I was in Washington Airport, waiting to come home, and wandering around the shops (like you do at airports) I ended up in the CD store. Well I needed something to relieve the monotony of a 7 hour flight back to the UK, so looking round I saw this CD. I’d heard the ructions about the album credits while I was out in the States for this trip, so I thought “well I’d better get this then! See what all the fuss is about”
In the rehearsals, Paul (and the band) got into the press because some very wealthy guy gave him $1 Million to play for his wife’s birthday!! The money went to a land mine charity, most of the press slagged him off because of it!! I guess you can’t win.
Anyway..
** The Album **
I was full of anticipation, after owning “Wings over America” for many years, I sort of used that as my benchmark of what to expect!
This is the album that caused Paul to get into trouble with Yoko Ono, as in his wisdom he decided to list all the old Beatles tracks as being composed by McCartney/Lennon, as opposed to the other way round. 20 Beatles songs are the mainstay of this live CD
The album is a double CD recorded live on his 2002 US tour, the cover is a black and white picture of Paul McCartney’s back In a jacket, with his right arm behind him, his thumb up, but his shirt cuff is in colour, in Stars and Stripes! The wording on the front is “paul mccartney back in the u.s. Live 2002” (The case is as I’ve written it) The writing is in colour (Starts and Stripes) On the back is the picture of him from the front (If that makes any sense!) with the track listings.
The CD box is the standard size, where you have to flip out CD 1 to get to CD 2. Cd 1 has red stripes on a white background, CD 2 has – you guessed it white stars on a blue background.
In the box is 32 page booklet, with photos of the tour, the back page has the track listings with the timings, and who wrote the tracks.
On some of the pages are headlines from newspapers published during the tour, such as “McCartney’s performance was truly masterful” San Jose Mercury.
There are “Tour Memories” written by each member of the band
It all struck me a pretty self-congratulatory really
** The Band **
Paul McCartney vocals, bass guitar, guitars, piano
Rusty Anderson guitars, backing vocals
Abe Laboriel Jr. drums, percussion, backing vocals
Paul ‘Wix’ Wickens keyboards, backing vocals, programming
Brian Ray guitar, bass guitar, backing vocals
They play really well together! when you listen to the CD, you feel they are all great friends, and enjoy what they are doing (I know I would!)
** The Live Gig **
I really love live music, the energy, the interaction with the crowd, and all that sort of stuff, I really like it when it is captured on disk, so you can relive those moments
** The Music **
Generally when you talk about Paul McCartney’s music, it speaks for itself, as it has been in most peoples lives for the last 40 odd years. This album is littered with his music, and the reminders of the past. I guess the problem he had when coming up with a set list, was what to put in rather than what to leave out (although we have been spared from the Frog Chorus!). There are many of his songs that are people’s favourites, and have not made it here. Then I guess if he did all of his songs the concert would be about 4 days long!!! and the CD would be a boxed set in itself!
Anyway – onto the music
** The Tracks **
CD 1
The CD opens with some cheering, then
Hello Goodbye 3:46
One of the Beatles best! In the notes Paul says It is the first time he has sung it since he recorded it.
It starts off with a couple of power chords, a bit of fiddling about then launches into the song. Which is really powerful,
Those that are familiar with the original will remember the “hey la” outro, which sounded good live
From this straight into
Jet 4:03
A Wings classic, heavy (in the Paul McCartney sense) guitar, good drumming, a grat track
All My Loving 2:09
Slight
drum intro, then they launch into this classic Beatles song, you can detect a slight laugh in Paul’s voice – It must be because the band drowned out the audience (not like last time he did this live in the 60’s!) Some really good guitar, the band are as one on this track, the harmonies are good.
Getting Better 3:10
Great Guitar intro, good harmonies again another Beatles classic, still can’t hear the crowd!
Coming Up 3:26
A McCartney post Wings track, it is a really good track, and the band is working well at this point, there is some really good keyboard playing on this track, which is one I’ve always liked, and for the history books is the one track that got John Lennon back in the studio to make the ill fated Double Fantasy!
Paul can be heard to lose it a bit in some of the shouting bits in this some, but you really have to listen hard.
Let Me Roll It 4:24
This is brilliant! A Wings track, there is some excellent keyboard and guitar work on this track, one of my favourites on the album (but then my friends say I have no taste!!) The band are as one on this track Paul gets to all the high notes too. I would buy the CD just for this track. I found this got me playing air guitar in World Traveller Plus (and I got some funny looks – I can tell you)
Lonely Road 3:12
One of his “newer” tracks, to me he sounds to be a bit flat, one of the weaker tracks on the album, still a good track though. The guitar on this track is good, as I say it is let down by the vocals!! I guess it must be near the end of the tour, there are bits with sound different, so I wonder if there has been some judicious editing and mixing of the tracks from the tour!
Driving Rain 3:11
Great intro to a track that I am that familiar with. Has a sort of driving beat to it, there is a link section, which as in a lot of McCartney songs works, but doesn’t seem to be part of the song. It then has a quite acoustic section, with an electric guitar overlaying it. The drumming is good on this track.
Your Loving Flame 3:29
Paul on the piano, there is some good keyboard – Hammond effect. The harmonies to me didn’t seem to work on this track, probably one of the weaker tracks vocally; the guitar in the mid section is OK.
Now the band get a rest!!
The acoustic section
Blackbird 2:30
Solo acoustic, a great Beatles track. One of my favourites, but that may be because I can play it on guitar. The crowd scream out loud every now and again, giving the track a really good live feel. There are even a couple of mistakes in Paul’s guitar playing!! He really gets to the high notes on this track. This brings the best response, and a really quiet “thank you”
Every Night 2:51
Another solo acoustic, when he sing “I just want to stay in and be with you” the crowd go wild!! Then they start clapping in time, gives the track a really good feel to in. The only thing for me is his acoustic guitar sounds a bit tinny!
We Can Work It Out 2:30
The all time classic Beatles song – played solo on acoustic guitar, you can just about hear the crowd joining in! An excellent version and being acoustic puts a great spin on it. Paul’s sings it with great feeling. I think if you were at this gig, and heard this it would be a really emotional experience. He does lose it with the vocal towards the end. It gets one of the biggest applauses on the album.
Mother Nature’s Son 2:11
Another Beatles track, played on the acoustic, he has the keyboard player accompanying him on accordion. This is a “nice” track, you don’t hear too much from the crowd. He puts a nice ending in, then there is great applause.
Vanilla Sky 2:30
Acoustic track, backed up by pan pipes! Probably one of the weaker tracks, I really don’t know why he put this on the album, when there are so many other great tracks. I generally skip this track. The audience give it a good reception, probably the person rather than the song
Carry That Weight 3:06
Beatles classic. If he could have done the whole of side 2 of Abbey Road that would have done it for me!! This is played on an electric piano, he forgets the words, and adds it into the song, and has a good laugh, the crowd roar with appreciation. This is what he adds to the song, but it worked!! “this is the bit in the song where I forget the words, but I don’t think I’m even going to bother to try and learn them before the end of this tour”
The crowd can be heard clapping and singing “Boy you’re going to carry that weight, carry that weight!
It has quite a weak ending though, it sort of peters out!
The Fool On The Hill 3:09
Another Beatles classic played on the piano, with accordion and keyboard, as with most Beatles songs you can tell what they are after the first 2-3 chords, the crowd react with a loud cheer. I was singing along quite madly to this, maybe I am that fool on the hill!!
Here Today 2:28
This was a song that Paul wrote after the death of John Lennon, as a tribute to him. It is played solo on an acoustic, it really made me feel quite emotional, especially the line “I am holding back the tears no more”. I really love this track, and always have. There is some good use of echo.
Something 2:33
This is Paul’s tribute to George Harrison (who died the year before) he plays Something solo on a ukulele in the style of George Formby!! – Harrison really admired George Formby, so I guess that is why the song was done this way. He has given it a really jazzy feel. The crowd join in clapping in time and singing “I don’t know, I don’t know”. This was quite an emotional track for me too, as I was in San Francisco the day George died, and I remember the radio waking me up with the news.
This track gets the biggest cheer on the album.
CD 2
Eleanor Rigby 2:17
“Aaaaaaa look at all the lonely people” Strange Beatles song to perform at a live gig I feel, but it works, Done on acoustic guitar, with the keyboards accompanying. You can hear his voice fading a little in some areas of the some. There is some good backing vocals on this track. It gets a good cheer.
Here, There and Everywhere 2:26
Another Beatles classic, done on acoustic guitar, with the band going “Oooohhh” and an accordion accompanying, this is again one of those songs where everybody knows the words, without knowing that they know them. At the end he just misses the high notes!
Band On The Run 5:00
Classic Wings as the first 2 chords are played, the crowd roar. Good guitar work on this, essentially guitar track, although you can hear some good keyboard playing. In the rocky bit, he goes into a strange deep voice – “If we ever get out of here” Paul loses the vocal in a couple of areas in the main bit of the song, but still a really good rocking track.
To me this is one of his best live tracks.
Straight into ….
Back In The USSR 2:56
Late Beatles at their best, a great song to have in a live set. Great rocking track, great guitar playing another classic, turn up the volume, and sing along like I did (strange looks from the cabin crew!!) Not much more you can say about this track, the dubbed in Aircraft nearly drowns out the crowd!
Straight into….
Maybe I’m Amazed 4:49
Another great song from way back when. I think this was originally on his first solo album after The Beatles split. It is a great song live. Great piano intro, guitar solo, what more could you want from a song like this. Paul really sings this song with feeling, and the band are really together, another “this is the best on the album” song. For me this is a song that really stands the test of time.
Straight into
C Moon 3:51
Another Wings song, this has a really neat little reggae groove to it. Opening with the piano, and a few “oh yea’s” then the reggae guitar comes in, some nice vocal harmonies on this track. A brilliant track live, the band a all together on this, some good guitar playing on this track, the keyboards are good too, sounding like sampled trumpets!
Straight into..
My Love 4:03
This is one of his old songs, this live version is almost note perfect compared with the original. He gets all the high notes, and the band are awesome on this track.
Straight into..
Can’t Buy Me Love 2:09
One of the Beatles best, great rocking track, listening to this you can hear that Paul hasn’t lost any of his voice, so this recording (I guess) must have been done early in the tour. Good guitar work, drums are keeping the beat –it could almost be The Beatles.
Straight into…
Freedom 3:22
This is Paul’s tribute to those who lost their lives in the Twin Towers. He sounded really emotional while singing this, I guess the crowd must have felt it too. A good track, although not one of the better one on the album, that maybe because most of the others are the standards of our time. Still a good song, some good guitar, you can hear Paul’s acoustic guitar through it all.
The crowd applause to this is greater than on most tracks.
As an aside to this – I was waiting for a flight to Washington, and was in the BA lounge at Heathrow, and got talking to this guy with 2 guitars, it turns out he was Paul McCartney’s guitar carrier!! (what a job that must be) And he was on his way to New York for the concert in aid of the Firemen!
Live and Let Die 3:05
Wings at their best, made me want to be James Bond! But at 30,000 ft there’s no chance of that – more strange looks from the cabin crew!!
An excellent version, really go the crowd going, right at the end of the song, you can hear a loud bang, which I guess must have been some sort of effect.
Straight into
Let It Be 3:58
The opening chords of this Beatles classic are unmistakable; it took the crowd about 1 second to work it out!! An excellent version, even the backing “oooooo” and “aaaaaaaa” was good, the keyboard work and the guitar are on par with the original recording, I think if George was still alive and he played this, it is the way he would play it! Another of my favourite songs.
Hey Jude 7:01
What can you say about this! The crowd joined in throughout the whole song, gave it a really good feeling. One of the highlights of the album, Paul really gets the high notes on this track, how can you not sing along to it!
“This time just the men, the fellas”, “now just the women”, “now all together” Paul certainly worked the audience well on this song, the atmosphere was electric. The ending was ..well Paul shouting “you were great, and you were great, and you were great”
The Long And Winding Road 3:31
Started off with a little jazzy piano intro, then he launched into this Beatles “classic” to roars of approval from the crowd. The song was interlaced with little jazzy piano riffs and runs; I thought that it really worked well on this song.
Straight into …..
Lady Madonna 2:21
Could have almost been The Beatles!! There is a sax on this track, or maybe it is just the keyboards. Some good guitar, and the band are right on the ball with this.
I Saw Her Standing There 3:08
One of the best! Another classic Beatles track. Good old rock ‘n roll He gets to all the high “oooos” on this one. It had my feet going, and my vocals busting out (I can’t get the high notes on this one”) Some nice 60’s type guitar playing, you can really hear the bass on this track.
If you want to good r’n r track to boogie on to, you can’t go wrong with this, the crowd seemed to think so too.
Straight into…
Yesterday 2:08
What can you say about the most recorded song in history!! It seems a strange place to put this track, near the end where you would expect the band to be doing encores! I’m sure when he did this show; he would have done yesterday in the acoustic set! Putting the song here spoils the flow of the up-tempo songs before and after it.
Some nice guitar and keyboard playing, he still has the magic singing this song. I think it must be an emotional song for him, what with half The Beatles gone, and his First wife gone, the press hounding him over Heather!!
Sgt. Pepper’s/The End 4:40
This seems to be the standard finale of Paul’s live shows of late. Great drum intro, really rocking. I seem to remember somewhere seeing a documentary about this tour, and Paul, Rusty and Brian all play guitar on this, there is a bit of a drum solo, which really gets the crowd going. With all the guitars, it sounds a bit like a jam session, but a bit more together, each trying to outdo each other – works for me
…and then.. the piano come in for “The End”
…..and then it was all over.. and I was only quarter of the way across the Atlantic!! Oh well put it on again!
** Is it any good? **
Yes it is good! It captures the power of the live performance; it has some all time classic Beatles, Wings and solo tracks.
To my mind though you can hear his voice starting to go a bit, he can’t get to some the higher bit of some songs (says me who can’t string 2 notes together in the same key!)
What is missing from this album – the interaction, there is no talk, no intro to the band, or any of the songs. I would have thought when he did Something, he would have had a talk about George, but there is nothing, this is the one aspect that spoilt the CD for me. It could in effect be a studio album, with some crowd mixed in, you wouldn’t really know. That is with the exception of Hey Jude, where the crowd do go daa, daa dadada daaaa, in various places.
One thing I would have liked to see on the credits, is where and when the various tracks were recorded – America I guess :-)
Say what you will about Paul McCartney, but he is one of the most influential people on the planet! The tracks on this CD are a testament to that.
** Would I recommend it ? **
If you like live music then yes, this is an album you can just stick on the CD player and get into.
Another point to note, is there is another album out “Back in the World” and some of the track listings are different – he doesn’t do Vanilla Sky, but he does Calico Sky, Michele, Let ‘em In and She’s Leaving Home. So it is probably better to get this album rather the “Back in the US”
…and although I don’t think it was as good as “Wings over America” I thought it was an album worthy of any collection.
I can’t remember exactly how much I paid for my copy, but a quick check on Amazon shows it to be around £12
Oh and thanks very much for reading this
Larry 
by (6%):
12.01.2005 18:15
Fancy meeting McCartney's guitar carrier! I didn't even know he had one. You obviously enjoyed this album. There were lots of little insights here I didn't know about - like McCartney losing his voice a bit. You'll like the DVD version, I'm fairly sure. There are a few differences in the tracks included I see. Great review. Cheers.
17.09.2003 12:37
Good luck in the competition. Fionaxx
11.09.2003 18:02
I love the drums on "let me roll It" and "let it be" is also a fantastic track :o) Margaretxx