Re: Who is Paul McCartney?
Originally Posted by
Paul Kotapish
He sang and played bass, acoustic and electric guitars, ukulele, and keyboards at a level that most of us would envy--from solo acoustic numbers to full-tilt raves.
Wait - no mandolin?!?
Originally Posted by
LongBlackVeil
i think this video, from 1:14 on, pretty much sums up how Paul McCartney puts together songs, and how, sort of vapid it all really is. I just think its all a little cheesey and contrived. It doesnt have any honesty in it. This is how all of his recent work seems to me, ALL of it. Its almost like hes doing a parody of himself, but sadly, hes not.
I dont ask that his new work be as great as his old stuff. I just ask that it be honest, otherwise its no better than Kanye Wests music
Actually, what he is discussing is stagecraft as much as writing itself, if not more so. He is looking for a way to elicit a specific reaction from the crowd for the closing song at this one event, and that involves aspects of a song beside the craft involved in writing. This is based on tried and true observations of crowd reactions, and most successful touring acts incorporate some of this into their stage show. You'd be foolish not to do this and simply rely on the crowd's affection for a song, and naive to think that this sort of manipulation isn't worked into these shows in one form or another.
He's talking about arranging the song so people will react a certain way, and someone who has been performing for well more than a half century knows how to work a crowd, whether or not it sounds cynical when he talks about it out loud in front of an intruding camera.
My band does the same thing on a smaller level, stuff like doing an a capella verse followed by an ensemble vocal verse to end a song, or a stop-time verse followed by an ensemble chorus to end a song. It's dramatic, dynamic arranging, and it works - every time. People make choices about their songwriting and arranging all the time with crowd reaction in mind, be they the richest performer in history or an obscure bar band. You want the crowd to leave with smiles on their faces (as Joni Mitchell said, "Leave them laughing when they go"), and this is a sure way to do it. That's show biz, and it ain't no big thing.
Last edited by journeybear; Jan-06-2015 at 5:22pm.
But that's just my opinion. I could be wrong. - Dennis Miller
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