PAUL MCCARTNEY: ROCK STAR

No, really, I mean it.

It seems like these days Paul's reputation is pretty much that of ex-Beatle who does the occasionally decent pop song. They roll him out from time to time at big events like the Super Bowl, or the 9/11 patriot bash, whatever, to do some of his old Beatle favorites mixed with a few from his solo catalogue, which are politely tolerated by the crowds. Paul hasn't helped much over the last couple of decades to change this bland boomer image, releasing crap singles like "Biker Like an Icon" or "Freedom" or that awful theme song for that awful Tom Cruise movie Vanilla Sky.

But trust me, Paul has always had the ability to rock as well as Led Zeppelin or the Who, and still does. Case in point: Paul's little remembered late 70s period. That was when, in my humble opinion, Paul was in his best form.

From Wikipedia:

Back to the Egg

Back To The Egg is the final studio album by Wings and was released in 1979...After the release of London Town, following the exit of both guitarist Jimmy McCulloch and drummer Joe English, McCartney hired two new members with a view to recording a raw rock and roll album after the soft rock of London Town and getting Wings back on the road.

And

On 3 October, Wings recorded two tracks, "Rockestra Theme" and "So Glad To See You Here" with many celebrity guests under the heading of Rockestra. The Who's Pete Townshend, Pink Floyd's David Gilmour, Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones and John Bonham (in one of his last performances) all took part. Paul McCartney in a 2001 interview with VH1 said that Keith Moon was to have taken part in "Rockestra" but died one month before the recording sessions took place. A highlight of the album, "Rockestra Theme" would win the 1980 Grammy for Best Instrumental Performance.

And

Unfortunately, the critical reaction was not warm upon the album's release.

Click here for the rest.

Fuck the critics. Back to the Egg is a masterpiece. My old pal Ken once told me that his take on the album's lack of success is that it was up against some pretty stiff competition. For instance, here are the top Billboard albums for 1978:

1 Bee Gees/Various Artists/Soundtrack-Saturday Night Fever RSO

2 John Travolta/Olivia Newton-John/Soundtrack-Grease RSO

3 Fleetwood Mac-Rumours Warner Bros.

4 Billy Joel-The Stranger Columbia

5 Steely Dan-Aja ABC

And for 1979:

1 Billy Joel-52nd Street Columbia

2 Bee Gees-Spirits Having Flown RSO

3 Doobie Brothers-Minute By Minute Warner Bros.

4 Cars-Cars Elektra

5 Supertramp-Breakfast In America A&M

Say what you want about Paul, that's some pretty stiff competition; all of these are fantastic albums, even the Bee Gees stuff and the Grease soundtrack, and those weren't the only great albums out around that time either--don't forget about Pink Floyd's The Wall, or Fleetwood Mac's Tusk. Indeed, one could seriously argue that the late 70s was something of a golden age in terms of rock and pop in this country--punk was doing alright, as well, and new wave was just starting to come into its own.

Anyway, the point here is that Paul's most rocking era was kind of buried under it all. I mean, I remember hearing some tracks from Back to the Egg on the radio at the time when I was a kid; it's not like nobody knew what was going on, but nobody seems to remember today that Paul was a legitimate rocker in his own right, worthy of sharing the stage with the likes of Pete Townshend and Robert Plant.

Actually, that's just what he did back in '79, during a benefit concert he put together for the people of Cambodia, who were at that point enduring the minor genocide so dramatically recounted in the film The Killing Fields. Several Brit bands participated, doing their own sets, but the whole thing was capped off by a massive band using all the musicians involved that Paul decided would constitute the revival of Rockestra.

Here is a clip of them performing the old rock and roll standard "Lucille." Pay close attention: at a particular point in the song, Paul, while singing, flips off Townshend, apparently because the angry guitarist didn't want to wear the official silver Rockestra tail coat--Pete gives Paul an appropriate dirty look. Here is a clip of them performing the "Rockestra Theme," a tune written by Paul for Back to the Egg, as the Wikipedia article observes. Again, there is more interplay between Paul and Pete about Townshend's reluctance to wear the appropriate suit. Great stuff.

But wait, there's more. Here is a video for the Back to the Egg track "Old Siam, Sir." It really rocks. And, finally, here is a video from the same album of the song "Getting Closer," yet another cool McCartney rocker.

Anyway, I think I've made my point. When he wants to be, Paul's solo music is as relevant as anything in the overall classic rock cannon, and I'm proud to call myself a McCartney fan. Take that "Ebony and Ivory." (No, no, I totally agree with that song's anti-racist message; it's just that it's so damned sappy...)


Cover for the album Back to the Egg


Rockestra performing "Lucille," only moments after Paul flips off Pete

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