PAUL IS BACK – WELL, ALMOST (original) (raw)

A Beatle in the 1980s is a man who never need apologize or seek redemption. It`s a legacy that ensures that antagonists are labeled iconoclasts or heretics-apostates in the church of John, Paul, George and Ringo.

To be a Beatle in the 1980s is to be safe, like a face in a history book. And for that, soon-to-be-47-year-old Paul McCartney, the cute and most prolific Beatle gone solo, has suffered much. After tearing through the 1970s, both as a solo artist and with Wings, his 1980s peak came early, with the 1982 ”Tug of War” LP. McCartney then endured the languid ”Pipes of Peace”

album, a bout with the dismal ”Give My Regards to Broadway” film project and the ill-fated ”Press to Play” album.

Without a musical foil to match his days with John Lennon, unchallenged by fans eager for anything with his name on it and with no clear direction, one of rock`s best writers seemed adrift.

”Flowers in the Dirt,” McCartney`s 16th post-Beatles release, however, shows that the singer/songwriter has found some new inspiration (namely Elvis Costello), and though his course may not be entirely straight, McCartney`s latest 12-song offering (13 on cassette and CD) shows he is heading in a new, more enlivening direction.

The album`s first cut, ”My Brave Face,” is one of four McCartney-Costello collaborations on the LP. Full of rushing guitars, chorused vocals and all the McCartney harmony one could ask for, it should re-establish McCartney in pop`s Top 5.

The next song, ”Rough Ride,” a last-minute blues-funk addition produced by Trevor Horn and Steve Lipson, is an indication that there is some dare still left on McCartney`s playful side. While not as successful as ”Ou Est Le Soleil” (available on cassette and CD only) as a dance mix, its raw reggae edge stands out against the LP`s other, more elaborately produced, tracks.

The McCartney-Costello duet, ”You Want Her Too,” is another stand-out, a rancorous dialogue in which McCartney sings ”I loved her oh so long,” and Costello replies, ”So why didn`t you come out and say it, stupid?”

But as much as these tracks captivate, the album`s weak points, including the too-long and uneventful McCartney ballads ”Distraction” and ”Motor of Love,” are frustrating.

But on the whole, ”Flowers in the Dirt” is a welcome, if not wholly fantastic, return from the ”fabbest” of the Fab Four.

Originally Published: June 11, 1989 at 1:00 AM CST