Disco de Paul McCartney: “London Town [Bonus Track]”

On London Town, Wings was again back down to a trio. The album is a definite step up from Wings At The Speed Of Sound and it contains some excellent songs. "With A Little Luck" is a synth-laden song that is what Mr. McCartney does best; simple pop songs with great vocals and catchy hooks. This one is as infectious as anything he's ever recorded and became his sixth number one single in the spring of 1978. "I'm Carrying" is a pretty acoustic ballad and "Cafe On The Left Bank" is a pulsating rocker. "Backwards Traveler" is an interesting song, "Girlfriend" is done much better by Michael Jackson, "I've Had Enough" is a good rocker and "Name & Address" is an attempt at rockabilly. London Town is a solid, well-made effort. The bonus tracks are the hard rocking "Girls School" and the elegant "Mull Of Kintyre". The latter was a major hit in England in 1977, staying at number one for nine weeks and become the UK's biggest selling single of all-time at the time (it's currently number four all-time) and the first to sell over two million copies. In the US it was regulated to the b-side of "Girl's School" which peaked at number 33 in early 1978.

A Cuff Link...guess Phil Collin's sucess of the 80s was helped alot by this cool sound (Collins is a big Fan of any thing Beatle). Besides the Hits of this album, I really Recomend "Name and Adress", its Brilliant and Respectfull of Elvis (which is why Paul lets it Fall apart, cause the Mimic so Good). Morse Moose is alot of Fun too. Maturity has brought ME even more Insight,Taste, and an appreciation; to Melody+Composition+ Talented Fun, as I am a well experienced Music Lover. Mull of Kintyre and Don't let it Bring you Down, give me a welcomed Mist to my Eyes. Girls School arouses My arousals(Jimmy Durante tone here), even though I Like mature women, and Good Clean Fun....this song Rocks tooo. Bought this with Back to the Egg(Combo Price Premo). Both Album Covers are Worth Framing... also. Oh Yeah !

Bubba the illiterate redneck, who "reviewed" this album earlier, obviously knows nothing about British music. In the midst of the punk revolution Britain didn't quite go "ga-ga" over Mull Of Kintyre, as he claims - true, it was bought by a record 2-million and spent months at No 1, but just as many hated it with a passion, and on some levels it dealt another blow to his rock credibility. We Brits tend to go ga-ga not over Scritti Politti (where on earth did he get that?) but over cutting-edge music that more conservative Americans mostly don't get (think T-Rex, Jam, Bowie, Oasis, even Beatles before 1964) rather than the bland but beautiful (Mariah Carey, Captain & Tenille, Milli Vanilli, Michael Bolton, Kenny G, New Kids etc).

When London Town came out in 1978 Paul McCartney finally had nothing left to prove. He had sold more records than John, George and Ringo combined, had recently finished the triumphant world tour (with live triple album Wings Over America hitting No 1), had earlier that year topped the UK charts for months with the biggest selling British single ever up to that point (Mull of Kintyre) and was one of the richest and most famous men on the planet. True, he still confused and confounded the music hacks by refusing to play to their rules, but McCartney must have felt that he could ease off, drop down a gear, and relax. So, for the first year since the Beatles had broken up, 1977 had gone by without a new McCartney album, and by 1978 London Town was eagerly awaited. The break had proven too much for Jimmy McCulloch and Joe English however, and Wings had been reduced to a trio again, for the first time since Band On The Run.

London Town has always had an "acoustic" feel to me, with McCartney moving away from the great stadium rockers and the attendant showmanship to a more intimate, personal level. The songs themselves are amazingly diverse, and McCartney seems to have fun introducing the synthesiser to his songs. The opening trio of songs - London Town, Cafe On The Left Bank and I'm Carrying rank amongst his finest, but are followed by the weakest track on the album, Backwards Traveller/Cuff Link. Bearing in mind the album contains a bumper 13 songs (15 including the bonus tracks) I feel this should have been left for a b-side. I've Had Enough shows Paul assimilating the punk influence, Girlfriend has a disco feel, and Name And Address sounds like an Elvis (circa 1956) tribute - he having died the year before. With A Little Luck rocks and pops in equal measures and has a wonderful vibe, and the humour of Famous Groupies demonstrates music can still be fun. Denny's two excellent compositions Children, Children and Deliver Your Children largely contribute to the acoustic mood, and I love how this album ends with Don't Let It Bring You Down and Morse Moose And The Grey Goose, the latter surely one of Paul's most extraordinary songs. Only McCartney would attempt this, and only McCartney could pull it off.

The bonus tracks are excellent. Everyone (outside USA it appears) knows Mull Of Kintyre, so well in fact many are still sick of it. Girls School is an excellent, overlooked rocker that should have been a concert staple for many years. After this album Paul would rebuild Wings one last time and for one last album, but the enthusiasm was starting to wane. He'd not only been there and done that, he owned the t-shirt factory, and after his final tour for over a decade he would turn to a third solo career.

The songs on this album have a nice, dreamy quality, e.g. London Town, With a Little Luck, Deliver Your Children. A good mix of acoustic and synthesizer stuff. Even the filler songs are pretty good, with the exception of Morse Moose and the Grey Goose. In my opinion this is McCartney's best, with the exception of Band on the Run (the only "five star" McCartney album). The bonus track -- Girl's School -- is great.

London Town's strengths are the lush and melodic moments that decorate the album like icing on a cake. While the icing may be filling, a lot of the icing here is no more than empty calories. The title track is promising laid back cousin to Penny Lane and one of the best tracks on the album. Unfortunately, it doesn't set the quality or tone for the entire album.

There is considerable filler on this, the next to last Wings album, but the strongest tracks more than make up for the slip in quality. Cafe on the Left Bank is a breezy rocker with slice of life lyrics. I've Had Enough, Name and Address and (the bonus track) Girl's School are the closet thing to rockers on this album. All three are strong numbers, but Name and Address has a unfinished quality to it. It's apt that McCartney included this Presley like rocker the year after the King died. It acts as a tribute of sorts with McCartney doing his best Elvis impression.

Children, Children is charming enough (Denny Laine handles the lead vocals), while Deliver Your Children is ponderous at best. I'm Carrying is an overlooked melodic gem that fits in well with Macca's substanial portfolio of classic love songs.

Backwards Traveler and Cuff Link are fragments that seem to have wandered in from Red Rose Speedway. In fact, this whole album reminds me of an improved version of that album.

The closing track Morse Moose is a bit of nonsense about a ship in peril. It's hard to make heads or tails of this track. Clearly Macca was trying for a powerful ending similiar to 1984 from Band On The Run. Unfortunately, Morse Moose fails to fit the bill.

The import edition also has the bonus cut Mull of Kyntire (not sure on the spelling here folks). MOK was (until recently) the biggest selling single in the UK. Unfortunately, in this case that is a fairly dubious honor as it's is a pretty poor excuse for a song. Yes, it has a lilting melody, but it has little else to recommend it.

London Town was clearly a holding operation. It's highlights are fairly strong tracks, but it has more than its fair share of filler as well. Still, London Town is a very pleasant album and reminds me of both Ram and Red Rose Speedway's best moments.