While his live album was stumbling about the charts, Paul did an MTV Unplugged show with new drummer Blair Cunningham (who had been in a later incarnation of the Pretenders with guitarist Robbie McIntosh). Since he knew bootlegs would be immediately circulating, he decided to release the soundtrack of the broadcast version as a limited edition, numbered release worldwide. Subtitled The Official Bootleg, it was an immediate sellout as fanatics tried to get their copies before they couldn’t. This is a charming performance, with much more of a natural feel throughout than his other live albums. He does a pile of ‘50s country/rockabilly favorites, plus some more Beatle songs he’d ignored for years. The three songs from 1970’s McCartney are actually the newest compositions included. Hamish Stuart sings “Ain’t No Sunshine” while Paul plays the brushes, and while he doesn’t play the piano, he does sit down to play “Blackbird”. Linda stays to one side with her harmonium, offending no one.
Unplugged isn’t easy to find, as most people hoarded their copies and bought extras to keep sealed. It can occasionally be found as a moderately priced import. (The original LP release was manufactured in Spain, of all places.) The packaging is similar to a certain so-called Russian album, which conveniently comes into our story right about here.
Although it’s not Paul’s fault, Choba B CCCP (translating roughly to “Back In The USSR”) was immediately compared to John’s Rock ‘N Roll album (which wasn’t his best overall performance either). Besides, they even have two songs in common. All the songs are fairly straightforward and faithful, not unlike a wedding band. “Ain’t That A Shame”, “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore” and “Crackin’ Up” all have Paul on guitar, and they’re interesting for not being as routine as the rest. Other standouts include “Summertime” and various Fats Domino covers.
The album was finally released worldwide in the fall of 1991, at the tail end of an incredibly visible period alongside the debut of Paul McCartney’s Liverpool Oratorio. Despite his name cemented in the title, this foray into classical music doesn’t sound like a typical McCartney work, which was probably the point. Trying to imagine Paulie singing the words doesn’t suggest it could be any better if he did. A commercial if not critical success, parts are pleasant but it’s not exactly essential, unless you really like operatic voices.
Paul McCartney Unplugged—The Official Bootleg (1991)—4
Paul McCartney Choba B CCCP (1991)—3
Now, I know this was a special, one time only event. Even so, I have the same complaint that I do about the last live album – too many oldies covers. They take up half the setlist here! I could have done without any of these, especially one sung by Hamish. I found this even more annoying after finding out that a much better version of “Things We Said Today” was performed but left off the album.
ReplyDeleteOne can’t complain about the rest of it. The tunes from “McCartney” are perfect for this setting. Of course, he couldn’t go wrong by including classics from the “Rubber Soul”/” Revolver” period. However, it’s hard to avoid thinking what could have been included instead. “Flowers in the Dirt” was still current. How about “Put it There”? Or “Another Day”? “Heart of the Country”? “I’ll Follow the Sun”? .
So, despite the charm, the album still is a disappointment for me. The clips are fun to watch, anyway.