It's all Paul McCartney all week with the release of his deeply satisfying new live double-CD set, Back In the U.S. Live 2002, a DVD of the same name, an ABC special Wednesday night featuring highlights of the tour, and McCartney will be performing live onstage Friday with Ringo Starr for the first time since the Beatles broke up in a tribute to George Harrison at the Royal Albert Hall in London. A very touching and revealing interview with Paulie is up on NPR to coincide with all of this hoopla.
Over the years I have come to regard John Lennon as the soul of the Beatles - and that still holds - but McCartney has finally stopped fighting the ghost of the Beatles and dives into the world's greatest song catalog with energetic good cheer and generosity of spirit.
The exercise seems to revitalize him: McCartney hasn't sounded this young and vibrant in years. His voice is as clear and smooth as 1969, and his band - Rusty Anderson on guitars and vocals, Abe Laboriel Jr. on drums and vocals, Wix Wickens on keyboards and vocals, and Brian Ray on bass, guitar and vocals - sounds like a real band, not just a bunch of faceless backup musicians for the star.
It is truly extraordinary that the "Beatles" (in the form of McCartney) and the Stones are still so much in the public eye and musical imagination after 40 years. The McCartney collection is a deft blend of Beatles and Paul: highlights of the former include "Hello Goodbye," "All My Loving," "Blackbird," an acoustic "We Can Work It Out," a ukulele version of "Something" in tribute to George Harrison closes out disc 1. On the second disc "Eleanor Rigby," "Back In the USSR," "Can't Buy Me Love" and a spectacular run through "Let It Be," "Hey Jude," "The Long and Winding Road," "Lady Madonna," "I Saw Her Standing There," "Yesterday," and "Sgt. Pepper's/The End" can't help but draw a tear and a chuckle from all but the most hardened Beatle fan, that is to say virtually anyone alive in the '60s with a shred of regard for popular music.
And Paul's solo work holds up well against the Beatles classics: especially "Jet," a jangly, funky "Coming Up," the brooding, heavy "Let Me Roll It," "Band On the Run" and a touching "My Love" that makes the memory of Linda McCartney palpable.
In addition to the interview, the NPR site has audio clips from the new album, a video clip of "Can't Buy Me Love," links to earlier interviews and sites of interest, a McCartney timeline, and his thoughts on missing John and George:
- "The minute I thought of George I thought of the ukulele because he was such a fan of the instrument," McCartney says. He fondly remembers that the two of them played ukuleles together at Harrison's home shortly before his death a year ago.
Article comments
1 - Kevin Moore
I was surprised to learn that this Friday's reunion between Paul and Ringo marks their first stage appearance since the break up. Following the band's dissolution, Ringo was a frequent "guest" on George and John records, and backed both of them on solo tours, most notably with George at the benefit for Bangladesh.
What's funny is that we should care so much about these issues. And I don't mean to be flippant, because I do care. Yet I can't help but find it amusing considering that they were simply four regular guys from Liverpool. Of course, they were four guys who all managed to touch our lives with their brilliant songwriting, humanity and wit, so our identification with them is inevitable; yet we do it in such exquisite detail, down to cataloguing their every breath in the recording studio and so on. Are we being silly with this focus on trivia, or is there something more to this diversion?
2 - RR Ryan
Supposedly, one of the main reasons Ringo never performed live with Paul was his aversion to playing the Beatles catalog. This was handled humorously in the film, Give My Regards To Broad Street. Ringo and Paul are rehearsing songs, but when they get to an old Beatles number, Ringo spends the entire song looking for a particular instrument, only to find it as Paul finishes. At least, that's the way I remember it. Regards-RR Ryan
3 - Jim Carruthers
For some weird reason, I though this article was about the Paulie Shore comeback.
4 - Arturo López
"Shit, that Paulie. I though Paulie the parrot"
Duh.
5 - Larry
Does anyone know or care that the Beatles' music was given to them by Satan, via Aleister Crowley? Satan could have used any 4 guys willing to pay the price. Kind of like he did with Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, and so many others. Just do a little research and see if its true!