Friday, March 23, 2012

For Completists Only

Bob Dylan allegedly didn't think much of the Beatle's "Michelle." He felt rock and roll and other blues-based music was what they did well, while there were simply tons of Tin Pan Alley tunes already out there and was no need for the Beatles to come up with their own versions.  Dylan was wrong.  The Beatles, especially McCartney, had a gift for melody, and there was no reason to stifle it.

On the other hand, one thing Paul has never needed to do was follow so many of his contemporaries and record a whole album of standards.  He's a great songwriter and performer, but, following Dylan, there are tons of interpreters of that music already out there, and the last thing we need is McCartney, who helped end the era of the Great American Songbook (which he feels somewhat guilty about), giving us his take.

But that's just what he's done with his latest, Kisses On The Bottom, his first album in five years.  I suppose Sir Paul has earned the right to do what he wants, but it doesn't mean I have to listen to it.

2 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

My 73 year old mother swears by Rod Stewart's CDs of standards. I constantly make "Hot Legs" references when she is lsitening to it which which afffects not to understand.

I don't get it- unless there is some radical new interpretation, what is interesting about it?

3:53 AM, March 23, 2012  
Anonymous Lawrence King said...

Yeah, that's bizarre. As a songwriter, Paul McCartney is in the very top tier. As a singer, he's quite good but not amazing. So there is no way that his version of "Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive" could possibly compare to Ella Fitzgerald's.

I also agree with Anon1: a remake that isn't radically different is pointless. Phil Collins made millions by covering "You Can't Hurry Love" and perfectly duplicating the original; why didn't they just re-release the original as a single instead?

There are two kinds of covers that are worth doing. One is a radical new interpretation of a song. The other is a cover of a folk song that is so skeletal that it just calls out for a re-do (some songs from Bob Dylan's fourth album and several Joni Mitchell songs come to mind).

2:53 PM, March 23, 2012  

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