h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

You rotter! It's fair enough that you get to write best-selling books that do brilliantly, and I respect and admire you for it. I think you're a great author.
But I WANTED TO GO SEE HIM LIVE - I bet I'm more Paul McCartney obsessed than you - so all I can say is - You rotter!

An admiring fan

Actually it was on tv again last night...
Quite nice...of course I compare it a bit with Wings Over America so it's not really fair.
Paul shows you how you can get old and still play to get your rocks off...

TM.

Hi TowelMaster - yes, I saw and recorded the concert last night, naturally, and is it true that you saw "Wings Over America" in concert???? Wow!!! The nearest I've got is the album of the same name, which is a great album - but what I wouldn't give to have gone there to see it!

Nononono....sorry...for me too....no I just have the album and I saw the documentary couple of times years ago.

The nice thing about that tour was that Paul McCartney wanted to play in small clubs in 1966. Be known as Ricky and the Redstripes or something. And in 1975 he actually did that with Wings...I mean the Beatles couldn't perform anymore so years later he starts his own show with 5 Wings-songs, gets everybody crazy and THEN starts with the Beatles-stuff...beautiful !

The nicest shot in the movie is when they're in the carpark being escorted by security-men of course, and then up comes this bent over, sorta old little guy : "I know him...I really know him" just like any other fan. Turns out to be Ringo Starr who was in the neighbourhood and decided to drop in...nice tour that...

TM.

Oh, that's a shame...
You've got to admire Paul McCartney for how he started Wings. Just before "Wild Life" was made, he started out by touring all the unis of Britain and giving free concerts... If only I'd been born 20 years earlier...

Sittin on the stand of the Sports Arena
waiting for the show to begin
Red lights, green lights, strawberry wine
good friend of mine,
follow the starts...
Venus and Mars are allright tonight....

Walking 'long the sidewalk on a purple afternoon
I was accosted by a ?????er, playing a simple tune
Upon his flute,
Toot toot toot toot.
Silver rain was falling down upon the dirty ground of
London Town.

The best song on Venus & Mars is "Rock Show"

There's a Rockshow at the concertgebouw
They've got long hair at the Madison Square
Rock 'n Roll at the Hollywood Bowl...

Yeah, great song. I kinda like Medicine Jar(please no Jarjar-jokes ).

Get on your feet you won't get far if you keep on sticking your hand in the medicinejar...

He didn't write it(that was the now deceased Jimmy McCullough) but it exactly the song for Paul.

TM.

I think that perhaps Denny Laine's "Time To Hide" was perhaps the strongest song... With "Spirits Of Ancient Egypt" being another one with a similar, slow-but-grand style that you just don't hear today.

You're right, Spirits was great too and even on the same side as MedicineJar...that whole first side was great. Start the music and don't stop for 30 minutes !

Of course it's virtually impossible to pick the best song on the album, too many good ones on it !

TM.

I know - that's what more or less started me off on Wings. I'm trying to collect them all, but so far haven't done well as I've only got 7 Wings albums - I've run out of money.
I was very pleased to hear that "Band on the Run" is one of the songs of the millenium - yet, strangely enough, I've never heard anyone play any Wings when I've been to 70s nights. I don't know why - they just seem forgotten, somehow. It's all ABBA, who I like, but they're not Wings.

Uhuh, that's probably because no dj has the stuff. I DJ regularly here at the local concerthall(Hell I am a volunteer there ) and even I can't play it in the main hall! Simply because some idiots think it's too old and that you can't dance to it, probably because the regular visitor can move but not dance .
Now ABBA on the other hand had their greatest hits around 1980, Paul will always be connected to the Beatles and it is not cool to like the Beatles(for young folks that is). Hendrix yes, the Doors definitely, but the Beatles , no way. Probably because their folks used to play it...

On the other hand(there's a fist) I DO play this stuff in the bar of the same joint on Thursdaynights as I play everything I like on Thursday...It took about 3 months for people to get used to hearing Wings, then Jamiroquai, then Depeche Mode and then a bit of Drum 'n Bass and so on.

People are much more into 'categories' of music nowadays...it's a shame...

TM.

I know what you mean. Everyone I speak to about Wings hasn't heard of them, or thinks "Mull of Kintyre" is the worst song ever - which I think is a shame as it's very relaxing - or say that "Guns 'n' Roses" did a better version of "Live And Let Die" - or more often think that it was the original version!
Besides, I don't see how people can dance to most modern "Dance Music". Music? Techno stuff is just an excuse to hit a drum very loudly and hope for the best if you randomly play a keyboard... Oh well, perhaps my views are old-fashioned, but I think Wings had a variety to their songs that you don't really get now.

BTW - have you got "Flaming Pie"?

Nope, just Wings over America, London Town, Tug of War and some Beatles-stuff of course.
I must say that the best record I have heard of him since Wings was Tug of War but the only songs I think are pathetic are Ebony and Ivory and That song with Carl Perkins..On the other h

and Tug of War and especially here today are unsurpassed..

Oh and Dress me up as a robber of course...brilliant !

TM.

Unfortunately "Tug Of War" is one of the albums I haven't got
I thought that his "Flaming Pie" was one of the greatest albums I've heard in a long, long time. But "Run Devil Run", which is his latest (apart from "Working Classical" - a more melodic album) isn't as good. It has a lot of the songs he performed on the concert. I'd also recommend "Flowers In The Dirt" - that was a good album in my opinion. I don't know - perhaps I'm too detirmined to enjoy everything he makes!

Sorry, forgot about flowers in the dirt. I have that one too. But I don't think it is on the same level as Tug...

You like Paul ? Buy Tug...it has the only song he wrote about John Lennon on it(after John's death that is, took P. years before he recorded that). It is a bit like Yesterday although it's definitely a new song.
It's one of those songs that go beyond 'He Is Such A Great Writer Of Popsongs'. This is definitely personal...

TM.

Well, when I get some money, I'll definately buy "Tug Of War" then - but at the moment I've got £3 less than my rent for next month, and haven't bought anyone any presents - and still have to pay for travel & food until mid-January. In other words, my financial situation is not a CD buying one

Perhaps, you can download it...? It sounds like a typical album for it, I mean it DOES have Ebony and Ivory on it(aaaaarrrrggghhhhhh - I think Jamiroquai is SOO much better then Mr. Wonder).

TM.

Have you seen the Video for Ebony & Ivory? It's so obvious that Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder are on opposite sides of the atlantic when they made it, and no-where near each other at all.
"Pipes of Peace", on the other hand, is a great video.

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