Is Paul McCartney worth $268.50?

Chicago Sun Times ^ | April 7, 2002 | Jim DeRogatis

[ejdrapes]

Is this man worth $268.50? April 7, 2002 BY JIM DeROGATIS POP MUSIC CRITIC

The frustrating thing about Paul McCartney is that he really should know better. As Chicago gears up to welcome Sir Paul to the United Center for two sold-out shows Wednesday and Thursday, some would argue (McCartney first among them) that it's unfair to compare his solo work to the group that made him an icon. The Beatles were a unique combination of extraordinary talents who arrived at a juncture when their impact transcended mere music (as influential as that was), and they have became inextricably linked with the vast social and cultural sea change of the '60s.

Time moves on, the '60s are history and fodder for endless nostalgic TV commercials, and we have now had Solo Paul (1970 to the present) for three times as long as we had Beatle Paul (the Quarry Men became the Silver Beetles in May 1960). But McCartney's solo output has been so famously and frustratingly uneven that a critic has to ask: Would anyone care about this guy if he hadn't once been a Mop Top?

The answer: Sure, to some extent. While he may not be the consummate pop craftsman that he'd have us believe (the Cole Porter or George Gershwin of his generation?), his ear for seductive melodies is undeniable. But his songs are often so slight, trifling, hyper-romantic, and shticky, his reputation would probably be akin that of Tom Jones if he'd never met and joined forces with John Lennon, once upon a time.

"What? Blasphemy!" scream the faithful. To which I reply: "Say Say Say," "Ebony and Ivory," "Silly Love Songs," "Listen to What the Man Said," "Magneto and Titanium Man," "Monkberry Moon Delight," "Oobu Joobu We Love You," "Getting Closer," "Old Siam Sir," "Let 'Em In," "Freedom," "Vanilla Sky"... to name but a few of his less than stellar moments.

The truth is, the roots of Macca's problems were there all through the Beatles. Yes, he recorded one of the strongest rock vocals ever ("I Saw Her Standing There"). And no, Lennon wasn't the group's only psychedelic groundbreaker and studio genius; "Helter Skelter," "Paperback Writer," "Fixing a Hole," "Penny Lane," "Eleanor Rigby," and "Magical Mystery Tour" were all McCartney at his best, and he made great contributions to "A Day in the Life" and "Baby, You're a Rich Man."

Macca could also be unbeatable when he was in romantic ballad mode. "For No One," "Here, There and Everywhere," and "Hey Jude" are timeless, beautiful, and much stronger songs than the more often-cited "Michelle" and "Yesterday," which are a bit too saccharine for my tastes.

Beatle Paul also gave us maudlin schlock ("She's Leaving Home"), reactionary turncoatism ("Lovely Rita" is, after all, a song in praise of ticket-writing cop--and this at the height of the Summer of Love!), and nostalgic nonsense ("When I'm Sixty-Four"). And on careful, honest examination sans the rose-colored glasses, alleged innovations such as the interlocking suites of songs on "Sgt. Pepper's" or the second side of "Abbey Road" are really a bunch of half-baked ideas strung together in place of full-born tunes.

The collaboration of the Beatles tended to diffuse or at least offset McCartney's worst tendencies. On his own, he's never really tried or dared to recruit backing bands up to the task of challenging or pushing him--witness Wings, or the current combo of generic Gen Xers joining him on the Driving USA tour. He has also made the deadly-to-all-great-art mistake of disconnecting or compromising whatever "B.S. detector" he once had, so that he now believes all his ideas are brilliant and equally worthy of our time.

Hence we get pompous silliness such as the foray into classical music with "The Liverpool Oratorio"; fabulous failures such as "Back to the Egg" and "Red Rose Speedway," and annoyingly cheesy throwaways such as "Loving Flame" and "There Must Have Been Magic" from the 2001 album, "Driving Rain."

The frustration sets in when we a catch a glimpse of something better and realize that McCartney could still be capable of greatness, if only he cared enough to strive a little bit harder.

Overall, "Driving Rain" is a solid if un-earthshaking pop effort, as was 1997's "Flaming Pie," though that album also boasted its share of stinkers. "Run Devil Run," his fiery 1999 set of '50s covers, is his finest recent offering, thanks to his level of passion for the tunes and a supporting cast that was actually on his level. He should have asked Pink Floyd's David Gilmour and Deep Purple's Ian Paice to play on "Driving Rain"--though even talented peers tend to be dwarfed or overwhelmed by the looming Beatles myth. Remember his unremarkable collaborations with Elvis Costello and Michael Jackson?

In recent years, McCartney has made several odd but illuminating low-key detours into the underground. He recorded two unextraordinary but ambitious ambient house efforts as The Fireman (1994's "strawberries oceans ships forests" and 1998's "Rushes"), and he compiled the impressionistic pastiche of "Liverpool Sound Collage," which was then mixed by indie/electronic art-rockers Super Furry Animals.

If the bassist is aware of underground trends and the cutting edge of modern rock, why are his more hyped recordings so conservative? If he can still feel the rush of great rock a la "Run Devil Run," why does he play it so safe so much of the time on his own tunes? Where is the man who gave us "I Saw Her Standing There" and "Helter Skelter"?

Charming and lovable though his public persona may be, ego remains the artist's Achilles' Heel, and the saddest proof of this can be seen in the ticket prices for the current tour. McCartney is one of the richest men in pop-music history, thanks to the success of the Beatles and the enduring strength of their catalog. He does not need the money from the Driving USA tour, and there are no charity givebacks.

Yet the top ticket price for his shows in Chicago is $268.50, including Ticketmaster service fees for phone and Internet sales. The least expensive seats, in the highest tier of the United Center and with obstructed views, are $62. The other prices are $140.50 and $98.50.

Fans may be tempted to blame the promoters, Clear Channel Entertainment, but the fact is that McCartney set the price. He could have charged $25 a ticket, Clear Channel would have made the shows happen, and he and the promoter would have still made a heck of a lot of money. But with artists such as Madonna and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young selling seats at the high end of the spectrum, how would it look if a former Beatle wasn't commanding top dollar from his fans?

It's a bit hard to swallow Sir Paul in a fireman's T-shirt singing about our God-given right to live in freedom when you realize that rare indeed is the fireman or other working Joe in this country who can afford a night out with his wife that will easily cost him $600 or more, once you factor in parking and a babysitter. Free? Hardly!

Then again, at the Beatles' Royal Variety Performance in 1963, it was Lennon, not McCartney, who famously cracked, "Those of you in the cheaper seats can clap. The rest of you just rattle your jewelry."

They saw him standing there Chicagoans Patti Kunz, Linda Cerqua, and Angie Albano first saw Paul McCartney in concert on Sept. 5, 1964. The 13-year-olds sat in the third row of the International Amphitheatre and were captured in a famous Sun-Times photo illustrating the frenzied height of Beatlemania.

Thirty-eight years later, a lot has changed in the women's lives. But they are still friends and still big McCartney fans (though only two of them were lucky enough to score tickets to this week's concert). I asked them about their fandom then and now.

Q. How were you three lucky enough to get Beatles tickets in '64?

Cerqua: Back then, the only way you could get tickets was to send in your money and they picked winners like a lottery.

Kunz: I think the tickets cost like $7.50. I have the stubs.

Q. OK, take off the rose-colored glasses: How good was that concert, really?

Cerqua: Oh, of course they were wonderful!

Kunz: They were so good! I remember John Lennon looking right at us. We were throwing little balls of paper up on the stage with our phone numbers. You can see them in the picture.

Q. It's been said that fans couldn't even hear the music over the screaming. Is that true?

Cerqua: It was a lot of screaming and crying, and you can see by our picture that we were doing the same thing. But I remember their music; they sang "She Loves You," "I Wanna Hold Your Hand," all the earlier Beatles songs, and everyone knew all the words. We were close, in the third row, so maybe we heard better. But it was like they were singing to us.

Albano: There was a lot of screaming, but you could hear them, and they were wonderful. When Paul sang "Yesterday" [the next time we say the Beatles here in 1966], there was silence, and I heard every word. I was a John Lennon fan, but everyone knew Paul was the cutest.

Q. Solo Paul vs. Beatle Paul--do you think he measures up?

Cerqua: Well, back then, he was like an idol. Now, I look at him as a musician. I've been to his solo concerts, and of course I thought he was great. But he still did a lot of Beatles songs, and when he does those, it just hits something special.

Albano: When he went into Wings, I thought he was pretty great. I just think he's so talented, and everything about him is good.

Q. How do you feel about him charging a top price of $268.50 for these tickets?

Cerqua: I don't understand it. He has so much money. When I heard he was coming, I was thinking, "There's no way I can afford that." But Angie got two tickets for her birthday from her brother. He's a lawyer and his firm gets tickets.

Albano: I don't understand why the tickets are this price. I didn't think any group that plays at the United Center was getting this kind of money. But I think the people who are really big fans are gonna be there no matter what.

Kunz: The prices are why I'm not going: We can't afford it. I mean, we could, but ... not really. He used to have a fan club, back when Linda was alive. I sent money to that, and when he came last time, maybe 10 years ago, anybody who was in the club, he gave the tickets away for almost nothing. I got third row again, and I got to see him play in Milwaukee Stadium, which was excellent. I thought, "Boy, he was doing pretty good back then." Now, I'm thinking, "What the heck happened? He must be so rich, and I didn't hear that he's giving it away to charity!"

[ejdrapes]

I love how at the very end of this article the guy finally gets to his main gripe: McCartney is wealthy enough, he doesn't need to charge these kind of prices (regardless if his peers are charging the same), and SHOCK, it doesn't appear that any of the proceeds are going to charity (although how would he know if they were anyway?). It all comes back to this liberal orthodoxy...he's "wealthy enough". It's not up to me, or this music critic or anyone else to decide how much money someone should make, or how wealthy someone can become. McCartney hasn't screwed anyone over - he hasn't forced anyone to buy his records or attend his concerts. He's obviously a very shrewd business man who created a vast fortune. I say more power to him!

[goodnesswins]

McCartney RULES....he has made the LIBERALS really MAD....ever since 9/11 when he went on record AGAINST the terrorists (I heard it with my own ears from some libs - they called him a "sell-out!")

[dc-zoo]

$286.50?? I do believe my bank account beats the hell out of that.

[The Giant Apricots]

Paul ROCKS !!!

[VRWC_minion]

If he charges less he lowers the overall market value of the lesser stars. Lets say he charged 10 dollars. That poor minimum wage guitar player at the local pub certainly isn't worth ten dollars if McCartney only charged ten dollars is he ?

[HHFi]

The problem of the high ticket prices can be solved by market forces if enough people would do what I do: say "That's ridiculous, I'm not paying that much money for a couple of hours of music!" and don't go.

I also disagree with him on McCartney's collaboration with Elvis Costello. I thought it was the best thing Paul had done in years, maybe because Elvis' nasty intelligence provided the same sort of chemistry that Lennon provided. And the song Elvis recorded that he wrote with McCartney, "Veronica," is one of his best, IMHO.

[jwh_Denver]

I have been a Beatle fan since "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and married a nutzoid Beatle fan who saw them in concert in LA on 8/28/66 (I believe her)and has kept a scrapbook of every newspaper article about them (individually too) since then. She saw Paul in concert in Boulder CO and together we've seen Ringo in concert twice. Though together we've spent some bucks on all their recordings including videos there is no way it adds up to the thousands and thousands of hours of pure enjoyment of listening to their music as Beatles and individually through the years. And we're going to spend $600 to see the 20th century Mozart LIVE in concert!

[Renegade]

McCartney is not worth more than $ 50.00. He is NOT a band he is only Paul. 50% of the Beatles have gone and The Stones are still rockin" . THEY are worth $268.00 and will rock you from beginning to end. I can't fathom how anyone would pay those prices to see only 1/4 of the original Beatles .. Can't wait for the Stone summer tour -2002-

[AzJP]

Paul must be doing something(s) right.

1. Sold out.

2. A lot (LOT) of free publicity from the Sun Times.
Well, maybe not free, maybe comp tickets?

T

My late GrandMom would have paid $268 for this show. So would Grampaw. He paid for Hollywood Bowl tickets when the Beatles first went to L.A. and that was the start of one helluva' marriage.
I wonder how many other oldsters, now that they can afford it, are going just to reminisce, regardless of what he sounds like now?

[Vince Ferrer]

$268.50? How dare he charge nearly half as much as Barbra Streisand for a concert.

[AzJP]

mortsahl

Mort Sahl?

Gramps just had an out of body experience. Any relation to the sweatered comic? Grampaw still has an original 33 1/3 vinyl disk.

[Spunky]

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THE CITIZENS FOR MEDICAL ISOTOPES Thanks

While you are there please read posting #156 very powerful and e-mail
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http://www.medicalisotopes.org

[Hildy]

He's worth it if people will pay. I paid $108 per ticket for CSN&Y, until I came to my senses and sold it. But for Paul, I might spring for it. You know, it's not just Paul making the money, there are many hands in the pot, the unions don't help. Good luck to Sir Paul.

[eddie willers]

What a pompous windbag!!!

And you're a tin eared, no nothing fool.

[eddie willers]

Anyone that likes "Helter Skelter" and doesn't even mention "She's A Woman" ain't much of a music reviewer.

The rest is liberal whining.

[Howlin]

I think the tickets cost like $7.50. I have the stubs.

I have a pair of those, too!

[Howlin]

I dearly LOVE Mort Sahl.

[elwoodp]

As someone who lived through the beatles' wretched excesses, let me say two things about those silly enough to still idolize the "fab four": Those my age quite obviously killed far too many brain cells while enjoying the beatles' cacaphony to now be capable of rational judgement. Those younger than me need to kill some brain cells in order to spare the rest of us having to endure your sheer idolic idiocy.

The beatles were a mediocre group of thin-voiced guitar strummers (other than ringo who poorly banged the drums)who had the good fortune to come along right when an entire generation rendered themselves so incoherently drugged out that they became somnolently suseptible to any and all foolishness liberals decreed to be "in with the in crowd."

To those who insist upon pointing to the one or two actually melodic songs these musical midgets wrote, I suggest that if you give four monkeys a couple of keyboards and several years to play with them, the primates would have a far more impressive output.

[eddie willers]

I fibbed (lied) to my mother on August 18, 1965 and my mother grounded me.
My sister went to Atlanta Stadium and told me all about the concert.

All in all, worst punishment than Bill Clinton ever received.

PS. Years later my mother apologized to me with, "If I had only known...."

[BluesDuke]

50% of the Beatles have gone and The Stones are still rockin" . THEY are worth $268.00 and will rock you from beginning to end.

THEY haven't been worth jack, diddley, or squat since Exile on Main Street. The only way the Rolling Stones rock these days is in rocking Barcaloungers.

[AzJP]

You think he was a mediocre bass player?

George Martin and John Lennon both said otherwise.

Comparing George Martin and John Lennon's expertise to you, you suffer.

If IF you're an expert, quick tell us the difference between Hofner and Rickenbacker. Quick now!

[newfreep]

I saw McCartney during his first solo tour - the air was positively electric and he gave a great show for all. I've always been a Beatles fan from the beginning at 14 in '63. Paul's solo career certainly does not measure up to the Beatles but whose does? Just enjoy the music!

Two reviews of his first US shows:

http://www.cnn.com/2002/SHOWBIZ/Music/04/02/mccartney.ap/index.html

http://www.sacramento.com/portal/music/story/2038615p-2300476c.html

[eddie willers]

What....broke you heart when they drove Bobby Vinton and Fabian off the charts?

The four were a combination the likes of which we will never see (nor hear) again.
They are the '27 Yankees of pop music.

[BluesDuke]

Anyone that likes "Helter Skelter" and doesn't even mention "She's A Woman" ain't much of a music reviewer.

He mentioned "I Saw Her Standing There," which is even better than "She's A Woman," as good as "She's A Woman" was (and is). On the only hand, one man's meat is another man's murder and, anyway, if all he's really griping about is that Paul McCartney can charge $268.50 for a prime ticket in concert and get by with it, then he's got a lot worse problems than picking "Helter Skelter" over "She's A Woman". Personally, if we're talking Paul post-Beatles, I'm amazed that he wrote as though Band On The Run never existed. Yes, the preponderance of Paul McCartney's post-Beatles music has been schlock and roll, but reality check: name one of the former Beatles whose solo work came even close, even once, to what they achieved together. (Well, maybe George Harrison with All Things Must Pass? John Lennon with Walls and Bridges?)

[BluesDuke]

Your Paxil refill is ready for pickup, sir. So is your copy of The Greatest Hits of Dodie Stevens.

[AzJP]

Elwood:

You may be an expert on keyboard output from four monkeys, but I'd guess that anyone careering in Wash D.C. probably doesn't have a soul, a real soul, for rock 'n roll.

IMHO.

With all due respect.

You stay happy with monkeys.

Thankfully we'll never meet.

[AzJP]

Time's up child!

...maybe you're having trouble with your laptop etch a sketch?

Hint: If you really have a rock 'n roll soul, you can quickly hear the difference in which bass Paul is playing............aw, I'm wasting my time.

[IonInsights]

Silly Love Songs
Listen to What the Man Said
Magneto and Titanium Man
Monkberry Moon Delight
Let'Em In

...These are some of his best songs, IMHO.

(I agree with the author that the other ones cited aint that great, however.)

[Risky Schemer]

The Stones are still rockin" . THEY are worth $268.00 and will rock you from beginning to end. . .

THEY haven't been worth jack, diddley, or squat since Exile on Main Street. The only way the Rolling Stones rock these days is in rocking Barcaloungers

This is great! Deja vu, nostalgia, time capsule and time warp all in one. It's 1965 again and kids are still arguing about whether the Beatles or Rolling Stones are best.

I can still see the girls I got into the shouting match with in the grocery store parking lot. . . "Beatles!" "Rolling Stones!" "Beatles!" "Rolling Stones!" . . .

Too bad the Dave Clark Five aren't still recording and touring. Things could really get interesting! =)

[Beep]

IF you're an expert, quick tell us the difference between Hofner and Rickenbacker. Quick now!

I can't believe no one has answered this! (Wanna play poker later?! *G*)

A Hofner is considered a smaller, lighter, neck-deficient bass -- almost like a "pretend" bass, although it does have its uses. Not many, but some. If anyone asks you to do a session, and you ask them if you should bring your Hofner, be prepared for some weird gurgling sound on the other end of the phone! *VBG*

A Rickenbacker, on the other hand, is full-sized, with a full neck, and a full body that allows you to move up and down the neck without pulling out your hair, and giving it a clean, strong bass sound at the same time.

(I even knew that, and I'm a girl, for goodness sakes!)

;-}

[Beep]

I forgot the biggest thing! Hofners don't appreciate staying in tune! So what good may come of it (guitar, mandolin sounds) will likely be sharp or flat!

[AzJP]

SL:

Well, for goodness sake I'm glad you're a girl!

A+ on the quiz.

If I remember correctly, McCartney started with a Hofner. I think back then some called it a "light bass" before light beer became a phrase.

But I don't remember what exactly was a "fuzz bass". So what.

The results were extraordinary.

Please don't ask me what he was playing at the first Hollywood Bowl concert, 'cause I was properly focusing on the Beatles affect on the young lady I was with. Wonderful.

If Music City is Memphis, say hi to the Sun studio.

Maybe with the same last initials we're related?

Hope y'all doing better than that possibilty!

Cheers! (I'm a terrible card player, so please take your A+ and enjoy life!)

[BluesDuke]

Be grateful I didn't get below the belt and say that even Exile on Main Street, the last legitimately great Rolling Stones album, resembles rhythm and bluzak next to the incomparable Aftermath - or that nothing else in the Stones' catalog should even be spoken of in the same room as Aftermath. (How great was/remains Aftermath? Put it this way: For a band not exactly renowned for their jam abilities, "Goin' Home," the eleven-minute blues jam that closes the album, is more transcendent than the entire catalogue of official and unearthed Grateful Dead concerts.)

[BluesDuke]

Please don't ask me what he was playing at the first Hollywood Bowl concert, 'cause I was properly focusing on the Beatles affect on the young lady I was with. Wonderful.

During the entire touring life of the Beatles, Paul McCartney played one of his signature Hofner violin-body basses; he didn't pick up the Rickenbacker until after they quit touring in late 1966. In 1964 and 1965, George Harrison played either his Gretsch double cutaway, his Gretsch single-cut Chet Atkins Country Gentleman, or his Rickenbacker twelve-string, while John Lennon stayed almost strictly with his black Rickenbacker; in 1966, they both switched to Epiphone semihollows for their tour, though Harrison also picked up a Gibson SG Standard once in awhile on stage.

[Beep]

I guess I'm glad I'm a girl. Sometimes not! *G*

Music City USA has always been Nashville, I'm afraid. But we're getting bluesier and bluesier here, thank God! My fiance's band won't play Top 40 unless they have to! *G* I used to be in a rock/Top 40/lucky-to-have-a-gig-EVER band (*G*), but we su -- err -- stank, so we didn't last long! ;-{ I tried again, with one more band, and even though I played keyboards too (and WELL!), they stuck me, my mini-Moog, and my keyboard (all I have left is a pedal from a faded Rhodes!) (*G*) behind everybody, and only let me sing when they HAD to! (I was classically trained in voice and piano, but I knew and know the difference between Bach and Bop!), and I rocked, but Billy (idiot band leader) said he didn't want to "be no back-up band for no effin' chick singer!" So bye-bye I went!

At the moment I write professionally (songs included), but I'm disabled and stuck in the bed (hopefully only temporarily; brain surgery this fall will be the final test), so I'm out of the loop for the most part. Except that my fiance is in a seven-piece kick-butt band (five are lead singers!). Drums, percussion, trumpet, flute, saxophones, piano, keyboards (two different dudes), bass (Robert definitely doesn't play a Hofner! *VBG*), a guitarist with more guitars than flatware in his cabinet (*G*), and two wailin' chick singers who are also in Kentucky Thunder. I think I covered everybody?! (Plus the sound dude and lighting; they don't play piddly gigs, needless to say!) I do most of their PR work right now. Their website (old, and in severe need of renovation; they have even changed members since then!) is here --

http://chameleon-band.hypermart.net

I also play mallet instruments, bassoon, and oboe, but there's just not much call for us in the usual circuit! (Go figure?! *VBG*) My personal heroes? Chick Corea, Billy Payne, George Benson, Chip Davis . . . too many to name, but still not enough in the music world!

Wow -- this got long! Sorry!! I am recovering from a major surgery (it was Thursday), and my nerve cells are screaming that it's time for another pill!! Hope I run into you again! (When I can type more, and make many, many less mistakes!) No matter; all in all we're --

just another brick in The Wall,
Sharon in NashVegas (nickname #2!)
Home of the Titans! (my favorite Nashville nickname!)

[Beep]

I'm ALWAYS stupid after surgery -- sorry! Chameleon has nine members, not seven! (Please don't tell on me??)

;-}

[Beep]

Wow -- I know a bunch of "loser musicians" who have played at Ramada. And Holiday Inns! Like nearly all of Merle Haggard's band; they played at Holiday Inns a few years back. Not with Merle, of course, but you gotta start somewhere! (The "core group" played for Jimmy C Newman on the Opry for a few years.) Now most of them, including my first husband, play guitar and drums for Merle; his name is Randy Mason. You may have heard of my ex-brother-in-law -- Brent Mason?? Brent actually played guitar on my second husband's CD! Small world.

I met my second husband at a local "musician's hangout" in Hendersonville (away from Nashville!); he was a successful songwriter (his last #1 single was "For My Broken Heart," that Reba recorded after the plane crash), and Keith was "THE" demo and background singer -- and recorded his own CD with Sony/EPIC in 1991. He had some success on Billboard. Two charted, and one ("Please Don't Throw Me in the Briarpatch") went to #8. But then the worst thing imaginable happened; after he was nearly at the top of his career, he became ill, and died of pancreatic cancer in 1996. (His name was Keith Palmer.)

Funny -- I remember Randy and Brent playing at the Ramada on Brick Church Pike in Nashville. With Jimmy Carter (NOT the x-prez) on bass, Paul Hollowell on keys, and Randy Ray (aka Randy Travis) sitting in from time to time. Must've been a bunch of flukes, I guess?!

They should package that "je ne sais quois" -- they could market it as breakfast food and call it "Ramada Flukes!" (Sorry -- couldn't resist!!) I mean no offense; just wanted to point out that budding musicians shouldn't quit just because they're playing at a Ramada Inn, Holiday Inn, Days Inn, whatever. . . .

Talent has a way of being discovered; just want it, mean it, and do it!! To all who want it -- "Break a leg!!" I'm pulling for ya!

;-}

[Beep]

Wow. I shouldn't take too many pain meds and then type! That first paragraph was a real mess! Randy plays drums and some guitar for Merle; Abe Manuel, Jr plays fiddle, and Eddie Curtiss is on bass. Joe Manuel (Joni Twitty's hubby) played guitar for Merle, but he may have left to go on tour with Jo Dee Messina.

Hopefully I made sense that time?! I think me, my pain, my pain meds, and I should nap now! (DUH!!)

;-}

[jumpstartme]

He's wealthy enough is not a comment from liberalism, which at it's roots gave us free enterprise and liberty, rather it is socialism of which you speak.

How does it feel to be
One of the beautiful people?

Tuned to A natural E
Happy to be that way.
Now that you've found another key
What are you going to play?

Baby you're a rich man,
Baby you're a rich man,
Baby you're a rich man too.

You keep all your money in a big brown bag inside a zoo.
What a thing to do.

[Beep]

I've got Revolver and Sgt. Peppers, but the point is Paul has sucked for at least 15 years. They can't hold a candle to Zeppelin, who were much better musicians than the fab four.

I wasn't opining about any of those things; I just didn't want a budding musician to read some of the things that were written here (on this thread) and get discouraged. Musicians are prone to taking the easy way out and leaving their dreams behind. Maybe not all of them, but enough of them, have shaky self-esteem, to say the least! Brent almost didn't make the move to Nashville; it took the plant where he was working laying him off to get him down here! What would half of the artists and producers in Nashville -- and beyond -- do then?? ;-}

[discostu]

McCartney said working with Costello was interesting because Costello wasn't awe struck with the prospect of working with a legend, infact he really didn't seem impressed at all with McCartney the name. IMHO that's some of Paul's best stuff because it was the first time in decades people were willing to give him an honest opinion.

[Renegade]

Just picked up a good copy at the flea market today ( LP ) of " Having a Wild Weekend" soundtrack to the Dave Clark Five movie .

[thrcanbonly1]

Duh! No.