Five Essential Paul McCartney Albums You Should Have

Cover of Band on the RunBy Harry Trowels

As an integral part of The Beatles, it is widely acknowledged that Paul McCartney is one of the most talented, versatile and hard-working pop composers that has ever lived. Since their break-up in 1970, ratified by a court ruling some 12 months later which dissolved The Beatles as a business partnership, McCartney has continued to produce music on a regular basis of a consistently high standard, although perhaps not scaling the heights he achieved with the Fab Four.

He has released something in the region of 40 solo albums to date, some of them one could argue with content comparable to his work in The Beatles. I would like to put forward a selection of albums that epitomise the man's breath-taking abilities as a musician, producer, bandleader and all-round good egg!

• Band On The Run - released 7 December 1973; Q Magazine in the UK later placed this at number 75 of the top 100 greatest British albums of all time. It reached no 1 in the album charts and was the top-selling UK album of 1974. Stand out cuts include the title track, Let Me Roll It and the Dustin Hoffman inspired Picasso's Last Words (Hoffmann had told McCartney what they were and asked him if he could write something about it, only to be astonished as McCartney began to create the chorus right in front of him)
• McCartney II - released 16 May 1980; reaching number 1 in the UK and number 3 in the US, it divided critics at the time but is now seen as McCartney at his multi-faceted best, from the bluesy guitar breaks of On The Way, the electronica of Check My Machine and the euphoria of Coming Up
• Chaos And Creation In The Backyard - released 12 September 2005; produced by Radiohead collaborator Nigel Godrich, it showed a more reflective approach than of late and spawned hit singles Fine Line and Jenny Wren
• Venus and Mars - released 27 May 1975; a worthy follow-up to Band On The Run, it harboured the singles Listen To What The Man Said, Letting Go and a barnstorming Jimmy McCulloch song Medicine Jar
• McCartney - released 17 April 1970; amidst the aggrieved collapse of The Beatles, McCartney put out a collection of recordings he'd been working on alone during the previous six months, ignoring pleas from the other Beatles to delay release against Let It Be. The overall low-key production was punctuated by an absolute jewel, Maybe I'm Amazed.

A new, UK artist with many similarities in his music to that heard on many Paul McCartney albums is James Henry. He has a new single out soon, entitled Don't Let It Happen, but you can download his previous single, The Sun Is Cracking The Flags, for nothing, by clicking the link below.
http://jameshenry.net/landing/tsictf-with-clip/

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The 5 Finest Song Lyrics Of The Kinks - And Why

Image via WikipediaBy Stanley Urbane

Ray Davies, of The Kinks, is widely accepted to be one of the greatest songwriters of all time. He has a unique, observational style, using the everyday lives of ordinary people as subject matter. Davies is famous for his wonderful vignettes and pieces of social commentary. He is a master of evoking powerful imagery in the mind of the listener.

Pete Townshend, of The Who, has called Ray Davies the finest songwriter of the 60's. So what are the best examples of his work? Here's my take on the 5 finest song lyrics of The Kinks.

This was no easy task with so many great songs to choose from, but for me there are 3 key elements that drew me to my picks: Firstly, the telling of a story; secondly, the painting of a vivid scene; and thirdly, clever wordplay. Here are my selections: -

1. Waterloo Sunset (1967)
A classic lyrical masterpiece, setting a beautiful scene strongly in the mind. You can imagine yourself stood there on the bridge, seeing the whole scene around you. My favourite line: "As long as I gaze on Waterloo Sunset I am in paradise".

2. The Village Green Preservation Society (1968)
Full of nostalgia and "Englishness", this song uses some unexpected but wonderful words. My favourite line: "We are the skyscraper condemnation affiliate, God save Tudor houses, antique tables and billiards".

3. Come Dancing (1982)
Recollections from Ray's childhood, described so powerfully that they could be your own memories. The song laments the demolition of the local dance hall and the memories associated with it. My favourite line: "The day they knocked down the Palais part of my childhood died".

4. Two Sisters (1967)
An allegory of the lives of Ray and Dave Davies at the time - Ray married and a father, and under pressure to write songs, and Dave free and single and living the rock 'n' roll lifestyle to the full. My favourite line: "No longer jealous of her sister, so she ran round the house with her curlers on"

5. Only A Dream (1993)
An elevator is used as a metaphor for life's emotions in this tale of a simple greeting from a pretty girl making the singer's day. My favourite line: "I didn't think she'd even look at me or bother to glance my way, but she actually smiled at me and said Hiya handsome, have a good day".

You'll probably have your own favourite lyrics by The Kinks and there's really no disputing that Ray Davies is one of the greatest lyricists of all time.

If you like The Kinks, then you'll love Paul Curtis. He's a songwriter that is clearly strongly influenced by Ray Davies. I found this link to a FREE download of his latest single.

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