McCartney History - “Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey” - 10 Things That You Didn’t Know 

No matter how many times I hear it, no matter where....this song takes me back to when it was new, and I was a kid in the back seat of the station wagon (mom and dad up front), hearing it for the first time on a rainy night. Still have my dad's 45 of this. Thank you for another great video. 😊♥️

Uncle Albert is one of my childhoold images... this flugel horn and the higest voices that I've heard shoutting "Hands across the water, heads across the sky" is the soundtrack of my life... 1970 in the kinder garden, I was 6 years old. This tune were sounding on the radio everywhere. And realized that Paul was the conductor makes me love him more. Thank you for this chapter. Amazing channel.

Thanks again, GT! I have always placed the "Uncle Albert" half of this track near the top of my most favorite McCartney solo efforts. All the layers, textures moods, empty spaces, the background "Ah ah ah ah ah, yehhhhhh" vocals around the stuffy British spoken "We're sooo sorry, Uncle Albert, but we haven't done a bloody theeng all DAY!" David Nivenish part. Good rainy weather music.

Love the song. Wish he had performed it in concert. I think it would have been really well received!

Yet another excellent and musically informative video from GT! Great work! 👍👍👏👏

Great video! Glad I found your channel.

Very enjoyable, thank you.

You have one of the most satisfying cadences and timbres I’ve heard on RU-vid in a very long time! Also this video was very informative! I learned a lot.

Both my parents served in the United States Marine Corps during WW II. They were married after the war while they were both stationed in Washington D.C. On the day they were to be married there was a parade in D.C. honoring Admiral William "Bull" Halsey. Due to streets being closed because of the parade route, they nearly didn't make it to the church they were to be married in at the time the ceremony was scheduled. Afterward they always referred to the date of their wedding anniversary as "Bull Halsey Day".

Well done! I never walk away without some new nugget of wisdom.

Great info video. Cheers!

Great video!

Great work. I believe this and “Feels Good” by Chuck Mangione are the only #1s featuring a Flugglehorn.

This is great! Subscribed!

Great first segment!! Subbed

Again, fantastic information. I had no idea this was recorded in the US or that George Martin had written the score. I believe that John said some complementary words about it.

Nice informative video. Good job.

Nice Job on this one GT. To me, this track in particular has that Beatles feel to it both musically and production wise. Took a little of the sting out of the breakup as the quality of Ram was just that much better than McCartney one. Probably still my favorite PM solo record. There’s a great video out there of Denny Seiwell playing along with the track. Such a laid back interesting drum track during the body of the song. I loaned Denny my 1940’s Gretsch WMP Broadcasters back in the 90’s so that he could play a set of Ram songs with my bandmates at the time. It was great to actually see him play this material in a live setting.

Great insight! Thanks! New subscriber!

Loved this song and Another Day.

That song instantly takes me back to 5 years old. I can see my Kindergarten classroom, my childhood home........I'll always love it.

I always loved this song. Even though I knew this stuff, it's great to hear you tell it.

Nice video. The first movie I took my, now, wife to was Give My Regards to Broad Street. Good times.

Thanks!

Thanks for this! Side one of RAM is a favorite.

Football camp, my sophomore year of high school. This was all over the radio.

What a fantastic video have a wonderful Easter long weekend also Monday was my friends birthday also my birthday ❤😊

Very intresting Mr Guitar Trooper. I would be satistied/ glad if you could do a vocalanalys of Back Seat of my Car. So good. By the way, cheers from Sweden

I always thought this was about him getting stoned so often he couldn't get the song done. "And we're so easily called away"...

More great facts!

EXCELLENT EPISODE

hi from Uruguay 👋 i speak spanish but try some english Thanks a lot for this fun and clever video love this song and for me Paul is the best , simply the best of all by far and i love really love The Beatles , but my fever ever band is Wings

I remember listening to this in my mom’s 45’s collection when I was 6 years old in 74’.

Nicely done! The lead guitar on this one however was not David Spinozza, it was the late Hugh McCracken (who often worked w/ David!)....

I always thought this track was one of his greatest. So varied and affecting. What a talent.

hello Guitar Trooper, cheers from Florida, Paul

My favorite solo Paul song

WOW ~ I was all wrong in my assumptions regarding this song ~ I thought that the Uncle Albert and Hands Across the Water part was a jab at Alan Klien ~ The Marvin Stamm Flugelhorn part reminded me of the background music to all those old Laural & Hardy films ~ Thanks good clip again ~

I love that song and the video too

Bought Ram the first day it was released! “Back Seat of My Car” was my favorite Song. Became bar friends with Denny Seiwell at a popular spot near Lake Hollywood mid 80’s…Full of great Stories! I didn’t know George Martin wrote the arrangements. You ALWAYS have nuggets for us!!! ❤👏👏👏

By the time _Ram_ was released, Northern Songs had been bought out by ATV Music, under the control of Sir Lew Grade. So it was actually ATV that brought suit against Paul for Linda's share of the copyrights. Part of the settlement was that Paul provide a TV show featuring his music to Lew Grade. This turned into the 1973 _James Paul McCartney_ TV special (which featured _Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey_ as well as Beatle songs owned by ATV). And it was shown in the UK on ITV, which had links to ATV.

I think that it is a tribute to Paul’s music and entrepreneurial skills to be able to stitch together odds and ends shows how multi talented he really is

I have thought long and hard about my favorite Beatles songs. In the end, I could not come up with one Beatles tune that I preferred over all the rest. For the individual Beatles, however, I found it much easier. For Sir Paul, this song is, of all he had recorded, my hands down favorite. I like nearly everything he had made, of course, but this one I have to put down as my number one. My criteria for making this determination is kinda weird. I thought about which songs, if they came on the radio in the car just as I was about to park and get out, would I hesitate and stay inside until it was over. Most songs from most performers I could turn off. After all, I will hear it another time, especially because I subscribe to satellite radio (and they have a dedicated Beatles channel). But, Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey is one that I would stay and listen to until the end. This has actually happened many times.

I like the way you speak, your English is very clear to a Brazilian understand

I remember uncle Albert. Not about the others ones. Good job

By far the best song McCartney done.

DOUBLE AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!

I always enjoyed Oh Woman Oh Why. The flip side of Another Day.

According to Tony Bramwell's book " Magical Mystery Tours " Uncle Albert was a shell shocked Brit vet from WWII, and could be challenging to be around. It's a great read if you can find it. He knew all of them from childhood and also worked for Brian Epstein and after with The Beatles and others.

Just looked at this video about McCartney's Ram album (one of my personal favorites). I appreciate your #2 reference regarding David Spinozza. David is a phenomenal guitarist that doesn't get the recognition he deserves. However, with respect to McCartney's "Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey," I think you'll find that most of the guitar work was done by one of David's contemporary studio guitar players and friend, Hugh McCracken, another exceptional musician that played on hundreds of famous recordings.

Thanks, good list. A few more interesting facts: #11 Although the composition was stitched together by McCartney from disparate ideas, surprisingly the recording wasn't stitched together. They practiced the whole thing in the studio until until they got the transitions right and recorded it in one continuous take #12 The flugelhorn solo was not originally planned. Paul decided on this during the studio recording and made up the idea on the spot. He hummed roughly what he wanted to Marvin Stamm. Stamm tried it and "I went on until he liked it". Stamm was quite impressed by McCartney. # 13 Although George Martin, back in England, wrote out the orchestral score for this and other Ram tracks, ideas for it were (not untypically) prescribed by McCartney. Drummer Denny Seiwell was asked if he thought Paul needed someone like George Martin, and he replied, "No, I really don't," explaining that Paul had specified how he wanted the different instruments to be voiced and had very clear requirements. *"He* [Paul] made those records sound the way they sound, along with the help of George."

Always loved this tune (tunes actually). I was only 9 or 10 when it came out but it always piqued my interest when it came on the radio and I would try to figure out what the story behind it was all about. Steely Dan “Do It Again” was another one around the same time that had the same effect, in fact practically every song on the radio back then seemed so different and interesting.

"Little little gypsy get around; get your feet up off the ground. Little, little get around" is absolutely profound in reflecting the life/work of musical genius Paul. . . his maturing identity from international teen-hearthrob to husband/father. Children are far more satisfying than fame, and far more necessary in the onward march of human culture and progress.

I had that single as a pre-teenie.

I didn't know about Uncle Albert or the engineer taking over production, or the flugelhorn player. But the rest was known or believed.

I first heard uncle Albert/ the DJ didn’t introduce the song and I immediately thought the Beatles didn’t break up after all, because I recognize the voice as a Beatles song. Then I found out the truth, but I’ll always be disappointed they broke up.

I thought "Albert" was code for Frank Sinatra. Ha. Thanks for clearing that up. :)

I always thought ‘He had to have a berth or he couldn’t get to sea’ as ‘he had to have a bath or he couldn’t get to sea….’ This was before the internet to check out lyrics & never bothered afterwards.

OK I was already to correct you, but it seems I've been hearing the lyric "had to have a berth" incorrectly all these decades. I always heard it as "had to have a bath". But but but... it makes WAY more sense as "bath" because the real Admiral Halsey suffered from a debilitating skin disease that cause him to miss the Battle of Midway. He was hospitalized and one of his treatments was "oatmeal-water baths". His condition finally cleared up so he was able to "get to sea". I feel like my whole life has been a lie.

Here's an 11th fact you didn't know. Just after the verse "we'll be sure to give a ring" you hear a telephone ring tone. After the last ring tone there was a voice effect put on for "we're so sorry, uncle Albert, but we haven't done a bloody thing all day" Well......the engineer put that effect on a bit early. The last 2 telephone rings have a different sound. McCartney heard it and liked it. It stayed on the record.

Leave it to Paul to create this cool song😊 That kid from Liverpool is still entertaining us today.

Marvin also played for Brazilian legend Deodato

I thought Another Day was released as a single.

I,ve always felt RAM was Pauls best post Beatles work.

This may be just coincidence - but the drummer in The Rutles - stage name Barry Wom - real name John HALSEY - had a nickname nearly all his friends used (me included): ADMIRAL!

Why is fragrant #3, one of only times McCartney sings with a definite British accent. So is his American accent singing, a put-on? (or natural?) (or vice versa, on all his other songs?)

No picture of Marvin Stamm?

Seems to me he was shadowing Brain Wilson and some of that Good Vibrations craziness...

I'd always felt that each part of this medley could have made great songs if they had been presented SEPARATELY...as stand alone compositions. Its too bad he bunched them together. Though it does speak to the strength of his song writing ...particularly his flair for catchy melodies.

Was Spinozza on Back to the Egg?

Two new revelations for me, Paul likes to use uncredited producers during this time (Phil Ramone produced 'Another Day') and Paul was still working with George Martin behind the scenes, wow, George Martin worked on Ram...

I think it's a masterpiece easily, and I do mean easily; on the level of "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen 4 years later. I find it sad that it has nowhere near the same level of recognition or popularity. Unlike "Bohemian..." I could listen to it any time any day.

Hey GT: fix your description. It reads: John McCartney.

2nd attempt to comment. My husband was a lifelong Beatle maniac and finally got to see Paul McCartney in 1993 at the very first concert at the Alamo Dome in San Antonio. He was left with literally bad taste in his mouth because one beer was $8.00, the only food was Linda McCartney's vegetarian food and we had to sit through a 20 minute Greenpeace film. Entertain, don't lecture. At least he got to see at least one of the Beatles. As for me, I never paid too much attention to the Beatles and I thought the song was a Beatles song off of Sargent Pepper. 🤷

"based on her glee club activities in school...." lol

..Butterpie? Butterpie. The butter wouldn't melt so we put it in a pie. It was alright..

Can't believe you didn't explain the 2nd half of the title - Adm. Halsey! Macca has confirmed that the name refers to US naval commander William "Bull" Halsey, who took part in many of the major Pacific naval battles of WW 2. Not that McCartney was a fan or anything - maybe the name just fit - but it is an odd inclusion in a pop song. A bonus thing you might not have known about "Uncle Albert...."

How do you know I, or anybody else, didn’t know those ten things?

Dave spinoza was a big talker. He often commented on paul" not knowing anything about music". Tool.

#11 i understand that he has never performed it live

Well, I had the lyrics wrong.

RAM was the best Paul solo album.

1st.

This thing about stitching bits of unfinished songs together was a feature of later Beatle's work by McC and, for me, was always irritating much as the results were popular. Just give me a finished song, a vignette, a musical story rather than sweepings from the floor glued together.

And Paul did not attend his father's funeral.

11. It's not about anything. Par.

Great melody, excellent production......meaningless lyrics

Lying, not laying.

Too Many People was as good or better than Uncle Albert.

I knew it was one of the worst songs ever recorded and that's all I need to know about it.

This was when the rot set in. Dreadful song.

Dorky song. Simpy lyrics. Colossal fail.

Rubbish

Drug music.

One of the worst songs of all time!

This has got to be the worst McCartney song ever