Greetings,
I am fairly certain that, at some point, I mentioned my love of The Beatles. Not only do I love The Beatles as a group, but I also love them on an individual basis. Some more than others, of course. However, I refuse to name names. Okay, fine, John was my favorite, but when it comes to the other three, they can just fight over their positions. Even George. Still, I must say that one of the best albums from the solo Beatles collection is easily the one I am reviewing today - Off the Ground from Paul McCartney.
As we all know, Paul McCartney has had a darn good career outside of his time with the Fab Four. He started the band, Wings, in 1970, and they had a great run for more than a decade. Once the eighties hit, he went right back to just being Paul McCartney. However, I think it best we skip over that decade, since it was filled with such things as losing his best mate, running into a little trouble in Japan and Barbados, and, of course, his mishap of telling Michael Jackson to get into music publishing, not knowing that the "king of pop" would one day steal his music. Yes, I say "steal" in this case. Just because it was legal does not mean it was ethical. Anyway, let's not get into that, since it will just lead to my getting angry. Let's talk about the album that Mr. McCartney does not have to pay to sing.
While planning for a 1993 world tour, Paul decided to record an album with his touring band. What they did was a "live in the studio" album. This means that they would rehearse the songs in the studio and then record them in one take. And they recorded everything at one time, all the instruments, the vocals, everything. Hence, it was as though they were recording a live album without an audience.
Now this was not what you could call a critic's darling. In fact, they really weren't crazy about it at all, especially when compared to McCartney's previous album, Flowers in the Dirt, which was extremely successful. Most of them complained that the songs were not as complex, and I suppose I can see from where they were coming. But I'm not too affected by what those critics say. For the moment, let's pretend that my opinion is the one that matters, and, in my opinion, I think this album is great. Let me tell you why.
So the album starts off quite strongly with the title track. It's a pretty catchy and upbeat song, which is the kind I always enjoy to get things, well, for lack of a better phrase, off the ground. Later, we get a song called "Hope of Deliverance", which is also quite buoyant and very acoustic sounding. Funny thing about this song, I believe the first time I heard it was when I saw the video . . . on a Christian station of all places. I suppose it is one of those songs that can be left open for interpretation, even when the writer knows exactly what it's about.
The next three songs are some of the most visually stimulating I've ever heard. And I do love songs I can see. The first is "Mistress and Maid", a story about a man dealing with two women in his life. You'll never guess which ones! Oh, and that is one of only two songs on the album where McCartney had a co-writer. The next is "I Owe It All to You" Believe it or not, even amongst all the fantastic love songs Paul has written, this is probably my favorite. Seriously. It's for sure my favorite song on this album. Whilst the lyrics in the chorus are a bit mundane, the imagery used in the verses is just phenomenal, and the music is lovely. Then, we have a song called "Biker Like an Icon", and I find it very engaging. It's your basic good girl falls in love and runs off with a bad boy tale. To tell the truth, though, it's such a good story song that, to this day, I can't even listen to it without imagining what the music video should look like. So, should anyone ever cover this song, I got an idea for you.
Later on the album, we get a full on rock song called "Get Out of My Way", which is all about Paul wanting to get to his woman. And he does not care who he has to mow down with his car to get there. Good times. A calmer version of a song with a similar subject is the very beautiful "Winedark Open Sea" I can't be certain, but I feel like this song is him giving a big "whatever" to the world, because he's too busy being in love. And the idea of not letting anyone stop you from a pure love is amazing.
Now, as much as I love this album, it is not without its flaws. Now, as a Christian, I obviously do not mind people stating their beliefs in their music. Paul does that quite a bit here concerning his thoughts on social issues, such as animal cruelty, no surprise since he has been a very outspoken vegetarian, and environmental issues. Whilst, with songs like "Golden Earth Girl", "C'Mon People" and even the hidden track "Cosmically Conscious", Paul's incredible songwriting ability managed to shine through, the song "Looking For Changes" is, I find, a bit of a disappointment. It's basically about his anger over animal testing, and, whatever anyone's personal opinion may be on the subject matter, even my own, the main problem is not even that. It's just not a song that I found very appealing.
While I'm at it, I may as well mention the other two songs on the album, as well. One is called "Peace in the Neighborhood" and the other is "The Lovers That Never Were" These two sit in the middle, since I don't think they're bad, but I wouldn't call them favorites. They are just kind of there. But, let's be honest, a "just there" song from Paul McCartney is better than an alleged magnum opus from most of today's artists.
So, to wrap things up, Off the Ground is certainly an album that should be checked out. If you're a McCartney fan, I consider is a must have. And if you're one of those people who like to keep John, Paul, George and Ringo in the confines of The Beatles but are looking to expand to their solo work, this is a pretty good place to start, I think. Like I said, it has a few flaws, but overall, it is an extremely well done album. The music is great, and, as a lyric snob, I am very impressed with the words here. So, whilst the professional critics had a lot of problems with this thing, I, as an amateur, choose to side with the fans who give this one major props.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
