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Musings on the byways of popular culture

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64 reasons to celebrate Paul McCartney

by 39 Comments

As we await the new album, here’s an article which has been getting a lot of posting with approval on Twitter and Facebook. I think it overclaims here and there, but it’s still a very good and entertaining championing of Macca’s brilliance. His argument about how the narrative of John as the edgy genius and Paul as the safe middle of the road entertainer was established is persuasive. It’s interesting though how things have changed. Increasingly it seems to me that Paul’s reputation has risen (fairly in my view) and John’s (unfairly) has fallen. Fact is, the miracle and uniqueness of the Beatles is that it had not one but two pop geniuses in the one band.

https://ianleslie.substack.com/p/64-reasons-to-celebrate-paul-mccartney

Two new McCartney songs!

by 12 Comments

Just like that. You can find both new songs on Spotify and probably other places too, possibly even a record store (I KNOW!) at some point.

Both Home Tonight and In A Hurry sound like they could have been on Egypt Station, which is good news.*

So what do you think? Good? Bad? Something in between? Nothing at all?

* Other opinions are most likely available

You never give me (enough) of your money

by 9 Comments

I have no interest in spending my heard earned pension and savings on these, to me, stupid multi-box sets that everyone seems to be issuing these days. I am, generally, happy that a single album I bought years ago is enough. I don’t want re-mixes, demos, live versions etc etc. I am, however, happy to accept that lots of people really like the idea though.

Call me suspicious but I think it is just a case of artists and companies fleecing the fans. Interesting therefore to see the way the Hey Jude hit maker reacted when someone dared to suggest that, for his Flowers in the Dirt reissue, he wasn’t being very considerate to his fans:-

http://www.superdeluxeedition.com/feature/mccartneys-manger-reaches-out-to-sde-to-explain-flowers-in-the-dirt-downloads/#more-129185

A New Sleeve For Band On The Run?

by 61 Comments

With the news that Sir Clement Freud has been exposed as a paedophile, can we now expect him to be airbrushed out of popular history, as happened with Rolf Harris and Jimmy Savile?

So, will Macca change the cover of Band On The Run (Freud is pictured above Linda) and if so who should replace him?

Perhaps some of our more Photoshop literate members can have a go at this?

http://i.imgur.com/fgAxfWn.jpg http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/06/14/sir-clement-freud-exposed-as-a-paedophile-as-police-urged-to-pro/