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Post by ReturnToPepperland on Feb 17, 2015 22:04:00 GMT -5
The attached video is proof that Paul has not lost it creatively. This is a melody worthy of the classical masters. Mozart world have just speeded it up and added more flourishes. I think this is one of Paul's great pieces. I post this in light of the 'Paul has lost it' comments regarding his SNL appearance.
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Post by scousette on Feb 18, 2015 0:13:13 GMT -5
RTP, welcome back!
I have to say, these sound like the John Thompson's Modern Course for the Piano I studied when I was a kid.
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Post by ReturnToPepperland on Feb 18, 2015 0:37:52 GMT -5
Thanks, I was overwhelmed with work activity for a few months and my home computer was not available for a while.
Here are some other examples of Paul's recent great compositions.
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Post by ReturnToPepperland on Feb 18, 2015 16:10:14 GMT -5
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lowbasso
A Hard Day's Knight
Posts: 2,776
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Post by lowbasso on Feb 18, 2015 20:16:22 GMT -5
Paul has written some really fine melodies in his lifetime, but comparing them to Bach & Mozart is a little like comparing apples and oranges. Apples being classical music and oranges being popular music. There are crossover artists who perform in both genres, but the genres themselves are usually separate due to sylistic and compositional aspects.
Paul does write melodies worthy of Gershwin, Stephen Foster, Irving Berlin, et.al.
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Post by sallyg on Feb 18, 2015 21:43:47 GMT -5
I agree that he's sharp as ever as a composer and I really like his recent work. I think he should continue writing songs and recording indefinitely as long as his health permits. I like how music still fascinates him and he's willing to try new things. I think it keeps him young.
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Post by John S. Damm on Feb 18, 2015 22:49:45 GMT -5
There is no question but that Paul should continue writing and recording new music. I may not enjoy New as much as I did Chaos or EA but that album is still full of creative songs. There is a lot of unwritten music still in Paul.
I do feel he needs to go at a slower concert pace.
But recording, Paul should keep at it. And he shouldn't feel that he must work with a bunch of younger artists, Paul's solo music is tremendous and defies ever changing trends.
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Post by scousette on Feb 18, 2015 23:00:23 GMT -5
He's so gifted as a composer. I would hate to see him not continue to create music. Live vocal performances, however, need a more judicious assessment.
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Post by debjorgo on Feb 18, 2015 23:18:27 GMT -5
I probably would have watched the SNL thing had Paul not been a music guest. I certainly liked it more because he was there.
Once Paul quits getting hired for this type of gig, he needs to quit doing them. I doubt Loren Michaels didn't see the last time Paul did SNL. He probably has in dubbed down like I do. I'm sure he will ask back Paul again.
Paul should do the Tonight Show soon and sing Maybe I'm Amazed. I hear he usually does it well.
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Post by mikev on Feb 19, 2015 10:11:48 GMT -5
Paul has written some really fine melodies in his lifetime, but comparing them to Bach & Mozart is a little like comparing apples and oranges. Apples being classical music and oranges being popular music. There are crossover artists who perform in both genres, but the genres themselves are usually separate due to sylistic and compositional aspects. Paul does write melodies worthy of Gershwin, Stephen Foster, Irving Berlin, et.al. Good analysis!
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kc
Beatle Freak
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Post by kc on Feb 19, 2015 20:30:20 GMT -5
I generally agree with most of what has been said, but I’ll lay out my views in a bit of detail (going back to 2008).
Studio Work
Albums
1) I loved Electric Arguments. I rate Sing The Changes and Dance ‘til We’re High as two of McCartney’s best post-Beatles pop songs. Likewise Highway as one of his best rock songs. 2) I liked Kisses On The Bottom. Paul’s voice was weak on some of the tracks, but acceptable on most. My Valentine must be one of his finest ballads. On the other hand, I don’t really want him to return to this type of work. Not that I dislike it, it’s just that the time could be spent on what I prefer to listen to.
3) I consistently loved the material on New. I was content with the standard of his singing, even if he did utilise electronic assistance. I don’t care if he uses Autotune on records, if that is the way to get an acceptable result. I also liked several of the bonus tracks associated with New, especially Hell To Pay. If he can match the quality of this album with subsequent releases, I will look forward to them. The more the better.
Stand Alone Songs
1) I liked My Soul. Unfortunately, some of Paul’s vocals were weak, but the song overall was beautiful.
2) I liked (I Want To) Come Home.
3) I liked Blue Sway (the bonus track from the re-issue of McCartney II). I know the impressive orchestration was Richard Niles’ doing, but I see this as an example of where Paul collaborating with someone else results in something better than he might have come up with alone.
4) I liked Cut Me Some Slack. Heavy McCartney pulled off successfully.
5) I liked Hope for The Future. I know some criticise the lyrics as being banal. I don’t care. I find them to be of a reasonable standard. The combination of these words, good singing, strong melody and upbeat production results in what I consider to be a very appropriate theme song for an electronic game.
Other Work In Progress
1) Apparently the next Fireman instalment is partially completed. A follow on, perhaps a companion volume to Electric Arguments, would be most welcome. I think the mixture of vocal and instrumental tracks works well.
2) We hear that Paul is in the studio utilising Lady Gaga (and perhaps Katy Perry) to contribute to what will emerge as an animated film around December 2015. I am all for this as well. McCartney’s history with animated work and children’s songs is strong. Yellow Submarine is an excellent movie of the genre and the Rupert And The Frog Song video was successful commercially too. The way I see it, Paul has written three classic children’s songs: Yellow Submarine, Mary Had A Little Lamb and We All Stand Together. This latest project offers the prospect of adding to that list, even if he may not necessarily sing the tunes himself (though maybe he will). I wonder if the soundtrack might incorporate orchestral components?
3) Speaking of such, board member Backseat has reported on another website that the long awaited guitar concerto is finished. I suspect this might be good (considering he co-worked with Carlos Bonell and the fact that he has taken his time with it). However, even if it is of only average quality, no doubt I will find some passages enjoyable. I have on his previous classical sets, including Ocean’s Kingdom. I hope he continues with this type of work.
So, in short, I am happy with Paul’s recent studio work. I want him to continue with it, in one form or another, for as long as possible. I particularly support his issuing a diversified range of genres. This makes possible that if his voice packs up completely he can still offer original music for sale.
Song Writing
I have no problem whatsoever with Paul writing for other artists. That includes young contemporary individuals, or older established ones. Nor playing with them in a secondary, or supporting, role on their records. In fact, on this board I have previously called for McCartney to seriously turn to supplying material for other performers if his own vocal abilities unambiguously and permanently fail him. I am happy with what we have heard in Only One, FourfiveSeconds and If I Take You Home Tonight. His melody on the second (I assume it is primarily his) has helped deliver a substantial hit and the third must rank as a great late career ballad to sit alongside My Valentine and Only Our Hearts and possibly Hosanna and Scared. I have visions of Paul being able to rack up dozens of song writing credits for hit singles performed by any number of other acts. If he turned to this in a big way in his latter years, he could perhaps even duplicate what Burt Bacharach, or Carole King, did in the 1960s (maybe I’m a bit over-optimistic there).
So, Paul should keep on writing songs for as long as he can. I suspect he has no intention of doing anything else.
Live Work
This is different. McCartney has delivered a mixed bag in recent years. For all the huge successes with his big tours of the Americas and Japan etc., we also must acknowledge the significant vocal failures. There have been quite a number of them now. I too cringe with disappointment when I hear them. In the past I have posited a belief that he should give up the live work. That is primarily because of my own selfish desire to be able to buy as many new studio releases as Paul can manage to supply. The reality is that he won’t easily give up performing live. He loves it and he makes a lot of money from it. Moreover, as he can still regularly fill stadiums in various parts of the world, in this respect he can legitimately claim to be a contemporary superstar, not simply one from the past. Please though, Paul surely must at least give more thought to his live repertoire. It was just plain stupid to attempt to perform Maybe I’m Amazed on SNL after having finished delivering a full rock concert that same early morning. The song is one of several he has had consistent trouble singing well over the past few years. Others are Jet and Band On The Run. Drop the three of them from the set lists. Replace them with just a few newer songs he can handle.
Finally, if any further live albums must be released, make them the standout performances from the past, such as Glasgow 1979, or compilation sets.
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Post by sallyg on Feb 19, 2015 21:42:38 GMT -5
The attached video is proof that Paul has not lost it creatively. This is a melody worthy of the classical masters. Mozart world have just speeded it up and added more flourishes. I think this is one of Paul's great pieces. I post this in light of the 'Paul has lost it' comments regarding his SNL appearance. Thanks RTP for posting this cover of Hope For The Future and this person did really good with covering the song. After listening at least twice to the SNL performance, I think Paul did ok on that song. Sure at first it was a rough start but I think he regrouped quickly and I liked the rest of the song. I would still go see him in concert whenever the opportunity presents itself. I think that even now, no one writes and sings them like Macca.
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Post by ReturnToPepperland on Feb 20, 2015 5:46:16 GMT -5
Paul has written some really fine melodies in his lifetime, but comparing them to Bach & Mozart is a little like comparing apples and oranges. Apples being classical music and oranges being popular music. There are crossover artists who perform in both genres, but the genres themselves are usually separate due to sylistic and compositional aspects. Paul does write melodies worthy of Gershwin, Stephen Foster, Irving Berlin, et.al. I'll buy that with some exceptions from his classical work like this from Ecce Cor Meum. Here is a piano version on My Valentine. Very nice melody also.
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Post by debjorgo on Feb 20, 2015 20:16:38 GMT -5
...I also liked several of the bonus tracks associated with New, especially Hell To Pay. If he can match the quality of this album with subsequent releases, I will look forward to them. The more the better. I like Hell to Pay but isn't he ripping off Ringo? Doesn't the "You had it all your way, you've got to know some day..." line sound an awful lot like "You've got to pay your dues, if you want to sing the blues..." line from Choose Love? And could the "You take me to the limit then expect me stop" and "You make a living out of making people think you give it all away" lines be about a certain one of John S Damm's harem girls? Of course this should probably be on the other thread....
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kc
Beatle Freak
Posts: 1,085
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Post by kc on Feb 20, 2015 21:57:26 GMT -5
...I also liked several of the bonus tracks associated with New, especially Hell To Pay. If he can match the quality of this album with subsequent releases, I will look forward to them. The more the better. And could the "You take me to the limit then expect me stop" and "You make a living out of making people think you give it all away" lines be about a certain one of John S Damm's harem girls? Yeah, probably, at least possibly.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Feb 21, 2015 5:49:15 GMT -5
Paul writes melodies worthy of Bach and Mozart..
Clearly written by someone who doesn't know much about the composers mentioned.
I understand they were referenced to highlight Paul's melodic genius, but , the comparison is a little far fetched.
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Post by ReturnToPepperland on Feb 24, 2015 11:43:30 GMT -5
I generally agree with most of what has been said, but I’ll lay out my views in a bit of detail (going back to 2008). Studio WorkAlbums
1) I loved Electric Arguments. I rate Sing The Changes and Dance ‘til We’re High as two of McCartney’s best post-Beatles pop songs. Likewise Highway as one of his best rock songs. 2) I liked Kisses On The Bottom. Paul’s voice was weak on some of the tracks, but acceptable on most. My Valentine must be one of his finest ballads. On the other hand, I don’t really want him to return to this type of work. Not that I dislike it, it’s just that the time could be spent on what I prefer to listen to. 3) I consistently loved the material on New. I was content with the standard of his singing, even if he did utilise electronic assistance. I don’t care if he uses Autotune on records, if that is the way to get an acceptable result. I also liked several of the bonus tracks associated with New, especially Hell To Pay. If he can match the quality of this album with subsequent releases, I will look forward to them. The more the better. Stand Alone Songs
1) I liked My Soul. Unfortunately, some of Paul’s vocals were weak, but the song overall was beautiful. 2) I liked (I Want To) Come Home. 3) I liked Blue Sway (the bonus track from the re-issue of McCartney II). I know the impressive orchestration was Richard Niles’ doing, but I see this as an example of where Paul collaborating with someone else results in something better than he might have come up with alone. 4) I liked Cut Me Some Slack. Heavy McCartney pulled off successfully. 5) I liked Hope for The Future. I know some criticise the lyrics as being banal. I don’t care. I find them to be of a reasonable standard. The combination of these words, good singing, strong melody and upbeat production results in what I consider to be a very appropriate theme song for an electronic game. Other Work In Progress
1) Apparently the next Fireman instalment is partially completed. A follow on, perhaps a companion volume to Electric Arguments, would be most welcome. I think the mixture of vocal and instrumental tracks works well. 2) We hear that Paul is in the studio utilising Lady Gaga (and perhaps Katy Perry) to contribute to what will emerge as an animated film around December 2015. I am all for this as well. McCartney’s history with animated work and children’s songs is strong. Yellow Submarine is an excellent movie of the genre and the Rupert And The Frog Song video was successful commercially too. The way I see it, Paul has written three classic children’s songs: Yellow Submarine, Mary Had A Little Lamb and We All Stand Together. This latest project offers the prospect of adding to that list, even if he may not necessarily sing the tunes himself (though maybe he will). I wonder if the soundtrack might incorporate orchestral components? 3) Speaking of such, board member Backseat has reported on another website that the long awaited guitar concerto is finished. I suspect this might be good (considering he co-worked with Carlos Bonell and the fact that he has taken his time with it). However, even if it is of only average quality, no doubt I will find some passages enjoyable. I have on his previous classical sets, including Ocean’s Kingdom. I hope he continues with this type of work. So, in short, I am happy with Paul’s recent studio work. I want him to continue with it, in one form or another, for as long as possible. I particularly support his issuing a diversified range of genres. This makes possible that if his voice packs up completely he can still offer original music for sale. Song Writing
I have no problem whatsoever with Paul writing for other artists. That includes young contemporary individuals, or older established ones. Nor playing with them in a secondary, or supporting, role on their records. In fact, on this board I have previously called for McCartney to seriously turn to supplying material for other performers if his own vocal abilities unambiguously and permanently fail him. I am happy with what we have heard in Only One, FourfiveSeconds and If I Take You Home Tonight. His melody on the second (I assume it is primarily his) has helped deliver a substantial hit and the third must rank as a great late career ballad to sit alongside My Valentine and Only Our Hearts and possibly Hosanna and Scared. I have visions of Paul being able to rack up dozens of song writing credits for hit singles performed by any number of other acts. If he turned to this in a big way in his latter years, he could perhaps even duplicate what Burt Bacharach, or Carole King, did in the 1960s (maybe I’m a bit over-optimistic there). So, Paul should keep on writing songs for as long as he can. I suspect he has no intention of doing anything else. Live Work
This is different. McCartney has delivered a mixed bag in recent years. For all the huge successes with his big tours of the Americas and Japan etc., we also must acknowledge the significant vocal failures. There have been quite a number of them now. I too cringe with disappointment when I hear them. In the past I have posited a belief that he should give up the live work. That is primarily because of my own selfish desire to be able to buy as many new studio releases as Paul can manage to supply. The reality is that he won’t easily give up performing live. He loves it and he makes a lot of money from it. Moreover, as he can still regularly fill stadiums in various parts of the world, in this respect he can legitimately claim to be a contemporary superstar, not simply one from the past. Please though, Paul surely must at least give more thought to his live repertoire. It was just plain stupid to attempt to perform Maybe I’m Amazed on SNL after having finished delivering a full rock concert that same early morning. The song is one of several he has had consistent trouble singing well over the past few years. Others are Jet and Band On The Run. Drop the three of them from the set lists. Replace them with just a few newer songs he can handle. Finally, if any further live albums must be released, make them the standout performances from the past, such as Glasgow 1979, or compilation sets. Good analysis kc. I agree with much of what you said.
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