VARIOUS ARTISTS
The Art of McCartney
Bulletproof / arctic poppy
One can only assume that Elton John was on the school run when the call came through to participate in this one. And that Tom Petty was in the bath. Because every other artist on the planet seems to be included on this double album !! I exaggerate slightly, but this collection really does pack in the big names. It’s a celebration of Macca’s compositions from Beatles days onwards and the set is truly a role call of great musicians and singers.
Paul McCartney – in common with Van Morrison, Neil Young and especially Bob Dylan – can of course be sublime viz. ‘ Things We Said Today’ and awful ‘ Wonderful Xmas Time’ and that horrible synth figure. The Faces, featuring the late great Mac on piano did a fine take on ‘Maybe I’m Amazed’, back in the day. Soul maestro Billy Paul turned his attention from Mrs Jones to tackle ‘Let ‘Em In’. Various soul artists compilations have Lennon & McCartney works – even embracing Ella Fitzgerald – and there is a wonderful Bob Belden-produced Blue Note album on which ‘Fool On The Hill’ and ‘Tomorrow Never Knows’ are reinterpreted.
On this outing, nobody goes near ‘Back In The USSR’, ‘I Want To Hold Your hand’ or thankfully ‘Ebony & Ivory’…and not all the inclusions is that well known. Some are but the trouble with tributes is that some folk chose a song they love so much they are never going to do anything but reproduce the original version. When doing a take on another person’s song, I always ask myself the hard question – ‘What am I bringing to the table?‘ and if the honest answer is ‘Nothing’, well…..why set yourself up ? I do enjoy playing ‘Norwegian Wood’ as if it had come from The Byrds’ canon. There is by the way an American Beatles set by country artists called ‘Come Together’ that I like and have gifted to our own Charlie Landsborough, who also went for the unusual interpretations by the likes of Chet Atkins rather that the straight run-throughs e.g. Kris Kristofferson dusting off ‘PaperBack Writer’…
OK then, my edition of ‘The Art of McCartney’ kicks off with Billy Joel performing ‘Maybe I’m Amazed’ and his stately and strident piano gives way to a terse vocal that sounds nothing like Billy Joel. The arrangement doesn’t stray far from the original post-Beatles one. Even the guitar solo nods rather than creates. For all that Joel sounds passionate and driven, which is the point, I guess. I was hoping for something jazzier and the drummer sounds like he’s in ‘We Will Rock You’!
I’ll now list the rest of the cuts, with a comment or two:
BOB DYLAN Things We Said Today – Electric piano sound is cool on this, Mr Zimmerman sounds on edge and very throaty. This number however sounds at its best when it’s played in a very relaxed manner. Shame Tony Bennett wasn’t given this one as Dylan would have sounded better on, say ‘You Can’t Do That’
HEART Band On The Run – Again it’s disappointing how sounds from the original Wings version appear on this attempt. Ann Wilson at her most tender and with exquisite backing vocals. Oh that horrible synth! The guitars sound ace, naturally. In the later and faster passage the singing is very close indeed to Macca
STEVE MILLER Junior’s Farm – the bursting guitars introduce a beaty edition of the song and Miller ( an old pal of Paul’s) sounds himself having fun, great axe runs cutting in. Very listenable
YUSUF The Long & Winding Road – the depressing dirge (Paul has written a few of those,eh ?) given a ‘faithful’ in other words tedious and unimaginative treatment. Adds nothing at all, believe me
HARRY CONNICK Jnr My Love – The right man for the right cut, like Miller he doesn’t not imitate Macca. However the arrangement is sluggish, like its forbear. Classy performance indeed, but nothing I can rave to you dear readers about
BRIAN WILSON WanderLust – Almost hymnal approach in the piano intro and it sound like an out-take from The Beach Boys ‘Holland’ era. Pretty good and not a song we’re sick of hearing
CORINNE BAILEY RAE Bluebird – That lovely voice and a latin-tinged arrangement makes this a good listen. Rather this than the stark ‘BlackBird’ !
WILLIE NELSON Yesterday – Maybe the last person who should be looking backwards..? Even Willie’s rich voice and some subtle accordion can’t revive this. Nelson duplicates Paul’s phrasing when he doesn’t need to. The guitar break redeems this a tad but the harmonica is corny
JEFF LYNNE Junk – Airy and continental sound to this and the ELO man doesn’t disappoint, even though he sticks too closely to McCartney’s phrasing. This is becoming the stone in the shoe of this collection. Why are almost all they so ‘respectful’ ?
BARRY GIBB When I’m 64 – That old vaudeville arrangement again, unredeemed by a vocal that sounds like Gilbert O’Sullivan !! No originality at all displayed here, folks. Again
JAMIE CULLUM Every Night – the jazz imp isn’t afraid to take this one on a Cullum trip and suddenly the set is being refreshed. Good job he’s aboard, though using the Rhodes for the keys parts would have given a new slant
KISS Venus & Mars / Rock Show – The circus is in town and yes those original synths are reproduced. You’d never know this was an allegedly ’rocking’ outfit, it’s awful. The rocky bit adds nothing new…Jeez, when the MC5 did Chuck Berry they put some bite into it !! Not Much better than Showaddywaddy. Not their finest moment
PAUL RODGERS Let Me Roll It – Our buddy Paul brings some grit to the party, making the melody roll, indeed. He wasn’t going to let us down..and he doesn’t.
ROGER DALTREY Helter Skelter – Maybe the only cat here who could have tackled this with any venom and Daltrey gives it the gun, the bass runs sounding very cool indeed (Brian Ray)
DEF LEPPARD Helen Wheels – Heavy guitar start and pattering drums, he’s a good singer and sounding a touch like Bryan Adams here. Not a bad effort
THE CURE w JAMES McCARTNEY Hello GoodBye – and that’s about the length of a conversation I had with James McCartney when I met him after a showcase gig in Camden. Maybe the lost nervous man I have ever met. That doesn’t stop him being a great composer and arranger, his last album was a pop-psych masterpiece stuffed with fine material. Here with The Cure, this take has a light-touch and a competent vocal arrangement. But this ain’t much of a song, is it ? Never was
BILY JOEL Live & Let Die – Again, doesn’t add much at all. The original take re-presented. He doesn’t sound like Billy Joel ! This is curious, indeed
CHRISSIE HYNDE Let It Be – Another funereal composition from the Macca canon and still sounding like a mediocre hymn. Hynde has nothing to bring, just singing in the original phrasing. The Pretenders made some great music, especially when Robbie McIntosh was aboard on guitar. This wouldn’t make anyone a fan
ROBIN & RICK of CHEAP TRICK Jet – What don’t these guys know about rock guitar work ? What a shame they are not given leave to reshape the song in any way. They play it well but Cheap Trick fergawdsakes ?? They can potentially shove the volts into anything and the arrangement fences the cats in. Tragic
JOE ELLIOTT Hi Hi Hi – Slide guitar rocks this up and he is a good singer, sounding confident on this selection
HEART Letting Go – Biting guitars and a tinge of ‘Come Together’ in the vibe. A good singer doing this song well, maybe the best vocal on this pair of discs ?
STEVE MILLER Hey Jude – Miller can’t save this dog of a ballad
OWL CITY Listen To What The Man Said – Rolling version of this number with nimble guitar. Sounds spirited if too based on the original, yet again
PERRY FARRELL Got To Get You Into My Life – Jane’s Addiction riding a spiky horn arrangement, OK without sounding edgy as we know this man could and should be
DION Drive My Car – Maybe among the classiest contributors to this project, Di Mucci has no trouble making this sound authentic and without Xerox’ing Macca’s vocal except in the phrasing. Too close in sound to the ‘Rubber Soul’ version though the slide guitar sounds ace
ALLEN TOUSSAINT Lady Madonna – Taken at the same pace as the Soho-cut Beatles version (which had the late Ronnie Scott and co on horns ) Toussaint attacks the song but he’s surely capable if allowed to do more than re-tread, he’s the guy who wrote ‘On Your way Down ‘ !!
DR JOHN Let ‘Em In – At least we know Mac R ain’t gonna reproduce Paul’s vocal tones, but what a shame the phrasing isn’t looser..maybe it’s the metronomic beat employed. ‘Don’t Bring Me Down’ would have been a better choice for this unique fella
SMOKEY ROBINSON So Bad – A fine soul vocal and what else would we expect. The key doesn’t sound 100% OK here for Smokey, but class shows. One of the better tracks on this set
THE AIRBORNE TOXIC EVENT No More Lonely Nights – Dainty and syrupy, I pass on this
ALICE COOPER Eleanor Rigby – Even Vincent is made to reproduce the original whereas he could have soaked this in his slew of fuzzy guitars and phrased it his way ! pointless..and this man has one of the very best voices in rock..it sounds so wrong with baroque strings
TOOTS/SLY/ROBBIE Come & Get It – An Aswad style bubbly attempt, very bouncy but nothing special. Love his voice, though
B B KING On The Way – That stinging guitar and the King pipes laying back on the beat..very good..I notice Chris Spedding on the session too, for this cut. The band being different adds new colours to the album for this pick
SAMMY HAGAR Birthday – Our Red Rocker was always going to go for a celebratory song and the band ( his mates) rocks out. Hagar sound like Hagar – THIS is what we want !!!
ROBERT SMITH C Moon – A reggae tempo, from the palest man in rock. Not a good choice, but The Banshees did ‘Dear Prudence’ long ago, didn’t they ?
PETER,BJORN & JOHN Put It There – Nice tempo with acoustic guitar leading..the vocalist sounds like a breathy young Peter Noone. Warmly presented, but not a great closer. They should have let Sammy Hagar do ‘Ticket To Ride’, or something…
Must mention producer Ralph Sall who must have been glad to get all this collated…if they do a Volume Two, I’d like to hear Bonnie Raitt do ‘Day Tripper’ and maybe ‘Get Back’ by Bob Seger? Oh and Dave Stewart on ‘Mr Kite’…
Any completest of any of the above artists has to buy this album, but they may well enjoy what the other performers get up to. Trouble is, (mostly) using a house band well used to playing with Macca limits what the guests can attain – the record plays too safe for me.
( The version I have includes a Limited Edition EP on which Mika runs though ‘Give Ireland Back To The Irish’, Alice In Chains invigorate ‘Mull of Kintyre’, Cheryl Cole gives her own dubstep take on ‘I’m Down’ and Jay Z raps over ‘Penny Lane’ –renamed ‘Dime Alley’ with shouting by Solange Knowles….aw just kidding, folks )
Pete Sargeant
