My choice is the Abbey Road medley, Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End. And in the end, The love you take, Is equal to the love you make. So beautiful.
So true! There is a documentary by Howard Goodall that specifically calls out the fact that classical music by the early 20th century had lost its mind and went competely atonal. The Beatles were largely responsible for bringing back melodic (and imaginatively inventive, while tonal) music to the masses.
He really shouldn't be as impressed. I mean if you sell your soul then it's really the devil doing all the heavy lifting. I believe Dylan has hinted at the fact he did it. I guess all three of them sold their souls. You know, Dylan, this guy playing Paul and the original that died in '66.
I love how Bob Dylan's music seems to fit any words you wanna put in them. But imagine changing some of the iconic Beatles lyrics. The lyrics were genius.
I would like to humbly say that you forgot the most important thing: what a great singer he is. Not just because his harmonizing ability with other people is fantastic, but because he actually sings very difficult pieces for any regular throat. I particularly like the song Oh! Darling, and the ripped highs he gives there are really fascinating, interspersed with excellent falcons.
Yes! His singing and his harmonizing with John changed my life when I was 8 years old, no exaggeration at all, and that happened for people of all ages all over the world! The music was wonderful, and vital, but for those of us who didn't yet understand the musical details, the joy was also in the voices of the British Invasion! You had to be there--old enough to have been in the world then... Michael Nesmith was staying with John Lennon and told him he felt sorry for him that as a Beatle, as great as that was, he missed out on experiencing Beatlemania and the joy of the British Invasion the way Nesmith and the rest of us had! Big! Joyful! Paul's talent, the truly amazing thing about it, is that it could continue after The Beatles! It still does today and we are so glad! Just a few years ago when he was 77, he played for 3 hours and exhausted those of us in the audience who were younger! God bless Sir Paul!
@@mollyhall2954 He did the same thing this year at age 80. He’s amazing. I’m 70 and find it difficult to stand up straight because of a bad back. Don’t know how he does it. Same with Ringo.
Paul McCartney is that rare thing - a real artist. No one comes near. He is a great songwriter, super talented musician, superb vocalist. I consider myself blessed to walk the Earth while he is alive. Having had a brief moment where I met him is a moment I will cherish forever.
@@beatlebrian4404 Totally agree The Beatles are rubbish. Boy that guy playing Paul is looking more like Viv Stanshall and less and less like the original guy every day.
@@eastbay_bay you PID people can't even agree on the replacements name! Or when he died, or if he is still alive! there's no evidence whatsoever that holds up, maybe you can show me something that at least gives me food for thought
@@GuitarPilgrim The first time you see anyone play the opening bars of Blackbird, with that slide up to 12(?), your jaw will drop. It still makes me giggle, even now. He's a genius.
McCarney's talent is not of this earth! He, along with the other Beatles, possessed a talent that was way ahead of time. Now, the light shines on Paul as a living legend...His songwriting along with his musical abilities are light years beyond comprehension.....
Yeah the talent of studio musicians, social engineers and handlers was way ahead of its time. Thanks to them we have such notables as Cardi B. Thank you the (corporate) Beatles for degrading music and the culture!
@@eastbay_bay You risk having a point here, but you failed to pin it down. It's the songs and songwriting that count. Excellent engineering enhances, abuse of engineering does not. Conflating the Beatles with modern engineering abuses is barking. Besides, technology is always going to change music in a way you don't like, Grandad. Degrading ? Pah. 🔔🔚
McCartney will be remembered in hundreds of years from now on par with Mozart for his God-given gift for melody (among many other things). No other modern songwriters are in his league (other than Lennon).
1) "Martha My Dear" - The song is just the ultimate expression of musical joy. 2) "Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five" - More of the same. 3) "C Moon" - Awesome melody that just hits me in the feels.
Thank you for explaining Paul McCartney - as a younger person I was into John, but I feel I've grown into understanding Paul more. The world is a hugely better place because he is in it.
Not sure I agree. You know his ilk ushered in free love and drugs. I mean they did claim to be bigger than Christ and Christ came to divide, whereas the Beatles united a generation that cast off social norms. And now we have a degraded culture with the likes of Cardi B. I think the Beatles have a lot to answer for.
It's difficult to contrast the 2 but I think John had a deep wounded soul and it came out in his music. Paul was always more upbeat with more natural musical abilities. John was a brilliant songwriter. I think Paul was the better musician. John the better poet. I doubt Paul would have ever dug as deep without John. I doubt John would have been as polished without Paul.
@@gutenbird Paul was generally more upbeat but the biggest and most upbeat/positive anthems relating to The Beatles are by John “All You Need is Love”, “Imagine”, “Give Peace a Chance”, etc
@@hw343434 Imagine is a great song but it is the opposite of upbeat. Same with give peace a chance. Their messages are great but at the core they are about the world sucking.
There's a great story about how the guys in the Zombies or one of those early British Invasion bands gathered around the TV when the Beatles played the 1963 Royal Variety Performance. At least some in the band had never seen them play live before, and the story goes that as they were watching their bass player said "Oh, f*** me... he can play AND sing lead at the same time?" And at 21 he had already racked up several number one hit songs. He really was the one of the very first great singer-songwriters who could play anything he got his hands on (I think that's why he respected Brian Wilson so much.) It's sometimes hard for me to wrap my brain around so much talent in one human being. As a bassist myself, his influence on melodic bassists in rock is impossible to overstate. My hero is Chris Squire, who was of that generation of British bassists who absorbed everything McCartney was doing in the 60s.
"Bip Bop" is McCartney channeling his early R&R influences, such as Carl Perkins. If you understand the root of such tunes, you begin to appreciate the genius of this song. Cheers!
Exactly! It is a Blues lullaby, inventive and catchy. There are some songs from Paul that I do not like (specially from his 80s period, when he was too Pop and ordinary at times), but I would never list "Bip Bop" as a bad song.
I love you playing Single Pigeon near the end. Red Rose Speedway is packed with so many incredible melodies, it may be my favorite non-live Wings album.
A few years ago I heard a reference to a place called "Regents Park", and I thought "Where do I know that from?". I let it sit in my mind for a few days and eventually ""Regents Park Canal" came into me head, and then, a bit later.. "..gliding over, Regents Park canal", and finally, maybe another day later "Single Seagull, gliding over, Regents Park canal", and the song came back which I hadn't heard in 40 years. It was one of my favourites on that album, and, yes, I was always very fond of that album, which isn't usually ranked with his best.
He's even better than the great American Songbook composers such as Gershwin, Porter et al merely because he can play all the instruments as well as produce and compose and I mean no disrespect to those mentioned as I love Gershwin, Porter, Rodgers, Hart, Hammerstein too.
With a Little Luck? You compare that to Gershwin? I like Death Cab for Cutie, I'm the Urban Spaceman, you know the stuff this above average scam-artist-occultist wrote with the Bonzos, plus, the stuff that Theo Adorno wrote, you know the real composer for the Beatles.
@@eastbay_bay Oh come on, of all the songs to pick. Let it Be, Hey Jude, Penny Lane, Yesterday, For No One, Eleanor Rigby, I could write a list for DAYS.
Indeed he did .....the Great American Songbook composers were great lyricists and melody-men but, I can't recall any of them singing to the same level of McCartney so I'm comfortable in my original comment. Thanks.
Oh darling, yea one of my favourite paul vocal. Really feel his emotion in it. Anyone who has ever tried to sing this song, karaoke, in the shower, on stage or wherever, i believe will realise that vocally, this is a difficult song to pull off.
Another two Paul McCartney acoustic gems for me are calico skies and the demo of Goodbye, a song he wrote for Mary Hopkin, which can be found on the abbey roud 50th anniversary record. Also this might be a hot take, but I think Mother Nature's Son is the best guitar part in any Beatles song, acoustic or otherwise. It's just so creative and melodic that I find myself playing it every time I pick up my guitar
If you are looking for a gem, try this: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-7KyvGnJn5Ms.html And this is a playlist I did with all the acoustic songs from 1970 to 2020: ru-vid.com/group/PLhvLUcTI0wRgsliP6P-kR9IeBbrMPwPzb A Genius indeed...
I saw him in Orlando about a year ago, 2 weeks before his 80th. He was amazing! He still hit the high notes on Maybe I'm Amazed. He played nearly 3 hours straight taking only about a half dozen breaks that lasted ~90 seconds to talk to the audience... 'incredible' doesn't come near describing his stamina or joy for life... a genuine inspiration and light in this world. Great video Pilgrim!!
Bip Bop. It may not be a masterpiece, but it does stay in your head and put a smile on your face. My Post Beatles top 3 by Paul may be 1-Maybe I'm Amazed, 2- Uncle Albert, 3 - Live and Let Die, 4- My Love, 5-Arrow Through Me, 6- Jet, 7- Rockestra Theme, 8- Coming Up, 9- Picasso's Last Words, 10 - Beware My Love, 11 - Wildlife. I may be missing a few. Awesome study of Sir Paul!
I enjoyed this so much. I just watched it again and here is a list of the McCartney songs he goes over in this video... Lead Guitar: (Maybe I'm Amazed, Taxman, Only Love Remains); Guitar Riffs: (Jet, Oo You, Band On The Run, I've Got A Feeling); Piano: (Lady Madonna, Nineteen Hundred And Eighty Five, Martha My Dear, Let 'Em In); Song Writing: (Bip Bop); Acoustic Guitar: (Long Tailed Winter Bird, Blackbird, Mother Nature's Son, Junk, Put It There); Bass: (Something); plus two more piano tunes at the end: (Single Pigeon, Once Upon A Long Ago). I was really happy to see you spend some time on some of Paul's lesser known songs - like: Only Love Remains, Oo You, Junk, Put It There... and it was fantastic when you ended your video with Single Pigeon and Once Upon A Long Ago. Left me wishing you would have included just a bit of "Lunchbox/Odd Socks".
All due respect to John Lennon, a truly great singer and song writer, however, The Beatles happened because of one man. Paul McCartney. Thank you GP for this excellent musical essay on the great Paul McCartney. Stop and also recognize what a great family man he is. A loving and generous man as far as I can tell. Thank you for the music and the example you have set for humanity.
Paul is my favorite Beatle, but the very reason The Beatles are so great is the combination of all of them. However, it is a well-known fact that Paul's herculean work ethic played a huge role in how prolific they were as a band.
Total nonsense. John Lennon created BeatleMania. Paul, George and Ringo were all Lennon fanboys. He was the main frontman and wrote the first Beatles #1 hit and more of the early hits. McCartney was lucky to find John. His solo career without John is proof of that, a massive dip in quality which is why he was desperate to write with John again. Still great though as was George. They were all lucky to find each other
That was fantastic Thom! What name comes to mind when one thinks of a genius musician? Paul McCartney of course! His music will live on forever I'm sure. Thanks for all of the incredible music and wonderful memories Sir Paul! 👍👍👏👏🎸🎸🎤🎤🎹🎹👍👍👏👏
I've met Paul a few times. On two occasions we spoke for a long time. First in 1991 in London, but it was just me giving him an old 78 Buddy Holly album . Then was back in 2005. We were chatting it up on this Friday,and Saturday afternoon,and night just taking like regular guys for quite a while. He didn't look young anymore , just an older version of a Beatle . On the second night Paul was going on stage at midnight. His band was already out getting ready on stage, it was just him,and me in the holding area watching the backstage monitor which was what the audience was watching on the Jumbotrons . It was pouring rain outside , I felt like hell, I was shoulder to shoulder with him freezing to death. So then the monitor we are watching was showing a clip of the Beatles singing I Want To Hold Your Hand . In that moment it hit me. I just turned my head to look at him, it was surreal . This is that guy on the screen all those years ago. He was smiling. I was thinking " God did I do to deserve this " ? Paul is the most gracious ,and engaging man you could ever imagine. Then he said " it's time to go " I followed him to the edge of the stage curtain , he puts on his Hofner ,and Drive My Car starts ,and the applause was deafening. Then when he closed his set all the bands go on stage to sing the refrain on Hey Jude ,and I was one of them both nights . I got to sing the refrain both nights with a dozen other musicians. I haven't thought of that October night in fifteen years ... I hope Paul lives to be a hundred in good health ...
Right. I realized this when the original McCartney album was released! However you explained and demonstrated his proficiency quite brilliantly. Thank you 😊
We saw him a month ago in L.A. The last time I saw him was on his for Wings tour in 1976! I just felt this might be the last chance considering his age. There are a lot of comments on RU-vid about his voice not being there anymore and yes it's true but this legend was on stage for almost THREE HOURS and the concert was epic.
i heard him on this tour also. to me, his voice sounded "fragile", aged like fine wine. ALL voices change with age. even brian wilson only had his incomparable falsetto for a few years.
Ace! His Glastonbury set was truly remarkable. I hope the folk in Twitterland that are complaining that his voice is weak and he’s no longer musically relevant watch this video. An icon, the like of which we may never see again. Playing so many different instruments, live to millions... millions that can sing almost every word with him. Spellbinding.
Ah Yes. Hands down Sir Paul McCartney is the greatest by far. I’m a musician and he has been my favorite since the Beatles. Don’t get me wrong the other Beatles were great as well. I loved how Paul would harmonize to John’s great scratchie voice. Now I truly believe in 500 years from now people will know who Paul McCartney is. Paul is one extremely talented musician who in my eyes is by far the greatest musician ever. Btw good job on this video. I was impressed with the way you played.
as a former bass player who switched to piano, i think i have at least a clue as to why his left hand sounds like that. btw, another GREAT songwriter, who began on bass- brian wilson! and, don't forget sting- when i watch him play live, i have NO clue! it's like bass and percussion - both at the same time- sweet!
Dude, I just watched you play all those instruments as well, you are quite the talented musician yourself, but I love that you explained what aspects make him unique and sets him apart from from the classically trained musicians. He doesn't like rules and norms in general and whenever he's told he's not supposed to do anything a certain way, he will say "who says?" and then go out of his way to do that thing in that certain way, God, I love that man and his sensitive yet rebellious spirit. I got to be in the same room as Paul and hear him play live in person for the 1st time in my life this year and what an honor it was.
Very nice video and homage; thank you very much for posting it. The joy that Paul and The Beatles bring to our lives is priceless. Paul is at the level of Mozart and is still going strong at 80 years old. What an amazing/otherwordly guy.
If Maybe... is one one of your favourite McCartney compositions (it is my all time fab tune) you should know that the solos, certainly on the live album Wings Over America 1977 and with Wings between 1974-77, were played by Jimmy McCulloch
Thank you for your wonderful tribute to my all time favourite musician, Paul McCartney, on his 80th birthday. I feel that Paul would be pleased with your tribute and impressed with your own musical ability. It still blows my mind that Paul, John, George, and Ringo all grew up in the same city, and that they were able to cross paths musically and as friends. I’ve often wondered if there were other groups out there, like the Beatles, but instead of connecting, fate had them miss that opportunity, and they passed like ships in the night. Maybe that’s another reason why The Beatles are so great? Their uniqueness. My three favourite McCartney songs: You Never Give me Your Money, Eleanor Rigby, and everything else, no, and in a tie for third - Yesterday, For No One, Little Willow (and I could go on, as could everyone else on this long and winding road). Thanks again
Listen to The Kinks--fate let them open for The Beatles and have huge success, then be banned from the US at the height of the British Invasion and other twists of fate happened that make their fans say God Save The Kinks. Paul mentioned them first in the last documentary ... another Kinks twist, the name esccapes me!
Hi, other remarkable twists of fate: meeting Astrid Kirscher (I’m not sure of the spelling) who helped to shape the image of The Beatles (their hair cuts, photography of them); meeting their manager, Brian Epstein; the fluke encounter with Ed Sullivan at the airport (which lead to the British Invasion of America); and without a doubt, the biggest twist of fate was meeting George Martin, who mentored them musically, who made their musical ideas come to life, who they trusted as a father figure, and so on. How all of these events and individuals aligned for them, at critical times in their career, boggles my mind. Had Epstein lived, we probably wouldn’t have had Sgt Peppers or Magical Mystery Tour, and all of the incredible music that followed. Had John not met Yoko? Had John not been murdered, would they have reunited for all of their fans world wide? What great music died along with John and George? I believe that we should be thankful for what we had, and not lament or dwell on what we lost or what could have been. I feel very fortunate to have lived in a Golden Age (maybe the Golden Age?). We’ve had the best of the best: The Beatles and music of the Sixties; golf (Tiger Woods); baseball (Mickey Mantle, etc); hockey (Geordie Howe, Bobby Orr, etc); incredible inventions (computers, cell phones, etc); scientific and medical breakthroughs (joint replacements and so on); etc. There is so much “good” in our world, and for me, musically, The Beatles will always be the most precious gift to mankind at the very top!
I enjoyed that. Wow that solo on Taxman! It just sounded like someone who was fed up waiting around in the studio for the lead guitarist to finish his part. Brilliant stuff!
Thank you for this endorsement of Paul ,coming from someone who really understands music is indeed a tribute - and yes when i met Paul aged 14 all those years ago he is an incredibly nice guy ! Favourite 3? My Love , Penny Lane ,Live and let die.
One amazing thing about Paul McCartney is that he didn't become weird or unrelatable from mega-stardom (think John Lennon, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Brian Wilson, Elvis, etc.). Paul simply remained the same down to earth guy in spite of the fact that he's THE most famous person on earth.
Very true. Aside from Paul's own merit there, he had a sound upbringing and that helps a lot to be a normal person (Paul did not have emotional holes to fill).
I like the fact that at 80 years old he still insists on singing the old songs in their original key. A lot of people point out the obvious, that he can't hit the high notes any more. Yeah of course! He's 80. But unlike others who drop the key when they get old - he refuses to and doesn't care what people say - and well I just think that's very Punk Rock lol - haha!!
I watched a forum of bass players who have played for some of the big names. The question was, why is McCartney the only person who could make a Hefner Bass sound good? The answer was, that he plays it lighter than other basses, but still has the full range of attack in that lighter band. He changes this for other basses. The Bass players agreed that they could not do that because they are not Paul McCartney and so they couldn't make a Hofner sound good.
He had it all. I was born in the 70s and a teenager mid to late 80s. I grew up with 80s music and house, reggae and heavy metal. I love all music Prince, Bowie, Elvis, Dylan Costello... Jazz Blues, reggae, Dance, Rock Bon jovi, Queen, Simon & Garfunkel, Fleetwood Mac, U2, Aerosmith, AcDc, Def Leppard. You name it I like some form.of it. But I belive McCartney is the greatest of them all. His talent, songwriting, his voice, his range. No one touches him in my opinion. The only reason why its not more widely known is because he has a vast amount of work and within that work he also has a few stinkers (like anybody) But also he probably does not come across angst enough and a lot of his songs are melodic which I think are brilliant but some younger members probably class Lennon as the rebel and more dirty grungy side. Either way, I don't believe anyone comes close to his overall talent and passion and when he dies he will be put on a pedastal where he belongs as the greatest artist of all time
Great video. I played in a British Invasion tribute band and can appreciate the incredible talent of Paul - and the others! You're too young to know the phenomenon the Beatles were. Each new album was an event - going to the record store - looking at the artwork, song list, taking it home, dropping the needle on the first track. As a guitarist and pianist, I spent considerable time learning the cool chords and riffs. My songwriting idols were Broadway giants like Rodgers and Hammerstein, Lerner and Lowe, Frank Loesser, Harold Arlen, Sammy Cahn, Cole Porter, the Gershwins, etc. But the Beatles aurpassed even them in some ways. For instance, the could perform the songs they wrote. Bottom line: I think the Beatles were the best musical force the planet has ever known.
This was great, @Guitar Pilgrim! I love how you point out how annoying a "slightly (or lots) better" bandmate might be at times 😏 Yep, we're all human, including Sir Paul, the multi-world record holder. He kicks ass at being a role model of a very well-rounded human being. I feel like I won a galactic lottery by being alive during his career, and attending several of his concerts.
I think people are more appreciative of Paul nowadays. When I was growing up in the 90s the Beatles were having a resurgence with the release of Anthology. The general mood was that John and George were the cool ones and Paul and Ringo kind of sucked. As far as I'm concerned they were all amazing but Paul is amazing in a very special, Paul-esque was that is pretty mind blowing when you think about it.
Love it, great job, yes you should tallk about his great singing, but hey maybe this could be longer! And i love that you show so much love for my all time Mccaryney fave song Once upon a long ago!
I love anyone who celebrates Paul's artistry and immaculate musicality. Thank you! My three favourite Macca songs: You Never Give Me Your Money (for everything about it); Let It Be (for the lyrics); Goodnight Tonight (the bass line is the best ever recorded by anyone)... bonus Silly Love Songs (for the bass line) Having said this, nominating favourites out of Paul's colossal cataglogue is almost impossible as there are too many to choose from. BTW Bip Bop is fantastic!!! If you want to talk about Macca's rubbish songs look no further than Ebony and Ivory or The Girl Is Mine. Ugh!
Very clever video in which you captured the essence of Paul McCartney… rarely enjoyed a video that much. Paul is a genius and you managed to explain why, to a certain extend … an as a bonus got me to pick up my telecaster and rework all the riffs you so brillantly performed ♥️👍 Junk is my all times favorite:)
I'm going to go with two unconventional choices in my top 3:1) Let it Be - it is just too perfect of a gospel song to be such a great rock song. 2) For No One - most people pick Here, There and Everywhere for the same reasons but I chose For No One because it is counter to his reputation as a positive, sunny guy (Good Day Sunshine, et al) and 3) is Friends to Go from Chaos and Creation in the Backyard. Another darker song written while with Heather and the meaning is clear. The funny thing is that it reminded me of George Harrison (Don't Bother Me, etc.) and Paul has said he was thinking of his friend George and felt like George was there when it was written. How can you choose just three from the melody master?
It's really interesting if you think that he plays the piano like a normal bass with his left hand and he plays the bass like a complex and articulate right hand piano melody. He's a genius!
Hold on a minute...... Your doing all Mcartneys stuff yourself on guitar and piano and brilliantly I might add so your somewhat very talented yourself!!
When you were going to show "lesser" McCartney tunes, the first one I thought of was Bip Bop, even though I like Big Bop and Wild Life is one of my favorite post Beatles albums.
Wow! I never realized he was such a versatile musician! Truly a genius! And you, my friend, have presented a truly enlightening expose with your own musical versatility! Subscribed! 🤙
