Customer Reviews

Press to Play

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(23)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

After Give Me Regards To Broadstreet, Paul McCartney went back to the studio and produced Press To Play. He has a plethora of studio musicians on this album. Guests include Pete Townshend Phil Collins, Anne Dudley and Tony Visconti, the latter doing orchestral arrangements. The sound isn't as poppy or radio friendly as Tug Of War or Pipes Of Peace, but sees Paul doing something experimental, with some bizarre, whimsical, and cryptic lyrics that might make one go, "Say what?"

The second single, "Stranglehold" leans towards a blues sound, with a horn accompaniment before he sings the chorus.

"Goodtimes Coming/Feel The Sun", which would have a New Wave feel if it had skippy synths, starts with backing vocalists singing the first title before Paul reminisces about a summer holiday. The second part of the song merely goes "Feel The Sun Shine In shine in feel the sun shine in on you." repeated. Carlos Alomar has a sizzling guitar solo here.

"Footprints" is a sad acoustic song about a lonely man whose tears are hidden by the falling snow. "Only Love Remains" is a typical McCartney "My Love" ballad with a piano and guitar, and orchestra figuring prominently.

The title track and first single, "Press" only got to #21 on the singles chart. It's catchy enough, with Collins' drums, snazzy keyboards and Carlos Alomar's trademark guitar gets a worthy solo here. The title verse says, "When you want me to love you/Just tell me to press." But "Oklahoma was never like this" gets a puzzled scratch on the head.

"Pretty Little Head" was a weird choice for the third single. Paul's vocals are mixed in an echoing weird fashion here, which made me wonder if it was him or Roland Orzabal singing "Hillmen hillmen hillmen..." There is a reference to the Magi, of hillmen "carrying trinkets, silk and precious stones", with the words "Ursa Major...Ursa Minor..." sung inbetween verses. It's mostly keyboards and ambient sounds.

The rocking "Move Over Busker" is of a struggling poet having conversations with Nell Gwynne and Mae West, yeah weird, I know, and they tell him the title words, followed by "your time will come" in reference to wanting to be experienced.

"Angry" is a racing rebellious rocker reminiscent of 50's rock. It's from the POV of a youth who rails against his parents, telling them "What gives you the right to tell me what to do with my life/especially when you made a mess of every chance you had a chance." Paul's vocals are ragged, as when he does that high-pitched Little Richard-influenced scream. Pete Townshend does some guitar here.

"However Absurd" sounds like an outtake from the Abbey Road album. The synth strings, pounding piano, and acoustic guitar is nothing compared to the weird lyrics: "Custom made dinosaurs, too late now, for a change/Everything is under the sun, but nothing is for keeps..." However absurd indeed!

"Write Away" advises a girl who needs love to express it in writing. "Get it down, you'll feel better, send it now, write away" he says. With the piano, brushes, and sax, there is a lighter quality that nears mellow jazz.

"It's Not True", begins the backing vocals, on this song, which is reminiscent of a typical McCartney 70's ballad and is in defense of a girl whom jealous others say she's crazy, a loser, and bad. Carlos Alomar's guitar snarls in time with the chorus.

"Tough On A Tightrope" shows the patience needed in a relationship, even when he sings, "If you're tempted to tell a lie/don't get it wrong." "The brightest light that's shining in the skies is shining from your eyes" is typical McCartney romantic whimsy.

Hugh Padgham, whose work includes the Police's Ghost In The Machine and Synchroncity albums, as well as Genesis' Invisible Touch and Phil Collins' classic No Jacket Required works with Paul on this album. The inner sleeves containing the lyrics also contain stereo drawings in colour to pinpoint the positions of the instruments.

Not all the lyrics stand up to scratch, and some are downright bizarre. It's not bad, though, it's just McCartney experimenting with new styles and not always succeeding, but at least he tried. McCartney put out the stunning Flowers In The Dirt three years later, but those disillusioned with this uneven album may have deserted him as a result.

When I first heard this album in 1986 my first reaction was 'What is McCartney doing'?! But the more I listened to it, the more I realized the creative genius that PTP is all about. As it was released, in 1986, the original 10 songs on PTP are some of the most musically satisfying songs I have ever heard (with one exception). And though Paul usually excels more on the musical side, these songs include some of his strongest lyrics. STRANGLEHOLD is a classic rocker and the perfect way to start out the album. GOOD TIMES COMING/FEEL THE SUN is a catchy melody that brings back memories of warm sunny days and the warm fuzzy feelings that come with them. TALK MORE TALK is driven by a creative drum machine track and includes comments from his young son James. Who else but McCartney could successfully pull off a song about talk/conversaton? FOOTPRINTS is a stirringly emotional song about a man who has lost his true love and laments his loss privately. ONLY LOVE REMAINS is a classic McCartney love song. PRESS is a catchy rocker that should have been a bigger hit than it was. PRETTY LITTLE HEAD is a musical classic, very Bealtlesque in its creativity. MOVE OVER BUSKER tells a funny story and includes references to Nell Gwynne, Mae West, and Errol Flynn. Great guitar work and strong lyrics. One of my favorites. ANGRY is the only exception on the album. Although it includes Pete Townsend on guitar and Phil Collins on drums, the song lacks any kind of a signiture. There is a B-side version that Paul added horns to and it sounds great, it would have made the album a perfect 10. I think with Pete and Phil on the song Paul was afraid he would overproduce it and in the process he underproduced it. HOWEVER ABSURD is lyrically Pauls most Lennon like song. I love lines like 'It's a funny thing, half serious, With our hands on our ears./Living dreams with mouths ajar, Wide awake, we go to sleep'. and 'Something special between us, When we made love the game was over./I couldn't say the words, Words wouldn't get my feelings through, So I keep talking to you...'. Classic. It always reminded me of 'I am the Walrus'. I can't get enough of this album. In fact, I once listened to nothing else for 3 months. When I was in the car I listened to the tape, in the house I had the album on. If I was stranded on a desert island and could only have one album, this would be it. The extra tracks ruin the flow and continuity of the album and do not really belong, although it is nice to have CD versions of ONCE UPON A LONG AGO and SPIES LIKE US. IT'S NOT TRUE and TOUGH ON A TIGHTROPE have B-side mixes that are much better than the ones on this disk. I would listen to the extra tracks seperately from tracks 1-10. You may have to listen to it a few times, but once it hooks you, you won't be sorry you spent the time to discover this gem.

Probably best described as "playful," this obscure album contains some rousing songs, in my opinion. "Press" and "Stranglehold" (no relation to Ted Nugent's version!!) are mid-tempo, pleasant rockers. They're love-songs, but have just a tiny bit of suggestiveness to them, particularly "Press." Not exactly racy, especially by today's standards, but more than we usually get from Paul. For a true rocker, tune in to "Angry" on which Pete Townsend contributes guitar. Typical lyric "What the hell gives you the right to tell me what to do with my life," or "I'm angry, just lookin' at you." Not deep stuff, but I seem to remember back when this came out, Paul saying he wanted to show he could still write a "hard" song...not a bad effort. Not exactly Motley Crue, but a lark nonetheless.

Of course, it wouldn't be Paul without some ballads. "Only Love Remains" is the prize-winner in this group, and it holds up very well after all these years as a great example of Paul's moody, bittersweet, romantic side. For good, tossed-off ditties (you know, something that sounds like it was written in the morning, recorded in the afternoon, much fun had by all, and not deeper meanings), look no further than "Write Away."

There are some oddities, some more enjoyable than others. "Your Pretty Little Head" and "However Absurd" show McCartney experimenting a bit, particularly with effects and other post-recording trickeries. Some of these tunes are annoying, particularly "Talk More Talk," which is just that...lots of talk, a little singing, and way too long! "Good Times Coming" sounds tired...no good times here!!

Overall, this is hardly a masterpiece. Few Paul albums are...it seems like he enjoys tossing off songs in a hurry. He'll take a little odd idea, write a song about it and move on. Probably comes from being able to play several instruments and being a natural born tunesmith. For a solo album that works very strongly from beginning to end, you probably need McCartney I or Flowers in the Dirt. But the great thing about Paul is that none of his albums are throwaways either. He always sounds great, the sound mix (usually) is crisp, clean and balanced. He's got a sense of humor, and a sense of romance that has no irony. I like PRESS TO PLAY, and over the years, I listen to it at least a couple of times a year. I recommend it.

(By the way, a couple of the tunes weren't on the original CD, which I own. SPIES LIKE US came from the movie...it's pretty bad. Don't know about the others.)

I find it upsetting that Paul McCartney's "Press to Play" never took off like it should of in the U.S. I also find some of its bum reviews suprising. Maybe I'm too much of a McCartney nut, but "Press to Play" remains one of my most recent favorites of Paul's. With the help of Hugh Padgham, Paul brings back the feeling of the years of "Red Rose Speedway" with "Stranglehold" and "Only Love Remains." Also, his love for Brian Wilson shows in songs like "Good Times Coming/Feel the Sun" and "Only Love Remains" (compare it to the Beach Boys' "God Only Knows"). After years of being called a wimp by those who always preferred the angry words of John Lennon, McCartney retreats with "Angry" and "Move Over Busker." He even dabbles into some stereo-headphone fun with "Talk More Talk" and "Pretty Little Head." Why this album has been pushed aside and ignored by most of the McCartney fans is beyond me. It remains his funnest album since "Ram."

If you're a true McCartney fan, this album is a must own as it is truly unique to the McCartney catalogue. Paul took some risks, did some experimenting, and received a lot of unwarranted criticism for his efforts.

Its certainly not his most commercial work, but that's this album's charm. For decades, critics have chided the man for being too commercial. Here he finally branches out a bit, with song-writing collaboration on several songs for the first time (credited anyway) since Lennon.

This is only his 3rd effort since the disbanding of Wings so what you get is honest McCartney creativity. Taken in context, there isn't really a bad song included. As with many McCartney albums released in the past 20 years or so, the cuts that were remixed and released as singles sound very different than the album versions.

"Press To Play" is a unique album. It is definately not his most 'non-commercial' release (thats McCartney II) nor is it his worst (fill in your own answer here). It is an album that has the feel of being 'experimental' but is actually product from an artist trying to fit into the 80's synth craze. In fact, it's not that the album is very good or very bad, it's simply an album that is just exists and thats about it.

On this album, we find Paul in the frame of mind where he is trying new things with old ideas. This album is VERY much the product of the producer (Hugh Padgham), and that is the reason why I feel it is so different from all of his other releases.

The production on the album is quite fantastic. In fact, I believe it's one of the best 'produced/mixed' albums that McCartney has released. Every instrument/vocal was carefully recorded and mixed, and therefore becomes the albums main saving grace. Though the synths are heavy throughout, they don't seem to be out of place on any of the tracks. They perfectly compliment the songs and album flow. But, if McCartney would have had a different producer, the finished product definately would have been (in my opinion) 10 times more 'commercial' than the finished product.

One thing I did notice is with Hugh Padgham producing this album, it gave the overall sound a very 'Genesis' feel. Obviously the inclusion of the distinct drumming of Phil Collins didn't help much there. But if you listen to "Invisible Touch" released the year after, these albums are VERY similar. Hugh Padgham may have had 'too much' influence on this recording.

What makes this album hard to swallow for most casual listeners is that there is definately a lack of 'melody' on this album that we have come to expect from Paul. Each track has it's own sound and feel, and each are a complete departure from what McCartney usually releases (commercially). It's not that the songs are bad, it's just that they are so different from what we're used to from Paul.

If you are interested in the 'musical' side of Paul, definately check this out. Otherwise, be cautious about making this purchase.

*Standout tracks -- Stranglehold, Only Love Remains, Angry, Pretty Little Head.

All The Best, -AndyMan-

This album isn't as bad as some people claim. The reason they slag it off is down to its 1980s sound and flavour - but you can't expect Paul to carry on making 70s style music in the 80s can you? You've got to at least try and keep up with the times and Paul has always had the courage to tread new ground.

There are a few clangers on the record though - especially "Talk more talk", "Pretty little head" and "Write away". Even "Good times coming" is dodgy - although the "Feel the sun" section is better. The good songs are "Stranglehold", "Footprints", "Only love remains", "Press" (VERY catchy), "Move over busker" (a good mccartney rocker) and "Spies like us" (bonus track). Those songs alone make this a 3 star effort. Don't expect too much - but I enjoy listening to it.

Don't buy this album if you want Beatle music. If you like McCartney's creative side, which may be abstract, then get it. Listen to it 10 times and you'll find beauty in very un-obvious places. After all, he did work with a man named Lennon and a Mr. Harrison who could be VERY experimental in nature. The diagrams of the way he set up the tracks is priceless. And hey, Pete Townsend is on the album. Look outside the box!

One of the unfortunately forgotten McCartney albums. Some clinkers on it, but also several gems like "Press To Play" , "However Absurd", and the highly underated "Only Love Remains". "Move Over Busker" is a rouser. "Once Upon A Long Ago" is another forgotten, underated masterpiece. Not his best, but his average albums are better than most albums out there. This album is worth the money if you can get it below retail.

"Press to play" is definitly less comercial than his earlier and later albums and definitly holds much more gems and interesting music than "Pipes of peace" (his earlier studio album)
the concept is based on romance with modern synths and samplers and many experiments (But not as controvercial as on "McCArtney II") - for example "Good times coming" is very "Trippy" reaggee styled song with amazing bas line,"Press" and "Talk more talk" are interesting keyboard based pop-rock songs and "Pretty little head" is very dark and moody ambient track with creepy chior-like vocals.
Paul mixes this dark tracks with more standard ballads ("Only love remains","on a upon long ago","Write away" with great begginig sample) and Rockers ("Angry,"Move over busker","Strangehold")...eventhough they are like from other galaxy they are pleasent to listen - Paul always make great pop songs.
If you are starting your experience with this great ex-beatle you should rather check his more decent albums such as "Driving rain" or "Off the ground" - "press to play" shows more wierd face of McCartney and may put off even his harcore fans as someone before mentioned.anyway - still these strange keyboard ridden songs are nothing else like he did in his career and are really really interesting!