Paul McCartney 19: Tripping The Live Fantastic

Another tour, another three-record set. Paul’s world tour was a huge success everywhere it went, and Tripping The Live Fantastic was a natural souvenir for everyone who saw it. Like Wings Over America, it includes nearly every song performed on the tour, including some never performed before onstage, plus bonus soundcheck material of varying interest.

The band was basically set up like Wings—Paul plus two guitar players, a drummer and Linda, plus another keyboard player to help her out—so the songs are tight and professional. Surprisingly, few Wings or solo songs were performed, putting the emphasis on Beatle material and Flowers In The Dirt. As some of those Beatle songs were making their live debut, comparisons with the originals were inevitable. “The Fool On The Hill” is a nice surprise, even if the ending goes too long. “Back In The USSR” reminds us that he can rock. “Sgt. Pepper” is extended to include both versions and a three-way guitar solo. “Let It Be”, the final Abbey Road medley and “Hey Jude” grab the crowd by the heartstrings and don’t let go.

There are a few clunkers; “Ebony And Ivory” is torpedoed with Stevie’s part being sung by Hamish Stuart. (Even when he was in the Average White Band he didn’t profess to be funky.) “Coming Up” was done best with Wings. The excitement of hearing “Birthday” in a live setting depends on one’s opinion of the original. Some unique oldies are interspersed, like “Twenty Flight Rock” and the Ray Charles chestnut “Don’t Let The Sun Catch You Crying”; all the selections are immaculately and lovingly performed to ecstatic audience response.

For those who saw the tour, the fun of actually being in the same room with a Beatle outweighed the music and talent. Much of the patter and “spontaneous” moments were clearly scripted, as all are reproduced here; one’s tolerance of Paul’s charm and cuteness varies from fan to fan. The packaging was especially nice if you bought the vinyl, with the CD photo booklet blown up to full size. (A single-CD distillation subtitled Highlights! was also made available shortly afterwards for those who didn’t want to spring for the double; most likely it only sold to collectors who had to have both.)

Paul McCartney Tripping The Live Fantastic (1990)—3
Paul McCartney Tripping The Live Fantastic: Highlights! (1990)—3

John Lennon 14: Imagine Soundtrack and Lennon

Part of Yoko’s continued re-establishing her husband’s legacy included authorizing a syndicated radio show that served up hours of unreleased music and interviews with people willing to chime in about it. It also coincided with a feature-length documentary, right around the time of Albert Goldman’s hachet job.

The Imagine soundtrack was the obvious tie-in to that film, and the marketing folks most likely wanted to make it as accessible as possible for neophytes. While it’s admittedly convenient to have a nice pile of Beatle classics alongside John’s solo hits, collectors didn’t really need another version of “Help!” or “In My Life” in their racks. But it does present a nice round musical look at John, and going through his recorded history chronologically tells volumes more than the idea that his life started in May of 1968.

As for the alternate tracks, this was the first official appearance of “A Day In The Life” with a clean intro. The live take of “Mother” is also a clever change of pace. The quick run-through of “Imagine” to the session guys who’d never heard it before nor imagined (sorry) that it would become such a famous song is charming. Even the unfinished quality of “Real Love” was obvious to the Threetles when they embellished it in 1995. Again, the album is a good introduction, especially if it leads the listener to the original albums. Which was the idea anyway.

By the time the film was gathering dust in video stores, the box set had become a big deal in music retail. Consumers expected great packaging with a well-rounded overview; collectors wanted this plus better sound and rare stuff. The Lennon box set sits on the fence between complete and holy grail, while being neither.

It starts naturally with “Give Peace A Chance”, then gives what was the first CD appearance of four tracks from Live Peace in Toronto. All of Plastic Ono Band is represented. And that’s just the first disc. Disc 2 has all of the Imagine LP save “I Don’t Wanna Be A Soldier”, a dip into Some Time In New York City and a couple of tracks from the One-to-One shows, ending with a smattering of the more notable tracks from Mind Games.

Disc 3 has most of Walls And Bridges, plus a sampling of both the Spector and non-Spector sessions for Rock ‘N Roll, but sadly includes “Angel Baby” over the then-unreleased “Be My Baby”. The three live tracks from his final live appearance at an Elton John concert fittingly close out the disc. Disc 4 is an idea that should have existed on its own: all John’s Double Fantasy and Milk And Honey tracks, plus the “solo” remix of “Every Man Has A Woman”, without Yoko’s songs to interrupt them. This is the preferred way to take these in.

With all the space on these discs, there could have been more album tracks, or at least more rare or unreleased stuff, but they’d also promised that an official Lost Lennon Tapes box would be out shortly. (It took eight years.) The booklet keeps it simple with all the lyrics but no other annotations. Therefore the music stands for itself, and while we can argue all day about the songs that were left off, it’s still a pretty listenable box set. And a rare one too, as it was never widely available.

John Lennon Imagine: Music From The Original Motion Picture (1988)—3
John Lennon Lennon (1990)—4

Traveling Wilburys 2: Vol. 3

Even though Roy Orbison was gone too soon, the remaining Wilburys were determined to carry on, and they did. The joke here is that rather than trying to follow the success of Volume One with a second installment, they skipped right to the third. (Cue rim shot.) The songs are largely Dylan-centric compositions, and better than the album he’d released a month earlier.

“She’s My Baby” hits the ground running, with over-the-top guitar injections by “bluesman” Gary Moore. “Inside Out” and “The Devil’s Been Busy”—complete with sitar!—are ecological numbers, sandwiching the too-short “If You Belonged To Me”. “7 Deadly Sins” is the only doo-wop number in Dylan’s oeuvre, and it’s a scream. “Poor House” is standard inconsequential Jeff Lynne rockabilly redeemed by George’s guitar.

“Where Were You Last Night?” is more Bob, who steps aside long enough for Tom to recite the wry musical inventory in “Cool Dry Place”. (It, of course, being the natural sequel to “Handle With Care”.) “New Blue Moon” fits the same weird pocket as “Margarita” on the other album, but this one’s funnier. “You Took My Breath Away” is better Petty, and the whole thing comes crashing down with “Wilbury Twist”.

While there may be those who find Vol. 3 as enjoyable as the first, the boys just couldn’t capture lightning in the same bottle. It was too much to expect the same surprising fun, but it didn’t merit the near commercial ignorance the public served it. At least the band had the decency not to try and replace Roy. They even picked new pseudonyms. (The 2007 reissue adds “Nobody’s Child”, which was originally available only on Olivia Harrison’s Romanian Angel Appeal charity album, and a sadly reworked version of “Runaway”, which wasn’t so close to the original Del Shannon version when first released as a B-side. Thanks a lot, Jeff.)

And that was that. While George professed to be a Wilbury till he died, no further recordings by the group have surfaced or much less been rumored.

Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3 (1990)—3
2007 rerelease: same as 1990, plus 2 extra tracks

Bob Dylan 35: Under The Red Sky

Ringo Starr once said that one of the worst jam sessions he ever played in included himself, Ron Wood, Eric Clapton, and a whole bunch of other people said to be among the best players around. His point was that just putting such people together doesn’t guarantee quality.

Such is the case with Under The Red Sky. With all the promise of Oh Mercy, and despite the inspired fluke that was the Traveling Wilburys, Bob came back a year later with another water-treading collection of songs dominated by big names. (Empire Burlesque anyone?) Here’s proof that all the stars and a hot producer—in this case, Don Was, then riding high on the wave of the B-52s, Bonnie Raitt and, of course, Was (Not Was)—don’t equal success. The luminaries dotting the credits run the gamut from George Harrison, David Lindley, the Vaughan brothers, Bruce Hornsby, David Crosby, Elton John and Slash to Kenny Aronoff on drums, Randy Jackson on bass (in the wilderness years between Journey and American Idol) and Al Kooper, who was probably happy to tell the same old stories to anyone who’d listen.

The slow thuds that start “Wiggle Wiggle” should be the first sign that something’s wrong. The title track makes little sense, unless it’s taken as a kids’ song. “Unbelievable” was the only choice for a single and lead video, but it didn’t help sales. “Born In Time” is just too syrupy; it’s a shame, since takes exist of this from the Oh Mercy sessions, and you can almost hear a decent track in there. “T.V. Talkin’ Song” just makes him sound like a cranky old man.

“10,000 Men” is another nursery rhyme, with a great windup opening, which “2 X 2” lacks. While the former seems to hint at a future direction, the latter squanders any of its potential. “God Knows”—another Oh Mercy refugee—has some potential, but “Handy Dandy” is a direct musical ripoff of “Like A Rolling Stone”. “Cat’s In The Well” is okay for an ending, and still figures in his setlists today, but do you really feel like playing this album again?

Maybe these are just good songs recorded badly. But the songs on Under The Red Sky simply weren’t there. Most seem to be repetitive lists and litanies, without any of the wordplay and insight central to the brand. Granted, he was also busy with another Wilburys album while all this was happening, but we’re getting ahead of ourselves. It fits in the pantheon below Desire as a Dylan album that some people love but we just don’t get.

The album’s defenders maintain that it should be heard as Bob intended: as a children’s album. It turns out that he did have a toddler around, so that could well be the inspiration. But if there’s anyone out there who sings their kids to sleep at night with lines like “wiggle till you vomit fire,” “ten thousand men on a hill… some of ‘em gonna get killed,” “let me eat his head off so you can really see,” “how much poison did they inhale?” or “the drinks are ready and the dogs are going to war,” start saving up for therapy, just in case.

Bob Dylan Under The Red Sky (1990)—2

George Harrison 12: Best Of Dark Horse

Cloud Nine had been a moderate hit, and likely carried in the wake of the other Wilburys’ solo successes that year, that this contractual obligation managed to chart. With a straightforward title, Best Of Dark Horse picks up where George’s other hits album left off, more or less. The selections from the five albums in the period are as obvious as they are head-scratching. (Three songs from Gone Troppo? Granted, one of those was only on the CD, but no “Dream Away”? And no “This Song”?)

No Wilburys tracks were included, but as something of an enticement, the album does include three new songs. Of the new songs, “Poor Little Girl” is pretty ordinary, wrapped around a honking sax, and probably a leftover from Cloud Nine. Some of the words over the chorus section deserve a better fate than this. “Cockamamie Business”, another complaint about the music industry, is grumpy without being clever or pertinent. The surprise is “Cheer Down”, co-written with Tom Petty and first heard over the closing credits of Lethal Weapon 2, of all things. It’s a treat. And it would be the last real new song from him for many years.

Best Of Dark Horse was a nice enough collection of some of the better songs from albums that weren’t worth it for the most part, but a little redundant for those of us who already had them. At least the lyric sheet clarified some of the lines in “When We Was Fab” for us. Within a few years it was out of print along with the rest of the Dark Horse catalog, and has stayed that way, leaving “Poor Little Girl” and “Cockamamie Business” all but forgotten to the mists of time. (They were even overlooked in 2004’s Dark Horse Years box set.)

George Harrison Best Of Dark Horse 1976-1989 (1989)—3½
Current CD availability: none

Bob Dylan 34: Oh Mercy

Wonder of wonders, and in a massive reward for long-suffering fans, a new Bob Dylan album appeared that most agreed this was more like it. Oh Mercy—the title, perhaps, a tribute to the recently departed Roy Orbison?—was produced by Daniel Lanois, fresh off his success with U2, Peter Gabriel and Robbie Robertson. His “swampy” approach to the sound complements the lyrics, which travel throughout between introspective and foreboding. The atmosphere is also perfect match for Bob’s voice, thankfully simplified and melodic without straining. The performances are simple, with a lot of emphasis on texture; he also plays a lot of piano for the first time since New Morning.

Perhaps it’s because the previous albums had been so spotty, these songs are very strong and durable. “Political World” fades in with the Lanois sound, and kicks in with a nasty vocal. There are few one-chord songs that make it, and this one does. “Where Teardrops Fall” picks up the pace a bit, with an influence of the town where it was recorded. “Everything Is Broken” takes an old Creedence riff and strangles it, underneath a near litany of things that are simply broken. “Ring Them Bells” takes the tempo down, where the album will stay. This wouldn’t have been out of place on the so-called Christian albums, and that’s meant in a good way. And whoever the “Man In The Long Black Coat” is, he’s still a pretty spooky character.

“Most Of The Time” makes good on the promise of all his recent songs of heartbreak and loneliness. “What Good Am I?” is a wonderful piece of soul-searching, followed by the sermonizing of “Disease Of Conceit”. These are very gentle songs, and truly invite the ears to listen as closely as possible. But things turn around for “What Was It You Wanted”, an incredible one-fingered salute to his fans, then “Shooting Star” delivers another great closer in the tradition of “Restless Farewell”, “Dark Eyes” and “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue”.

If those descriptions seem too brief, so be it. 1989 saw a lot of established artists return to form after pissing away most of the decade. Oh Mercy nicely followed the surprise of the Wilburys, and it was reassuring to hear Bob still so capable of something truly marvelous. We could even overlook the damp shirtless photo on the back cover.

Bob Dylan Oh Mercy (1989)—5

Paul McCartney 18: Flowers In The Dirt

Right in the middle of the hair metal revolution came the announcement that Paul was going to tour the world, including America. Oh, and there’d also be a new album. Flowers In The Dirt arrived amidst an exhaustive media blitz wherein Paul told the same stories with the same eyebrow raises and subtle nudges we knew by heart. (To his credit, Paul is oblivious to the sad fact that thousands of us know his history better than he does.) He was also sure to show off his old Hofner bass with the setlist still taped to it, as if he was picking up where he left off in 1966.

“My Brave Face” was upbeat enough to be a strong first single, if a little skewed; the late afternoon counterpart to “For No One”. It was the most successful of four included projects with Elvis Costello, who didn’t ignore the classic McCartney style and helped him to write what came naturally. “Rough Ride” starts out interestingly enough, but when performed live became background music while everybody headed to the john. It deserved better. “You Want Her Too” is a harsh sounding cartoon, and brought out the worst in both Macca and EC. (He’d point to this as a comparison to writing head-to-head with John—not a wise move.) “Distractions” is a half-asleep little number, and a step in the right direction. Then we go two steps back with the obvious “We Got Married”, the oldest recording in the set, produced by MOR yawnmeister David Foster; even he said it wasn’t a good song. “Put It There” ends the side pleasantly enough, with a “Blackbird”-type accompaniment and inoffensive lyrics about fatherly advice.

The second side begins with a possible future classic, “Figure Of Eight”. It would be reworked the following year when released as a single; that version seems better rounded, but this original still shows off all the hooks. “This One” is almost as good, even when the words get clumsy (“if I never did it”—thud). But it’s also the last above-average song here. Neither of the other two Costello songs flow well; “Don’t Be Careless Love” is written in too high a key for either of them, and while “That Day Is Done” would be much better served eight years later when performed by the Fairfield Four in a gospel harmony setting, this rendition has only the briefest glimpse of its potential. “How Many People” is very well intentioned, but Paul never learned not to write protest songs. “Motor Of Love” is slathered in Cars keyboards and a Tears For Fears mix to the point where the bare framework of the song is camouflaged.

That’s how the LP ends—the CD finishes with “Ou Est Le Soleil?”, which is worse than even the instrumentals left off of McCartney II. He liked it so much he sanctioned numerous extended remixes of it. It’s safe to say the vast majority of the consumers who bought all those versions didn’t listen to each more than once, if at all. (The same could be said for the disposable “Party Party”, included as a single with a re-release of the album in certain territories to promote the tour.)

With all the different producers credited on all the songs, it’s only natural that Flowers In The Dirt is a schizophrenic listening experience. It retains its late ‘80s glaze, but at least the musicians who would accompany him around the stages of the world are credited and pictured. It’s certainly better than most of what he spent the decade doing, and it has not aged well at all. But just as in 1976, we didn’t care about the new songs—we were gonna see him on stage again.

Nearly three decades later, when it was reissued after many delays as part of his ongoing Archive Collection series, Paulie made the smart move of including all of the much-bootlegged demos recorded with Costello on the two-disc expansion, making it essential for EC fans. In the more expensive Deluxe Edition, a third disc contained full band demos of the same Costello co-writes, giving an intriguing glimpse into the album’s early incarnation as a full Costello collaboration, including songs that would eventually make it to future albums by both guys. However, most (but not all) of the pertinent B-sides and remixes were offered as downloads only, along with three further rare Costello demos that also saw separate release as a limited-edition cassette. (Yes, a cassette. In 2017.) While much could be said of the improved fidelity—and making it easy to delete over half an hour dedicated to variations on “Ou Est Le Soleil?” and “Party Party” from one’s hard drive—McCartney’s ongoing indifference to what his fans really want, not to mention the whole point of an “archive”, continues to disturb.

Paul McCartney Flowers In The Dirt (1989)—3
2017 Archive Collection: same as 1989, plus 9 extra tracks (Deluxe Edition adds another 9 tracks plus DVD and downloads)