Jump to content
Jambands.ca

Radiohead turn McCartney collaboration down


Guest Low Roller

Recommended Posts

Guest Low Roller

From Ateaseweb.com:

Radiohead turn McCartney collaboration down

Posted on November 13th, 2007.

Paul McCartney was turned down by Thom Yorke when he asked for a collaboration with Radiohead.

According to The Sun former Beatle Paul McCartney approached Thom Yorke with a view to collaborating, but his request was turned down. Paul McCartney, who recorded with longtime Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich on his album ‘Chaos and Creation in the backyard’, explained Thom Yorke wasn’t comfortable playing anybody’s music apart from his own.

Macca said, “My daughter was putting an album together and she put us in touch. I asked Thom to do a duet, but he said he couldn’t because he only felt happy working on his own and Radiohead’s material.â€

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So did Thom Yorke write "Nobody Does It Better" ?

Maybe that was just Thom's polite way of saying "dude, you haven't written a good song in 30 years. I'm not getting involved in that"

Ok, I don't know who to defend here. This does not OK computer.

I think you are right Bouche. I think Yorke doesn't want to be seen as doing something retro or non-vital.

Besides have you heard McCartney's single form his latest album "Memory almost full?"..

...Brutal..the lyrics sound like they were written by someone with a mental disability.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

How'd you like Paul's latest cd?

I can't let this pass without offering one of my all time favorite Bob Lefsetz rants. This just made my year:

This record is positively AWFUL! I'm surprised there aren't SUICIDES at Starbucks. That baristas haven't offed themselves rather than endure this piece of crap all day long.

Anybody who says this album is good has no ears. Maybe literally. Certainly was never exposed to Paul's previous solo work.

Have you revisited "McCartney"? Famous for "Maybe I'm Amazed", even the MINOR tunes contain magic. Really, all these years later, listen to "Teddy Boy", even "Kreen-Akrore", never mind "Every Night". Seen as slight at the time, minor in comparison to the Beatles' work, it's Paul's second best solo album, after "Band On The Run".

It's not like Paul hasn't misfired before. Did you buy "Wild Life"? That was just about as bad as "Memory Almost Full". And to say "Ram" was spotty would be charitable. Ditto with "Red Rose Speedway", with the saccharine monster hit "My Love" yet the infectious "Big Barn Bed".

"Venus and Mars" was a disappointing follow-up to "Band On The Run", but it was playable throughout. "At The Speed Of Sound"...that heralded the great decline. Paul lost it. Oh, he regained the magic occasionally, with such sublime work as the title cut of "London Town". But then paying attention was too depressing. The disappointment made one reevaluate Paul's great prior work, and you didn't want to allow yourself to feel that way. Oh, he still killed live, but his albums? Not exactly dreck, but UNMEMORABLE!

So now we've got this piece of crap.

Paul's entitled to work, Paul's entitled to sully his career. But it's not necessary for us to laud him, give him a pass on everything he does now BECAUSE OF WHAT HE DID BEFORE!

I'd only sampled the CD previously. Yup, that's enough. Not only for me, but you. If you need to live with a record that long to get it, then you just want to be BRAINWASHED into digging it. And for those albums that revealed themselves over time, at least they had some intriguing elements to begin with, that made you want to spin them again, like Roxy Music's "Avalon". One listen to "Memory Almost Full" and you feel like you're in Guantanamo Bay, being tortured. You'll do ANYTHING to get off the island. That's how I felt when I sat down tonight and really tried to listen.

This is the emperor's new clothes. Nobody had the balls to tell Paul McCartney "Memory Almost Full" sucked. That he was polishing a turd. Maybe Paul's too fucked up to listen. But I'll tell you, when you approach a legendary artist or businessman and just kiss his ass, your sycophantic ways are dismissed. But if you engage them in a substantive discussion, engage their reasoning in discussions, they come alive, because they're confronted with adulation ALL DAY LONG!

All those bigwigs you abhor for failing to pay attention to your substandard work, you'd be shocked at the intellectual discussions you can get them involved in. I've only met one label head who wasn't a deep thinker, if you got them on that path. You can imagine who...

Point is, everybody treats Paul like a Beatle. Which he IS! But that's got nothing to do with the entertainment business, where it's WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR ME LATELY? Hell, would people even give George Lucas cash to make a movie? After not only the abortion of "Howard The Duck", but the three new forgettable "Star Wars" flicks? No, he's lost touch, he seems to be done. And, unfortunately, Paul McCartney seems to be too. Can he be persuaded to recapture the magic? Maybe not. But he made it by either being sweet or rockin'. That sweetness is absent here. And there are only moments of rocking. Play a Little Richard album and then listen to THIS!

And I don't give a shit that this album sucks. It's what it represents that interests me. This Paul McCartney album is the biggest hype of the year. Imagine if you BOUGHT IT!

Yup, imagine taking this turkey home and spinning it. You might NEVER BUY A CD AGAIN!

This is one of the reasons we got into this mess. Overpriced albums with only one good track. But there's not even that ONE GOOD TRACK ON THIS CD!

Really, buy "Memory Almost Full" and you'll GIVE UP ON MUSIC! Think ALL NEW MUSIC SUCKS!

The guy's all over the media. Everybody says it's a return to form. But you...you think otherwise. So, are you going to trust the media in the future?

This business self-immolates. It's about smoke and mirrors and ripping people off. People have been burned by the music business so many times that they've stopped paying attention. Paul McCartney GETS attention because he's a Beatle, but then he fumbles the ball.

Howard Schultz...you're not making ENOUGH money at Starbucks? If "Memory Almost Full" was coffee beans, you wouldn't even GRIND them. How come you insist on serving quality coffee, but when it comes to music, you're willing to foist third rate crap upon your customers? Oh, because he's a BEATLE!

That's what's wrong with this whole campaign. That's not just enough. Give Paul an award at the Kennedy Center. A lifetime achievement Grammy. But don't promote his crap and tell us it's good.

A Starbucks record label. Yup, it's American business. Just another way to make money. Or, a way to hang with the rich and famous. Howard Schultz, in a boring business, now gets to hang with Hollywood royalty. He's a starfucker, just like in that Rolling Stones song. Like every rich businessman you get to invest in your crap. Really, only someone completely out of the entertainment mainstream, who wants in, lays down money for this unwanted junk. If Paul had gone to a traditional label, the employees there, the ones left anyway, would just go through the motions, because they wouldn't be able to get excited about the music. Able to get excited about Paul, but not what he's purveying.

Rather than go back to Capitol, Paul just found a mark to sell his shit.

And don't tell me about sales. In two weeks they've moved a scant 267,414. Yup, scant compared to the number of people traipsing through Starbucks, never mind traditional music retail. Scant compared to the number of people in AMERICA!

Just like "Survivor" exploded out of nowhere, and then "American Idol", we're gonna have an act/record that's gonna be owned by tens of millions sometime in the future. It will be SO good people will be driven to the Web to acquire it. Yup, that's where they'll do it, they won't pay even 99 cents per track, but they'll want it nonetheless. There will be mania. Just like we had all those years ago.

Why couldn't Paul have called Don Henley, famous for releasing no music before its time. Laboring over it until he believes it's not only beyond satisfactory, but GREAT! Sure, the Eagles might have made a deal with Wal-Mart, their Starbucks, but Henley and company are not going to blow their chance. They're not going to release something subpar like "Memory Almost Full". They wouldn't do that to their fans. They went on tour without new music. Why put out an album that people don't want to buy and don't want to hear live. Make something so good that people WILL embrace it like your old stuff, OR DON'T MAKE ANYTHING AT ALL!

Don't be blind, don't tell me it's Paul McCartney. Don't show me the reviews on Amazon. Just play this album, from beginning to end. You'll be looking for magazines. Thinking about going to the bathroom. Looking at your watch. Anything but listening. Because you're a professional, you're a fan, and you know it's crap. If you don't know this is crap, then I don't care about your opinion. Have you listened to "Let Me Roll It"? Even "Mamunia"? Secondary tracks off of "Band On The Run"? There's nothing even in the same NEIGHBORHOOD on "Memory Almost Full".

I'm sick and tired of people saying to root for the business. Fuck the business, I'm rooting for MUSIC! People who make stuff I'm dying to hear. And "Memory Almost Full" IS NOT IT!

funny, Macca just came on the radio.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/showbiz/latest/2007/11/03/mccartney-thumbs-down-89520-20054857/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i LOVED that review. Talk about writing with a bit of passion and no-holds-barred.

I've never been a big fan of Paul's solo stuff (although there is some great Wings moments). I've always thought he was kinda cheesy whenever i got to see him on tv. He's permanently etched in my head and ears as a Beatle. I would still drop everything if he asked me to work with him. The experience would be invaluable I would think.

Has Lefsetz "reviewed" the new Eagles yet. He seems to have some preconceived notions that it will be wonderful based on his Don Henly love. I have heard a few tunes from the Eagles album and all I can say is that i was completely UNDERWHELMED. There's so much more out there that is better. I'll have to listen to the whole thing when I get a chance ... but I'm not rushing to do so.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Low Roller

I'll admit to not giving a crap about Paul McCartney. Not my cup of Starbucks tea.

Musically the two have absolutely nothing in common (as outlined by Booche), and Radiohead have nothing to gain from the collaboration. Paul would be better off collaborating with someone like Bono if he wants to get back into the mainstream.

I would much rather hear a collaboration between Neil Young and Thom Yorke, as they are much more similar.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...