发信人: KGB()
整理人: KGB(2000-04-08 12:30:31), 站内信件
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Paul McCartney
b. 18 June 1942, Liverpool, England. Although commitments to the Beatles not unnaturally took precedence, bassist/vocalist McCartney nonetheless pursued several outside projects during this tenure. Many reflected friendships or personal preferences,
ranging from production work for Cliff Bennett, Paddy, Klaus And Gibson and the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band to appearances on sessions by Donovan, Paul Jones and Steve Miller. He also wrote Woman for Peter And Gordon under the pseudonym Bernard Webb, but
such contributions flourished more freely with the founding of Apple Records, where Paul guided the early careers of Mary Hopkin and Badfinger and enjoyed cameos on releases by Jackie Lomax and James Taylor. However, despite this well-documented
independence, the artist ensured a critical backlash by timing the release of MCCARTNEY to coincide with that of the Beatles' LET IT BE and his announced departure from the group. His low-key debut was labelled self-indulgent, yet its intimacy was a
welcome respite from prevailing heavy rock, and in Maybe I'm Amazed, offered one of Paul's finest songs. RAM, credited to McCartney and his wife Linda (b. Linda Eastman, 24 September 1942, Scarsdale, New York, USA), was also maligned as commentators
opined that the singer lacked an acidic riposte to his often sentimental approach. The album nonetheless spawned a US number 1 in Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey, while an attendant single, Another Day, reached number 2 in the UK. Drummer Denny Seiwell,
who had assisted on these sessions, was invited to join a projected group, later enhanced by former Moody Blues' member Denny Laine. The quartet, dubbed Wings, then completed WILDLIFE, another informal set marked by an indifference to dexterity and the
absorption of reggae and classic rock 憂?nbsp;roll rhythms. Having expanded the line-up to include Henry McCullough (ex-Grease Band; guitar), McCartney took the group on an impromptu tour of UK colleges, before releasing three wildly contrasting singles,
Give Ireland Back To The Irish (banned by the BBC), Mary Had A Little Lamb and Hi Hi Hi/C Moon (all 1972). The following year, Wings completed My Love, a sculpted ballad in the accepted McCartney tradition, and RED ROSE SPEEDWAY, to that date his most
formal set. Plans for the unit's fourth album were undermined by the defection of McCullough and Seiwell, but the remaining trio emerged triumphant from a series of productive sessions undertaken in a Lagos studio.
BAND ON THE RUN was undeniably a major achievement, and did much to restore McCartney's faltering reputation. Buoyed by adversity, the artist offered a passion and commitment missing from earlier albums and, in turn, reaped due commercial plaudits when
the title song and Jet reached both US and UK Top 10 positions. The lightweight, Junior's Farm provided another hit single before a reconstituted Wings, which now included guitarist Jimmy McCulloch (ex-Thunderclap Newman and Stone The Crows) and Joe
English (drums), completed VENUS AND MARS, WINGS AT THE SPEED OF SOUND and the expansive on-tour collection, WINGS OVER AMERICA. Although failing to scale the artistic heights of BAND ON THE RUN, such sets re-established McCartney as a major figure and
included best-selling singles such as Listen To What The Man Said (1975), Silly Love Songs and Let 'Em In (both 1976). Although progress was momentarily undermined by the departures of McCulloch and English, Wings enjoyed its most spectacular success
with Mull Of Kintyre (1977), a saccharine paean to Paul and Linda's Scottish retreat which topped the UK charts for nine consecutive weeks and sold over 2.5 million copies in Britain alone. Although regarded as disappointing, LONDON TOWN nevertheless
included With A Little Luck, a US number 1, but although Wings?nbsp;newcomers Laurence Juber (guitar) and Steve Holly (drums) added weight to BACK TO THE EGG, it, too, was regarded as inferior. Whereas the group was not officially disbanded until April
1981, McCartney's solo recordings, Wonderful Christmastime (1979), Coming Up (1980) and MCCARTNEY II, already heralded a new phase in the artist's career. However, if international success was maintained through duets with Stevie Wonder (Ebony And
Ivory), Michael Jackson (The Girl Is Mine) as well as Say Say Say and Pipes Of Peace, attendant albums were marred by inconsistency. McCartney's feature film, GIVE MY REGARDS TO BROADSTREET, was maligned by critics, a fate befalling its soundtrack
album, although the optimistic ballad, No More Lonely Nights, reached number 2 in the UK. The artist's once-prolific output then noticeably waned, but although his partnership with 10cc guitarist Eric Stewart gave PRESS TO PLAY a sense of direction, it
failed to halt a significant commercial decline. CHOBA B CCCP, a collection of favoured 憃ldies?nbsp;solely intended for release in the USSR, provided an artistic respite and publicity, before a much-heralded collaboration with Elvis Costello produced
material for the latter's SPIKE and McCartney's own FLOWERS IN THE DIRT, arguably his strongest set since VENUS & MARS. Paradoxically, singles culled from the album failed to chart significantly, but a world tour, on which Paul and Linda were joined by
Robbie McIntosh (ex-Pretenders; guitar), Wix (keyboards), Hamish Stuart (ex-Average White Band; bass/vocals) and Chris Whitten (drums), showed that McCartney's power to entertain was still intact. By drawing on material from the Beatles, Wings and solo
recordings, this enduring artist demonstrated a prowess which spans over a quarter of a century. The extent of his diversity was emphasized by his collaboration with Carl Davis on the classical Liverpool Oratorio, which featured opera singer Dame Kiri
Tekanewa. OFF THE GROUND received luke-warm reviews and soon dropped of the charts after a brief run. The accompanying tour however, was a different story. The ambitious stage show and effects undertook a world tour in 1993 and was one of the highest
grossing tours in the USA during that year.
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