TS: Paul McCartney's "Pipes of Peace" vs "Press to Play"

I think I choose, "Press To Play", if only for the fact that it does at least try to be something more than just one single yawn. It fails, sure, but at least that's more than just trying to sound pretty, which was seemingly the main point about "Pipes And Peace".

Ok, I grant you that there is a lot of extremely iffy material here (These tracks immediately spring to mind:

"Talk, More Talk" - Maccas nadir, IMO
"Move Over Busker" - Blodoy near the nadir
"Only Love Remains" - Sorry Geir, I can see what he was trying to do and nomally he does it pretty well, but this just leaves me cold)

but there is some excellent music:

"However Absurd" (it may sound a bit cliched now, - actually it did at the time - but it was the sound of a man returning to his psychedlic past and I loved him for it)
"Angry" (One of his best 'pedal to the metal' songs and it was great to hear him angry)
"Pretty Little Head" (I'm in a minority - possibly of one - but I have always loved this track, even if I do find myself singing Fletwood Mac's "Tusk" halfway through

Pipes of Peace? I cannot recommend one track - the title track is OK and that's abou it.

Girl, I love you.
Yes, I love you,
So Bad.

I haven't listened to that song or Pipes of Peace in over twenty years, and it's still lodged into my memory. My vote gets tipped over to Pipes.

http://www.songlyricscollection.com/lyrics/p/paul-mccartney/pipes-of-peace/pipes-of-peace.jpg

Tug Of War is only one album before Pipes Of Peace, no?

Yeah, but ToW isn't as notoriously mediocre as these other two albums. It wasn't released in the mid-eighties. And I'm pretty sure that it sold more copies than PoP or PtP.

For me, Pipes and Press are comparable while Tug simply blows both of 'em out of the water.

And if we're including Flowers In the Dirt (so I skipped a few albums and years, sue me)...well, thats in yet another league. Any album with That Day Is Done on it has to be a classic.

-- Guilty Boksen (jeffm.coo...), September 20th, 2005.

The three singles released from Flowers in the Dirt are all fantastic: "This One," the McCartney ballad die-hards have wanted from him since "Maybe I'm Amazed"; "Figure of Eight"; and the great "My Brave Face."

I haven't heard Press To Play in about 18 years. I'm not sure what a revisit would do. I'm not a big fan of PM post-Tug Of War.

After all, two major hit singles were pulled from it. Plus he was at a career stage where more or less everything he touched turned into gold commercially. I mean, "Tug Of War" was a huge seller in 1982, and he followed the "Pipes Of Peace" with two big hit singles in late 1984 as well (one of which, "No More Lonely Nights", is among his better solo moments while the other one "We All Stand Together" must be the definite nadir of his solo output).

"Flaming Pie", and "Young Boy" in particular, was way bigger Stateside btw.

Interestingly, George Harrison didn't continue on after his two most new wave albums: Somewhere in England and Gone Troppo ("Blood from a Clone," "All Those Years Ago," "Wake up, My Love," "I Really Love You," and "Wrack My Brain" from Ringo's album). I see Cloud Nine as being more bland than these two albums in the same way that I see post-new wave McCartney as being more bland.

AFAICT the real evolution in McCartney over the course of the 80s is the decline and fall of electric guitar from his arsenal; when it appears it tends to be as an overproduced lead, and to a forced rock effect, with "Move Over Busker" being only the most obnoxious example. (See also "Looking For Changes.") He's sounded a lot more natural, if less avant-garde, on his last few outings - acoustic, classicist pop with folky flavorings. Now I'm just off on a complete tangent, and that still leaves Run Devil Run to be accounted for, but it's time I got back to the kitchen...

What happened? Is it silly to wonder whether Lennon's death somehow took it out of him?

If you want to discuss McCartney's slump in the 80s, by all means do, but leave his singles out of it - there were assuredly some duds, but probably not any more than there were in the 70s...

I'm thinking now that this is the old mix! I'm listening on headphones and I can't tell placement differences. (Not as close to mono as I thought.)

It must be. Quite a different sounding mastering job.

I'm not absolutely 100% certain on this, but I have a feeling that the next album that George Martin worked on after Tug Of War was Quartet by Ultravox. Tug Of War was recorded October 1980-December 1981, along with some of Pipes Of Peace, and then there were additional sessions for Pipes Of Peace in September/October 1982 and February/July 1983. Quartet came out in October 1982, so I'm guessing that George Martin was working on that in between the release of Tug Of War and the sessions picking up again for Pipes Of Peace.

I'm thinking now that this is the old mix! I'm listening on headphones and I can't tell placement differences.

― timellison, Tuesday, August 25, 2015 12:28 AM (11 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I haven't done a side-by-side comparison of the two yet, but my immediate thoughts were "lack of bass" and "there's something off about the drums here" ... I hope to god this is deliberately a poor-quality version, because it sounded quite static-y, and when the "aaaaaaahs" came in at the end with the horns (the best moment of the song for me) it seemed to lack clarity.

Yeah, it's super trebly. The "Tug of War" remix clip on iTunes is still a major reason for hope!

Tug of War/Pipes of Peace "micro-site":

http://archivecollections.tow-pop.paulmccartney.com/

http://radio.com/2015/09/24/classic-mccartney-wonder-duet-ebony-and-ivory-remixed/

I haven't heard the remixed version yet but the demos on the deluxe of Tug of War are worth hearing. The demo of "Take It Away" reveals the song to be very much a typical Paulie piano pounder, as opposed to the LA Express-ified final version.

"The Pound Is Sinking" loses the Uncle Albert-accent for its "Well I fear my dear/That it's eminently clear" bridge which makes it end of an oddly melancholy note.

"Wanderlust" is really nice in this stripped down form, just Wurlitzer piano, bass, drums, and vocals.

The best demo may be"Ebony and Ivory," which is all dreamy Rhodes and harmonies, and sounds like a sequel to "Waterfalls."

Not all of them are awesome. "Ballroom Dancing" already veered just shy of hokey and loses most of its momentum in demo form. But basically, the whole thing reinforces my belief that George Martin overproduced this record by some distance.

Yeah the "ebony" demo is lovely. Like often with macca, behind the sometimes annoying arrangements, there's a nice little song (and I don't even hate the final version of "ebony").
I wish that demo was longer.
There's also a great basic demo of "band on the run" if I remember well.

http://youtu.be/EkfdG1K_suM

Is that old or contemporary? Sounds like something Macca would do on tour now, or have playing over footage to set the mood before a show. Just going on the quality of his voice there.

'Ballroom Dancing' was always more than a bit crap though, IMO. I've never liked it.

Good question !
Apparently it's from the dvd deluxe reissue. I would guess it's old but not sure...

'Ballroom Dancing' was always more than a bit crap though, IMO. I've never liked it.

No, I get that, but there is something about the plinky plonky Abba groove and melody that I've liked -- plus his vocal when he jumps up an octave is just outstanding.

Love this demo version of "My Brave Face." McCartney and Costello sound like they're having so much fun harmonizing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-zrV_wIH34

Looking forward to this reissue. I'm still put off by the fact McCartney is skipping over albums in this remaster campaign.

he's listening to them to the first time

Hillmen! Hillmen! Hillmen! Hillmen!
Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh!

I think most of 'Press To Play" is glorious ( first time listener) and "Talk More Talk" is an earworm.

Ursa major….. ursa minor…..

I played PRESS TO PLAY for the first time ever, a few months ago, and I recall being struck by just one song (whatever it was).

PIPES OF PEACE, I think it's been longer since I heard but it has to be better -- the title track alone is a masterpiece.

PIPES OF PEACE also contains a song that I now recall is called 'average person' which is a remarkable Macca attempt to get at the ordinary life that was no longer his.

'only love remains' must be the good one on PRESS TO PLAY.

A very divisive album this “Press To Play”. Where many hear absolute crap I hear Macca and technology playing beautifully off each other. Lyrically possibly a banal mess but I’m kinda wowed by the machine slickness. Even the wailing sax on some of this feels right. At least moreso than the occasional wailing electrig gtr solos.

He plays a few of those wailing electric guitar solos too.

The weird machine reggae verses of "Good Times Coming" with those occasional ghostly pads/samples(?) floating in is just WOW. The use of gritty Emulator sampling thruout this album is superb, btw.

This is a fine headphone album.

Tracks 1-4 are a wonderful run.

yeah "Good Times Coming" is quietly a major standout for me. the transition into the chorus gets stuck in my head all the time.

I always forget that “It’s Not True” and “Tough on a Tightrope” were CD bonus tracks on Press To Play. The latter is quite good. The former is a really weird defense of Linda:

Some People say she's a bad girl
Some people think she's a fool
Some people tell me she's no good
But I'm telling you
It's not true, it's not true, it's not true
They say that my girl's a mad girl
No saying what she might do
Some people tell me she's crazy.
But I'm telling you
It's not true, it's not true, it's not true
Ooh...ooh...ooh...They've been talking to the fellas
Ooh...ooh...ooh...Have they never heard of jealousy?
Ooh...ooh...ooh...If she helps me write the melody
I'll let the words take care of themselves.
It's not true, it's not true, it's not true
It's not true, it's not true, it's not true
Ooh...ooh...ooh...They've been talking to the fellas
Ooh...ooh...ooh...Have they never heard of jealousy?
Ooh...ooh...ooh...If she helps me write the memories
I'll let the words take care of themselves.
Some people say she's a loser
Some people tell me that she's through
Some people say I don't love her
But I'm telling you
It's not true, it's not true, it's not true
What they're saying about her isn't true
Don't you know it isn't true?
It's not true...

LET THE SUN SHINE IN
SHINE IN SHINE IN
LET THE SUN SHINE IN ON YOUUUUUU

“Press To Play” any day. At least the first half.

“Good Times Coming/Feel the Sun” was the first thing that struck me listening at the store when I bought this used when I lived in Austin in the late 90s. I had forgotten the little keyboard solo, bass groove section tho which is kind of a hilariously funky breakdown.

The title of “Move Over Busker” has always reminded me of Buster, the Phil Collins movie. Which seems appropriate for this record.

Not sure if I mentioned it on this thread or elsewhere but Paul’s panoramic drawings in the sleeve notes of who is doing what where in the stereo mix really captures the aesthetic of PTP.

HOWEVER ABSOID

gave Tug of War a listen again this morning for the first time in many years, there are some unforgivable production choices on this, amazing to think of how deeply Martin allowed Take It Away to go into schmaltzland. however I liked Ballroom Dancing more than I remembered. Pound is Sinking and Wanderlust are still the standouts.

Pipes of Peace has the title track and Say Say Say going for it and not really anything else.

I’ve always loved The Man and The Other Me, which I think has an ingenious lyrical conceit.

dustbin lid?

mazing to think of how deeply Martin allowed Take It Away to go into schmaltzland.

wau, hard disagree! The fadeout with the horn section and the Paul-Linda-Eric Stewart harmonies are goose-pimply.

Not the dustbin lid, though I enjoy that too in a weird kind of way.

"Average Person" kinda sucks but is also a weird little earworm, especially the "Yes, dear, you heard right" segment. Also, the "I know for sure, one day I'm gonna be a super..." breakdown is wonderfully strange, just unfortunately pasted in to this more stately Tug of War soundscape which doesn't work for me. If it overall had a little more of a homemade 'pressed sandwich of weird synth sounds' McCartney II vibe, all horn-ish synths and imitation kazoo noises, I'd be on board! The more spacious production with the pianos and booming drums... bleah.

I dunno, I guess I should appreciate Macca once again trying to marry his really weird musings to a 'normal' pop-rock song, but....

tell me to PRESS!

tell me to PRESS!

― Malevolent Arugula (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn

Alright, so PRESS already whydontcha?

RIGHT THERE! THAT’S IT! YES!!!

I am the biggest Pipes of Peace fan in the world.

Pipes of Peace one of the non-nursery playgroup songs I can remember from enjoying - certainly it was the first Paul McCartney song I ever heard.

I guess McCartney has a run of “not great for adults, great for kids” songs in the mid 80s - Frog Chorus, Girl is Mine, Spies Like Us…

Pipes of Peace is also just a great sounding record, a real “if you hate this, you must hate joy” kind of record - although perhaps that also translates to a mild sense of Enforced Fun. But I don’t care about that

Pipes of Peace is also just a great sounding record, a real “if you hate this, you must hate joy” kind of record

OTM -- I never considered the Enforced Fun aspect myself, I kinda figure if you're listening to (and enjoying) Paul comparing himself to a dustbin lid, you're there by your own choice

But yes, this is one of the warmest albums in my list of favorites.

and Through Our Love is one of my favorite Paul ballads! The melody line played by the plucked strings cuts right to my heart. And that chorus!!

Pipes of Peace one of the non-nursery playgroup songs I can remember from enjoying - certainly it was the first Paul McCartney song I ever heard.

I also have clear memories of hearing Pipes Of Peace as a child, although it came out a few years before I was born. I remember thinking of it as a Christmas song, probably because of the video, maybe it used to get airplay around that time of year, or maybe I'm conflating it with Stop The Cavalry.

I feel like the intro/outro bit of Pipes Of Peace are the most McCartney ever sounded like Brian Wilson, maybe people would like it more if it was a Brian Wilson track on a late period Beach Boys record and not Paul McCartney? It seems to me that the two of them both had something in common in terms of making music that some people would find overly sentimental and also in making off-beat creative choices (Wilson writing a song about Johnny Carson doesn't seem a million miles away from e.g. McCarney covering the Crossroads theme tune), but maybe people are more tolerant of these characteristics with Wilson because he seemed to guileless and unselfconscious, whereas McCartney always seems very conscious of how he comes across (though I think his songs are still earnest in their way). You can't imagine Wilson doing something like the video for Say Say Say where he plays the entertainer who's also a con-artist, that charming trickster persona. But the combination of the earnest sentimentality plus apparently random, haphazard creative choices plus obvious self-consciousness about the image you present to the world is an awkward one for people, maybe.

I think Average Person is my favourite track on the Pipes Of Peace album, and he seems to be playing the same role on that as the Say Say Say video, music hall/vaudeville entertainer, intentionally pitched as somewhat untrustworthy or suspect. Maybe kind of making fun of his own preoccupation with ordinary life and ordinary people doing ordinary things as someone who was definitively severed from ordinary life at an early age, the ordinary quality gets further away from him the more he pursues it, that ordinary people he meets are all frustrated performers themselves, he whole manner in which he delivers the account keeps reminding you that it's a performance and possibly all untrue. I think the sentimental, schmaltzy quality of some of his music works in a similar way, like an earnest attempt at earnestness from someone very self-conscious for whom earnestness does not come naturally? Unlike Brian Wilson.