Welcome back to Parsons Playlists! Today’s playlist is curated by Music Library Associate Melanie and features some Paul McCartney tracks.
This playlist was inspired by Paul McCartney (sometimes known to British fans as “Macca”) and the delightful quirky streak evident throughout his music career. His odder tracks also highlight the startling versatility of his voice and his interest in experimental recording techniques.
Let’s start with 2 versions of the same song. “Coming Up” was the opening track on the 1980 album McCartney II. The song makes use of synthesizers and sped-up vocals using a vari-speed tape machine.
The video for this version actually premiered on Saturday Night Live on May 17, 1980 and features multiple McCartneys and a couple of Linda McCartneys as a (fictional) band called the Plastic Macs.
This version peaked at number 2 on the UK singles chart, while in the U.S. and Canada a live version of the song recorded in Glasgow in 1979 was released and became the hit version peaking at number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
McCartney’s old bandmate John Lennon really liked the album version of the song, saying “I thought that ‘Coming Up’ was great, … And I like the freak version that he made in his barn better than that live Glasgow one.” So herewith, a playlist highlighting Macca’s “freaky side”. I might have gotten a bit carried away with this list, but there’s so much fun stuff out there, I couldn’t resist! – MAA
“Coming Up” (McCartney II version, released 1980)
“Coming Up” (Live in Glasgow, December 17, 1979)
“Pretty Little Head” (Dreamy and atmospheric. From Press To Play, released 1986)
“Monkberry Moon Delight” (A scream-y stomper with some of the oddest lyrics you’ll come across. From Ram, released 1971)
“Check My Machine” (Quite literally created as an exercise to check his home recording machine. From McCartney II, released 1980)
“Nod Your Head” (From Memory Almost Full, released 2007)
“Why Don’t We Do It In The Road?” (Short, simple and … lusty. From The Beatles – aka The White Album, released 1968)
“Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey” (Playful and inventive. From Ram, released 1971)
“We All Stand Together” (Billed as Paul McCartney and the Frog Chorus – appears in the 1984 animated cartoon “Rupert & the Frog Song”. The song was a top 10 hit in the UK.)
“Free Now” (A little musique concrète in collaboration with Youth and Super Furry Animals. From Liverpool Sound Collage, released 2000)
“Où est le Soleil?” (A synth-y electronic vibe en français. The lyrics translate as “Where is the sun? In the head. Work.” From Flowers in the Dirt, released 1989)
“Smile Away” (From Ram, released 1971)
“Wild Honey Pie” (A snippet in the key of F# major (that’s 6 sharps!). From The Beatles’ White Album, released in 1968)
“Kreen-Akrore” (A lo-fi instrumental jam session. From McCartney, released 1970)
“Mary Had A Little Lamb” (Not a rocker at all, it’s a cute little children’s song based on the nursery rhyme. A non-album single, released in 1972.)
“Hi, Hi, Hi” (Quite a fun little rocker. Banned by the BBC for sexually suggestive lyrics and drug references. A staple of Wings live shows in the 1970s. Non-album single, released 1972)
“Nothing Too Much Just Out of Sight” (A track by The Fireman – a collaboration between McCartney and Youth. From Electric Arguments, released in 2008)
“Magneto and Titanium Man” (A comic book inspired song featuring Marvel characters. Endorsed by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. From the Wings album Venus & Mars released in 1975.)
“Temporary Secretary” (Another 1980 track from McCartney II. Described in Rolling Stone as an “oddly catchy electro-pop nugget, about a slightly creepy-sounding guy looking to hire a temp.” Can’t argue with that assessment, really.)
“Step Inside Love/Los Paranoias” (This track from the Beatles Anthology 3 begins as a demo of a song for Cilla Black and morphs into an amusing jam session. Recorded in 1968. Released in 1996.)
“Oo You” (From McCartney, released 1970)
“Old Siam Sir” (From the seventh and final Wings studio album Back to the Egg, released in 1979)
“Flaming Pie” (A track from the 1997 album also entitled Flaming Pie.)
“You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)” (A rather nutty music hall comedy number recorded between 1967 and 1969 and released as the B-Side to “Let It Be” in 1970. Listen for McCartney’s sleazy lounge singer character!)
Here is the whole playlist on YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLU94rco57Zey6hqfXCEL9s9O3V6ZfkYRk
And here’s a (slightly longer) version of the playlist on Spotify: