Paul to play 2012 Olympics?

The report is that Paul has agreed to perform at the opening ceremony for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

Excerpt:
Sir Paul told Olympic organisers he's "up for" doing the show but detailed plans and choice of songs have yet to be finalised.

The Rolling Stones reportedly declined an offer to perform and Led Zeppelin are also said to be staying away after frontman Robert Plant said he was not interested.

A music industry source told the Daily Mirror: "The hope was to have the cream of British music all in the line up but it now looks like Macca will be joined by some younger stars on stage.

Friday cover

From the Sucker Punch soundtrack, "Tomorrow Never Knows" by Alison Mosshart (lead vocalist for the Kills) and Carla Azar. Of significance, it's nearly 5 minutes longer than the original, adding a roaming instrumental break in the middle.



(If the video is removed, go here.)

Paul in Montreal (7/26 and 7/27)

From The Montreal Gazette.

Night one:
McCartney’s band has been working with him for 10 years – longer than the Beatles (at least with Ringo Starr) were together. Bassist Brian Ray, guitarist Rusty Anderson, drummer Abe Loboriel, Jr., and keyboard player Paul “Wix” Wickens are as comfortable rocking up Birthday and Back In the U.S.S.R as they are providing the wordless, note-perfect harmonies in Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five or the Frere Jacques background vocals in Paperback Writer. And never do they stray far from the studio recordings. I’m Looking Through You, for example, sounded almost as sweet and breezy as its Rubber Soul source.

Night two:
But the second show was more satisfying for me because it was my good fortune to see it almost like a fan, without deadline worries, constant note-taking or non-stop thinking about what needed to be mentioned in the review. During Live and Let Die, I even allowed myself the luxury of a weird hallucinatory take on the stage action. As fireworks went off al over the place and plumes of fire shot up in front and back of the stage, a grinning McCartney looked as if he was gleefully playing through the apocalypse.

And the image made a lot of sense. There are many who find themselves in times of trouble and discover that it`s not Mother Mary, but Father McCartney – that was to be the priest`s name in Eleanor Rigby – who brings, if not the words of wisdom, then the notes that soothe their soul. It`s been a constant comfort for many in crisis. You can ask the 34,000 people who sang, shouted, clapped, beamed and cried their way through a pair of three-hour sets over the two nights.

My next project: "Revolution in the Head"

Now that I've completed my Beatles haiku project, I'm moving on to something much different and far more conventional: reading and analyzing a book. Of the vast number of books written about The Beatles, it seems none has received more praise than Ian MacDonald's 1994 classic, Revolution in the Head. As many of you likely know, MacDonald doesn't deliver a formal historical narrative but instead uses a song-by-song examination of The Beatles' catalog to tell their story. I don't think there's a better approach if one's aim is to capture the band's essence; The Beatles are their songs. Furthermore, MacDonald opens the book with a provocative cultural analysis of the 1960s, exploring how the Fabs were central to the societal disruptions of that decade and what the ramifications were.

My plan is to read the book at a rather measured pace, take notes, and regularly post commentaries on what I find most interesting. Thus far, I've only made it through the two prefaces, but already I've been struck by MacDonald's insights about various topics: the importance of the UK's system of art schools in fashioning the whimsical, concept-oriented tendencies of British pop acts; the differences between British and American sensibilities in music (the former generally characterized by sardonic irony and the latter by earnestness and naturalism); and the best way to view The Beatles as lyricists (i.e., not as great but as effective). It's stimulating material, and I have yet to reach page one.

Paul's cover of "Hitch Hike" by Marvin Gaye

It's from his performance over the weekend in Detroit.



(If the video is removed, go here.)

Paul in Detroit (7/24)

A recap of last night's concert at Comerica Park from the Detroit Free Press.

Excerpt:
With a mix of enthusiasm and reverence, he talked about his visit to the Motown Historical Museum — the former studio complex on West Grand Boulevard that he called “the holy grail.” (He’d spent about two hours there today, according to a museum official.)

“That took me back,” he said, going on to recall his younger years studying Motown records to learn parts. He and his band then launched into a lively cover of Marvin Gaye’s “Hitch Hike,” picked “especially for Detroit,” McCartney said.

Assorted Paul news (pt. 2)

- During the second of his two recent shows at Yankee Stadium, Paul was joined onstage by Billy Joel for a rendition of "I Saw Her Standing There."

- Paul is revisiting the sonic wizardry of "Tomorrow Never Knows."

- About a week prior to last Thursday's landing, astronauts aboard the space shuttle Atlantis received a wake-up call from Macca.

- Rolling Stone: "Paul McCartney on 'Beatles 1,' Losing Linda and Being in New York on September 11th."

- Chicago Tribune: "Excerpts from Kot interviews with McCartney since 2001."

- Lastly, be sure to check out Mervyn Dendy's series of detailed articles that break down and analyze Paul's post-Beatles career.