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| Venus & Mars (1975); Album Discussion Thread | |
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| Topic Started: Aug 6 2006, 07:53 AM (281 Views) | |
| Hey Jude | Aug 6 2006, 07:53 AM Post #1 |
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Continuing with our album discussion threads, the next album up is Venus And Mars, credited to Wings. Please fill in your answers to the following questions and feel free to elaborate and/or use this thread to discuss the album. 1. When did you first hear Venus And Mars? Did you buy it for yourself and approximately how old were you? 2. What were your first impressions of the album and what is your opinion of this album now? 3. If you care to, please rate the tracks out of 10 (1 being the lowest, 10 being the highest); 1. Venus And Mars - 2. Rock Show - 3. Love In Song - 4. You Gave Me The Answer - 5. Magneto And Titanium Man - 6. Letting Go - 7. Venus And Mars (Reprise) - 8. Spirits Of Ancient Egypt - 9. Medicine Jar - 10. Call Me Back Again - 11. Listen To What The Man Said - 12. Treat Her Gently (Lonely Old People) - 13. Crossroads Theme - McCartney Collection Bonus Tracks 14. Zoo Gang - 15. Lunch Box/Odd Sox 16. My Carnival 4. Which is your favourite and least favourite track? Please give reasons & please don't include the 'bonus tracks'! Thanks! ^_^ |
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| Beatle King | Aug 6 2006, 10:08 AM Post #2 |
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RATE: 8 1. When did you first hear Venus And Mars? Did you buy it for yourself and approximately how old were you? 1998 when I was 8 years old. I found the record under my moms bed and put it on and listened to "Listen to what the man said" I danced.. I feel kinda ashamed that I got up and danced to it.. Haha 2. What were your first impressions of the album and what is your opinion of this album now? I thought it was fun and I loved to sit down and listen or get up dance to it haha. I now look at the album as still fun but also very catchy. Almost all of the songs can get easily stuck in my head. 3. If you care to, please rate the tracks out of 10 (1 being the lowest, 10 being the highest); 1. Venus And Mars - 7 2. Rock Show -4 3. Love In Song - 6 4. You Gave Me The Answer - 9 5. Magneto And Titanium Man - 6 6. Letting Go - 8 7. Venus And Mars (Reprise) - 7 8. Spirits Of Ancient Egypt - 5 9. Medicine Jar - 7 10. Call Me Back Again - 7 11. Listen To What The Man Said - 10 12. Treat Her Gently (Lonely Old People) - 7 13. Crossroads Theme - 4 4. Which is your favourite and least favourite track? Please give reasons & please don't include the 'bonus tracks' Listen to what the man said is the favorite: The song is very catchy and I love the melody of everything and how McCartney handles the song vocally. Least favorite song is Rock show becuase it gets too weird for me and isn't enjoyable at all in my mind. |
| Hello Goodbye Blue Sky. | |
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| Samwise | Aug 6 2006, 12:44 PM Post #3 |
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1. When did you first hear Venus And Mars? Did you buy it for yourself and approximately how old were you? Hmm, VENUS & MARS would've been sometime in the late summer or possibly early fall of 2004, when I was 14. The exact date escapes me at present. It was online through an Amazon.com vendor though, as usual. 2. What were your first impressions of the album and what is your opinion of this album now? I seem to remember enjoying it, but not understanding why many fans thought it was Paul's next-best after BAND ON THE RUN, or even better than it. Today I still think it's a very fun, solid, well-crafted 70s pop-rock album, though I will admit that anything featured here was even bigger, bolder, tighter, and more terrific on WINGS OVER AMERICA. ;) 3. If you care to, please rate the tracks out of 10 (1 being the lowest, 10 being the highest); 1. Venus And Mars - 5/5 2. Rock Show - 10/10 ( A+ ) 3. Love In Song - 9.5/10 ( A ) 4. You Gave Me The Answer - 9/10 ( B ) 5. Magneto And Titanium Man - 9/10 ( B ) 6. Letting Go - 9.5/10 ( A ) 7. Venus And Mars (Reprise) - 4.5/5 8. Spirits Of Ancient Egypt - 8.5/10 ( C ) 9. Medicine Jar - 8.5/10 ( C ) 10. Call Me Back Again - 9.25/10 ( B+ ) 11. Listen To What The Man Said - 9.5/10 ( A ) 12. Treat Her Gently (Lonely Old People) - 9/10 ( B ) 13. Crossroads Theme - 4/5 McCartney Collection Bonus Tracks 14. Zoo Gang - 8.75/10 ( C+ ) 15. Lunch Box/Odd Sox - 9/10 ( B ) 16. My Carnival - 7.5/10 ( D ) 4. Which is your favourite and least favourite track? Please give reasons & please don't include the 'bonus tracks'! My favourite track is Venus & Mars/Rock Show which, like the opening medley on SGT. PEPPER, I consider a single song. A brilliantly fun and exciting McCartney mini-suite, the perfect anthem for a rock concert and totally in its element live - and Venus & Mars (and its reprise) features some nice wordplay. ^_^ Least favourite is Spirits of Ancient Egypt, which I find rather silly and lightwight. |
 My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair! | |
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| DCBeatle64 | Aug 6 2006, 02:01 PM Post #4 |
Wings nutter
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1. When did you first hear Venus And Mars? Did you buy it for yourself and approximately how old were you? I got it in March of this year.I gound it 2nd hand for £2.99 so thought might as well 2. What were your first impressions of the album and what is your opinion of this album now? I really liked it instantly.I got it the same time ad back to the egg and had them both playing over and over again.Venus and Mars is my 2nd favourite Wings album whilst back to the egg is my favourite.I know that makes band on the run my 3rd 3. If you care to, please rate the tracks out of 10 (1 being the lowest, 10 being the highest); 1. Venus And Mars - 10 2. Rock Show - 10 3. Love In Song - 10 4. You Gave Me The Answer - 10 5. Magneto And Titanium Man - 9 6. Letting Go -9 7. Venus And Mars (Reprise) -8 8. Spirits Of Ancient Egypt -9 9. Medicine Jar - 9 10. Call Me Back Again - 10 11. Listen To What The Man Said - 10 12. Treat Her Gently (Lonely Old People) - 10 13. Crossroads Theme - 5 McCartney Collection Bonus Tracks 14. Zoo Gang - 8 15. Lunch Box/Odd Sox-10 16. My Carnival-10 4. Which is your favourite and least favourite track? Please give reasons & please don't include the 'bonus tracks'! I love rockshow.Just the line 'and the ring at the end of my nose makes me look rather pretty' I love that line. crossroads is least favourite.Doesnt really need to be there |
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I'm a BIGGER Beatles fan than you and I'm an even BIGGER Wings fan than that... 'You're a Paul McCartney fan? No you're a Wings fan'. 'Thankyou Scotland' Ho Hey Ho...   I am the buttplug goo goo goo joob | |
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| Hey Jude | Aug 8 2006, 09:19 AM Post #5 |
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1. When did you first hear Venus And Mars? Did you buy it for yourself and approximately how old were you? I was about 15 years old and I bought it on cassette in 1991 via mail order. 2. What were your first impressions of the album and what is your opinion of this album now? I thought it was fantastic - a very varied album that, not only contained some fantastic music, was also a lot of fun also. I still love the album - it's one of my favourite post-Beatle McCartney albums. 3. If you care to, please rate the tracks out of 10 (1 being the lowest, 10 being the highest); 1. Venus And Mars - 8 2. Rock Show - 9 3. Love In Song - 10 4. You Gave Me The Answer - 9 5. Magneto And Titanium Man - 9 6. Letting Go - 10 7. Venus And Mars (Reprise) - 8 8. Spirits Of Ancient Egypt - 7 9. Medicine Jar - 10 10. Call Me Back Again - 8 11. Listen To What The Man Said - 10 12. Treat Her Gently (Lonely Old People) - 8 13. Crossroads Theme - 6 McCartney Collection Bonus Tracks 14. Zoo Gang - 7 15. Lunch Box/Odd Sox - 7 16. My Carnival - 7 4. Which is your favourite and least favourite track? Please give reasons & please don't include the 'bonus tracks'! My favourite track is tied - I can't distinguish between Love In Song and Letting Go - so utterly wonderful in very different ways. Paul's vocals on Love In Song are out of this world and Letting Go is mean, moody and bloody brilliant. My least favourite track, is Crossroads Theme - included only because it was Paul's version of the theme tune to the ITV soap opera 'Crossroads' and was used for a little while. It doesn't really belong on the album, in my opinion. |
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| invisible jones | Aug 10 2006, 08:23 PM Post #6 |
Either this man is dead or my watch has stopped.
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1. When did you first hear Venus And Mars? Did you buy it for yourself and approximately how old were you? I was gifted the Venus and the Mars as a teenager. I believe it was my 15th birthday. Can't be sure, as it occured more than 2 hours ago. 2. What were your first impressions of the album and what is your opinion of this album now? I thought it was alright, but some of the tracks sounded as if they were trying (too hard) to be contemporary. Contemporary for the mid-70s, that is, not contemporary for when I received the album. 3. If you care to, please rate the tracks out of 10 (1 being the lowest, 10 being the highest); 1. Venus And Mars -10 2. Rock Show -8 3. Love In Song -10 4. You Gave Me The Answer -9 5. Magneto And Titanium Man -9 6. Letting Go -10 7. Venus And Mars (Reprise) -10 8. Spirits Of Ancient Egypt -6 9. Medicine Jar -2 10. Call Me Back Again -8 11. Listen To What The Man Said -10 12. Treat Her Gently (Lonely Old People) -7 13. Crossroads Theme -5 McCartney Collection Bonus Tracks 14. Zoo Gang -7 15. Lunch Box/Odd Sox-7 16. My Carnival-8 4. Which is your favourite and least favourite track? Please give reasons & please don't include the 'bonus tracks'! I really dislike "Medicine Jar." Lousy lyrics, lousy melody, lousy vocal, the song goes nowhere and offers nothing. Unfortunately, Mr. McCulloch would outdo himself with the even worse "Wino Junko" on the next album. "Listen To What The Man Said" is the best cut. Slightly surreal lyrics ('He said: "--instrumental pharse--"), incredibly catchy pop melody, one of McCartney's better vocals, and a great coda at the end of the piece (although I prefer the compilation mixes which simply fade out, as I'm not a great fan of "Treat Her Gently"). "Love In Song" was probably my favourite song when I first got the album. It's still one of my favourite McCartney songs, but repeated listenings to 'Man' through various compilations have given 'Man' the edge. (By the way, I don't really like calling it 'Man,' but I'm a lazy typist.) "Letting Go" was my second favourite song at the time. "Venus and Mars" is also a favourite, but it's not really a complete piece--one of those McCartney segments that he likes to do--so 'Man' gets the vote. |
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I took my brains out and stretched 'em on a rack Now I'm not so sure I'm ever gonna get 'em back | |
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| Reverend Dave | Oct 1 2006, 01:15 AM Post #7 |
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Continuing with our album discussion threads, the next album up is Venus And Mars, credited to Wings. Please fill in your answers to the following questions and feel free to elaborate and/or use this thread to discuss the album. 1. When did you first hear Venus And Mars? Did you buy it for yourself and approximately how old were you? This was my 6th Paul album, after McCartney. It came out 2 days before my 8th birthday. Appropriately, I was given it on my 10th birthday, along with John's Mind Games. 2. What were your first impressions of the album and what is your opinion of this album now? I loved it immediately. It was easily my favorite Paul album at the time and still one of my favorites. The space transporter lines in Venus & Mars still remind me of Star Wars, which came out when I first heard the LP. 3. If you care to, please rate the tracks out of 10 (1 being the lowest, 10 being the highest); 1. Venus And Mars - 9 2. Rock Show - 9 3. Love In Song - 8 4. You Gave Me The Answer - 9 5. Magneto And Titanium Man - 8 6. Letting Go - 9 7. Venus And Mars (Reprise) - 9 8. Spirits Of Ancient Egypt - 8 9. Medicine Jar - 9 10. Call Me Back Again - 8 11. Listen To What The Man Said - 9 12. Treat Her Gently (Lonely Old People) - 8 13. Crossroads Theme - 7 McCartney Collection Bonus Tracks 14. Zoo Gang - 15. Lunch Box/Odd Sox 16. My Carnival 4. Which is your favourite and least favourite track? Please give reasons & please don't include the 'bonus tracks'! It's hard to pick a favorite on this album, but I'll go with Listen To What The Man Said. My least favorite is the Crossroads Theme. It just seems strange that it's even on this album. Thanks! ^_^ You're welcome. |
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With great power comes great responsibility. With great age.... What was I going to say? | |
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| LeeRoyBoy | Oct 25 2006, 11:51 PM Post #8 |
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Continuing with our album discussion threads, the next album up is Venus And Mars, credited to Wings. Please fill in your answers to the following questions and feel free to elaborate and/or use this thread to discuss the album. 1. When did you first hear Venus And Mars? Did you buy it for yourself and approximately how old were you? When it came out, then I didn't really listen to it for 30 years. I listened to it today for the first time in ages and ages. 2. What were your first impressions of the album and what is your opinion of this album now? I don't remember what I thought back then, but I really liked it today. 3. If you care to, please rate the tracks out of 10 (1 being the lowest, 10 being the highest); 1. Venus And Mars - 8 2. Rock Show - 8 3. Love In Song - 8 4. You Gave Me The Answer - 8 5. Magneto And Titanium Man - 5 6. Letting Go - 7 7. Venus And Mars (Reprise) - 8 8. Spirits Of Ancient Egypt - 4 9. Medicine Jar - 1 10. Call Me Back Again - 10 11. Listen To What The Man Said - 9 12. Treat Her Gently (Lonely Old People) - 10 13. Crossroads Theme - 2 4. Which is your favourite and least favourite track? Please give reasons & please don't include the 'bonus tracks'! Call Me Back Again and Treat Her Gently are my favorites. I think these two songs seem more valuable given the history of the writer over all these years. (it's all in my mind you know). It's late. I have no idea what I'm saying, but I love these two songs. Medicine Jar sucks. Plain and simple. It s-u-c-k-s. |
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LeeRoyBoy There's UFO's over New York, and I'm not too surprised. | |
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| Deleted User | Oct 19 2008, 06:51 AM Post #9 |
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Deleted User
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1. When did you first hear Venus And Mars? Did you buy it for yourself and approximately how old were you? I got it first in about 89 when i was 19 and buying too many 2nd hand albums that i didn't listen to properly. 2. What were your first impressions of the album and what is your opinion of this album now? I don't remember much about what i thought about it back then but now i think it's a very enjoyable album. It's not got anything really special on it though. 3. If you care to, please rate the tracks out of 10 (1 being the lowest, 10 being the highest); 1. Venus And Mars -10- a fine melody that's moving too 2. Rock Show -9- a great construction with several inspired stylistic parts 3. Love In Song -8-a bit too reminiscent of Lucy in the sky with diamonds but a very nice song with a great vocal 4. You Gave Me The Answer -8-It's old fashioned but really good 5. Magneto And Titanium Man -8-Another unusual stylisic peice from this varied album. Great fun! 6. Letting Go -8-A slow swampy blues funk mood number. 7. Venus And Mars (Reprise) -10- 8. Spirits Of Ancient Egypt -8-A love the atmospheric feel of this song but the lyrics are a bit of a mish-mash 9. Medicine Jar -7-Ok little rocking tune 10. Call Me Back Again -7-Quite a powerful song with a raw, impassioned vocal that just about grabs you, what you could call quality filler. 11. Listen To What The Man Said -9-A wonderfully infectious pop song 12. Treat Her Gently (Lonely Old People) -9-Very uncool subject matter but quite sublime really, imo 13. Crossroads Theme -10-I think this is a joke on the fact they were in New Orleans, the deep south, where Robert Johnson sang about his very very different crossroads. McCartney Collection Bonus Tracks 14. Zoo Gang -8-Quriky arty recording that captures the essence of eerie drama that it was designed to do. 15. Lunch Box/Odd Sox-7-Another slice of Macca toe-tappin' magic? Well, nearly. Get that cool bass run, though,baby! Yeah!! 16. My Carnival-7-NOt much of a tune but a good party number 4. Which is your favourite and least favourite track? Please give reasons & please don't include the 'bonus tracks'! My fav. is Magneto and titanium man just 'cause it's warm toe-tappin fun and the converse treat her gently/lonely old people 'cause it's so touching. The worst is just the ordinary Medicine jar but it's not like i hate it or anything |
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| A day in the life | Jan 3 2009, 08:19 AM Post #10 |
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1. When did you first hear Venus And Mars? Did you buy it for yourself and approximately how old were you? I bought it on CD about five years ago I guess. My folks had the record though, so knew many of the songs. 2. What were your first impressions of the album and what is your opinion of this album now? I liked it at once, the vibe, the art work. Some of the songs grew on me after a few listens as well, such as "Love in Song" and "Spirits of Ancient Egypt". 3. If you care to, please rate the tracks out of 10 (1 being the lowest, 10 being the highest); 1. Venus And Mars - 10 2. Rock Show - 10 3. Love In Song - 10 4. You Gave Me The Answer - 9 5. Magneto And Titanium Man - 7 6. Letting Go - 7 7. Venus And Mars (Reprise) - 10 8. Spirits Of Ancient Egypt - 10 9. Medicine Jar - 10 10. Call Me Back Again - 10 11. Listen To What The Man Said - 10 12. Treat Her Gently (Lonely Old People) - 5 13. Crossroads Theme - 5 McCartney Collection Bonus Tracks 14. Zoo Gang - 5 15. Lunch Box/Odd Sox 7 16. My Carnival 5 4. Which is your favourite and least favourite track? Please give reasons & please don't include the 'bonus tracks'! 'Love in song' is great. The title track as well, so those two are my favourites. I also really used to love 'Medicine Jar'. Least favourite, 'Treat her gently'- just not too exciting for me. |
| We all wanna change the world. | |
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| ohnotjimagain | Jan 3 2009, 03:41 PM Post #11 |
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1. When did you first hear Venus And Mars? Did you buy it for yourself and approximately how old were you? I heard it the day it was released way back in 1975. I was 22 2. What were your first impressions of the album and what is your opinion of this album now? I liked it instantly. It's my favourite album by Paul. 3. If you care to, please rate the tracks out of 10 (1 being the lowest, 10 being the highest); 1. Venus And Mars - 10 2. Rock Show - 10 3. Love In Song - 7 4. You Gave Me The Answer - 10 5. Magneto And Titanium Man - 10 6. Letting Go - 10 7 .Venus And Mars (Reprise) - 9 8. Spirits Of Ancient Egypt - 6 9. Medicine Jar - 8 10. Call Me Back Again - 7 11. Listen To What The Man Said - 10+ 12. Treat Her Gently (Lonely Old People) - 7 13. Crossroads Theme - 0 McCartney Collection Bonus Tracks 14. Zoo Gang - 7 15. Lunch Box/Odd Sox 6 16. My Carnival 8 4. Which is your favourite and least favourite track? Please give reasons & please don't include the 'bonus tracks'! My favourite is Listen To What The Man Said. It's one of my favourite McCartney songs. Least favourite is Crossroads Theme. It's awful like the series was. |
| With every mistake we must surely be learning. | |
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| Squid | Jan 6 2009, 07:37 PM Post #12 |
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1. When did you first hear Venus And Mars? Did you buy it for yourself and approximately how old were you? 1984. About 13 when I first heard V&M, on vinyl. 2. What were your first impressions of the album and what is your opinion of this album now? I didn't really like it then and I don't really like it now. The whole album feels like a piece of carefully calculated prog rock, vain, artificial, rather pompous even. Paul seems very aware and under pressure to provide a worthy successor to Band On The Run and it shows in the song-writing and especially the production. The so-called rock tracks like Rockshow, Spirits of Ancient Egypt, Letting Go, Medicine Jar sound weak and overproduced, lyrics are nonsensical without wit. The album is salvaged somewhat by a dash of humour in Magneto and Titanium Man, the classic single, Listen to What the Man Said, and the beautiful Treat Her Gently - unfortunate the latter merges into Lonely Old People, a real album-killing dirge. 3. If you care to, please rate the tracks out of 10 (1 being the lowest, 10 being the highest); 1. Venus And Mars - 6 2. Rock Show - 4 3. Love In Song - 8 4. You Gave Me The Answer - 6 5. Magneto And Titanium Man - 8 6. Letting Go - 5 7. Venus And Mars (Reprise) - 6 8. Spirits Of Ancient Egypt - 2 9. Medicine Jar - 2 10. Call Me Back Again - 7 11. Listen To What The Man Said - 10 12. Treat Her Gently (Lonely Old People) - 6 13. Crossroads Theme - 2 McCartney Collection Bonus Tracks 14. Zoo Gang - 5 15. Lunch Box/Odd Sox - 8 16. My Carnival - 5 4. Which is your favourite and least favourite track? Please give reasons & please don't include the 'bonus tracks'! Favourite track is Listen To What The Man Said, a beautiful uplifting McCartney song, the kind of thing he does best and no-one in the world can touch him at doing. Least favourite track is Medicine Jar, it has no business being on a Paul McCartney album, or on any album. |
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| Mark Stephen Baker | Jan 7 2009, 04:50 AM Post #13 |
He likes cheese
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1. When did you first hear Venus And Mars? Did you buy it for yourself and approximately how old were you? Another bootsale purchase for me from around 1991 making me 19. I bought it on CD in 1993 as part of the first wave of The Paul McCartney Collection reissues. 2. What were your first impressions of the album and what is your opinion of this album now? At the time it was my favorite of Paul's albums, still a favorite. I've always felt that this album is when Paul really got his cofidance back, proberly buoyed by the sucsess of Band On The Run. It also seems to be an album written very much with the intention on the songs being staduim rock, often a bad thing here Paul makes in a definate boon! It's also one of the 'Wings' albums were Paul tries to prove that Wings are a real band and not just him with a backing group (as Wings really are) by giving the others a go. I do like the reuse of the title track at the start of side two to give the album a feel of unity, something Paul did brilliantly on Sgt Pepper then dabled with on Wild Life and Band On The Run, he should do it again sometime. 3. If you care to, please rate the tracks out of 10 (1 being the lowest, 10 being the highest); 1. Venus And Mars - 7 2. Rock Show - 8 3. Love In Song - 7 4. You Gave Me The Answer - 7 5. Magneto And Titanium Man - 6 6. Letting Go - 7 7. Venus And Mars (Reprise) - 7 8. Spirits Of Ancient Egypt - 9. Medicine Jar - 6 10. Call Me Back Again - 7 11. Listen To What The Man Said - 8 12. Treat Her Gently (Lonely Old People) - 6 13. Crossroads Theme - 6 McCartney Collection Bonus Tracks 14. Zoo Gang - 4 (I do like to sing a long to this one though) 15. Lunch Box/Odd Sox - 5 16. My Carnival - 6 4. Which is your favourite and least favourite track? Please give reasons & please don't include the 'bonus tracks'! Rock Show should return to Paul's live set, it's like the theme tune to a Paul live experience. Call Me Back Again goes on to long. You Gave Me The Answer is good fun but doesn't quite live up to Honey Pie which it is obviously inspired by. |
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| Mark Stephen Baker | Jan 7 2009, 05:29 AM Post #14 |
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He likes cheese
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And because the band didn't know the cords to Coronation Street. I think it's a wonderful piece of satire to end the album on, what do lonely old people watch? ............. And did you know that My Carnival has been played in Only Fools And Horses? Edited by Mark Stephen Baker, Jan 7 2009, 05:41 AM.
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| Andy | May 8 2009, 08:46 AM Post #15 |
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No, I didn't know that! I'll have to listen out for that one. ^_^ Continuing with my project of writing proper amazon reviews for all of Paul's albums, here is my review of Venus & Mars. Again, I'd be grateful if anyone with amazon accounts who thinks that my review would help people decided whether they would buy this album or not could give me a 'helpful' vote and help keep me in the Top 1000 reviewers! Thanks. :) --- Wings - Venus & Mars Venus & Mars are more than alright! Following an album like “Band On The Run” was always going to be a difficult ask, even for an artist as talented and renowned as Paul McCartney and so, when “Venus & Mars” was released in May 1975, it suffered, unfairly, by the inevitable comparisons, rather than being reviewed on its own merits. Largely excellent, “Venus & Mars” was mostly recorded in New Orleans, Louisiana and, despite the change of drummer part of the way through the recording process (Joe English replacing Geoff Britton owing to a personality clash with guitarist Jimmy McCulloch), it is a fluid, cohesive album with a delightfully eclectic feel. More than any Wings album before, this also feels like an album recorded by a band rather than Paul McCartney plus assorted musicians, with other members sharing songwriting and singing duties. The album opens with McCartney in a wistful and then playful mood with “Venus & Mars/Rock Show”, the latter being a catchy, energetic rocker namechecking several concert venues possibly even purposely written with a world tour in mind and then continues strongly with the hauntingly beautiful ballad, “Love In Song”, which features a tremendous vocal performance by Paul. The vaudeville-flavoured “You Gave Me The Answer” is a fun piece of whimsical silliness, specifically produced to give it a 20s/30s feel. The enjoyment continues with a jaunty electric piano intro to “Magneto & Titanium Man”, a bouncy song inspired by some of the characters from Marvel Comics. Bringing what used to be “side one” on the vinyl albums to a close is one of my personal favourites from this album, the moody, sultry “Letting Go”, which boasts a sublime, bluesy guitar riff. The second half of the album begins with a reprise of “Venus & Mars” and then there is a rather splendid rocker, “Spirits Of Ancient Egypt” featuring effects-heavy guitars and Denny Laine on lead vocals. Perhaps one of the big surprises on this release is “Medicine Jar”, a superb riff-heavy rock song about the evils of drug addiction written (with Colin Allen) and sung by guitarist McCulloch. Although it is atypical of the album it adds much to the depth of the record overall and is one of the many highlights of this underrated release. “Call Me Back Again”, a slow-paced, bluesy number with some passionate (and some may say over-wrought) McCartney vocals takes the tempo down a little, but then it is pumped straight up with the brilliant, irrepressible “Listen To What The Man Said”, one of Paul’s most commercial and deservedly successful songs of the decade. Ending the album, there is the gentle, melodic and thoughtful “Treat Her Gently/Lonely Old People”, a sentimental piece in waltz time, and then a short instrumental version of the TV soap opera “Crossroads” (written by Tony Hatch) with the lead-guitar howling out the melody. Superfluous, perhaps, but still perfectly agreeable. All-in-all, I would rate this as one of the best post-Beatles albums Paul McCartney has released. Although not every single track is a classic, there isn’t anything on “Venus & Mars” I dislike or even consider ordinary. I first had a copy of this album around twenty years ago and I have listened to it regularly ever since, so that is perhaps an indication of the appeal and longevity of this release. The pleasant bonus tracks (Zoo Gang, Lunch Box/Odd Sox and My Carnival) on this particular version are a decent addition for McCartney collectors, although they don’t add much other than value for money to this disc and are unlikely to really thrill anyone other than those who want to own every track Paul has ever written. However, for those who are looking to create or expand their post-Beatles Paul McCartney collection, this album is a must. Strongly recommended. Link to review on amazon |
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3:13 AM Nov 27
