We're up to Choba B CCCP, Paul's version of John's Rock n' Roll album with a Russian theme to the packaging (the idea was to make it look like an actual Russian-made album bootlegged to the West). I already covered some of these songs in my last post about a dream Beatles triple album of covers. It is an excellent album, also reminiscent of the Unplugged album, in that Paul seems to be having so much fun reliving these classics.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oZI6z-VkvQ
And next...ugh...what was I thinking? I think to myself as I've listened to the first 18 minutes of Liverpool Oratorio. There's really an hour and a half of this? Now, I like classical music. And -- spoiler -- I like Paul's second classical album, Standing Stones, a lot. But this is his first classical album and it is an at times comically overelaborate opera about growing up in Liverpool. I did say I like classical music, but that does not extend to opera. I got up to 25 minutes just while writing this and can't believe I've still got over an hour to go...
...Holy cow, I made it through the whole thing! Yeah, my opinion didn't change much, though I did start to get emotionally invested in the couple when they were fighting. How cliche, though, that having a child brings them back to together.
Thank goodness I got to follow that up with the surprise delight of Ringo's 10th album, Time Takes Time. I had just turned 21 when this came out and solo Ringo albums were entirely off my Radar. This seems to have been true for too many people, many perhaps burnt by his last few more lackluster albums, and unwilling to give him another try. Oh, how they missed out. "Weight of the World" is a good song that kicks off the album right, with an intro that sounds like it came off a Monkees song, that then delves into good, deep lyrics. This and "Don't Know a Thing About Love" have strong drumbeats (obviously) and strong backup vocalists who complement Ringo nicely. I love "Don't Go Where the Road Don't Go," which is extra great because this is one of those rare songs Ringo wrote on his own, possibly making this my favorite Ringo song ever that he penned himself. I'm less enamored with "Golden Blunders" because, okay Ringo, we've all laughed with you before when you made fun of Paul, but if you're mocking "Golden Slumbers" here, I'm not laughing.
Side B starts strong with "After All These Years," another song with a real driving drumbeat, though the electric guitarwork gets in the way sometimes. "Runaways" starts out really strong with its emergency vehicle sirens and never slows down, though this one relies on the backup singers more than any others. "In a Heart Beat" sports great, romantic lyrics and an interestingly halting delivery. I like how "What Goes Around" ends better than how it begins (the ending keeps repeating, or going around -- har har). Again -- and I'm not saying this is as good as Goodnight Vienna, it's maybe not even in the same class -- but it's a really strong album and makes me sad that the industry and the fans had basically written off Ringo at this point, thinking he didn't have a great album left in him.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmcusR_EXAs
Back to Paul, this time back to doing what he does better, rock music. Off the Ground has some good and familiar songs on it -- "Looking for Changes," "Hope of Deliverance," "Peace in the Neighbourhood," and "C'mon People" -- all George-level preachy, but enjoyably preachy, with "Hope" being particularly fun and bouncy. "I Owe It All to You" is filler for Paul, but this would be A-game material for most writers. A surprise song that never gets air time that I enjoyed was "The Lovers that Never Were." "Get Out of My Way" sounds like an old school rocker, but not a particularly inspired one. "Winedark Open Sea" is one of those songs that I think is almost a good song, but just doesn't quite get there. The real fun one, the song I like to sing along with every chorus, even though the rest of it speeds by so fast I still don't know what the narrative is, is "Biker Like an Icon."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYwLCquVONU
Back to Ringo, I watched the whole concert that the "Ringo Starr and the All-Star Band Live from Montreux" album was culled from. I didn't think it was as good as the first incarnation of the All-Star Band, even with someone from the Guess Who in it. It was great for me hearing Ringo plug Time Takes Time by doing "Don't Go Where the Road Don't Go Live," but I felt bad for him when he tried to fire up the crowd about it and they failed to react. Am I the only one who loves that song?
You know what, I'm just gonna listen to it again - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EWf9BmM9Y8
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