Tag Archives: paul mccartney

#727: Wings – Let ’em In

So I’d got through The Beatles catalogue very quickly around 2009/10; the only logical way was to explore the band member’s solo material. I’m not on my house computer so I’m not able to tell you which albums I went to first and who out the four I listened to the most. As if you would want to know that anyway. From what I remember, Imagine and Band on the Run were instant downloads because I’d always heard just from television that they were must-hears. All Things Must Pass followed along the way. Other songs arrived here and there, including ‘Let ’em In’, which I either heard for the first time via a live Paul McCartney performance or on we7.com where the track played randomly. It was 10 years ago; the mind’s going.

‘Let ’em In’ begins Wings at the Speed of Sound, Paul McCartney’s fifth album with his band Wings from 1976. It’s a comforting track, made to welcome the listener to the record and what’s to follow. McCartney hears people knocking on his door and ringing the doorbell, including his brother and aunt, the Everly Brothers and German professor Martin Luther, and implores everyone to let them into the house to have some good times with some glorious harmonies courtesy of himself, Linda McCartney and other members of the group. All this done with a military-style drum beat that takes over at some points of the track and some tasteful horns during the instrumental break. I enjoy how the verses are basically anchored by one note on McCartney’s piano and Jimmy McCulloch’s bass. Builds a sense of tension that way. And as you think it’s going to fade out to silence, the final two notes of the whole track suddenly jump back to normal volume to properly close it out.

It’s a real song for the family, you know? Just one saying “Hey, good to see you, come inside, we’ve been waiting for ages.” Very sweet.

My iPod #508: Wings – Helen Wheels

“Helen Wheels” was written and recorded by Paul McCartney and his post-Beatles band Wings during the sessions for the great album Band on the Run released in 1973. Being released as a single prior to the album’s release, the track was not included in the album’s final tracklisting in the UK. It was in the US though, placed between “No Words” and “Picasso’s Last Words (Drink to Me)“. Good decision by Capitol Records to ask McCartney for the change. To me, the album doesn’t seem as right without it.

The song details a journey from the Shetland Isles near Scotland down to London via Glasgow, Carlisle, Liverpool, and Birmingham. This all takes place in “Helen Wheels”, the Land Rover Paul and his lovely lady Linda once owned and the track is a dedication to the vehicle’s reliability, comfort and overall awesomeness. Set to a shuffling bluesy rhythm, McCartney sings with a Southern state inflection before unleashing his chest voice with the “HELEEEEEN” that begins each chorus. That amongst many other little parts make this one of his most enjoyable songs to listen to. Like those backing vocals which echo the last three words of each line in the final verse, or when Paul forgets to start playing the bass for a second and comes in a bit late at one point. The little guitar licks and improvised fills are satisfying too.

The song is a great rocker, and a very good one to drive to of course.

My iPod #333: Paul McCartney – Ever Present Past

In 2007, Paul McCartney released his fourteenth solo album “Memory Almost Full“. Also at that time I was twelve years old almost finishing my first year of secondary school, and not caring that much about anything in particular.

I guess it is a big deal when Paul McCartney comes out with something new just because he is who he is, but thinking about it now I can’t remember that much being said about the album’s arrival. Although, most of the time I was watching MTV2 where McCartney’s videos were never played anyway. The first time I knew that his new album was coming was when the ‘exclusive premiere’ of the video for his new song “Dance Tonight” was shown on TV late at night.

I feel like I’m telling you my life story just reading this through. Basically, “Ever Present Past” was the second single from that album. Heard in on the car radio when my mum was taking me somewhere. Then it played on we7.com, and I started to really like it.

In the track Paul sings about feeling old, how life goes quickly and how he’s never able to quite get over his past because he’s constantly reminded about it, and because he thought it would last forever. It’s a good tune.

He dances in the music video, which may be cringing for some. Not me though, I don’t care.

My iPod #310: Paul & Linda McCartney – Eat at Home

“Eat at Home” is probably one of the cheesiest McCartney tunes. And Paul has written a lot of those. Everything from the cheery melody and the melismatic vocals on the word ‘love’ and all the general gushing on Paul’s part on how great his relationship is with Linda may make a listener want to throw up, gag, annoy or just bring to displeasure for a lot of listeners.

I think it’s quite good, actually. One of the most enjoyable tracks on there. A nice, pleasant, easy-going track…. possibly about oral sex. Yeah.

Musically, it’s pretty easy going. But I think it contains one of Paul’s busiest bass takes. He’s always switching between different notes, ascending and descending scales in the bass line while the other instruments play around it. Paul sounds very happy singing, throwing in his trademark “woos” and “ahhs” and really emphasising syllables, as you hear on the very first line (come on little lllllaaaayu-DUH).

Yes, it’s all a bit silly and shit. It does come after one of the album’s most dramatic tracks, so it’s a good way to relieve the tension.

It’s on “Ram“, by the way. Have a listen. You might enjoy it.

My iPod #255: Paul & Linda McCartney – Dear Boy

“Dear Boy” is the fourth track on Paul McCartney’s second solo album (credited to both he and wife-at-the-time Linda) Ram, released all the way back in 1971.

Paul believed he was very lucky to have Linda as his wife, and wrote this song as a tribute to her. It is also an address to her former husband; they married years earlier in 1962 before divorcing in 1965. McCartney ‘tells’ him that he was a silly man to let Linda go, and that he will never find another one like her.

Although most of it is in a minor key, the dramatic, layered backing vocals and airy rhythm make things a little lighter. You can probably imagine the smugness he had when writing and singing this: “I hope you never know, dear boy, how much you missed/And even when you fall in love, dear boy, it won’t be half as good as this”.

Burn.