June 15, 2012 Playlist
 

Sir Paul of Wings

The Self-Indulgent Birthday Special Featuring Sir Paul McCartney

"So Long, Bannatyne" by The Guess Who (1971)
CLASSIC ALBUM OF THE WEEK
The Guess Who  "So Long, Bannatyne"  1971 (Canada)
I'm having my annual self-indulgent birthday special this week on the show, so the Classic Album is by one of my all time favorite obsessions:  The Guess Who.  The Greatest Canadian Band Ever.  Kings of Prairie Rock.  In 1970, they sold more records in North America than The Beatles, Rolling Stones or Led Zeppelin!!  While sounding just a bit like all of those bands, and everything else that was on the radio during the golden age of "classic rock" -- it is certainly possible to label this group as nothing more than their era's greatest chameleon band.  But that would be wrong.  At the height of their popularity, their brilliant guitarist Randy Bachman converted to Mormonism and quit the band (though he returned to the rock scene soon after with the popular Bachman-Turner Overdrive).  The remaining members of the classic lineup  soldiered on -- stoic bassist Jim Kale, wunderkind drummer Garry Peterson and polymath psycho pop genius Burton Cummings (probably my favorite singer ever) hired two new guitarists to replace the departing one, and continued to have hits for a while.  However as their fortunes on American radio began to dwindle, their albums and concerts developed into something truly original, uniquely Canadian, and frankly often pretty weird.  And there is perhaps no album that is weirder and more eclectic than So Long, Bannatyne, which has grown to become one of my favorite Guess Who records.
In spite of the weirdness (or perhaps because of it), this album did include two hits:  "Rain Dance" (performed here by a reunion lineup in the 1990's) obliquely seems to hint at Native American genocide (and made the American Top 40).  Meanwhile "Sour Suite" is an enchanting ballad that sounds like Elton John if he were a zipcode-obsessed midwestern beatnik.   Here's a couple more tunes from other albums by the post-Bachman lineup:  the prairie rock anthem "Runnin' Back To Saskatoon" made the top ten in Canada and nowhere else in the world -- what else would one expect from a song who's first line is "I been hangin' around gas stations and learnin' about tires", and features a chorus consisting mainly of the names of Sasketchewanian towns?  While "Hang On To Your Life" is a classic rocker that reminds one of The Doors, Grand Funk Railroad, and everything else that was rilly hea-vyy in 1970. 
"McCartney II" by Paul McCartney (1980)
2nd BONUS CLASSIC ALBUM OF THE WEEK
Paul McCartney  "McCartney II"  1980 (UK)
As it is my birthday (and your birthday two yeah), I always throw in a bonus Classic Album of the Week.  Since your humble narrator shares a birthday with the illustrious Sir Paul McCartney, here's Mac's second "solo" album -- all those records from 1971-1979 were technically credited to "Paul & Linda McCartney" or "Wings" or "Paul McCartney & Wings", etc.  But furthermore, like his post-Beatle debut McCartney (1970), Paul played all the instruments himself (thus a true "solo" recording!)  Both of these eponymous albums were recorded on his farm in Scotland during somewhat tumultous times in his life -- the 1970 recordings obviously after the breakup of that sixties group he played with, and the 1979 sessions seem to have been a time of, frankly, drug-addled decadence.  His band Wings had made him the richest musician in history (much moreso than the fab four, at least in terms of immediate cashflow), yet by the time McCartney II hit record stores that group too had broken up.  The incident that seemed to crystalize it all was a pot bust in Japan for which he spent 10 days in jail and was deported (ironically, Japanese officials had just relented to allow McCartney to tour their country for the first time since 1966 -- previously, they wouldn't give him a visa due to his other pot busts in 1972, 1973 and 1975 . . .)  So anyway!  This is what a stoned bazillionaire genius sounds like when he is turned loose with a bunch of synthesizers, drum machines, guitars and a 16-track recorder.  It wasn't originally intended for release, mostly just Paul larking away from his day job, but after the Japan disaster he decided to retire Wings and put this album out instead.
Though it's mostly odd electronic pop (lots of instrumentals, some of which sound like Kraftwerk!), McCartney II does contain one classic pop hit (with a groundbreaking music video): "Coming Up".  And here's a couple great (but lesser known) hits by "Paul McCartney's other band that made more money than The Beatles": "Junior's Farm" (1974) and "Rock Show" (1975).
(N) = New Release
Artist Song Album Year (label) Country
Wings (Paul McCartney)
We're Open Tonight
 		Back To The Egg
1979
UK
George HarrisonI'd Have You Anytime (demo)
Early Takes Volume 1 (N)rec. 1970 (2012 Hip-O/Universal)
UK
Paul McCartneyCheck My Machine (bonus track)
McCartney II (N - "Special Edition" reissue)
 2nd BONUS CLASSIC ALBUM OF THE WEEK		1980 (2011 Hear Music)
UK
The Plastic Ono Band (John Lennon & Yoko Ono with Eric Clapton)
Don't Worry Kyoko (live)
 		Live Peace In Toronto 1969
1969
UK/Japan
Wings (Paul McCartney)
Mumbo
 		Wild Life
1971
UK
Klaatu
Sub Rosa Subway
 		Klaatu (original title: 3:47 EST)
1976
Canada
The Beatles (Paul McCartney)
Drive My Car
 		Rubber Soul
1965
UK
 
  
The Guess Who
Grey Day
 		So Long, Bannatyne
 CLASSIC ALBUM OF THE WEEK
1971
Canada
The Guess Who
Life In The Blood Stream
 		So Long, Bannatyne
 CLASSIC ALBUM OF THE WEEK
1971
Canada
The Guess Who
Goin' A Little Crazy
 		So Long, Bannatyne
 CLASSIC ALBUM OF THE WEEK
1971
Canada
The Beatles (Paul McCartney)
Fool On The Hill
 		Magical Mystery Tour
1967
UK
The Guess Who
Pink Wine Sparkles In The Glass
 		Wheatfield Soul
1968
Canada
The Beatles (Paul McCartney)
All My Loving
 		With The Beatles
1963
UK
 
  
Quatermass
Gemini
 		Quatermass
1970
UK
Wings (Paul McCartney)
Old Siam, Sir
 		Back To The Egg
1979
UK
Tame ImpalaLucidity
Innerspeaker (N)2011 (Modular)
Australia
Black DiceShithouse Drifter
Mr. Impossible (N)2012 (Ribbon)
USA
Paul McCartneyBogey Music
McCartney II (N - "Special Edition" reissue)
 2nd BONUS CLASSIC ALBUM OF THE WEEK		1980 (2011 Hear Music)
UK
 
  
Naked Aggression
Police Naked Aggression (first demo tape)
1990
USA
Dethkorpz
Butt Smokin' Reefer Metal Tit
1991
USA
Black Barry
Smokin' By The Pump unreleased demos
2003
USA
The Family Jewels
Little Too Long unreleased demos1991
USA
The Sheep Fiends
No More Woodstocks October 17, 1999 CDR
1999
USA
Dave 3000
School Years (excerpt) unreleased 4 track tape
1992
USA
Second Family Band
"Third Porch Jam" (August 9, 2009) unreleased tape
2009USA
 
 
Vosellglaas"Three Recent 4 Track Doodles"
unreleased (N)rec. 2012 (as yet unreleased)
USA
RΔd Sküllz (no website yet!) Barques Of Natron (excerpt)
 		Hipgnagangic Spellz Vol. 1 (N)
rec. 2011 (as yet unreleased)
USA
White Cloud (no website yet!) Midnight Morning
 		Crickets (N)
rec. 2011 (as yet unreleased)
USA

 
George HarrisonAll Things Must Pass (demo)
Early Takes Volume 1 (N)rec. 1970 (2012 Hip-O/Universal)
UK
Paul McCartney (The London Classical Orchestra)First Movement: Ocean's Kingdom
Ocean's Kingdom (N)2011 (Hear Music)
UK
                   
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