The McCartney Years
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Movie Reviews of The McCartney Years
Movie Review: The Career Renaissance of a True Modern Renaissance Man
Summary: 5 Stars
Renaissance Man: A man of multiple and diverse accomplishment, a person with eclectic abilities, a multi-culturalist. These words certain fit the former Beatle Paul McCartney from an artistic view. Paul McCartney has been enjoying a career resurgence since the release of Flaming Pie (1997) and continuing with Run Devil Run and Working Classical (1999). This unexplained late career rebirth has continued into the new millineum with the release of Driving Rain (2001) though some may have considered it a bit of a misstep. Certainly Paul's career "comeback" hit full throttle with Chaos and Creation in the Backyard (2005) and Memory Almost Full (2007).
Pretty good run for someone whose solo career has been ridiculed and derided for so long. Now just in time to remind us of all the great and far reaching music he has produced in the last 38 years since the Beatles went separate ways, the McCartney Years DVD retrospective comes along screaming for the attention of all of those who thought Paul's solo career had nothing to offer.
It is simply amazing to see all these great songs interpreted in video form in one collection. Many of the videos were produced long before the MTV era. The live disc is also worthwhile. While some vidoes are not as elaborate or high budget as the later ones, all are satisfying in that they remind you of the level of genius this man possesses. And they are not all silly love songs. The breadth and scope of the songs Paul sings in this collection remind you of the important things that are valued in McCartney's world: the importance of home and family (Heart of the Country, Put It There, Once Upon A Long Ago, Mull of Kintyre), romance (Maybe I'm Amazed, My Love, Beautiful Night, So Bad, No More Lonely Nights), the joy of life (Goodnight Tonight, Wonderful Christmastime), the sorrow and sadness of life (Little Willow, I've Had Enough), optimism and overcoming adversity (Hope of Deliverance, With A Little Luck), war and peace (Tug of War, Pipes of Peace), politics and activism (C'mon People, Wild Life, Ebony and Ivory), religion and inner reflection (All My Trials, This One) and just plain fun (Band on the Run, Listen to What The Man Said, Spies Like Us, Say Say Say).
Its all here and its all worth playing again and again. Each time you see a video, you notice something you missed the first time through or you find new meaning in the thoughtful lyrics. And you never tire of McCartney's ageless melodies. It's a must have for any music lover. And most importantly it puts Paul's solo career in a new light. It brings your appreciation up the level that it always should have been, late career renaissance or not. The rock press never gave Paul an even break during the 1970s and beyond after John Lennon's death. Instead it favored other former Beatles, some of whom villified Paul in song and in print. Now after so many years the tide has turned. In a song John Lennon derisively said of Paul: "pretty soon they'll see what you can do". And John was right. With enough perspective we see Paul for the great artist he is. No other, not Elvis, not John Lennon, not Michael Jackson has been associated with as many beloved recordings as Paul first as a Beatle and now as a solo artist. McCartney is the Prince of modern music and a modern artistic Renaissance Man.
Movie Review: Historic!
Summary: 5 Stars
This three disc set covers over forty years of Paul McCartney and Wings with studio video, live performances and extras that you probably have never seen. All the songs have been cleaned up and most are in 5.1 surround sound. Paul also contributes valuable and interesting voice-over commentaries for much of the material, if selected.
Don't let the first disc fool you into thinking that all the videos will be the same. Some of the storylines and video may be a bit dated looking and fuzzy, but the sound is perfect. "Ebony & Ivory" is a bit saccharin for my tastes, but Mac makes up for that with great video renditions of, "Mamunia", "Maybe I'm Amazed", "Mull Of Kintyre" and of all things, "C-Moon", which sounds great.
The second disc covers videos of Paul's work in the eighties and nineties with crisper videos and great sound. There is new life breathed into, "Pipes Of Peace" and "Fine Line". It's a nice grouping of songs that were not as popular as the Wings ear, but just as creative and important. This disc also has interesting extras, including the documentary, "Creating Chaos At Abbey Road", which is not to be missed.
The third disc is much better in visual clarity and covers seven songs from the seventies with the classic "Wings" performing in fantastic form with great sound and a spectacular light show. The second `unplugged' section with studio musicians in a small theater is perfect with the amazing dexterity and clarity from an acoustic performance. Paul and band mates perform four gems here. This is followed by the concert at Glastonbury, which looked like an amazing event with Paul performing nearly a dozen songs, including great renditions of, "Let Me Roll It", "Flaming Pie", "Hey Jude" and a mournful, Yesterday".
The extras on this disc are great with Paul's "Live Aid" contribution of "Let It Be" and friends. Paul overdubs the problems with sound and how there was no rehearsal or sound check. The sign of a true professional. Superbowl XXXIX is a visual and sound-ful knockout with - "Baby You Can Drive My Car", "Back In The U.S.S.R.", "Live & Let Die" and closing with, "Hey Jude". The crowd is completely taken with him.
Paul is alive and although this collection is exhaustive, he shows no sign of slowing down his recording of marvelous material. Don't forget about the extensive booklet, either!
Movie Review: Excellent and hopefully just the beginning!!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
If you are a true McCartney fan, you MUST own this collection! Just the first disc alone is worth the cost! Here are many of Paul's videos that until now, have only circulated on the hardcore Beatles' fan circuit, in "many-generations-removed-from-the-original" condition. And they are complete from end-to-end, with no cut-offs or overlapping or introductory commentary unless you choose to watch it that way. And while it is true that the videos here vary in picture quality, it's still a far site better than I've ever seen on certain particular videos, like 'London Town', 'Heart Of The Country', etc. I really think this is a sampler DVD-set for a reason (discs 1 & 2 contain videos and disc 3 contains some live performances (not complete shows). If sales are good for this compilation, I believe that Paul will begin to fill in the missing parts in subsequent releases. I see no constructive reason for stomping my feet over what I didn't get, when there is so much I did! For instance, included on this compilation is a performance of Junior's Farm from Top Of The Pops. I've only ever seen the 'studio version' video of that song. Perhaps the 'studio version' will appear on the next set, along with other videos that weren't included in this set. If we show the record/video companies that we will buy compilations like this, I believe they'll release more. But if sales are sluggish and it's not cost-effective for them to market such a product, we won't get it! I mean, think about it...up until recently, we've had to settle mostly for short clips from videos which were inserted into artists' bios as fluff and filler. These are the complete videos! My recommendation to you is: Buy this DVD set in hopes of it being the first in a steady drip of McCartney archives (you can get a really good deal on it if you shop around), and maybe, just maybe, someday soon not only will we see more from McCartney, but maybe we'll see compilations of George and Ringo's solo videos (John's solo work has already been well covered in video releases, thanks to Yoko). And, dare I say it, maybe finally we'll see a release of the Beatles' Complete Video/Promo films collection! Well, one can dream can't one?!!Movie Review: Awesome Paul McCartney DVD Release
Summary: 5 Stars
The Paul McCartney DVD box set The McCartney Years is a must have for any Paul McCartney fan. The deluxe set is broken up into three volumes. Volume 1 and Volume 2 features a definitive collection of Paul McCartney music videos beginning with the 1970 clip for "I'm Amazed" up to the 2005 release "Fine Line." If you are a fan of Paul McCartney you will love owning so many of his music videos on DVD. The sound and picture quality are excellent. The videos can be viewed chronologically or in special play lists created by Paul himself. The DVD release also includes commentaries for the music videos which were recorded for this release. The commentaries add a personal touch to the video viewing experience.
The third volume on the DVD release includes three live performances. The live performances on the disc include "Rockshow," which was filmed on Wing's 1976 tour, a new edit of Paul McCartney Unplugged from 1991 and his performance at Glastonbury in 2004.
The DVD release includes more than just music videos and concerts. Included with the release is a documentary titled "Creating Chaos at Abby Road." In addition to the feature length documentary are Paul's Superbowl half-time show and his performance of "Let It Be" from Live Aid.
The McCartney Years is affordable and a must have for the Paul McCartney fan.
Movie Review: EXCELLENT Bargain for great Macca Vintage Video..
Summary: 5 Stars
As most reviewers have stated, I agree with that the aspect ratio monkeying wasn't a good idea, and that much more needs to be officially released (both the total VH1 Unplugged and Rockshow shows being the most requested, to cut down on the bootleg issues..anyone at MPL reading this..?). But for the low price under $25, it's a delightful, introductory 3-disk taste for what could still be released. Would LOVE to have the Kampuchea concert on a future release as well as the other Egg selections released. As for the review who complained about the chronological order, that's in error, since you can select the by-release date order at the bottom of the menu.
Also, in case you owners havent' noticed, some videos have more than one version: Besides 'Mull', the 'Goodnight Tonight' video is actually included in two versions; the commentary version's the straight one, the non-commentary version has the middle bit with the band hamming it up in contemporary clothes intersperse with the vintage look (ala the 'Hello Goodbye' ending) so for some of the casual owners, there's definitely some hidden gems if you watch everything.
Still, a GREAT start ~> Now let's open up the vintage closet a little wider for a Volume 2 and/or separate concert releases.