Macca Live 2010 Side Six

With all of this excitement of Paul on Howard Stern and The View, as well as his great new Fireman album, I know you've been wondering, "When is Yer Blogger going to finish his wonderful imaginary McCartney live album? We've been waiting over a month to find out how the concert ends! What are the last songs going to be? What would Paul do for an encore ? I've barely made it through the holidays! How busy can Yer Blogger be ? I've been hanging on the edge of my seat ! When is my hot cocoa going to be ready ?"

Well, Beedle Peedles, the time has finally arrived! Below you will find my "ideal" side six for Macca Live 2010. What I tried to accomplish is an overview of Macca's career outside of the Beatles. This collection covers everything from non-Fab 1960's recordings, through his years with Wings, to a solo career that continues to this day. With such a large body of work, it was difficult to cover every aspect of the career of James Paul McCartney. Some of his hits, like "Listen To What The Man Said" and "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" have unfortunately been excluded, due to time constraints. I would have like to have included rockers like "Helen Wheels" and "Hi Hi Hi", plus personal favorites, like "Mumbo" (which seems like a blue print for the Electric Arguments album), but felt these songs would have to be sacrificed in order to have a more varied, two-hour-plus show. Luckily, at least some of these songs have been performed live in the past. My goal was to shine a light on some Macca songs that may not have gotten to attention they deserved, and hopefully it would send some people back to their music collections, and dig up some wonderful, half-forgotten music.

One of the things Paul is most proud of is the songs he's written specifically for movies. I could have gone for the Oscar-nominated "Vanilla Sky", or the title song from the comedy Spies Like Us, but decided to go for the strongest and most popular songs.


31. NO MORE LONELY NIGHTS


This hit single is from Macca's own movie, Give My Regards To Broad Street, and featured a soaring solo by Pink Floyd's David Gilmour. I'd like to hear Rusty's take on that! This beautiful ballad will lull the audience with a warm musical embrace before we get to the exciting final song of the main set.

32. LIVE AND LET DIE

The name is Ramon. Paul Ramon. (Or is it Percy Thrillington? )

James Bond has never been hipper. Not only is Paul obviously and justifiably proud of this James Bond classic, but with all the pyrotechnics used on stage, it's the perfect climax. This has recently been McCartney's explosive closer, and there's no reason to change that now. Plus, it will show Jack White and Alicia Keys a thing or two about How To Write A Classic James Bond Movie Theme. Not to mention Chris Cornell, Garbage, and Madonna.

Paul and the band now go back stage, and take a well deserved break.


ENCORE ONE


33. BAND ON THE RUN


The title track from one of his most popular and acclaimed post-Beatles albums, the one that really took his solo career into the stratosphere. This song was a chart-topping single in it's own right, about six months after the album came out, sandwiched between Ray Stevens' "The Streak" and the anti-war song "Billy Don't Be A Hero" by Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods. (Extremely tenuous Beatles connection: "Billy Don't Be A Hero" was co-written by Mitch Murray, of "How Do You Do It" fame.) A nice way to build excitement, since the song starts off quietly, until it "explodes" when the band "escapes" (as the band on stage is about do).


34. GOODNIGHT TONIGHT


This hit song probably gets more play today on satellite radio than it did in 1979, and it gives a chance for Paul's fans to dance along as he bids them a reluctant farewell. Can't you just image a theater full of McCartney fans singing and dancing along with this one ? "Don't say it - Don't say goodnight tonight!" I bet Macca would eat it all up ! Another great bass line as well.


ENCORE TWO


35. MAYBE I'M AMAZED


One of the all-time great love songs. Paul's ode to Linda could also, in this context, be a big thank you to his fans. While I'd love a solo version on piano, I assume the band would come on stage for one more song.


ENCORE THREE


36. GOODBYE


Paul returns alone , one more time, for an unexpected, yet totally appropriate, final song choice. McCartney wrote this for Apple artist Mary Hopkin in 1969, and it was a massive hit, kept off the U.K. number one spot by the Beatles' single, "Get Back". I've always loved this one. A solo acoustic demo version by McCartney has been in the hands of collectors for years. Paul with just an acoustic guitar, saying "Goodbye", would be the perfect ending .

Well , there you have it: "Macca Live 2010". Finally. I hope you have enjoyed the show. Now go have your cocoa.