Published on Apr 11, 2000
Can we finally put the rest the opinion that Paul McCartney
can’t rock anymore?
If his latest CD,
Run Devil Run, doesn’t put that silly thought to rest,
nothing will. This CD consists mostly of rock and roll covers from
McCartney’s youth (three songs are McCartney originals), and he and
his band almost burn down the studio with some blistering
performances.
McCartney’s last pop CD,
Flaming Pie, revealed a performer energized to make music
again. This one ups the ante considerably in intensity. And yes, he
does rock. His tendancy for cutesyness is nowhere to be found on
this CD, and that is good news for people who think less of his
work because of it.
The song selection for
Run Devil Run goes more for obscure songs from fifties rock
and roll and that works in its favor because avoiding the more
well-known tunes from the era makes the CD seem fresh. If you’re
familiar with “No Other Baby” from the British skiffle band The
Vipers, then you’re good. Probably the most familiar cut on
Run Devil Run is “All Shook Up,” a big hit for Elvis
Presley. McCartney’s version rocks with conviction.
Another Elvis Presley hit “I Got Stung” rocks relentlessly,
reminding me of George Thorogood’s covers of Chuck Berry. And
speaking of Berry, his song “Brown Eyed Handsome Man” is included,
but there is a twist. McCartney and the band turn this into a
zydeco song (!). Believe it or not, this works out very well. Kudos
for such an inspired arrangement.
That is the only time that
Run Devil Run deviates from straight rock. The rest of the
CD splits between authentic fifties arrangements and a more modern
approach. McCartney’s band includes Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour on
guitar and Deep Purple’s Ian Paice on drums, so the “classic rock”
treatment of the material should come as no surprise. The more
raucous cuts on the CD even remind me of Led Zeppelin’s “Rock And
Roll,” which was their take on good old fashioned rock.
McCartney gives us what sound to these ears like faithful
renditions of Gene Vincent’s brand of rockabilly on “Blue Jean,”
and Carl Perkins’ countryish charm on “Movie Magg.” In a somewhat
amusing turn, McCartney imitates Fats Domino’s singing on
“Coquette.” Pete Wingfield does a nice job of faithfully recreating
Domino’s piano style, and it is charming enough to avoid parody,
but just barely.
Run Devil Run does include two ballads. “No Other Baby”
sounds a lot like the Badfinger song “Day After Day” but slowed
down a little bit. Even better is the Ricky Nelson song “Lonesome
Town.” McCartney belts this one out in a bluesy way that I couldn’t
imagine Nelson ever doing. I consider this ballad among all the
rockers to be the highlight of the CD.
As for the three McCartney originals, the title song is a
winner. It is a slightly tongue and cheek story song that rocks
along at a furious pace. “What It Is” is a more leisurely
blues-rock number that slowly percolates. Only “Try Not To Cry”
falls short, sounding very ordinary compared to the heavy hitters
on this CD.
Mostly,
Run Devil Run is pure joy. This may not be among the
greatest recordings in McCartney’s career, but it’s obvious he is
having fun here and that feeling is infectious. And sometimes, it’s
OK for music to just be fun.