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POST BEATLES When the Beatles broke up, all four of them jumped into other musical activities. The merit of the musical paths taken by Paul are open to subjective opinion. What isn't so subjective, however, is the quality of his bass playing. It has never waned. Even on Red Rose Speedway, an album where he concentrated more on his keyboards, the playing is still superb. However, there is one album remaining to discuss in Paul McCartney's career. WINGS OVER AMERICA (LP)Notes on Wings Over America: The final effect of the playing and mix on the record makes the first focal point the bass and drums, with the extraneous instruments and voice almost secondary - even if this is in your subconscious. The rhythm section constantly pulls you in and then when you do break away and listen to the vocals, it's an added treat. It is safe to say that this is the Paul McCartney people had been waiting for, hard-driving and rocking. ROCK SHOWIs it possible for two versions of the same song to be as completely different as the studio and live versions of Rock Show are? His playing, live, was with a plodding thunderous style that required him to remain rooted within himself. Every note is played from the guts, where bass playing needs to come from. Jet is no different, and the segue from Rock Show into it is a throw back to his Beatles days. Rock Show is plodding along at a high rate of speed, the bass and drums pumping rhythm. Then, suddenly, it ends and there's a moment of almost nonchalance. The beat is taken away, and then brought back again as the first notes of Jet are played. Paul had by now developed a new style of bass playing. This style had showed some evidence of itself on Band On The Run, and furthered itself on Venus and Mars and Speed of Sound. The style is completely evident throughout the Wings Over America album and stands up to anything he's done ever - including the white album. The best way to define it is that he'd really solidified - obviously through countless hours of practice - his left wrist. If you watch the video you can see a very stiff left picking hand. In those days, he held his pick directly underneath his hand. Also, for the purpose of adding to the show, he pulled off some pretty flashy bass runs. Time To Hide had Paul playing as if he were sitting on a burning kettle. He'd lock in with drummer Joe English and then, every so often, stick his Rickenbacker out and leap way up the neck and FLASH for a moment. But, and fledgling bass players take heart, his high bass runs are done with solid rhythm. There was no need whatsoever for speed just for the sake of speed, with one awe-inspiring exception. SOILYThis song is mentioned specifically for the silencing any of the naysayers who might question his status as one of the top-notch bass players In The World, technique-wise. To achieve a Tommy gun effect, he builds to that vocal line and then sprays - right in the middle of the drums - a chromatic run that very few could duplicate. Many may play a chromatic run of that many notes, and many may do it with speed, but not many will do it at that speed and with perfect tempo. Time Magazine had him on the front cover of one of their '76 magazines. "Paul Comes Back" said the caption. They were right, he was back. It's really an amazing album, in spite of the fact that much of the harmony vocals were reproduced in the studio. Paul was back, if he'd ever really left. |