"When I was young I asked my Dad if people wanted peace. He said to me, "Yes, people everywhere want peace – it's usually politicians that cause trouble." It always seemed tome that the way The Beatles' music was admired in the USSR tended to prove his point that people the world over have a great deal in common. In releasing this record exclusively in the Soviet Union, I extend the hand of peace and friendship to the people of the USSR. Paul McCartney
Imaginary Guitar There comes a moment when wildly strumming an imaginary guitar in front of a wardrobe mirror is no longer enough. The motivation for anyone purchasing an instrument on impulse is usually the determination to re-run those songs learned from records worn-out by repeated playing. To decipher and master precisely what magic spark it takes to communicate in such a devastating manner. The possibility of fame and fortune don't really come into it.
Initially, Elvis Presley wanted to be Dean Martin, Paul Simon wanted to be Elvis Presley and Paul McCartney – it would appear – was stricken very early in his youth with a Little Richard fixation.
Marathon Sessions In time they – and others so bedeviled – eclipsed all those stylists who'd originally transfixed them. Nightly marathon sessions amid the spit and sawdust of Liverpool's Cavern Club or the Star-Club in Hamburg are where the likes of Paul McCartney learned their skills. Competing with the jukebox and winning, or being able to keep the most unruly customers satisfied was the survival test. Original material was, in the beginning, included with extreme caution.
The Beatles' initial success was as much down to the spirited cover versions as it was to Lennon and McCartney's prolific output. However, as their own songs took precedence, the cover versions were soon confined to sound checks and the occasional encore.
The fact remains, no matter how mega any artist becomes, very little coaxing is required to get them to knock out those songs that first prompted them to finally gave up their day job.
Stontaneous July 1987. The third week in July and Paul calls upon two teams of likeminded British musicians to see if it is still possible to make sparks fly and record in precisely the same spontaneous manner as when Elvis, Buddy Holly, Little Richard, Fats Domino, Ray Charles, Chuck Berry or, for that matter, The Beatles knocked out more hits than Muhammad Ali dispatched contenders.
20 July: The dynamic guitar artistry of Mick Green (the first in a line of great UK players that include Clapton, Beck and Page) was employed, together with hard-hitting support from everyone's favourite pianist, Mickey Gallagher and drummer Chris Whitten from Julian Cope's band.
Paul The Guitarist A fact often forgotten is that foremost Paul McCartney is a guitarist – only switching to bass when (the late) Stuart Sutcliffe resigned thus making The Beatles a Fab Foursome. So, for the 21 July session held in Paul's private recording studio, McCartney took over the role of guitarist (check out his work on Crackin' Up). Mickey Gallagher remained on piano while The Motors' former bassman Nick Garvey played anchorman and that in-demand drummer, Henry Spinetti knocked out the back beat.
Run-throughs were brief – Paul much preferred to capture that elusive spontaneity that can only ever be achieved with one-take gambles. And, on the third day, while the studio desk was still smouldering, the 14 tracks contained in this very exclusive collection were mixed down for what was originally a vinyl-only release in Russia.
Here then, is Paul McCartney and his Friends in their natural element – a happier bunch of rock 'n' roll musicians you'd be hard pressed to find.
Kansas City/Lucille
First up, is Little Richard's frantic arrangement (in preference to Wilbert Harrison' slower 1959 original) of Kansas City. As with the second Little Richard classic included (Lucille), this depicts Paul at peak performance and sets the upbeat mood for most of the album.
With a voice that easily takes the strain, Paul comes close erasing the echo of that fresh-faced moptop who once so vigorously hollered Long Tall Sally as to almost make one forget Little Richard's original. It's doubtful if The Beatles ever surpassed that 1964 shakedown in terms of uninhibited celebration. And that's what the results of Paul's 'one-take sessions' amount to – a truly spontaneous celebration of style and content.
Little Richard's influence pervaded The Beatles' songwriting to the extent that such hits as I Saw Her Standing There and I'm Down were composed as a tribute to his unique style. It must be said, Little Richard was always the most genuinely outrageous of all rock's seminal stars. An indefatigable performer, he refused to compromise his stance. The self-proclaimed 'King of Rock 'n' Roll' or the 'Queen of Scream', Little Richard's greatest hits may have sold in the millions, but it wasn't uncommon (in the mid-50s) for his songs to be banned on radio, only to have them instantly replaced by sanitized white cover versions by the likes of Pat Boone. Even 'Public Enemy Number One' Elvis Presley was considered much safer than Little Richard when, in 1956, it came to exposing Young America to such songs as Rip It Up, Ready Teddy, Long Tall Sally and Tutti Frutti.
It's obvious that Paul has a particular fondness for Kansas City – this being his third outing with the song on disc. Kansas City first appeared on Beatles For Sale, while a less-than-hi-fi treatment surfaces on the historic Star-Club tapes. Third time around, it's nailed firmly to the floor – being infinitely grittier and electrifying. Both this opening track and Lucille (with its thundering guitar riff) reminds the listener that Paul's friendship with Little Richard goes right back to pre-Beatlemania marathons at Liverpool dance halls and Hamburg drinking cl...
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