April 20, 2012

Remastered edition of Paul McCartney’s RAM to be released May 22

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“Ladies and gentlemen, this is an album from a long, long time ago, when the world was different.  This is an album that is part of my history – it goes back to the wee hills of Scotland where it was formed.  It’s an album called RAM. It reminds me of my hippie days and the free attitude with which was created.  I hope you’re going to like it, because I do!”

Paul McCartney, 2012

On May 22, Paul and Linda McCartney’s 1971 album, RAM, will be released across a variety of formats with new and exclusive content including a beautifully packaged Deluxe Edition Box Set.

Following the successful recent reissues of McCartney, McCartney II, and this year’s Grammy winner for Best Historical Album Band on the Run, RAM is the latest album from Paul’s iconic back catalogue to get the deluxe Paul McCartney Archive Collection treatment. As with the previous releases in the series, Paul has personally overseen every aspect of the project.

The standard release tracklisting is as follows:

Standard Edition

1. Too Many People

2. 3 Legs

3. Ram On

4. Dear Boy

5. Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey

6. Smile Away

7. Heart Of The Country

8. Monkberry Moon Delight

9. Eat At Home

10. Long Haired Lady

11. Ram On

12. The Back Seat Of My Car

In keeping with the reissue campaign to date, the Deluxe Edition Box Set is the ultimate collectable for any fan of this album.  Its stunningly presented 112-page book, photo prints, handwritten lyrics and notes, four CDs and a bonus film DVD, tells the full story of a classic album that has gone down in music history as one of the most revered in McCartney’s catalogue.

The deluxe edition tracklisting is revealed as follows:

CD 1 – Remastered Album (as listed above)

CD 2 – Bonus Audio

1. Another Day

2. Oh Woman, Oh Why

3. Little Woman Love

4. A Love For You (Jon Kelly Mix)

5. Hey Diddle (Dixon Van Winkle Mix)

6. Great Cock And Seagull Race (Dixon Van Winkle Mix)

7. Rode All Night

8. Sunshine Sometime (Earliest Mix)

CD 3 – Remastered Mono Album

1. Too Many People

2. 3 Legs

3. Ram On

4. Dear Boy

5. Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey

6. Smile Away

7. Heart Of The Country

8. Monkberry Moon Delight

9. Eat At Home

10. Long Haired Lady

11. Ram On

12. The Back Seat Of My Car

CD 4 – Thrillington – Remastered Album

1. Too Many People

2. 3 Legs

3. Ram On

4. Dear Boy

5. Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey

6. Smile Away

7. Heart Of The Country

8. Monkberry Moon Delight

9. Eat At Home

10. Long Haired Lady

11. The Back Seat Of My Car

DVD – Bonus Film

1. Ramming

2. Heart Of The Country

3. 3 Legs

4. Hey Diddle

5. Eat At Home On Tour

- Menu music features a selection of jingles from the promo disc Brung To Ewe By

Other content:

112-page book with 32 page scrapboook, 5 photo prints, wallet including facsimiles of Paul’s handwritten lyrics and notes, mini-photographic book of outtakes from the album cover photo shoot, plus digital-only premium membership to paulmccartney.com.

RAM, originally released in May of 1971, is the only album to be credited to both Paul and Linda McCartney and was Paul’s second post-Beatles LP.  It was overshadowed at the time by the drama of the dissolution of The Beatles, as played out in the world’s media. The album topped the charts hitting #1 in the UK and #2 in the US.  While RAM polarized critics upon its release, music fans and critics alike since have overwhelmingly embraced it, with Rolling Stone, for example, revising their original review up to 4 stars.  Recently RAM has enjoyed even further re-appraisal and acknowledgement including a number of tribute albums.

RAM was written by Paul and Linda, mostly at their Scottish farm on the Mull of Kintyre.  In the autumn of 1970 they flew to New York to start the recording process.  Without a band in place they auditioned and drafted musicians, who included future Wings drummer Denny Seiwell and guitarists David Spinozza and Hugh McCracken.

The band completed the album in early 1971 along with non-album tracks ‘Another Day’ and ‘Oh Woman, Oh Why’ which were released together as Paul’s first post-Beatles single ahead of the release of RAM and became a Top 5 global hit.  The multi-disc editions of the RAM reissue include both songs as bonus tracks.  The album also gave Paul his first post-Beatles US number 1 single with ‘Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey’ and a Grammy win for Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalists.

RAM was also issued in mono with alternate mixes, which were only made available to radio stations at the time.  This version has gone on to become one of the most sought after McCartney collectables.  It will now be commercially available for the first time ever on CD as part of the Deluxe Edition as well as a limited run on vinyl.

1977 saw the release of Thrillington, an instrumental interpretation of RAM, which was originally recorded in 1971 at London’s Abbey Road Studios and was arranged by Richard Hewson.  It was released under the pseudonym Percy ‘Thrills’ Thrillington, an unknown eccentric socialite who often cropped up in mysterious newspaper classifieds.  In reality Percy was a character devised by Paul and Linda.  The idea behind it was simply to have some fun and the concept of doing a full orchestral album was an ambition long held by Paul.

The additional film content features previously unreleased and exclusive content including the brand-new documentary, “Ramming” narrated by Paul, as well as the original music videos for “Heart Of The Country” and “3 Legs”.

The remastering work was done at Abbey Road using the same team who recently remastered the complete Beatles’ catalogue.

[Source: Official press release]

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February 16, 2012

Review: Paul McCartney’s role as “Crooner” for new CD, “Kisses on the Bottom”, takes some getting used to

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Paul McCartney plays the role of “crooner” in the style of Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett on his new CD, “Kisses on the Bottom“. However, the vocal style he utilizes to sing these classic songs like “It’s Only A Paper Moon” and “Home (When Shadows Fall)” is at a different vocal range than what Beatles/McCartney fans are used to.

It almost sounds like Macca is pretending to perform as if he was another character– Macca the “jazz singer”. Very similar to the higher-pitched, whispery voice that he sang “Honey Pie” with on The Beatles’ White Album, this style works well on the humorous, light-hearted songs “My Very Good Friend the Milkman” and “I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter”, but not so much on the more serious standards on the first half of the CD.

On the second half of the CD, McCartney’s voice returns more to the deeper singing voice that we are all used to on songs like “Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive” and “Get Yourself Another Fool” which are quite enjoyable. The jazzy musical arrangements are led by Diana Krall and her band and produced by Tommy LiPuma.

Of course, as one would expect, Paul shines on the songs that he wrote himself, especially “My Valentine”. The included 6-page interview in the CD booklet reveals the interesting story about how “My Valentine” came about. McCartney wrote the song on a piano in the foyer of a hotel while on vacation in Morocco with then-girlfriend, Nancy Shevell. The inspiration came from a simple conversation about the rainy weather to which Shevell urged: “It doesn’t matter, we can still have a good time.”

Watch Paul McCartney sing “My Valentine” on the 2012 GRAMMYS:

The CD booklet is presented in a classy style featuring photographs from the special “Kisses on the Bottom” photo shoot taken by Paul’s daughter, Mary McCartney. Shots of the iconic Capitol Records tower are also included. Half of the album was recorded at Capitol Studios in Los Angeles, and the other half at Avatar Studios in New York, with orchestral arrangements recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra at Abbey Road Studios in London.

Kudos to Paul for following his creative heart and exploring the “jazzy” side of himself. We’ve seen McCartney go through different incarnations throughout his 50-year career including roles as the Fireman, the classical composer and now the jazz crooner. If you’re open to hearing another side of Paul, as well as another side of his voice, then give “Kisses on the Bottom” a try. I always have found that learning about The Beatles and solo Beatles’ music has led me to explore many other music genres and artists, and this CD is no exception.

–Trina Yannicos

Note: “Kisses on the Bottom” is available in the standard CD format with 14 tracks; as a digital download; in vinyl format; or the Deluxe CD with two bonus tracks plus access to a download of the Capitol Studios show (available via paulmccartney.com), plus longer liner notes and expanded packaging featuring three postcards. This review was based on the standard CD.

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February 1, 2012

Paul McCartney interview about Kisses On The Bottom; free stream of entire album online

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Paul McCartney’s new album of standards, Kisses on the Bottom, will be released on February 7. Paul has apparently had some fun with his choice of album title—the phrase ‘Kisses On The Bottom,’ comes from the album’s opener ‘I’m Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter’.

Originally made a big hit by Fats Waller in 1935, the song opens with the lines ‘I’m gonna sit right down and write myself a letter and make believe it came from you.  I’m gonna write words oh so sweet.  They’re gonna knock me off of my feet.  A lot of kisses on the bottom, I’ll be glad I got ‘em’.

(All photos courtesy MPL)

‘Kisses On The Bottom’ is a collection of standards Paul grew up listening to in his childhood as well as the two new McCartney compositions ‘My Valentine’ and ‘Only Our Hearts’.

(Courtesy MPL; Photo by Mary McCartney)

With the help of Grammy Award-winning producer Tommy LiPuma and Diana Krall and her band—as well as guest appearances from Eric Clapton and Stevie Wonder, McCartney’s new album is a deeply personal journey through classic American compositions that, in some cases, a young Paul first heard his father perform on piano at home.

(Courtesy MPL; Photo by Mary McCartney)

Watch an exclusive interview with McCartney and Award-winning producer Tommy LiPuma discussing the new album:

The album was recorded at the legendary Capitol Studios in Los Angeles, New York and London throughout 2011.  It also features guest musicians Eric Clapton and Stevie Wonder, respectively, on the original compositions ‘My Valentine’ and ‘Only Our Hearts’.  Eric also appears on the track ‘Get Yourself Another Fool’. Paul was photographed by his daughter Mary McCartney for the album sleeve.

(courtesy MPL)

Full tracklisting:
Standard CD – 14 tracks

01. I’m Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter            02:36

02. Home (When Shadows Fall)                                                04:04

03.  It’s Only A Paper Moon                                                      02:35

04. More I Cannot Wish You                                                      03:04

05. The Glory Of Love                                                               03:46

06. We Three (My Echo, My Shadow And Me)                             03:22

07. Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive                                              02:32

08. My Valentine                                                                        03:14

09. Always                                                                                 03:50

10. My Very Good Friend The Milkman                                        03:04

11. Bye Bye Blackbird                                                                04:26

12. Get Yourself Another Fool                                                     04:42

13. The Inch Worm                                                                      03:43

14. Only Our Hearts                                                                     04:21

(courtesy MPL)

Deluxe CD Album will feature two bonus tracks plus access to a download of the Capitol Studios show (available from Tuesday 14th February via paulmccartney.com), plus longer liner notes and expanded packaging featuring three postcards)

15.  Baby’s Request                                                                      03:30

16.  My One And Only Love                                                           03:50

(Courtesy MPL; Photo by Mary McCartney)

The album will also be available digitally.

You can listen to the album in its entirety streaming for free at NPR.org.

[Source: Official Press release]

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December 22, 2011

Listen to Paul McCartney’s new song, My Valentine, from his new album of standards

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On February 7, Paul McCartney will be releasing a brand new album of standards he grew up listening to in his childhood—plus two brand new McCartney compositions.  The album is called ‘Kisses on the Bottom‘ and will be released on Hear Music/Concord Records.

Paul McCartney in the studio; courtesy Hear Music/Concord Records

The album was recorded at the legendary Capitol Studios in Los Angeles, New York and London throughout 2011.  It also features guest musicians Eric Clapton and Stevie Wonder, respectively, on the original compositions ‘My Valentine’ and ‘Only Our Hearts’.

[You can listen to Paul's new song, My Valentine, at this link on Soundcloud.com. Paul wrote the song for his new bride, Nancy Shevell, and the song was played for the first dance at their wedding on October 9, 2011].

This is the album McCartney has been thinking about making for more than 20 years – and probably the last thing his fans are expecting. “In the end it was ‘Look, if I don’t do it now, I’ll never do it,” he says.
In short, Paul believes it is about time “the songs me and John based quite a few of our things on” received the recognition they deserve. Moreover, the record also features a couple of new original McCartney compositions in the spirit of those classics.

“When I kind of got into songwriting, I realized how well structured these songs were and I think I took a lot of my lessons from them,” Paul explains. “I always thought artists like Fred Astaire were very cool. Writers like Harold Arlen, Cole Porter, all of those guys – I just thought the songs were magical.  And then, as I got to be a songwriter I thought it’s beautiful, the way they made those songs.”

Paul enlisted the help of of Grammy Award-winning producer Tommy LiPuma and Diana Krall and her band—who delivered ultra-high quality musicianship and were completely in tune with Paul’s restraint and feel for the music. In the studio, the recording of this album was also a new challenge for Paul who, for the first time ever, performed exclusively in the vocal booth without no instrument – no guitar, no bass, no piano – which led to a vocal performance like no other in his career.

He adds, “It was very spontaneous, kind of organic, which then reminded me of the way we’d work with The Beatles. We’d bring a song in, kick it around, when we found a way to do it we’d say ‘Okay, let’s do a take now’ and by the time everyone kind of had an idea of what they were doing, we’d learnt the song. So that’s what we did, we did the take live in the studio.”

“It was important for me to keep away from the more obvious song choices so, many of the classic standards will be unfamiliar to some people.  I hope they are in for a pleasant surprise.”

[Source: Official Press Release]

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September 16, 2011

Sneak preview of the PBS Buddy Holly 75th Birthday Special: Eyewitness report

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by Richard Stevens

On September 7, 2011, I was fortunate enough to attend the taping of the Buddy Holly tribute show for PBS at the Music Box in Hollywood.   I was invited by a friend of mine who was involved in the production.  September 7th would have been Buddy’s 75th birthday.  What a birthday tribute – in the morning, a star unveiled in front of Capitol Records on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and that evening, a concert nearby celebrating Holly’s life and music.

Prior to the concert, I knew a few of the artists who would perform, but I was also wondering if Paul McCartney would be there, knowing his great adoration for Buddy Holly.  Unfortunately, McCartney was not at this event.

A 7:00 p.m. reception and 8:00 show were scheduled, but there was a late start due to a few delays and audio issues.  Peter Asher and Chris Isaak co-hosted the show.  Asher produced the Listen to Me: Buddy Holly CD, and several of the artists featured on the CD, also released on the 7th, performed at the concert.

The concert began with opening remarks by Asher and Isaak, then Stevie Nicks got the music off to a rocking start with an amazing backing band and her performance of “Not Fade Away.”

Lyle Lovett was up next, doing “Well All Right” and accompanied by James Burton, followed with “Looking for Someone To Love.” Shawn Colvin performed “Learning the Game” followed by Patrick Stump (Fallout Boys) doing “Every Day” and “Oh Boy!”

The audience was treated to a video featuring Keith Richard and Chris Isaak who performed a soulful “Crying, Waiting, Hoping.”  Ringo Starr also appeared in a video, offering his tribute to Buddy Holly.  Michelle Branch followed Ringo with “Words Of Love” with Graham Nash performing as one of her backing vocalists.

Graham Nash was introduced, talked a bit, and then performed a great version of “Raining In My Heart.”  Peter Asher joined Graham for “Take Your Time.”  Next up was Boz Scaggs doing “Maybe Baby,” and “Rave On”, joined by Nash and Asher. This was the first artist that had to perform his song twice due to some problems.

Raul Malo (The Mavericks) performed a fantastic version of “Listen To Me” and then Chris Isaak was joined by Michelle Branch to play “Heartbeat.”  Gabe Sapotra and Victoria Asher (Peter Asher’s daughter from the band Cobra Starship) performed “Peggy Sue”.  Gabe invited Patrick Stubb over to sing “Think It Over.” This was the only other song that had to be performed twice.

Peter Asher told a story about a writer/performer meeting with Buddy Holly to offer him a song he wrote specifically for Buddy.  I had no idea who he was talking about, but then Paul Anka stepped out of the wings to perform the song he wrote for Holly, “Guess It Doesn’t Matter Anymore.”  This was a complete surprise and great addition to the talented musical line-up.

Seeing Paul Anka perform this song was the most impressive part of the show for me, and something I will never forget. He was also very funny talking about having to leave the stage to shoot Peter Asher’s introduction again.

Then Stevie Nicks graced the stage again, adding her unique sound to the classic “It’s So Easy.”

As the show came to a close, Peter Asher shared a poignant story of how Buddy Holly met Maria Elena Santiago, asked her to lunch, and proposed to her later that evening at dinner. It was a very sweet story.

Raul Malo dedicated the song “True Love Waits” (which Holly wrote especially for his wife) to Maria Elena, who was seated at a front-row table with Phil Everly.  It was a touching tribute to both Buddy Holly, and to the love he shared with his soul mate.

After a few closing words by Peter Asher, all of the night’s performers returned to the stage for an encore of “That’ll Be the Day.”  I think Buddy Holly was smiling…

The show was recorded for a PBS special to air in December and will hopefully be released on DVD. I would recommend not only Buddy Holly fans, but Beatles fans as well to watch this show. The Beatles were heavily influenced by Holly. In fact, “That’ll Be The Day” is the first song The Beatles ever recorded.

——–

Richard Stevens owns an extensive music collection and is a music consultant for several local disc jockeys. He has a vast knowledge of rock and pop music from the ’60s to today, both American and British.

Editor’s Note: The Listen to Me: Buddy Holly CD, produced by Peter Asher, features Ringo Starr singing “Think It Over”.  Another tribute CD, Rave On Buddy Holly, features Paul McCartney singing “It’s So Easy.”

A new collection of Buddy Holly’s greatest hits was released earlier this year called Buddy Holly Icon.

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