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Solo forums => Paul McCartney => Microscopes => Topic started by: Bobber on July 06, 2012, 10:35:19 AM

Title: Microscope: Tug Of War
Post by: Bobber on July 06, 2012, 10:35:19 AM
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/94/PaulMcCartneyalbum_-_TugOfWar.jpg)

Tug Of War
After his experimenting and 'back to the base' with McCartney II, Paul starts off this album with this song. I think it's a wonderful song. Some might call it over-produced and it's true that it's full of all kinds of sounds. The song starts with the sound of a tug of war, men 'pushing and pulling'. I could do without that and start straight away with Paul's vocal, like he did on the single version of this song. Paul's voice and the acoustic guitar at the start sound great as it always does. Instrumentation (strings) at 0.34 adds the first extra layer. Obviously George Martin's influence here. Harmonies at 0.54. The song becomes a rock song at 2.03 with electric guitars and heavier drumming. Still it sounds like a ballad. Strings at 2.52, very nice. Plus brass at 2.58. Well done, great song and nice transition into

Take It Away
Great drumming by Ringo here and he gets some time for the show at the very start. Paul singing along in the background at 0.03. Simple tho great little bass lick by Paul. George Martin on piano leads the band into a change of rhythm, which is happening all the time. The Linda driven harmonies make this song sound like Wings. Probably the direction Paul was heading for before the band broke up. Well produced song with great brass section once again. The end is a bit too long for my liking, with harmonies and all that. The brass makes it all alright.

Somebody Who Cares
Paul with an acoustic guitar will always sound great. Well sung and played and the production sounds very good as well, still this song doesn't really do it for me. The flute sound is a little pain in the ass at 1.35. Nice acoustic guitar solo tho, but there's that bloody flute once again.

What's That You're Doing
Paul's collaborations with Stevie Wonder are not amongst his finest moments as far as I'm concerned. This song, together with Ebony And Ivory, is most probably the weakest song on the album. It's far too long (6.18). Stevie's and Paul's voices are not matching nicely as well and Paul singing disco sounds strange as well. Still I like the chorus, which is catchy enough and has nice harmonies. Beatles reminiscing at 5.12 (We love you yeah yeah yeah).

Here Today
Paul redoing Yesterday, and not only with a wink in the title. As we all know, this song is dedicated to John Lennon and for that reason it deserves much credit. Pauls voice sounds like he could break any moment and that's a quality as well. What can I say? An awesome song but maybe the weight and symbolism of it makes it a little too much of it all. Always loved the cello starting at 1.21 and the violins at 1.36.

Ballroom Dancing
Great opener for side b. Paul's rocking out on this song. Nice honky tonk piano. Pauls voice in the highest registers at 1.26 gives the song a boost. He nearly misses it the second time round at 1.39. Once again great brass section playing the solo's from 1.55. Nice instrumental break starting at around 2.35 with a great trumpet lick. The magic of that break disappears with the start of another verse. Great song tho and a great end as well.

The Pound Is Sinking
Maybe the best song on the album. It's bits and pieces somehow, but it all fits well together. Instrumentation and arrangment are wonderful. Great string arrangment as well. Listen to the guitar coming in at 1.36. Great little details to pick up. Wonderful showcase of Pauls vocal possibilities at 2.13. Very very good song this.

Wanderlust
Paul at the piano. Sounds like a classic melody. Anyone who loves Let It Be will probably love this one as well. Once again well produced with a great overall sound. Drums a little too bombastic maybe; the style of the 80s. There's the brass section again at 1.33. All very fine, but not my piece of cake.

Get It
Funny little ditty with Carl Perkins. Like Stevie, Carl has a very distinctive voice that sounds much different than Paul's, but somehow this is a good match. Always liked the comb and paper-solo. Carls laughing at the end used to give me the shivers. I now know that it's harmless. ha2ha

Be What You See (link)
Carls laughing his way into this synth-driven link between song. Nothing more to say about it. I could have done without it, but probably Paul meant something with this that I don't see.

Dress Me Up As A Robber
The album's best song. Great powerful start, which used to be the tune of a tv-program over here in The Netherlands. Don't remember clearly if it was about sports or cars. Wonderful toms at 0.04. Pauls showing his different type of voices. Falsetto at the start with a funky guitar in the background. A really great bassline here. I absolutely dig the acoustic guitar solo (already) at 0.52. Pauls normal singing voice at 1.06, but it's still acrobatics for the vocals. Paul does a wonderful job here. Acoustic guitar still in the background. Nice interlude at 1.30, building the song up once again. Ah! That bass at 2.09!

Ebony And Ivory
The song spent some time at #1 worldwide, yet I have never met anybody who admits to like the song. This is one of those things to be a bit ashamed to be a Paul McCartney fan. It's not a bad song tho, but it's been done with the kind of sugar coating that makes your teeth fall apart. Paul and Stevie still don't really match with their voices. Typically early 80s sound with handclaps and keyboard solo. Cringe.

All in all, a really great album with The Pound Is Sinking and Dress Me Up As A Robber as the album highlights for me and the two duets with Stevie Wonder as the lows. Wonderfully arranged and produced.
Title: Re: Microscope: Tug Of War
Post by: Dcazz on July 06, 2012, 12:06:08 PM
I always liked this album!
Title: Re: Microscope: Tug Of War
Post by: tkitna on July 08, 2012, 11:44:04 AM
One of Pauls better efforts. Looking forward to reviewing this one.
Title: Re: Microscope: Tug Of War
Post by: Toejam on July 09, 2012, 07:57:46 AM
I've amended my version of this album on my itunes taking out E&I which I didn't even install on my computer when I transferred all my c.d's to m.p3s and sold them all on ebay.
1-Tug of war-Not that great but o.k
2-Take it away-Very good song altogether and imo probably the last Paul song that comes close to his best work of days of yore
3-Somebody who cares-Sounds a bit like Spirit's Taurus inst. or put another way sounds a bit like Zep's Stairway to heaven and that lyric about your car being stolen doesn't fit but I quite like the song
4-What's that you're doing?-A nice funk work-out which gets quite catchy in parts and even sounds a bit futuristic at the start
5-Here today-Not too keen on this really. It's a bit of a flat tune
6-Ballroom dancing-Top quality toe-tapper with nice big juicy melody and a few little inovative moments and a fun lyric. Love it
7-The pound is sinking-My fav. song on the album and one that I loved from when I first heard it. The epitome of a fine album track.
8-Get it-A bit too generic old fashioned for me but as it's only 2'29 I'll try and like it
9-Be what you see (link)-I lovely moving dreamy little piece of music that could have been something really special if he'd developed it into something more
10-Dress me up as robber-Like The pound is sinking this is just the eptiome of a fine album track and I love it
11-Wanderlust-A lovely tune that works well as an album closer on my re-jigged version of this generally fine album.
Title: Re: Microscope: Tug Of War
Post by: Bobber on July 09, 2012, 11:34:48 AM
Nice to see that The Pound Is Sinking and Dress Me Up As A Robber are your highlights too, Toejam. No opinion on Ebony And Ivory?
Title: Re: Microscope: Tug Of War
Post by: Toejam on July 09, 2012, 06:19:05 PM

I've amended my version of this album on my itunes taking out E&I which I didn't even install on my computer when I transferred all my c.d's to m.p3s and sold them all on ebay.

Title: Re: Microscope: Tug Of War
Post by: Bobber on July 10, 2012, 08:04:10 AM
I've amended my version of this album on my itunes taking out E&I which I didn't even install on my computer when I transferred all my c.d's to m.p3s and sold them all on ebay.

I see. Well, that says it all!
Title: Re: Microscope: Tug Of War
Post by: tkitna on July 10, 2012, 09:43:47 AM
I'll be posting my reviews either Wednesday or Thursday depending. I havent read any of this yet, but I will say that 'The Pound Is Sinking' is probably my favorite tune on the album. Has to do with a roadtrip to Maryland and a lot of dope.  ha2ha
Title: Re: Microscope: Tug Of War
Post by: tkitna on July 13, 2012, 02:13:42 PM
TUG OF WAR


Tug Of War - I guess the start is supposed to be the groaning of men in an actual tug of war contest, but I always associated it to a rowing for some reason. Oh well. It doesn’t bother me either way. Paul comes in with a nice acoustic guitar and singing. 0:35 light strings come in, but they sound processed to me. I could be wrong. 0:56  huge background vocals from a woman that isn’t Linda. This is a pretty song, but I admit that I usually always skip it. If there’s anything annoying about it would be the ‘pushing’ and ‘pulling’ background part. A bit cheesy. 2:05 the guitar and full band comes in and sounds nice. The harmonies are top notch. 3:00 love the trumpet that comes in. For a song I always considered to be my least favorite on the album, its pretty damn good.

Take It Away - I always liked this song. I think it gets a bad rap for some reason, because I’ve never seen it on one of his ‘Best Of’ compilations and I think it’s a worthy enough pop single for that. Anyways, it starts with Steve Gadd doing a funky tom rhythm under Ringo’s snare and hi-hat and then Paul comes in with some killer sounding bass and organ. Pauls voice sounds great. 0:32 the piano comes in strong and song picks ups. Very cool. 0:50 song settles into the chorus, but I have to say that Linda’s backgrounds are awesome. Did the studio help her along? Who cares. 1:14 huge brass when the song kicks back in. Great. Did I mention how awesome Pauls bass sounds? Well it does. I just think this is a wonderful pop tune. Good stuff.

Somebody Who Cares - I’ve always liked this one too. If I have an criticism, it would be that the song is a little thin in places, but its nice enough. The acoustic sounds great and the spooky, Indian spirit type background is pretty cool. The song settles into a nice jazzy ballad type tune. 1:05 I always hated the percussion thing in the background here. Should have left that out. 1:26 love the ride cymbal here. Tasteful. 1:46 the sound of that scratching guitar string blows me away, and then it goes into a sweet acoustic solo. I wonder who played that? Its beyond Paul in my opinion. I’ll look it up later. sh*t, it was Paul playing the guitar. I didn’t think he was capable enough to pull off something that clean. Kudo’s. Good song.

What’s That You’re Doing - Some 80’s type synth crap tune that should have been put on McCartney 2. It’s a Stevie Wonder collaboration. Its not awful I guess, but its just not my style. It has a decent beat and their voices sound good. Background vocals are nice. Good harmonization. A just alright song to me that’s too long.

Here Today - Pauls ode to John. I don’t like this song as much as everybody else. I seem to like everybody else’s tribute a little more. This feels forced to me for some reason.  The acoustic and strings sound really good and Pauls voice is good. This is a good song, but I guess I wanted a masterpiece since it was Pauls tribute. This song is not that, but its solid.

Ballroom Dancing - Love this song. The swirling piano, drums, and guitar start it off. What a fun atmosphere. Everytime I cap on Pauls drumming abilities, he comes out with something like this. Its nothing great, but it fit’s the song to a tee. I thought it was Ringo at first and had to check. Good stuff. 1:15 Paul double tracks his voice and has two different voices here. Awesome. 1:26 Paul screams ‘Ballroom Dancing’. Best part of the song. 1:52 background voice announces the beginning of the ballroom dancing contest with the Cha cha cha. Great brass and woodwinds. 2:25 love the break here. 2:56 lead guitar sounds awesome. Awesome song in my opinion. Not many people can write them like this.

The Pound Is Sinking - Probably my favorite song on the album. Starts off with dropping coins, acoustic and Paul singing. Electric guitar sounds great and powerful. Drums are deep and nice too. 0:57 love Pauls quirky voice in this part. Lead guitar sounds really good. 2:10 when Paul starts to scream here, it almost gives me goosebumps. This is the best part of the song and the part that blew me away when I took a trip to Maryland years ago and had this song blasting while I was driving and smoking a joint. Wonderful memory and wonderful song.

Wanderlust - Great paino intro. Sounds like something huge is about to happen. Its not quite huge, but its nice enough to me. Like Pauls voice and the drums. 1:10 dig the guitar here. Harmonies are top notch again as is the brass. 1:55 love how Paul questions himself here. Really like all of the different times during the album when Paul compliments himself with backing vocals of his own voice. That works well. This is a well crafted song. Love it.

Get It - I really like this song and I hate almost everything dealing with country styles of music. This boarders on blues and country, but it’s a nice play. Pauls voice is so smooth against Carl Perkins that it just does something for me. Just sounds like they are having fun and that takes away any negative vibes I have for the song. Nice number.

Be What You See (Link) - Like how Carl Perkins laugh blends into the beginning here. This is just a 35 second type of synth music piece. Its irrelevant.

Dress Me Up As A Robber - Funky, 80’s type song that causes me to picture a couple doing the tango on a cruise ship for some reason. Nice beat and Pauls falsetto vocals are cool. 0:50 great guitar solo. 1:06 Paul comes in with his normal voice and its awesome. Lots of stuff going on in this song. Guitars, brass, synthesizers, bass, drums, little percussion bits here and there. Pauls bass is melodic as hell on this song. Never really noticed that before. Great song. Better than I remembered it to be.

Ebony And Ivory - ***sigh***. One of those embarrassing moments to be a Paul fan. The message is good, but the song is so cheesy that its laughable. I think this might be the point where people quit respecting Paul as an artist. I don’t think he ever had another hit after this, did he? The song was so bad that Stevie Wonder couldn’t even be bothered to show up most of the time to record it. Oh well, it is what it is.


Have you ever noticed that Paul always seems to rebound after he puts out a crappy album? ‘McCartney’ and then ‘RAM’. ‘Wild Life’ then ‘Band On The Run’. ‘McCartney 2’ and then this one. Glad that he’s able to do that. This is a great album. George Martin seemed to reel him in some and the results show. This doesn’t crack my top 5 but its right there. Very little filler and most of the songs are strong and well written. Good stuff.
Title: Re: Microscope: Tug Of War
Post by: tkitna on July 13, 2012, 02:29:10 PM
Ebony And Ivory
This is one of those things to be a bit ashamed to be a Paul McCartney fan.

Ebony And Ivory - ***sigh***. One of those embarrassing moments to be a Paul fan.

 ha2ha
Title: Re: Microscope: Tug Of War
Post by: tkitna on July 13, 2012, 02:30:56 PM
Nice to see that The Pound Is Sinking and Dress Me Up As A Robber are your highlights too,

Yeah, great songs.
Title: Re: Microscope: Tug Of War
Post by: tkitna on July 13, 2012, 02:32:21 PM
Nice review Cor and Toejam. One of Pauls better records and we only got three reviews. Sad, but i'm afraid this is probably how its going to be for the remainder of his catalog.
Title: Re: Microscope: Tug Of War
Post by: Dcazz on July 15, 2012, 12:39:51 PM
Correct me if I'm mistaken but, isn't this the first album that Paul and George Martin teamed up for since the breakup!? That would account for the slick production. It's a very good solo Paul!
Title: Re: Microscope: Tug Of War
Post by: tkitna on July 16, 2012, 12:07:47 AM
Correct me if I'm mistaken but, isn't this the first album that Paul and George Martin teamed up for since the breakup!? That would account for the slick production. It's a very good solo Paul!

I believe your correct Dcazz.
Title: Re: Microscope: Tug Of War
Post by: Yeshelloitsmehereagain on July 16, 2012, 12:49:33 AM
Oh this one, it's good and slick and I'll have it up soon. You can get on with the b-sides album and the soundtrack 'covers his own songs' album if you like.
Title: Re: Microscope: Tug Of War
Post by: tkitna on July 16, 2012, 02:49:26 AM
Post up Ollie. I'm looking forward to reading your review.
Title: Re: Microscope: Tug Of War
Post by: Bobber on July 16, 2012, 09:13:08 AM
Nice review Todd and I already suspected us to think the same of Ebony And Ivory. We obviously have different opinions on Paul and Stevies voices get together. lol
Title: Re: Microscope: Tug Of War
Post by: Bobber on July 20, 2012, 01:57:03 PM
Busy with Pipes Of Peace. It's a bit of a struggle.
Title: Re: Microscope: Tug Of War
Post by: tkitna on July 21, 2012, 11:57:18 AM
Busy with Pipes Of Peace. It's a bit of a struggle.

Yeah, its awful.  I really, really want to use my previous review for this one, but its so half-assed i'm not sure I can. I feel this thread deserves better, but I dont want to listen to the damn album again.
Title: Re: Microscope: Tug Of War
Post by: Bobber on July 22, 2012, 05:28:22 PM
Yeah, its awful.  I really, really want to use my previous review for this one, but its so half-assed i'm not sure I can. I feel this thread deserves better, but I dont want to listen to the damn album again.

There's two or three acceptable songs to my ears. I don't force you to listen to it. I did. ha2ha
Title: Re: Microscope: Tug Of War
Post by: Ovi on July 24, 2012, 11:52:57 AM
I've bailed out on 'McCartney II', but I really like this album so I wrote a short review. It's not very good, but it's better than nothing :

It's 1981 and McCartney gives us something different from the previous year. While 'McCartney II' was spontanous, home-made, superficial and very experiemntal, 'Tug of War' is in many ways the opposite : a set of carefully and consciously constructed songs produced by George Martin with whom Paul collaborates for the first time since his Beatle days. Did John's death bring them together ? (notice Ringo's also here on one song) Or was McCartney just trying a more serious approach on music? Whatever the reason, Martin provides a nice, warm orchestrated production. There is diversity, the melodies are present, the acoustics beautiful, Paul's voice - better than ever ("BAAAALROOOM DANCING", anyone?) and the lyrics, well, there are some good sets of lyrics here.

The title track comes first in my mind, a beautiful haunting anthem that gets more and more powerful as the song slowly emerges from an acoustic track to an electric one. It's also got a fair share of emotional moments like when Paul sings "in another world..." with havenly harmonies backing him. Oh, and the message is pretty powerful, too. The living proof that McCartney can write pretty much everything he wants to as long as he takes it seriously. 'The Pound is Sinking' is another breathtaking tune, as McCartney accomplishes in 3 minutes what some bands can't on an entire album. It's amazing how easily, yet gracefully it shuffles through different melodies and moods, until it arrives at that ferocious climax and then within seconds it all calms down and the song ends the way it started.

Those two are the absolute highlights here, if you ask me. But the other songs don't fall far behind, either. There's the contemplative 'Somebody Who Cares' with its pleasant acoustic guitar solo and dreamy flute, the generic, yet lifted up by the strings ode to John called 'Here Today', the funny country/rock n' roll duet with Carl Perkins, 'Get It', the charming 'Take It Away', the bombastic 'Balroom Dancing' with Paul screaming from the top of his lungs as a highlighted moment and 'Dress Me Up As A Robber' with its latino-sounding guitar solo.

However, there are two songs here that keep the album from being perfect. As you may've already guessed, the Stevie Wonder collaborations are both pretty much terrible. What's an overlong disco song called 'What's That You're Doing' doing there between two ballads? Then there's 'Ebony and Ivory' which has a nice and peaceful message, but is ruined for me by that typical 80's sounding bridge, which is also present again in the tag.

If it wasn't for those two songs, I'd say the album is perfect. As it is, I can only place it below 'Ram', 'Band On The Run', 'Venus and Mars' and 'Back To The Egg', give it a 4.5/5 rating and name it my 5th favourite McCartney album (so far).
Title: Re: Microscope: Tug Of War
Post by: Yeshelloitsmehereagain on July 24, 2012, 07:38:34 PM
It'll be here by Thursday, I'm half way through.

It's interesting, whilst we can all seem to agree that it's on the whole a strong set, it doesn't seem to be up there with any of our top ranked albums. Maybe it's just a touch too glitzy?
Title: Re: Microscope: Tug Of War
Post by: Yeshelloitsmehereagain on July 28, 2012, 02:36:32 AM
Well here is the A side review...

Tug Of War
 The acoustics sound familiar and Paul instantly seems comfortable, he sounds more like "Beatle Paul" than he has ever done since '69 and unsurprisingly, it works. The orchestral things are nicely understated, this is definately a George Martin production. :56 "In another world..." background vocals seem treated, not so sure if I like it. It's not the Wings backing, that's for sure, it's just different. "In a time to come..." the strings that move through here are spine-tingling... Paul is singing really well, good use of tracking in places. 1:54 I think it must be a combination of Linda, Paul and Eric that's been treated again I think "Pushing, Pulling" maybe not needed here but the arrangement underneath moves it well enough for it not to be much of a problem. 2:04 Wow one of Paul's best verses ever "In years to come...". Guitars come crashing in and sound great. Oh my. "...the air we breathe and the life we lead..." Great vocal. If it is Linda it's great here 2:20 "It wont be soon enough..." splendid. 2:38 George Martin kicks, it's superb, very powerful. "Flag unfurled..." that horn isn't so great. 3:18 backing on "drum" works well. Can I say anymore? Maybe one of Paul's best. A great job by George Martin. There's an "ooo" low in the mix which leads into...



Take It Away
Nice intro from Ringo and Steve Gadd though don't ask me to tell you which is which and where they are in the mix. There's a great sound on the Bass and Paul's falsetto is cool and not over cooked it's a breathless falsetto. I could take the whole song like this. At the :30 mark a Piano comes in and ramps up the tempo somewhat, it sounds a little forced to me. The Piano is a bit out front for my liking and the vocals sound fat. Ringo is great. Nice "ooo's" It's a driving song. I could do without the brass. It's lightweight, though not offensive and it pops along, as has been remarked before the tempo changes all of the time, it's probably a b**** to play and get it right. 2:12 the brass annoys the heck outa me. "You never know who may be listening to ya..." the stacked harmonys are nice, I think I'm ok with the treated vocals now. Nice "ahhhs" into the outro. But that brass is still annoying. Paul McCartney - Take It Away (1980 Studio Demo) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BBI1LdubHc#ws)

Somebody Who Cares Nice intro on the Spaniard. Nice singing. The second verse "Like somebody has taken the wheels off your car..." is either designed to take the wheels off the song or it's just a poor analogy. 1:06 is a great positive direction, the percussion is great and really enhances the piece. "Always somebody who cares..." nice singalong. I like the flute. That's killer playing from Paul. Could probably stop at 2:12 point. Goes on a bit without adding much.

What's That You're Doing Cool funky guitar, nice drums. Makes me want to dance. Very progressive. "Even if it's wrong Girl I do agree..." I can relate to that. "Girl I like what you do to me, do it some more" 2:06 Stevie goes all scat it's great. The breakdown around 3:30 something is good. Little synth touches around 4:07 are very pretty. There's not a word out of place. 5:26 gets a bit much but I'm still dancing. I like it.

Here Today Slight acoustic into in Em, just so you know whats coming. :22 The strings come in and it's all very Beatles'y :46 the cello (I think it's the cello) comes in  announcing it's definately a George Martin score, the cello is kind of his signature sound. :55 "Tear's no more..." is well sung. The echo is effective. It's all very emotional, if a little slight. Still it's a nice tribute. If you can't feel it you must be a cold person or something.

I'll do side B soon. I think Get It is the weakeast song of the bunch.
Title: Re: Microscope: Tug Of War
Post by: jamesbjorkman on August 06, 2012, 02:32:40 AM
Since this is one of my favorite albums - period - might as well do a little review.  ;)

It's 1981, John Lennon is gone, and Paul had grown bored with Wings and ended it just like he ended the Beatles.  Ahem.  Well, what's a big pop star to do?  Wait for Michael Jackson to call.  Well ....  Michael hasn't called yet.  Anyway, he goes back to his roots, big time, and gets his Beatles producer, Beatles drummer, wife Linda, and just about everyone else from the extended Paul universe and brings it all home in a family affair.

This album is all about continuity with his legacy while making a clean break with his immediate past.  I think he accomplishes this awkward task brilliantly.

http://youtu.be/RURy9SZk8c4 (http://youtu.be/RURy9SZk8c4)

"Tug of War" - Right away, we get a lush orchestration, the stamp of George Martin.  Starts off peacefully with an acoustic guitar, but after that, the electric Guitars are way in the background, a welcome break from the late Wings "Van Halen imitators" days.  Linda is a major presence to continue the essential Wings sound (and she makes a real contribution here, sorry, Linda haters).  The video makes clear this is about, um, tugs of war - hey, did you know that used to be an Olympic sport that Great Britain excelled at? - but Paul nicely brings in some very subtle environmental concerns, another nice segue from the past.  He aims high on this one, sort of saying that progress is a constant struggle with successes and failures, and pretty much hits his target.  Overall, a nice start to the album, not one of my favorites but I recognize it as great.  On the downside, Paul adopts that earnest, pleading tone that, well, I wish he would use less often.  But still a very nice record that grows on me with time, to the point that I sometimes listen to it for purposes other than reviewing it.

I might add that the video ending - with Linda in the control room, and then next to Paul, and then disappearing and leaving him alone, followed by his disappearance - is quite affecting now.

http://youtu.be/5z-iApVMr2Y (http://youtu.be/5z-iApVMr2Y)

"Take it Away" - in runner-up position, we have perhaps Paul's best song of the album and, to be truthful, the decade.  Ringo is around on the video to ham things up - that was his real value to the early Beatles, of course - and George Martin actually has a nice gig in the (1950s-vibe) video.  I also like that Linda is shown handling the business affairs, which is my understanding of how things actually worked in the '70s at least.  Nice horn (synthesizer) work, nice transitions, drumming is right up there (thank you Mr. Gadd, too), Paul is in excellent voice, and the lyrics add something that make this darn near autobiographical.  Linda contributes some nice "woo-woos," and you can't overestimate the value of a feminine touch here and there.  Paul does his well-worn path of a mellow start, then ramp up to the main tempo, and then a few breaks in the action later, reminds me of "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" in that regard.  One of the tunes on the album that I enjoy pulling up now and then, Paul should be proud of this one.

"Somebody who Cares" - After two show-stoppers, time for a "little" song, and that's exactly what we get.  A few nice instrumentals (thank you, George), and Paul is in fine voice (yes, I'm going to keep saying that on this album), but the lyrics, well, let's just say that I like the melody and leave it at that.  Transitions are a bit awkward, and the repetition that is a constant Paul theme is a bit much, and then it just sort of ... ends.  OK, it's "a beautiful song."  The acoustic guitar work saves it for me, but it's in the bottom half of this very tight album.

"What's that you're Doing?" - We get a nice funk sound right up front, which I find refreshing.  Stevie Wonder is in the house!  Sort of a late-disco vibe to it, which is OK, since the whole album isn't like that and it would get old quick.  Unlike just about everyone else, I think this is a worthy addition to the album that gives it a contemporary feel.  I also like hearing Paul sharing with and harmonizing with another singer, and not just another "so what voice is Paul going to use on THIS song."  A little variety is the spice, baby.  Goes on a little too long, but Stevie, he needs maneuvering room, dig?  He probably could have gone on for another twenty minutes.  I think people dislike this one because it's ... different ... for a Paul album, but a good tune and still a pleasure.  Paul brought Stevie back 30 years later on his "My Valentine" cd, so he must have liked the results.

"Here Today" - Paul dials it back - can't let that funk get out of hand!  - and gives one of his (patented) soulful, emotional ballads with that (thank you George Martin) "Eleanor Rigby-esque" string backup.  I am VERY MUCH alone in thinking this is perhaps the weakest song on the album, when some others think it is one of his best ever, but I don't mark up song grades based on whether they are tributes to John Lennon or not, sorry.  Yes, I am cold as ice about music, John was worth more than any tribute song.  At least it is relatively quick, again in the "Eleanor Rigby" vein, but, sir, I knew Eleanor Rigby, and....

Side 2

"Ballroom Dancing" - for my money (and I bought the "Tug of War" cassette when it came out and still have it), the second best song on the album, which is probably why it leads off side 2.  Great lyrics, great melody, nice transition.  I love the concept of a 1950s dance competition, again Paul is going back to his real roots in a different way, and with (thank you George Martin) nice clarinet and horn work.  Sounds very, very, very similar (to my ears) to the Kinks "Come Dancing" hit of the same year on the same theme, which is a classic, and this isn't quite in the same league as that song, but it is right up there.  Perhaps goes on a bit too long, but still a top track.

"The Pound is Sinking" - so many people love this song that I hate to say that I find the lyrics are Paul at his weakest and most trite, the melody is weak, and it has an experimental feel that would have worked better on McCartney II or even "London Town," when it was written.  Some people like the repetition thing, me, not so much, I'm a Philistine who didn't like "Picasso's Last Words," either.  It passes the time and isn't downright irritating, so not a bad album filler.

"Wanderlust" - this has the feel of a song that came out of a cathedral, with precise notes and a slightly ponderous - make that suitably majestic lol - feel.  Paul is in absolutely superb voice and his soaring vocals almost make you forget that this is a song about a boat he used to charter in the Carribbean.  Perhaps soaring vocals deserve a soaring theme?  I would put this as one of Paul's best album tracks ever, right up there with "1985" and "Mrs. Vanderbilt" and a few others, but not a truly great song.

"Get It" - the forgotten song from the album, a duet with Carl Perkins that has a country feel.  Just as with the Stevie Wonder song, this helps give the album a rounded feel, which can be difficult to do.  Has an "Act Naturally" feel to it, and that is pretty fast company, sort of like Johnny Cash guesting on a U2 album (now where might they have gotten that idea...), with nice results.  Pretty classy for an album filler, and Carl lightens things up with his marvelous laugh.  If you (I know you're reading this) don't like a British man attempting country, just skip this one.

"Be What You See" - Paul goes for a choir sound, some would say "ghostly," and it works if you like that sort of thing.  Again, a nice change of pace, Paul's best albums are ones on which you can't pin him down.  Could have been extended and fleshed out a bit more, Paul has a habit of throwing some of his best ideas out there unfinished, as if to say, "hey, that's good enough for the likes of you" or maybe "I'm not sure if I really like this one so haven't rounded it out, get back to me on that, would you?"

"Dress Me Up as a Robber" - Unfortunately, this always reminds me of a theme song to some 1970s action show like "SWAT" or maybe something starring George Kennedy or Roger Moore.  Anyway, it has a very good '70s vibe to it that again shows Paul adapting yet another musical style to his own needs.  The lyrics aren't much, but Paul is in good voice (again!) and there is some more good acoustic guitar work (thanks again, George!), so there are many redeeming qualities to this album filler.

"Ebony and Ivory" - OK, here we go.  This is the smash hit that everyone hates.  It is a nice duet with Stevie Wonder that says some very nice things.  I'll always remember the criticism when it came out, that there isn't TRUE equality between the white and black keys on a piano, so THE SONG IS FLAWED.  Like, oh my God, how deep do we have to dig to rag on a simple song?  Anyway, it has a very 1980s hit vibe to it, which drives some people loopy and drives others to say it is one of the best songs in history.  Well, it is neither, but it IS a very nice record, and Paul is in nice voice (again!).  Perversely, the weakest link on the song is probably Stevie's synthesizer playing, which is usually his strength, but that doesn't destroy the song or anything. 

The main problem with this song imho is that it does not fit any of the standard categories for a Paul song.  Here, he is reaching out with a completely different sound in order to draw in new fans.  I think that worked - brilliantly, and, as such, is one of the greatest successes of his entire career (yes, entire career).  Paul's appearance on "Thriller" gets similar hacks from Jackson fans, that "The Girl is Mine" is the worst song on the album and so on and so forth.  Hogwash.  Music is a business, and both songs broadened Paul's (and the associated artists') fan base.  That it isn't yet another knockoff of "Eleanor Rigby" or "Blackbird" or "Yesterday" and thus "doesn't sound right" to big Macca fans is just such a shame - and means nothing about the true quality of this excellent song/performance. 

The video is very formal, showing that this is a Serious Topic.  It's like a summit meeting between two heads of state, perhaps Paul trying to fill a gap in his musical resume, and it works.



 



 



Title: Re: Microscope: Tug Of War
Post by: Toejam on August 06, 2012, 10:11:14 AM
It'll be here by Thursday, I'm half way through.

It's interesting, whilst we can all seem to agree that it's on the whole a strong set, it doesn't seem to be up there with any of our top ranked albums. Maybe it's just a touch too glitzy?
No. It's got Ebony & Ivory on it! :)
Title: Re: Microscope: Tug Of War
Post by: Yeshelloitsmehereagain on August 06, 2012, 03:47:28 PM
Hmm, even if Ebony and Ivory was taken off or substituted for one of the 3 half decent tunes on Pipes of Peace I doubt it would push it up the over-all individual rankings. Don't get me wrong, it's a very good album, has a great production and some terrific performances but it's just not quite there somehow. I can't pin it down.

Sorry for the delay in talking about side B, I've been very busy getting in trouble with the law. Tbh I haven't even started it. Please don't wait for me. You can all enjoy Pipes Of Peace. I personally dislike reviewing the weaker albums, although there are a few things that are nice, nothing, absolutely nothing, approaches blue chip McCartney on that record. We All Stand Together is probably a better tune than anything on it and considering that is constantly considered a nadir of Paul's output it really is saying something. I don't see the point of reviewing Broadstreet bar the 3 new tracks but it seems to hold affection with the middle aged so I'll chip in with that. I have alot of favourable things to say about Press To Play, that's one of my favorites.

I'll be here with Tug Of War 2 soon.
Title: Re: Microscope: Tug Of War
Post by: Bobber on August 06, 2012, 06:13:31 PM
Nice reviews everyone. It is simply great to read what others like and don't like and then listen to the album once or twice again.

I'm sorry I have been extremely busy in the past few weeks. I have been listening to Pipes Of Peace however, but lacked the time to write about it. I hope I'll manage that before I go on a (well deserved if I may say) holiday.
Title: Re: Microscope: Tug Of War
Post by: tkitna on August 07, 2012, 12:09:28 AM
I agree with Ollie in saying that I dont think 'Broadstreet' needs a review, but thats up to Cor.
Title: Re: Microscope: Tug Of War
Post by: Bobber on August 07, 2012, 02:13:18 PM
I agree with Ollie in saying that I dont think 'Broadstreet' needs a review, but thats up to Cor.

I never even considered reviewing it. There isn't much to review, is there? No More Lonely Nights is a wonderful song, the rest is forgettable.
Title: Re: Microscope: Tug Of War
Post by: tkitna on August 07, 2012, 11:35:58 PM
No More Lonely Nights is a wonderful song, the rest is forgettable.

I love 'No Values' and 'Not Such A Bad Boy', but besides those two and 'NMLN', the rest is rehashed stuff.
Title: Re: Microscope: Tug Of War
Post by: Frightwolf on September 19, 2012, 10:46:29 PM
I really do love how The Pound is Sinking gets a lot heavier later on with that wailing, awesome voice of Paul's.

Tug of War has a wonderful middle section.  It's heavenly and just allows the film to soar.  A perfectly sounding melody there.

Wanderlust also provides great use of Paul's voice.  Very beautiful melody and vocals.

Here Today really is something special.  The "I love you" gets me each time because he's as sincere as can be about it.  A simple line made special by his delivery.

So yeah, my three favorite songs have what I consider to be his most impressive vocals.  However, this whole album sounds more polished and Paul's voice far superior to many of his other efforts.  I know George Martin definitely had something to do with the former, but I think this album probably has his best vocals of any of his solo albums.