In defense of “Wonderful Christmastime”
It’s that time of year. The Christmas tunes are out in full force. For the most part, I’m not a Christmas music stan. I don’t hate it, but a little goes a long way, you know? But I have a confession… I actually love Paul McCartney’s “Wonderful Christmastime.”...
Jukebox selections: MASTER BOOT RECORD, The Jayhawks, Paul McCartney meets Khruangbin
Been a bit between posts, so here’s another run at the jukebox for all my readers looking for a few good tunes to pass the time. Some oldies, some goodies, nothing boring and all good for your soul. Zenith (Riktam Remix) by MVMB & ALL’IN – IbogaTech This is...
James Jamerson: The unsung Motown bassist that influenced Paul McCartney
James Jamerson is just one of many session players in the 50s and 60s who went virtually unknown during his lifetime. Even now, after being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000, and being featured in a documentary in 2002, he’s still not as well-known...
“Abbey Road” by The Beatles (No. 2)
Abbey Road is more or less The Beatles‘ final album1, and it contains some of the group’s strongest work – especially George Harrison, who finally gets his day in the sun. I’m not sure when I got my first copy of Abbey Road. Might have been high school, or...
“Help!” by The Beatles (No. 3)
Here’s where it all began, my lifelong obsession with music. Technically, it was the movie Help! that helped turn me into a music junkie, but we’ll go with the album here. Here’s how it all started. When I was seven, I came home from Sunday school (yes, really) and...
“Rubber Soul” by The Beatles (No. 8)
Famed Rock critic Robert Christgau called Rubber Soul “when The Beatles began to go arty.” Reductive, perhaps, but also true. Rubber Soul is not as adventurous as Sgt. Pepper or The Beatles, but it brings in elements that the band couldn’t reproduce on stage. And it also deals with...
“Wings Over America” by Paul McCartney & Wings (No. 47)
Wings live album Wings Over America is another one of those albums that I pretty much wore out the cassette tape. Thank goodness for CDs and being able to play something hundreds of times without wearing out the media! As a rule, I’m not a big consumer of live...
“Spike” by Elvis Costello (No. 75)
Spike features Elvis Costello’s highest-charting single, “Veronica” – co-written with and featuring Paul McCartney. That’s just the cherry on the sundae for this album, though....