Ok, so in a Lennon v. McCartney argument, I have always stuck up for Paul. I know John was the ‘sarcastic one’, the darker, more intense (and arguably interesting) of the two. I know he was The Walrus, who was martyred and he will live forever (mostly because of Yoko’s determination to keep him alive).
But Paul was a sublime songwriter, a whimsical and imaginative dreamweaver, pulling in every aspect of British life in the 20th Century and pouring it out again in words and melodies which, 50 years on, still provide inspiration and entertainment for both writers and listeners of music alike. He elevated the bass guitar to a lead instrument and his style has been admired and emulated by every generation since.
It is a real shame, therefore, that since 1971, Paul McCartney has struggled to match those halcyon days. Admittedly, there have been flashes of brilliance, a few good Wings tunes, occasional gems.. Even The Frog Song has a place in my heart.
But overall it is hard to deny that, without his counterpoint in JL, Paul has struggled to harness the magic and creativity that he demonstrated as a Beatle.
Even still, despite the fact that he is now a fairly pompous character with a tendency to rewrite history in his favour, I think Paul McCartney is entitled to think he can do no wrong. In those 7 years, he did enough to ensure his place in history and I can live with that.
Kisses On The Bottom, however, is hard to like. I mean the title alone is enough to make you wince. The cover artwork is like something he might have put out in 1983 and, despite the combined (and considerable) talents of McCartney, Tommy LiPuma, Clapton, Stevie Wonder and Diana Krall, the sound of Paul’s thinning voice wrestling with the mellifluous melodies of a series of jazz standards is pretty disheartening.
Those standards are, according to Paul, the music he grew up with, a powerful connection to his youth and the very reason he became a musician in the first place. All very meaningful, but somehow it rings hollow. Something about this recording feels insincere, a vanity project he’s had knocking around and it doesn’t help that he allowed Rod Stewart and Robbie Williams to get there first (notwithstanding his protestations).
Surprisingly (to me anyway), Kisses On The Bottom has generally received good reviews and maybe I just don’t get it. Maybe it’s a generational thing. I mean Dylan has released three albums of mid-century standards and everyone is delighted, even the Nobel Committee. But none of messrs Stewart, McCartney or Dylan has ever had a jazz voice and, even when you’re in your 20s, it’s hard to do these tunes justice; 50 years in the business doesn’t make it any easier.
As Paul says, these are well structured songs and I daresay I love them as much as he does, but they belong to an age of crooners – honey-throated singers whose talent was in their voices. I’m very grateful that this music helped to form and inform the young Paul McCartney – the world is a better place for it and I don’t say that lightly. But maybe it’s more rewarding to dig out the originals and immerse yourself in the zeitgeist of the era. Maybe that’s a better way to understand how the legend was created.
But then what do I know? It is Paul McCartney after all…