Label: Toshiba Records (Japan), TOCP-3138
Style: Rock, Pop Rock, Classic Rock
Country: Liverpool, England (18 June 1942)
Time: 68:26
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 413 Mb
Charts: UK #8, AUS #22, GER #30, NLD #21, NOR #8, SWE #17, SWI #28, US #30. UK: Gold.
Bill King takes another look at the 1986 album that Macca has all but disowned due to its lack of success.
Paul McCartney was not really in a good place, creatively or careerwise, in late summer 1986, when his "Press to Play" album was released.
Although the album drew some critical praise for McCartney's efforts to move in a new musical direction, the overall reception was mixed (even among fans), and its sales were off considerably from Paul's usual showing (peaking at No. 30 on Billboard's album chart and selling only 400,000 copies in the U.S.)
Not surprisingly, Macca in later years would dismiss "Press to Play" as "not very successful," and, when he returned to touring three years later, he didn't include any songs from the album in his set list. He still doesn't.
A bit of backstory: After having critical and sales success with 1982's "Tug of War," on which he had reunited with George Martin, McCartney had tried to replicate that success by continuing to work with the former Beatles producer.
However, 1983's "Pipes of Peace" was not as big a sales success (despite having a smash hit single in his teaming with Michael Jackson on "Say Say Say") and, critically, was dismissed by many as "Tug of War" leftovers.
And, while the "Give My Regards to Broad Street" soundtrack album had some superb musical moments, the film from which it came was a resounding flop at the box office and with reviewers. The album didn't sell as well as usual, either.
Licking his wounds, Macca decided to look for a different producer (or producers) and began a period of flailing about creatively that wouldn't end until the close of the decade, when he put together a touring band and released the album "Flowers in the Dirt" (which, even then, utilized more than a half dozen different producers).
(full version: beatlefansomethingnew.wordpress.com/2021/09/03/revisiting-mccartneys-press-to-play-35-years-later/)
01. Stranglehold (03:36)
02. Good Times Coming / Feel The Sun (04:56)
03. Talk More Talk (05:17)
04. Footprints (04:32)
05. Only Love Remains (04:16)
06. Press (04:43)
07. Pretty Little Head (05:13)
08. Move Over Busker (04:05)
09. Angry (03:36)
10. However Absurd (04:58)
11. Write Away (03:01)
12. It's Not True (05:53)
13. Tough On A Tightrope (04:51)
14. Spies Like Us (04:48)
15. Once Upon A Long Ago (Long Version) (04:35)
No comments:
Post a Comment