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In this thread I rank my favorite post-Beatles Beatles songs: 291-1. (2 Viewers)

Looking forward to learning more post Beatles history and hearing a bunch of songs I missed or forgot about. I have about a dozen total solo albums and have listened to a few others but nothing since Flowers in the Dirt.

 
krista4 said:
YOGI'S CHOICE!  CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE!

287.  Sunday Bloody Sunday / The Luck Of The Irish (Some Time In New York City, 1972)  Spotify YouTube Spotify YouTube

(John #49)

Note that the second song is slightly NSFW.

I'm going to let the crowd veto me on this one if you wish.  I prefer the first one, while OH likes the second.  Since they're on the same album and cover the same subject, I decided to discuss them together.  Both, of course, are protest songs relating to the British actions in Northern Ireland, described by John as "genocide" in the lyrics to "The Luck of the Irish."

Let's start with "Sunday Bloody Sunday," which is a reaction to the specific events of that day in 1972.   Sure, there are Yoko banshee moments, but I have to admit I kind of like those.  This is a good rocker, even with too much sax, and I think John sounds great on it.  Jim Keltner's drums, while not quite a Keltner Showcase, hold #### together really well while also advancing the groove.  Downsides to this song:  lyrics can be a bit trite at best, or condescending at worst.  Not sure how John decided to appoint himself the defender of the Irish republicans. 

Onto "The Luck Of The Irish," I love the feel of this song!  Folksy and in waltz time!  My favorite!  On the downside...flute.  On the much bigger downside...terrible, insulting, simplistic lyrics that perpetuate stereotypes.  A purportedly serious song that's meant to address serious issues, and they sing about...leprechauns?  The Blarney Stone?  "Let's walk over rainbows like leprechauns...The world would be one big blarney stone."  The repeated line "If you had the luck of the Irish, you'd wish you were English instead..."  Eeesh.  John's intentions here were certainly pure, as he was inspired to write it by a protest march he had attended, and he had a known affinity and love for Ireland.  But my understanding of the reaction to this song is that it did not help the cause, as it was generally reviled as insulting on the Irish side and too polemical on the English side.

Both of these songs feature prominent vocals from Yoko, so if you find her too bleating, there are other songs out there for you.
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Sunday Bloody Sunday has a nice beat to it. The Yoko parts don't bother me too much. John's inflections at the end of the verses remind me of Come Together. 

The Luck of the Irish isn't my thing. It sounds like a demented nursery rhyme, and Yoko is more prominent here (though she's not screaming so it doesn't bother me a whole lot). I guess it's not a surprise that someone posted a "Yoko-less" version to Youtube. 

Both of these are strained lyrically, to put it nicely, but of these two I'd vote for Sunday Bloody Sunday. 

 
krista4 said:
---INTERLUDE---

Let's talk about one other song, which will not make my list, relating to "the troubles" in Northern Ireland.

Give Ireland Back To The Irish

Apologies to Sir Paul, but these were my notes on my first "official" listen:  "Gross.  Simplistic and pandering and dumb.  I do think he meant it, though."

This is an atypical song for Paul, not because it was pandering and dumb, but because unlike John or George, Paul didn't often record overtly political or "statement" songs.  Paul wrote this within 48 hours of "Bloody Sunday."  Due to its seemingly pro-IRA stance, the song was banned on the BBC and most British radio and TV outlets, but released as a single it did fairly well in both the UK and the US and reached #1 in Ireland. Though Paul had some Irish ancestry and seemed sincere with the song, it's been speculated that it was calculated by Paul to give him some "street cred" by tackling such a subject, or that maybe this was a peace offering of sorts to John, who had been more involved in the cause.  Paul and John had had a small reconciliation before the song was written, and perhaps Paul wanted to stay in his good graces.

Whatever the reason, despite the song's success, it had some unfortunate consequences, even sparking violence that led to Paul's Irish guitarist Henry McCullough's brother being beaten for his brother's part in the song. 

My issue with the song isn't so much the pandering or the questionable motives or the somewhat insipid lyrics and singalong quality - though those are all there - but that it's just..not a particularly good song.  I don't have much to say about it.
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I've heard of this song but had never heard it before, as US radio had no interest in it.

I like the guitar line, sounds like the kind of thing we heard on Abbey Road. I also like the instrumental interlude starting around 1:45. 

Oh no, after that interlude he's talk-singing. My feelings on that will be made known when I discuss Neil's 21st century political/environmental songs after the countdown. 

Lyrics aren't any better than John's Irish songs, though they are nowhere near as embarrassing as The Luck of the Irish. 

Given the positives of the music, I prefer this to either of the John songs. 

 
krista4 said:
Damn it!  I feel bad because @Pip's Invitation made guesses on the theme that were frankly better than what I am doing.  I"ll give a little preview and say we will have at least one Wings song in the countdown where Paul is not the lead singer ( :coffee:  ), but my plan right now for McCartney Minus McCartney comprises songs in which Paul has collaborated and plays a smaller than usual role.  We'll start here:

286.  Cut Me Some Slack (from album/soundtrack Sound City, 2013)  Spotify  YouTube

(Paul song #140)

Paul recorded this song with the surviving members of Nirvana, first as a live track as a benefit for Hurricane Sandy victims and then released as a track on Dave Grohl's Sound City album/film in 2013.  The whole song was just an improvised jam, with Paul on vocal and cigar-box guitar, and was written and recorded in three hours.  The song won a Grammy in 2014 for Best Rock Song.  I'm not that impressed with Paul's work on it, which is why it's low on the list, but the song as a whole is a mint jam.

Pip will like this quote from Grohl:  "You have to understand, one of the great things about playing with Paul McCartney or playing with Neil Young is that that generation of musicians, they cherish and respect and value the practice of just going into a room and coming up with something and jamming and making it a song,” said Grohl. “There’s not like seven songwriters and seven producers and digital technology or whatever. It’s like people getting in a room."  Grohl also called Paul the sweetest, nicest, and most awesome person.  That sounds like something I'd make up, but it's true.
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I'd only heard this when Paul and the Nirvana guys played it on SNL. That version was so noisy that I couldn't really get a sense of whether it was any good as a song.

This one obviously owes a lot to Helter Skelter, especially in Paul's singing of the "if you wanna stick around..." part and in some of the instrumental passages. 

Verdict: It is good as a song, though I can't really hear the bass in the mix (not as big a deal as if Paul were playing bass, but still.) I suspect I will prefer this to many of Paul's other "trying to keep up with the younger folks sonically" moments. 

 
krista4 said:
In part it's a problem with Dark Horse overall and why it was poorly received at the time.  He had laryngitis but rushed to record and get this out anyway because he had a tour scheduled.  On some songs on this record, he sounds positively horrible.  
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I did nit know this story - I get wanting to get the record out before the tour but the vocals are just so bad i'm not sure it was worth it.

 
krista4 said:
I'd be particularly interested in the thoughts of @wikkidpissah on these Irish-related songs.
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well, all that need be said is that i never heard a one of the three sung in a pub and, considering that the Irish adore any attention paid them by their betters, that's a paltry review.

Liverpudlians are honorary Irishmen because Liverpool & Blackpool are the termini of ferries from Dublin to the UK and so the cultures have a lot of interchangeability. me own Ma (RIP) was born there because, when me 19yo Granda knocked up his 16yo sweetie, twas near a hanging offense (he would have gone to jail & me Gran might have been put to a life of labor by the Magdelenes) and ten bob got you 'cross the Sea of Ireland to have the baby in Bootle & work the Mersey docks to wait til she was of an indeterminate enough size to bring her back home with "birthdate" up that lined up w their marriage date. Ma didnt know her real birthday til she was in America 25 years and applied for a passport. 

so both Lennon and McCartney would have known Irish songs better than these tunes prove. "Luck of the Irish" is the closest to a pub song - bitter sarcasm with a lilt is wheelhouse - so i'd have to say the reason it didnt get much enduring traction is that you pretty much couldnt design a person less Irish than Yoko Ono. the others are just bad songs - both with hammery qualities that are just anti-Hibernian

 
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rockaction said:
cuz...cousins?

Love @facookmaybe comments about Imagine. He may be right. 

And this just proved I can tag, too! Oh wow! Oh, I don't know/Don't know what to do/If you can tag me/I can tag you, too

(That's me imagining Paul writing that lyric)

I'm listening to the Who do girl groups, so it seemed profound, that lyric. 
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:hifive:

 
I consider myself an unabashed Paul guy, so I'm not surprised I liked his entry in The First Four the best.  It was catchy and I'll definitely listen to it again.  I M Not RedE to listen to Ringo's again.  Ever.  Of the John tunes, I found "Sunday Bloody Sunday" decidedly the better entry, although every 30 seconds or so, I'd look at the window to see if the feral cats were fighting again.  

 
Pip's Invitation said:
I'd only heard this when Paul and the Nirvana guys played it on SNL. That version was so noisy that I couldn't really get a sense of whether it was any good as a song.

This one obviously owes a lot to Helter Skelter, especially in Paul's singing of the "if you wanna stick around..." part and in some of the instrumental passages. 

Verdict: It is good as a song, though I can't really hear the bass in the mix (not as big a deal as if Paul were playing bass, but still.) I suspect I will prefer this to many of Paul's other "trying to keep up with the younger folks sonically" moments. 
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Wanted to mention that I appreciate your digging into songs on a sonic basis.  In this thread, I'm generally going to be focusing more on history and context of the albums and songs, as well as some running themes throughout.  I'll get more into the musical aspects as we go further along, but there will be a lot less of my "listen that note that sounds like an E-flat but really isn't" stuff.

 
Shaft41 said:
I consider myself an unabashed Paul guy, so I'm not surprised I liked his entry in The First Four the best.  It was catchy and I'll definitely listen to it again.  I M Not RedE to listen to Ringo's again.  Ever.  Of the John tunes, I found "Sunday Bloody Sunday" decidedly the better entry, although every 30 seconds or so, I'd look at the window to see if the feral cats were fighting again.  
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Thank U 4 ur post.  :lol:  

 
Second entry in McCartney Minus McCartney

285.  Kanye West - Only One (ft. Paul McCartney) (single, 2014)  Spotify  YouTube

(Paul #139)

Speaking of not diving deeply into the musical details, I wouldn't even know how to here anyway.  It's not music that I know well or could speak intelligently about, but in this case, I simply find it lovely.  It's a very sweet number that Kanye wrote for his daughter, and the lyrics are meant to be his mother (who has passed away) sending a message through Kanye to his daughter.  I think his voice sounds terrific despite all the Autotune, and the context and lyrics of the song are touching.

This is the song that the LA Times might have called the worst of Kanye's career.  When I was first looking into this song a few months ago, google brought me an article from the paper entitled something like "Kanye West's 'Only One' - His Worst Song Ever?"  It was behind a paywall, so I didn't get to find out what the verdict was, but with that headline, I kind of assume the answer was "yes."  I expect some of you guys to hate this one, too. 

I've ranked this a bit lower than the quality of the song would otherwise put it for me, because there's just not much Paul.  He plays the organ parts and composed those basically on the fly, and he contributes the backing vocals, but this is a Kanye song with just barely enough Paul to get it on my list.

 
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Of the 3 Irish protest songs I like Sunday Bloody Sunday the best mostly due to the music. The "if you had the luck of the Irish..." line you hate is actually my fav part of that song.(other than when Yoko stops singing)

 
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---INTERLUDE AND THE FIRST OH APPEARANCE---

Paul confuses me.  He has a squillion dollars (or pounds, I suppose) and seems generous with his time and money, but he doesn't seem ever to have had one particular cause that he's poured himself into.  I have a vague recollection of his being involved in land-mine-removal stuff when he was married to that awful person (more on her later), and I know he and Linda are/were vegans and did a little on that. 

It seems like someone with Paul's money and his following could have a cause where he could make a significant difference, but he hasn't had that focus.  Instead he pops up on what seems like every song for charity, no matter what it is.  In that way, he's quite admirable, as he seems to be game to help anyone who asks.  I feel like if I needed, say, a new roof, I could text my GB Paul and he'd pop out a fundraising song for me in a couple of hours.  I wish he used his huge platform in a more focused and meaningful fashion, though.

This all brings me to the final McCartney Minus McCartney song, which is one of these random charitable endeavors that he did, as was "Cut Me Some Slack" above.  I'll post the song next, but first I wanted to mention a few that won't be on my list (YouTube links included).

Ferry Cross the Mersey - Paul joined Holly Johnson, The Christians, Gerry Marsden, and others for this cover, to help the victims of the Hillsborough disaster.  This isn't a bad version of the song, but I just never liked it.  OH was less generous about this one:  "Sounded like when they have really good singers record children’s music at Christmastime, and none of them can just sing it, they all have to sell it.  Running the scales, like Froooooostty."

Children in Need - For the charity Children in Need.  As you can see, this one's really hard to find!  And it's a shame that I found it.  OH:  "This is like a Save the Africa thing.  WHAT ABOUT THE CHILDREN?  It makes me think of the Simpsons."

Let It Be - Version recorded for Ferry Aid, to help victims of the Zeebrugge disaster.  I don't object to this version - Kate Bush is particularly good - but didn't include it since I'm not including covers of Beatles songs.

Live Aid - We all know this stuff.  Paul shows up three minutes in.  Bono's mullet is on point.

Come Together - Version by "supergroup" Smokin' Mojo Filters, which includes Paul, to benefit the War Child charity, which aids people in Bosnia.

Love Song to the Earth - To raise funds to combat climate change.

And many others.  

 
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Before I get to the next song, I have to tag a VIP from the first thread.  He didn't make it into the first sets of tags, because I could only remember his real name and not his screen name!  For two days I tried to think of it when it finally hit me.  Aging sure is fun!

@Kilgore Trout

 
Final McCartney Minus McCartney selection

284.  The Justice Collective - He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother (single, 2012)  YouTube (unavailable on Spotify)

(Paul #138)

The Justice Collective was a collection of musicians organized by Peter Hooten of the band, The Farm, to provide aid for victims of the previously mentioned Hillsborough disaster.  The group toured for a while and then in 2012 recorded this cover, which included Paul on lead guitar and singing the final lines of the song.  I have an embarrassing soft spot for this song, and a more embarrassing soft spot for this version with all the over-singing.  Since this isn't on Spotify, you have to watch it on YouTube, which I think is a good way to experience this song to see all the different artists on it (though most are not immediately identifiable).  

These were my notes when I first watched the video:  "Yeah, yeah.  That boy band guy who sounds like Paul Heaton.  Gerry.  Paul Heaton.  Glenn Tillbrook.   All the women.  #### yeah.  First 1:30 with Robbie Williams.  First guy's kinda like Paul Young.  Mark Zuckerberg guy.  Frankie Goes to Hollywood guy.  Eddie Vedder-looking guy in a Pizza Hut tablecloth.  Why does everyone get three words?  That one woman dropped in from Cyndi Lauper video.  There's Ally Sheedy in Breakfast Club.  Shane MacGowan just creeping everyone out."

I do especially love the part when Shane MacGowan suddenly pops in all sideways and weird and stuff.  Robbie Williams with one of the Spice Girls is the highlight for me, shockingly.

These are the actual names of the people performing, in order:

Andy Brown (of Lawson), Gerry Marsden (of Gerry and the Pacemakers), Paul Heaton (of The Beautiful South), Glenn Tilbrook (of Squeeze), John Power (of Cast and The La's), Robbie Williams (of Take That), Melanie C (of Spice Girls), Rebecca Ferguson, Holly Johnson (from Frankie Goes to Hollywood), Paloma Faith, Beverley Knight, Eliza Doolittle, Dave McCabe (of The Zutons), Peter Hooton (of The Farm), Ren Harvieu, Jon McClure (of Reverend and The Makers), Paul McCartney (of The Beatles), Shane MacGowan (of The Pogues), Bobby Elliott and Tony Hicks (both of The Hollies), Hollie Cook (from The Slits), LIPA Gospel Choir.

 
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krista4 said:
Final McCartney Minus McCartney selection

284.  The Justice Collective - He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother (single, 2012)  YouTube (unavailable on Spotify)

(Paul #138)

The Justice Collective was a collection of musicians organized by Peter Hooten of the band, The Farm.  The group toured for a while and then in 2012 recorded this cover, which included Paul on lead guitar and singing the final lines of the song.  I have an embarrassing soft spot for this song, and a more embarrassing soft spot for this version with all the over-singing.  Since this isn't on Spotify, you have to watch it on YouTube, which I think is a good way to experience this song to see all the different artists on it (though most are not immediately identifiable).  

These were my notes when I first watched the video:  "Yeah, yeah.  That boy band guy who sounds like Paul Heaton.  Gerry.  Paul Heaton.  Glenn Tillbrook.   All the women.  #### yeah.  First 1:30 with Robbie Williams.  First guy's kinda like Paul Young.  Mark Zuckerberg guy.  Frankie Goes to Hollywood guy.  Eddie Vedder-looking guy in a Pizza Hut tablecloth.  Why does everyone get three words?  That one woman dropped in from Cyndi Lauper video.  There's Ally Sheedy in Breakfast Club.  Shane MacGowan just creeping everyone out."

I do especially love the part when Shane MacGowan suddenly pops in all sideways and weird and stuff.  Robbie Williams with one of the Spice Girls is the highlight for me, shockingly.

These are the actual names of the people performing, in order:

Andy Brown (of Lawson), Gerry Marsden (of Gerry and the Pacemakers), Paul Heaton (of The Beautiful South), Glenn Tilbrook (of Squeeze), John Power (of Cast and The La's), Robbie Williams (of Take That), Melanie C (of Spice Girls), Rebecca Ferguson, Holly Johnson (from Frankie Goes to Hollywood), Paloma Faith, Beverley Knight, Eliza Doolittle, Dave McCabe (of The Zutons), Peter Hooton (of The Farm), Ren Harvieu, Jon McClure (of Reverend and The Makers), Paul McCartney (of The Beatles), Shane MacGowan (of The Pogues), Bobby Elliott and Tony Hicks (both of The Hollies), Hollie Cook (from The Slits), LIPA Gospel Choir.
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I am an absolute sucker for these kind of songs - big, fat, overripe melodies. I had never heard this version and love it. Thanks so much for turning me onto it.

Oh, and it's impossible to over-sing this one. Going over-the-top is built right into the bones of it. I didn't think anyone went off of the rails like - oh, just to pick an example at random - the Live Aid performance of "We Are The World".

I did keep waiting for Elton John to show here, though.

 
Uruk-Hai said:
I am an absolute sucker for these kind of songs - big, fat, overripe melodies. I had never heard this version and love it. Thanks so much for turning me onto it.

Oh, and it's impossible to over-sing this one. Going over-the-top is built right into the bones of it. I didn't think anyone went off of the rails like - oh, just to pick an example at random - the Live Aid performance of "We Are The World".

I did keep waiting for Elton John to show here, though.
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This is true - maybe the fact most of them only got a few words to sing kept them from going off the rails.

 
krista4 said:
Wanted to mention that I appreciate your digging into songs on a sonic basis.  In this thread, I'm generally going to be focusing more on history and context of the albums and songs, as well as some running themes throughout.  I'll get more into the musical aspects as we go further along, but there will be a lot less of my "listen that note that sounds like an E-flat but really isn't" stuff.
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I'm not qualified to comment on what is and isn't an E-flat,  😂 but many of these entries will mark the first time I've ever heard the song in question, so my sonic impressions are what I'll probably feel compelled to write about in most cases. 

 
krista4 said:
Ohhhh, I'm just listening to a filthy-great Wings jam, but I can't get to it for another, let's see, 260 or more songs.

I meant to ask, @Morton Muffley, you had mentioned having a top 100 list.  We were talking Paul at the time, but I wasn't sure, is your top 100 just Paul, or all post-Beatles Beatles?
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Krista

Love the start, but don't know where you get the energy.  Indeed, am concerned you are gonna burn yourself out before you get to the top 100!  Pace yourself, we can't have a repeat of your middle period in the Beatles thread ;)

And pls know we'll be here to lift you up when you get weary, when you're down and out - oops, wrong Paul!  Anyway, I expect you'll hit the wall: probably around the 20th Ringo song (which by my calculations s/b about 19 songs away)...OR perhaps when George starts singing about song publishing rights! OR, God forbid, when a multi-millionaire starts lecturing us about our inability to envision a world with "no possessions" - sorry @pecorino, there is more than one right answer ;)

So @krista4, to your question about my top 100 list: as you may have guessed by now, I am a Paul guy.  I know, it's probably hard to tell from my above, but it's true.  I love All Things Must Pass and would have several songs on it in my solo Beatles top 10.  Similarly, I think Plastic Ono Band is one of the greatest albums ever recorded by anyone.  And Ringo has a great life-affiming attitude so, there's that!  But beyond that I really don't have too much appreciation for the others' solo work.  Perhaps I am over-compensating for Paul having to graciously live in the understandably large shadow of his martyred friend, but I just find so much of John's solo work to be sonically uninspired (everything on Walls and Bridges), naive (nearly everything on Sometime in NYC), or hypocritical (the aforementioned Imagine; Woman and Starting Over after burying Paul publicly for only writing "silly love songs").  Don't get me wrong, John is a genius when he's ON (Instant Karma, Beautiful Boy, God), I just think his solo work is highly inconsistent.  And fwiw, am looking forward to you exposing me to more of George's catalog - as I just haven't felt much need post-ATMP to explore it.  So yes, my top 100 is just Paul songs... but I will likely build out a combined top 25 for the 4 of them (though I highly doubt that'll be sufficient to squeeze Ringo's It Don't Come Easy in...we'll see).

Anyway, looking forward to the ride, to discovering things I've never heard before, and to hearing things through your expert ears that I know well but lacked the facility to fully understand.  Anyway, am giddy with anticipation...to feeling the sense of childlike wonder. Take it away!

 
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Morton Muffley said:
Krista

Love the start, but don't know where you get the energy.  Indeed, am concerned you are gonna burn yourself out before you get to the top 100!  Pace yourself, we can't have a repeat of your middle period in the Beatles thread ;)

Anyway, looking forward to the ride, to discovering things I've never heard before, and to hearing things through your expert ears that I know well but lacked the facility to fully understand.  Anyway, am giddy with anticipation...to feeling the sense of childlike wonder. Take it away!
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I see what you did there.  ;)   Both will be covered!

Love the entirety of this post, and thank you for it.  Good reminder, too, about the pacing.  The problem with these threads is that I get so damn excited to share my favorites that I want to tear through and get to them!  My top ten Paul songs include a few that won't be well known outside of you and some of the other Paul aficionados or crazy Beatle obsessives (like me).  I can't wait to share them!

 
krista4 said:
I'm enjoying the mini-debate about "Imagine", by the way.
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I feel about Imagine like I feel about Heart of Gold. Is it good, yes. Do I like it, yes. Is it one of the greatest songs ever written , no. Are there other songs I’d rather hear by that artist, yes.

 
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As a total ingenue to Beatle solodom, I think I like "Oh Yoko" way more than "Imagine" simply for the former's use in Rushmore at a very emo point in my life. Margaret Yang and Bert Fischer the barber and all that.

Listening to Radiohead right now, so I'll stop blaspheming...

now.

 
I now introduce The Dylan Portion of the Program aka Harrison Minus Harrison.

283.  The Traveling Wilburys - Where Were You Last Night?  (The Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3, 1990)  Spotify  YouTube

282.  The Traveling Wilburys - Inside Out  (The Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3, 1990)  Spotify  YouTube

281.  George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Tom Petty, Neil Young, and Roger McGuinn - My Back Pages  (The 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration, 1992)  Spotify  YouTube

(George #68-70)

Before Binky posts a screaming goat, let me be clear that I dig all three of these songs, which is why they're on the damn list.  They're placed this low because they just don't have all that much George in them, and I want to save the high (Binky, low) rankings for songs that are more purely George (or Paul, etc.) (maybe notsomuch Ringo).  

I believe it was @Dr. Octopus who helped me out in another thread when I was questioning how to include/exclude the Wilburys songs, for instance, and I adapted his suggestions as follows:  I did not include any Wilburys songs where George does not have any portion of a lead vocal but included any where he did, even if it was just a bridge or a verse.  This limitation means that some good songs won't be on my list, and also "Wilbury Twist" won't, even though I like it and find it hilarious as I picture Dylan wondering WTF he was doing there at that point.

The Wilburys didn't divvy their songs up for writing credit, preferring to say that they were all written by the whole group, but it's pretty obvious on most who the primary songwriters were, in large part because the songwriters tended to give themselves the lead vocals.  Imagine that.  So even though these two Wilburys songs have some good George parts in them, the first is clearly a Dylan song, and the second doesn't feature enough George to be lifted higher (Binky, lower) in the countdown.  I should note that both of these are from the second album that George cheekily insisted be titled "Vol. 3," which overall I find less captivating than the first.  After the loss of Roy Orbison, the Wilburys seemed to lose much of their magic and joy.

The first of these, "Where Were You Last Night?", is a sweet little ditty with interesting satirical (I think) lyrics, a nice George bridge and a few interesting chord changes that elevate it above a simple pop song.  While the second, "Inside Out," is ranked only one slot above, it's a more complete song that I enjoy significantly more.  Petty sounds great on the snappy chorus, but the absolute highlight is George's middle eight - his voice has a lovely sound and, in this song about environmental awareness, has an urgency to it that I find compelling.  I'd listen to a whole song of just that, but that doesn't make any sense at all, come to think of it.

The third song in this Harrison Minus Harrison list is a live performance of Dylan's "My Back Pages" from Dylan's 30th anniversary (as a recording artist) celebration at Madison Square Garden, which song was later released on The 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration album.  It features even less George than the other two above, with his vocal finally coming around 3:40.  So why is it ranked higher than the other two?  Because it's a ####### great song.  And have you checked out that lineup?  Sheesh.  C'mon.

 
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krista4 said:
Second entry in McCartney Minus McCartney

285.  Kanye West - Only One (ft. Paul McCartney) (single, 2014)  Spotify  YouTube

(Paul #139)

Speaking of not diving deeply into the musical details, I wouldn't even know how to here anyway.  It's not music that I know well or could speak intelligently about, but in this case, I simply find it lovely.  It's a very sweet number that Kanye wrote for his daughter, and the lyrics are meant to be his mother (who has passed away) sending a message through Kanye to his daughter.  I think his voice sounds terrific despite all the Autotune, and the context and lyrics of the song are touching.

This is the song that the LA Times might have called the worst of Kanye's career.  When I was first looking into this song a few months ago, google brought me an article from the paper entitled something like "Kanye West's 'Only One' - His Worst Song Ever?"  It was behind a paywall, so I didn't get to find out what the verdict was, but with that headline, I kind of assume the answer was "yes."  I expect some of you guys to hate this one, too. 

I've ranked this a bit lower than the quality of the song would otherwise put it for me, because there's just not much Paul.  He plays the organ parts and composed those basically on the fly, and he contributes the backing vocals, but this is a Kanye song with just barely enough Paul to get it on my list.
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Whoa. Cool. Resident Kanye fan checking in for a brief review: It's an interesting track. It sounds like Kanye messing around in the studio, but it's gotta be more than that with Paul, especially given the message (For whatever one can say about Kanye, Kanye takes his mother and family very seriously). I think there's an interesting fade-in at the beginning, but musically the song is a bit lacking and auto-tuned for my liking. Kanye had a run of writing great modern pop songs for a while, and this, while interesting, sounds like a bit of a one-off, really.  The song might have been fleshed out into something more here (I can hear where the swells should come in, actually) but it never really goes into anything grand and lovely, two descriptions Kanye (some people call him grandiose, which I say loses its stigma when it comes to him) embodies, often well. Anyway, it's still a sweet tune considering the circumstances.

Note on Kanye, not so much on Paul: I just watched AMC's Behind the Hip Hop of Kanye's "Jesus Walks." For all of his bluster and vanity, he is utterly serious about his relationship with God. It comes as little surprise that he would take this song literally seriously, down to the lyrics. 

 
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rockaction said:
Resident Kanye fan checking in: It's an interesting track. It sounds like Kanye messing around in the studio, but it's gotta be more than that with Paul, especially given the message (For whatever one can say about Kanye, Kanye takes his mother and family very seriously). I think there's an interesting fade-in at the beginning, but musically the song is a bit lacking and auto-tuned for my liking. Kanye had a run of writing great modern pop songs for a while, and this, while interesting, sounds like a bit of a one-off, really.  The song might have been fleshed out into something more here (I can hear where the swells should come in, actually) but it never really goes into anything grand and lovely, two descriptions Kanye (some people call him grandiose, which I say loses its stigma when it comes to him) embodies, often well. Anyway, it's still a sweet tune considering the circumstances.

Note on Kanye, not so much on Paul: I just watched AMC's Behind the Hip Hop of Kanye's "Jesus Walks." For all of his bluster and vanity, he is utterly serious about his relationship with God. It comes as little surprise that he would take this song literally seriously, down to the lyrics. 
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This is great - thank you!  I seem to recall reading that Kanye and Paul improvised most of it in terms of the initial recording, then when Kanye listened back he felt like he was channeling his mother to add the rest of the lyrics.  Something like that, but in any case in keeping with your analysis of its not being really fleshed out.  

 
krista4 said:
This is great - thank you!  I seem to recall reading that Kanye and Paul improvised most of it in terms of the initial recording, then when Kanye listened back he felt like he was channeling his mother to add the rest of the lyrics.  Something like that, but in any case in keeping with your analysis of its not being really fleshed out.  
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Thanks a bunch. In keeping with the emphasis of the thread, one can hear what is presumably Paul's sense of melody in the organ accompaniment. It's so strong that it turns vocal noodling and musing into an almost powerhouse song -- if only they had worked on it a bit. (That's also an aside and something I've learned as I delve more into hip hop and rap: there are so many ideas that just need a little more fleshing out and they'd be outstanding. Sometimes market demand and expectation doesn't meet in the middle with creativity and you get a lot of great ideas released that aren't necessarily as fleshed out as they could be.) But Paul (to me) can be heard here, as you point out. I'm just a little hesitant to write about it because of a lack of formal music knowledge.

So yeah, Paul being there is a good thing for the song. Too bad there's not more of him in it. 

 
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krista4 said:
I now introduce The Dylan Portion of the Program aka Harrison Minus Harrison.

281.  George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Tom Petty, Neil Young, and Roger McGuinn - My Back Pages  (The 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration, 1992)  Spotify  YouTube
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McGuinn and Young kept the song from delving into too much orchestration with their lead vocals. Nicely done. McGuinn brings that ethereal quality even at that age, Young brings the grit.

eta* The band has no idea what to do when Dylan stides to the fore. They all want to stop playing, it seems, so Young grabs the whammy bar and abuses it.  :lmao: No whammy! No whammy! Whammy! 

eta2* This is after Pip's like, but Pip should know I paid a lot attention to Young because of Pip's thread about Neil. 

 
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krista4 said:
281.  George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Tom Petty, Neil Young, and Roger McGuinn - My Back Pages  (The 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration, 1992)  Spotify  YouTube
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I will have some things to say about “Bobfest” from Neil’s perspective in my post-Neil-countdown material. 

One thing about this version I always found amusing is that Bob sang the 5th of 6 verses. You’d think the writer of the song and honoree of the night would take the first verse or the last one. But no, Bob took the next to last one, the one we’d least expect. That is a very Bob kind of choice and had to be deliberate.

 
Pip's Invitation said:
I will have some things to say about “Bobfest” from Neil’s perspective in my post-Neil-countdown material. 

One thing about this version I always found amusing is that Bob sang the 5th of 6 verses. You’d think the writer of the song and honoree of the night would take the first verse or the last one. But no, Bob took the next to last one, the one we’d least expect. That is a very Bob kind of choice and had to be deliberate.
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It's all in the penultimate. All of literature. RIght there. "I think of John N. R. Wayne, who would have won this year's WhataBurger, standing watch in a mask as Donald Gately and I dig up my father's head."

 
rockaction said:
McGuinn and Young kept the song from delving into too much orchestration with their lead vocals. Nicely done. McGuinn brings that ethereal quality even at that age, Young brings the grit.

eta* The band has no idea what to do when Dylan stides to the fore. They all want to stop playing, it seems, so Young grabs the whammy bar and abuses it.  :lmao: No whammy! No whammy! Whammy! 

eta2* This is after Pip's like, but Pip should know I paid a lot attention to Young because of Pip's thread about Neil. 
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I thought Young was the standout on that as well.

 
Pip's Invitation said:
I will have some things to say about “Bobfest” from Neil’s perspective in my post-Neil-countdown material. 

One thing about this version I always found amusing is that Bob sang the 5th of 6 verses. You’d think the writer of the song and honoree of the night would take the first verse or the last one. But no, Bob took the next to last one, the one we’d least expect. That is a very Bob kind of choice and had to be deliberate.
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Thread cross-pollination!  :thumbup:  

I thought that was funny, too.  When he stepped up, I thought George was going to end up with no verses.

 
rockaction said:
McGuinn and Young kept the song from delving into too much orchestration with their lead vocals. Nicely done. McGuinn brings that ethereal quality even at that age, Young brings the grit.

eta* The band has no idea what to do when Dylan stides to the fore. They all want to stop playing, it seems, so Young grabs the whammy bar and abuses it.  :lmao: No whammy! No whammy! Whammy! 

eta2* This is after Pip's like, but Pip should know I paid a lot attention to Young because of Pip's thread about Neil. 
Click to expand...
Thanks. 

Someone reads my posts!

 
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