Paul McCartney - Tug of War (1982)

Note: this release was originally purchased as an LP, later replaced by a CD.

By 1982, I was a full-fledged Beatles fan, and that led me to buy this album. This is a mixed bag, with McCartney trying his hand at a number of different styles. Bringing in George Martin to produce was a stroke of genius and helps McCartney move from ballads to rockabilly to reggae to vaudeville. McCartney can't help but write fantastic, memorable melodies and there are great tunes aplenty on this release. The album is notable because it was McCartney's first release since the death of John Lennon in December 1980 and the demise of Wings in April 1981.

Press of the time:

• Musician: "In short, this is hot stuff."
• Rolling Stone (★★★★★): "the masterpiece everyone has always known Paul McCartney could make."
• Robert Christgau (B): "he's put his hard-earned craft to mature use on this LP. But it might almost be dumb love songs."
• Stereo Review: "McCartney's skill at penning a hummable pop melody is second to none. The rockers are another story."
• Smash Hits (4 out of 10): "sadly mediocre"
• Trouser Press: "elegant craftsmanship"
• Roadrunner: "this album is a gem."

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard Top 200: #1
• Billboard Rock: #7
• Billboard R&B: #11
• CashBox album chart: #1
• Rolling Stone chart: #1

Tracks: My favorites are Take It Away, which sounds like something he might have recorded with Wings in the '70s, the Beatlesque Wanderlust, and his tribute to Lennon, Here Today. I hate to suggest that Sir Paul could write a bad song, but I usually skip Somebody Who Cares and The Pound Is Sinking. The two collaborations with Stevie Wonder are as good as you would expect; however, I just can't stomach Ebony and Ivory anymore. It should be noted that hit was written by McCartney without Stevie, which explains a lot. I liked it the first 2,000 times I heard it, but now I change the radio station if it ever comes on. The song spans both ends of the continuum, reaching #59 on the Billboard list of Greatest Songs of All Time while also being honored as the tenth worst song of all time by Blender magazine and the worst duet in history by BBC 6 Music listeners.

For more information on the brief life of the CD longbox,
go visit The Legend of the Longbox.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I remember taking the LP back to K-Mart on the east side of Avenue F to trade it in for a copy that wouldn't skip. Also, the song Ballroom Dancing reminds me of summer trips with the CCAA Bay City swim team to pools around the area.