Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I see that Macca has a 360/12 LH. I notice a Ricky 12 on Flaming Pie track "Really Love You" . Anyone know if that's Paul doing the Riff on his 360 ?

Beatlebum: I have been researching this question since your posting but as yet do not have any information that would either confirm or deny that Paul is playing his 360/12 on this track. It is a great song.

Great Song?? Come on son - twenty years ago, Big Macca could have riffed like that for hours and it'd been electrifying. Now it's just plain awful - I love the guy and I hope he rocks out 'till he's 164, but 1) he's got to learn that he can't record his voice straight up anymore if he's going to scream and 2) he sings SERIOUSLY flat these days (see the Cavern). I'm sure seeing him is great and you get caught up in the energy of the man, but just as a straight commentary on his music, he's got to do something (actually, given the EXCELLENT "reverse EQ curve" recording of his voice on certain Rock tracks on "Run Devil Run", someone may have availed him of this suggestion). But Really love you is just PAINFUL.

Plain awful? Seriously flat? Painful? Reverse
EQ curve?? What's up with all that? Really Love
You is a great song and Flaming Pie is one of Paul's best solo albums. Maybe you need to tune
your ears up son, or at least come down to earth with the rest of us.

Sorry but he does sing painfully flat

I watched the Cavern live show ...great playing and feel ....but Sir Paul was totally FLAT

Geez, I thought it was just me. Paul singing "Shake A Hand" (is that the proper title)? was an eye-opener for me. I didn't know he was CAPABLE of being so off-key.
He didn't look like he was into that show for some reason. Maybe just a bad night.

Now we are getting into the all important question of "live" vs. "recorded".
We all know the perfection (I do because of my home 8 track recording studio) that a recorded version has over a single "live" event. Macca is approaching 60! He can clearly give us great music on the recording side, but may be challenged by each concert to give his best performance! And being a smoker...I wonder what that did to his voice?
Comments?

HEY!!! Come on Larry. Was I too harsh? I LOVE Flaming Pie - I think Paul is wonderful - an immensely talented songwriter. Additionally, when he records himself properly, even his near 60 year old voice can sound great (see "Souvenir" on FP). But - his falsetto shatters, his "head voice" screaming is froggy and I think only his chest voice has really held up (and -ouch- I think even there his pitch tends to wander these days). Still though, with the right recording, Macca SOUNDS JAMMING. All due respect to Larry, I do not think Really Love You is flattering. The bass and drums are tight as a fist and the guitar work is cool, but Macca is cracking and croaking all over the place. Smoking probably didn't help a guy who was screaming his brains out for 25 years (although some say the hot smoke actually soothes the vocal cords...NOT BLOODY LIKELY) - didn't he stop smoking YEARS ago? I hope this is down to earth enough, he said, smarting from the public criticism he was, was he.

Somebody ripped off my Flaming Pie CD from my car
a year ago so I can't listen to Really Love You but I'll check it out for flatness when I get a chance. I don't remember it being that awful, maybe some of you just have higher expectations than me? It's no problem either way as we all have our own opinions. Paul still sounds great to me and I'd rather hear his actual voice, flat or not, than see him follow a lot of the new groups in concert which are basically lip-synching. Rock and roll was never meant to be perfect! It has a lot to do with attitude too. I guess that's why I still love The Beatles. They
quit when they were young and at the top! Does that mean Paul shouldn't perform solo anymore? Of course not. But he won't ever perform solo and be 25 years old again while doing it. The Beatles were the greatest group ever and they knew when to quit. They will never grow old! Just my 2 cents.