my perception of the album but I remembered liking it then and I like it now. In fact I can say with a fair degree of security as a heterosexual male, Mr. McCartney, I love you long time.
It seemed that after The Beatles split you were supposed to take sides but I never bought into that nonsense. I admired them as a group and I admired them individually. The stupidity of pitting one against the other was quite sad to see but the critics loved to stoke the flames and choose sides. McCartney usually came out on the short end as Ram was mocked and tossed aside as another piece of fluff. It wouldn’t be the last time the critics would underestimate McCartney.
To my ears this is an album bursting with creativity and humour. “Too Many People” begins the album on a strong note and contains some scintillating guitar playing along with some brilliant vocal acrobatics from Paul. I can’t say that I’m a big fan of Linda McCartney’s singing but I have to give her credit because this is her finest hour. You can clearly hear her harmonies and they add a dimension that I had previously missed. She shines on “Dear Boy” and her singing on "Monkberry Moon Delight" takes the edge off of McCartney’s sandpaper vocals, which are brilliant by the way. And that’s another thing - McCartney’s vocals are as strong and varied as anything he’s ever done. One minute he’s singing a beautiful acoustic ode to country life (Heart of the Country) and the next minute he’s howling for “Monkberry Moon Delight.” “Smile Away” is another gritty performance that is quite funny with a killer guitar riff. “Uncle Albert” is like a mini operetta with its multiple time changes, half a dozen vocal styles and catchy chorus. The intro draws you in immediately when Paul sings in a beautiful falsetto “…there’s no one left at home and I believe I’m going to rain…” and then you hear the sound of thunder and rain panning from one speaker to the next. Simply brilliant.
I have only had time to listen to the original stereo version of Ram so I can’t comment on the mono / Percy Thrillington / outtake cd’s. I haven’t seen the dvd either but I can tell you if you really like the Ram album, save your money for this version. I don’t know if this is McCartney’s peak as a solo artist but it’s definitely in the running for one of his top albums. It is rich with ideas and has aged very well. It’s odd that you never see Ram on those goofy 100 best album lists but I guess it wouldn’t be trendy now would it? Stuff ‘em all, this is a masterpiece.
(Sorry for being so long winded).
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kc
Beatle Freak
Posts: 1,085
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Post by kc on May 26, 2012 23:21:40 GMT -5
A few points from me.
I've only been buying the two disc versions of these re-issues. I can't justify buying the deluxe issues of what may run to dozens of releases at the cost of thousands of dollars.
I'm quite happy with the two disc sets so far. One minor irritation is the incompleteness of printed information provided regarding the history of the tracks on the second disc. That is, if a B-side from a single is listed, then I want it plainly stated what the A-side was, release date, etc. The 1993 remasters were good in this respect. I assume the full details are provided somewhere in the deluxe versions?
I think the audio quality of the new Ram is excellent. I'm very happy with this aspect of the Archive releases.
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Post by Joe Karlosi on May 27, 2012 6:46:11 GMT -5
I went over to YouTube and there are fan videos of them examining the contents of the Deluxe Edition of RAM. It really looks appetizing... I am definitely going to have to spring for it at some point, but no way in hell am I paying so much.
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Post by Mister Kite on May 27, 2012 8:59:29 GMT -5
I got the RAM Deluxe Edition!
Paul says on Page 36 of the Ram book that the line "Too many people preaching practices" was the only line directed at John Lennon. Really? Of all the lyrics, that's the only one aimed at him? What practices was John preaching in 1970? Sadly it is never explained how a picture of two beetles fornicating wound up on the back cover of the album.
The book also lists which guitarist (David Spinozza or Hugh McCracken) appears on which song -- something I was always curious about. Yet I'm sure Paul plays more than just bass on the album and it doesn't point out which songs Paul was playing six-string guitar as well.
I don't hear that big of a difference between the mono and stereo versions. Surprisingly enough Paul wasn't even involved in the mixing process -- according to the Ram book on page 60, he left all the mixing and sequencing of songs up to Eirik "The Norwegian" Wangberg.
Also of interest is one of the two bonus audio songs available for download from paulmccatney.com by entering the code found in the deluxe edition. "Uncle Albert Jam" is just the song performed in double-quick time. But "Eat at Home/Smile Away" live Groningen 1972 is fun. It starts out with what sounds very similar to "Rock and Roll" by Led Zeppelin before turning into "Eat At Home"
I would have much rather have had the "Brung to Ewe By" songs and Paul and Linda promo interview instead of the "Thrillington" album. Bonus songs and DVD slightly disappointing, but overall it was nice to revisit RAM and to read about how it was put together.
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Post by winstonoboogie on May 27, 2012 10:21:05 GMT -5
Paul says on Page 36 of the Ram book that the line "Too many people preaching practices" was the only line directed at John Lennon. Really? Of all the lyrics, that's the only one aimed at him? What practices was John preaching in 1970? You mean besides living in a bag and mailing acorns and "grow your hair for peace"? ;-)
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Post by Cunning Old Fury on May 27, 2012 16:18:48 GMT -5
Paul says on Page 36 of the Ram book that the line "Too many people preaching practices" was the only line directed at John Lennon. Really? Of all the lyrics, that's the only one aimed at him? Another example of Paul McCartney's revisionist attitude. I honestly don't know why he doesn't own up to giving John and Yoko a bit of a blast in this song --- the cake [eating chocolate cake in a bag], losing weight [their macrobiotic thing, their drug-taking], and those lucky-break remarks [sarcastic Paul] and of course the "preaching practices". At least it's a bit more subtle than How Do You Sleep. And while we're on about this, 3 Legs seems to me to be, at the least, inspired by the 3/1 split between JG&R, and P.
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Post by ursamajor on May 27, 2012 17:04:26 GMT -5
Paul says on Page 36 of the Ram book that the line "Too many people preaching practices" was the only line directed at John Lennon. Really? Of all the lyrics, that's the only one aimed at him? Another example of Paul McCartney's revisionist attitude. I honestly don't know why he doesn't own up to giving John and Yoko a bit of a blast in this song --- the cake [eating chocolate cake in a bag], losing weight [their macrobiotic thing, their drug-taking], and those lucky-break remarks [sarcastic Paul] and of course the "preaching practices". At least it's a bit more subtle than How Do You Sleep. And while we're on about this, 3 Legs seems to me to be, at the least, inspired by the 3/1 split between JG&R, and P. I agree about 3 Legs, when it goes My dog he got 3 legs , but he can't run ... i think it's the 3/1 split but the 3 part (JG&R) can't do nothing without Paul .. that's what I took it to mean ..
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Post by ursamajor on May 27, 2012 17:11:23 GMT -5
Just curious, does anyone know of the origination of Paul's digs on Ram ? What provoked them ? I know they were going through a court case etc but I can't find any negative comments about Paul from John that are public before RAM came out. Or were there things said in the court case that pissed Paul off and triggered the digs ?
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Post by zemargla on May 27, 2012 17:18:35 GMT -5
Just curious, does anyone know of the origination of Paul's digs on Ram ? What provoked them ? I know they were going through a court case etc but I can't find any negative comments about Paul from John that are public before RAM came out. Or were there things said in the court case that pissed Paul off and triggered the digs ? Paul was hurt because John wouldn't really talk with him.
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Post by Steve Marinucci on May 27, 2012 19:08:28 GMT -5
Just curious, does anyone know of the origination of Paul's digs on Ram ? What provoked them ? I know they were going through a court case etc but I can't find any negative comments about Paul from John that are public before RAM came out. Or were there things said in the court case that pissed Paul off and triggered the digs ? Paul was hurt because John wouldn't really talk with him. They were pretty much bickering at each other for any reason they could find. It got publicity, for one. John's statements, especially, got a lot of press attention because of the edgy things he and Yoko were doing.
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Post by nicole21290 on May 29, 2012 9:11:00 GMT -5
Thought you might be interested in this quote of Paul's, as it's often brought up how obvious a symbol the two copulating beetles are on RAM's cover and Paul seems to ALWAYS say things like - 'oh, they're just two bugs. we had NO idea. hahaha. coincidence.' etc. Anyway, I don't think I've seen this posted here before and this (from what I've seen) is the closest he's come to admitting their significance and his own knowledge of that significance.
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Post by John S. Damm on May 29, 2012 9:37:09 GMT -5
Thought you might be interested in this quote of Paul's, as it's often brought up how obvious a symbol the two copulating beetles are on RAM's cover and Paul seems to ALWAYS say things like - 'oh, they're just two bugs. we had NO idea. hahaha. coincidence.' etc. Anyway, I don't think I've seen this posted here before and this (from what I've seen) is the closest he's come to admitting their significance and his own knowledge of that significance. Thanks for sharing that. I love that honesty there by Paul. A denial of the meaning behind that photo would be blatantly dishonest. Us fans are not dummies. I wish Paul had more digs at John on Ram(or at least that the digs John thought were there were in fact digs!). Paul had a right to vent at John and I've never denied that. Go for it Paul even if subtle because that is your strength! Subtle digs are like good political strategy; one makes a private point to the recipient but there is plausible deniability to the rest of the world!
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Post by ReturnToPepperland on May 29, 2012 15:56:45 GMT -5
I got the RAM Deluxe Edition! Paul says on Page 36 of the Ram book that the line "Too many people preaching practices" was the only line directed at John Lennon. Really? Of all the lyrics, that's the only one aimed at him? What practices was John preaching in 1970? Sadly it is never explained how a picture of two beetles fornicating wound up on the back cover of the album. The book also lists which guitarist (David Spinozza or Hugh McCracken) appears on which song -- something I was always curious about. Yet I'm sure Paul plays more than just bass on the album and it doesn't point out which songs Paul was playing six-string guitar as well. I don't hear that big of a difference between the mono and stereo versions. Surprisingly enough Paul wasn't even involved in the mixing process -- according to the Ram book on page 60, he left all the mixing and sequencing of songs up to Eirik "The Norwegian" Wangberg. Also of interest is one of the two bonus audio songs available for download from paulmccatney.com by entering the code found in the deluxe edition. "Uncle Albert Jam" is just the song performed in double-quick time. But "Eat at Home/Smile Away" live Groningen 1972 is fun. It starts out with what sounds very similar to "Rock and Roll" by Led Zeppelin before turning into "Eat At Home" I would have much rather have had the "Brung to Ewe By" songs and Paul and Linda promo interview instead of the "Thrillington" album. Bonus songs and DVD slightly disappointing, but overall it was nice to revisit RAM and to read about how it was put together. I saw an interview with Hugh McCracken a few years ago and he said Paul played six string electric lead guitar on Too Many People and that was Paul on the solo too. Hugh was quite impressed by Paul's playing. He also said Paul did the fancy acousitc guitar work on Heart of the Country. Paul also played lead on Eat At Home.
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Post by ReturnToPepperland on May 29, 2012 16:05:29 GMT -5
Just curious, does anyone know of the origination of Paul's digs on Ram ? What provoked them ? I know they were going through a court case etc but I can't find any negative comments about Paul from John that are public before RAM came out. Or were there things said in the court case that pissed Paul off and triggered the digs ? The public digs John made in Rolling Stone in Dec. 1970 is what provoked the whole public feud.
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Post by Joe Karlosi on May 29, 2012 18:20:14 GMT -5
The public digs John made in Rolling Stone in Dec. 1970 is what provoked the whole public feud. And how about the crap McCartney slung at John in that stupid bogus press interview for McCARTNEY in early 1970? John felt plenty of reason for resentment by the time of the RS interview and I'm glad he let it all come out.
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Post by ursamajor on May 29, 2012 18:24:50 GMT -5
Just curious, does anyone know of the origination of Paul's digs on Ram ? What provoked them ? I know they were going through a court case etc but I can't find any negative comments about Paul from John that are public before RAM came out. Or were there things said in the court case that pissed Paul off and triggered the digs ? The public digs John made in Rolling Stone in Dec. 1970 is what provoked the whole public feud. Maybe but Paul never said it was that interview, that interview pretty much shot down everyone in sight not just Paul. Paul said he didn't like John and Yoko's antics and he was sick of them, I guess that's it and that's good enough for me I think Paul's digs on 3 Legs are quite clever actually as he's having a dig at all three not just John.
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Post by nicole21290 on May 29, 2012 21:41:20 GMT -5
The public digs John made in Rolling Stone in Dec. 1970 is what provoked the whole public feud. And how about the crap McCartney slung at John in that stupid bogus press interview for McCARTNEY in early 1970? John felt plenty of reason for resentment by the time of the RS interview and I'm glad he let it all come out. Would you mind pointing out what 'crap' he 'slung' at John? Because, if I recall correctly, these are the 'worst' things he said. Using the interview as promotion for McCartney in tandem with 'announcing' (because it didn't really 'announce' it) the break-up was a bad move, looking cold and manipulative but the actual content of the interview wasn't THAT bad besides seeming bitter. These are the references to John, direct and inferred. What 'crap' and 'slinging' is there that would cause a really resentful response besides the fact that the interview existed at all? I guess the last question is really the only one that takes a shot at John and it's leavened by the fact that he also makes sure to say he respects AND loves John. Yes, the interview sounds bitter and over the top in some ways but I don't think the actual content of the interview warrants the hate it sometimes gets - there's probably more content on how he recorded McCartney than on the potential break-up of The Beatles. Q: "Were you influenced by John's adventures with the Plastic Ono Band, and Ringo's solo LP?" PAUL: "Sort of, but not really." Q: "Will they be so credited: McCartney?" PAUL: "It's a bit daft for them to be Lennon/McCartney credited, so 'McCartney' it is." Q: "Did you enjoy working as a solo?" PAUL: "Very much. I only had me to ask for a decision, and I agreed with me. Remember Linda's on it too, so it's really a double act." Q: "Will Paul and Linda become a John and Yoko?" PAUL: "No, they will become Paul and Linda." Q: "Did you miss the other Beatles and George Martin? Was there a moment when you thought, 'I wish Ringo were here for this break?'" PAUL: "No." Q: "Are you planning a new album or single with the Beatles?" PAUL: "No." Q: "Is this album a rest away from the Beatles or the start of a solo career?" PAUL: "Time will tell. Being a solo album means it's 'the start of a solo career...' and not being done with the Beatles means it's just a rest. So it's both." Q: "Is your break with the Beatles temporary or permanent, due to personal differences or musical ones?" PAUL: "Personal differences, business differences, musical differences, but most of all because I have a better time with my family. Temporary or permanent? I don't really know." Q: "Do you foresee a time when Lennon-McCartney becomes an active songwriting partnership again?" PAUL: "No." Q: "What do you feel about John's peace effort? The Plastic Ono Band? Giving back the MBE? Yoko's influence? Yoko?" PAUL: "I love John, and respect what he does - it doesn't really give me any pleasure."
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Post by Joe Karlosi on May 30, 2012 5:34:44 GMT -5
Would you mind pointing out what 'crap' he 'slung' at John? You've demonstrated it. Maybe the word "crap" was too strong for you, so I'll just say he provided a dig. But here we are in a thread that is supposed to be about the remastered RAM project that has just been released, and it has become another "John Vs. Paul" fiasco.
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Post by vectisfabber on May 30, 2012 5:45:03 GMT -5
You beat me to it, Nicole. The extent to which people have been prepared to tear McCartney a new one for things he said in that interview, which he didn't actually say, never fails to amaze me.
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Post by ursamajor on May 30, 2012 7:47:49 GMT -5
You beat me to it, Nicole. The extent to which people have been prepared to tear McCartney a new one for things he said in that interview, which he didn't actually say, never fails to amaze me. Well he's just talking to himself.
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