McGear (album)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
McGear
Studio album by Mike McGear

Publication
(s)

September 24, 1974 ( UK )
October 1974 ( US )

Label (s) Warner Brothers (1974) / Rykodisc (1990, USA) / See For Miles Records (1992, UK) / Cherry Red Records (2019)

Format (s)

LP , MC , CD , download

Genre (s)

Rock music

Title (number)

10

running time

47 min 16 s

occupation
  • Linda McCartney : Keyboard, synthesizer, backing vocals, percussion on "Sweet Baby"
  • Denny Seiwell: drums in Leave It
  • Other musicians :
  • Gerry Conway: drums , percussion
  • Tony Coe: Saxophone on Leave It
  • Benna McCartney and Theran McCartney: Backing vocals for The Man Who Found God On the Moon
  • The Halle Orchestra
  • Gerry Allison: Arrangements

production

Paul McCartney

Studio (s)

chronology
Woman
( Mike McGear )
(1972)

Band on the Run ( Paul McCartney & Wings )
(1973)

McGear Sold Out
( Scaffold )
(1975)

Venus and Mars (Wings)
(1975)

McGear is the second and so far last studio album by Mike McGear , the brother of Paul McCartney , who produced the album and also essentially recorded it with his group Wings . It was released on September 24, 1974 in the UK and October 1974 in the US.

Emergence

Mike McGear (left) at the Cavern Club , 2004

After Michael McCartney founded the band The Scaffold with John Gorman and the poet Roger McGough , he took the stage name Mike McGear . In 1967 Paul McCartney produced the scaffold single Thank U Very Much , which peaked at number 4 on the UK charts. The album McGough and McGear by Roger McGough & Mike McGear was also produced by Paul McCartney in 1968; In 1969 he played guitar on the scaffold single Charity Bubbles . Another collaboration took place in 1972 on the Mike McGear album Woman , Paul McCartney helped with the composition of the song Bored as Butterscotch . The following year, the two songs Blowin 'in the Bay and Let's Turn the Radio on were recorded in the Apple studios, the songs were again produced by Michael McCartney's brother and remained unreleased until 2019. After Michael McCartney had no more musical activity, his brother called and suggested that he record a single together to start his solo career again. On April 26, 1973, the song Leave It with the McCartneys and Denny Seiwell, a then member of the group Wings, was recorded at Abbey Road Studios . The finished song was sent to Lee Eastman, Paul McCartney's father-in-law, to take care of a record company in the USA . Eastman suggested to release a full album rather than a single.

Since the Abbey Road Studios were too expensive, the decision was made to record the album in the Strawberry Studios in Stockport with the support of the Wings (Paul and Linda McCartney , Denny Laine and Jimmy McCulloch , who was not yet an official member of the Wings). Since the Wings had not found a new drummer at that time, Gerry Conway took over this task. The recording sessions took place from January through February 1974 (other sources: January 3 through March 10, 1974). A total of fourteen songs were recorded. The album was produced by Paul McCartney. Ten songs were used for the album, the song Dance the Do was used for a single A-side and Sweet Baby was used for a single B-side . The scaffold single Liverpool Lou / Ten Years After on Strawberry Jam was also recorded. The album was then released by Warner Brothers in September 1974 . Michael McCartney did not want to go on a tour to promote his album, instead he went on a press tour with Derek Taylor in the USA. The McGear album was not a commercial success.

In 2018 Cherry Red Records planned to remaster and re- release the album . Michael McCartney believed the master tapes would be in his brother's office, McCartney's office suspected the tapes were at Warner Brother , where they were not either. Eventually he found them in his attic alongside other master tapes and unreleased recordings that were then released in July 2019.

In retrospect, Michael McCartney said of the album: “As kids, we used to love the Everly Brothers , we used to sing Everly Brothers harmonies. And so, when it came to working together again, I was fascinated to find, in the singing, we went back to being the Everly Brothers …… So that's the great thing about this album. "

Cover design

The hinged cover shows Michael McCartney tied to wooden planks, with much smaller people around him. On the inside of the cover, Michael McCartney sits larger than life, now freed from his chains, in Liverpool on the River Mersey . The picture is supposed to remind of Gulliver's travels . Michael McCartney came up with the cover idea. The design is by Derek of Seabrook / Graves / Aslett, the photographer is James Wedge, the collage is by Babara Brunsdon.

Track list

Michael and Paul McCartney composed six songs on the album, the other four mention the authorship behind the songs.

page 1

  1. Sea Breezes ( Bryan Ferry ) - 4:52
  2. What Do We Really Know? (Paul McCartney) - 3:28
  3. Norton - 2:35
  4. Leave It (Paul McCartney / Linda McCartney) - 3:44
  5. Have you got problems? - 6:16

Page 2

  1. The Casket (Paul McCartney / Roger McGough ) - 4:19
  2. Rainbow Lady - 3:26
  3. Simply Love You - 2:47
  4. Givin 'Grease a Ride - 5:35
  5. The Man Who Found God on the Moon - 6:26

Re-releases

  • In September 1990, the album was the first time in the US by Rykodisc CD with the bonus piece Dance the Thu published. A four-page illustrated booklet is enclosed with the CD.
  • In April 1992 the album was first released in the UK by See For Miles Records on CD with no bonus songs. The CD is accompanied by an eight-page illustrated booklet with an accompanying text by Brian Hogg.
  • On July 26th, 2019 the album was released by Cherry Red Records in a version remastered by Pascal Byrne with two bonus songs.
  1. Dance the Do (McCartney / McGear) - 3:53
  2. Sweet Baby (Paul and Linda McCartney / McGear) - 3:47

The CD cardboard box comes with a 32-page illustrated booklet containing detailed information about the album. The box also comes with two leaflets, a double-sided poster and one showing the handwritten texts and the printed texts. The box also contains a CD with bonus songs and a DVD:

  • CD 2 (Outtakes & Odd Ditties) :
  1. Sea Breezes (Without Orchestra) - 4:39
  2. Leave It (Extended Version) - 6:42
  3. Dance the Do (Rough 1st Mix) - 3:52
  4. What Do We Really Know? (Monitor Mix) - 3:53
  5. Paddy Pipes 1 - 1:21
    Screen test of Paddy Maloney during the McGear sessions
  6. Do Nothing All Day - 2:25
    Single A-side dated June 1976, produced by Pete Wingfield
  7. A to Z - 3:21
    Single b-side of Do Nothing All Day , produced by Pete Wingfield
  8. Girls on the Avenue - 3:42
    a previously unreleased song, produced and composed by Pete Wingfield
  9. Paddy Pipes 2 - 0:39
    Another test recording of Paddy Maloney during the McGear sessions.
  10. All the Whales in the Ocean - 4:40
    Single A-side dated May 1980, produced by Michael McCartney and Bill Kinsley
  11. Blowin 'in the Bay - 2:31
    Recorded in 1973 at Apple Studios with Paul McCartney on drums, Johnny Gustafson on bass and Zoot Money on piano. The song was previously unreleased.
  12. Keep Cool (Version 1) - 0:53
    Recorded in 1971 at Olympic Studios with Madeleine Bell and Roger Cook.
  13. Keep Cool (Version 2) - 0:48
    a slightly rockier version.
  14. I Just Want What You Got - Money! - 3:34
    B-side single of "All the Whales in the Ocean" produced by Michael McCartney and Bill Kinsley
  15. Paddy Pipes 3 - 1:34
    Another test recording of Paddy Maloney during the McGear sessions.
  16. Viv Stanshall Sings - 0:47
    Recorded at Apple Studios in 1973: Viv Stanshall sings.
  17. Let's turn the radio on - 3:11
    Recorded in 1973 at Apple Studios with Paul McCartney on drums, Johnny Gustafson on bass, Viv Stanshall on ukulele . The song was previously unreleased.
  18. Dance the Do Radio Ad 1 - 0:18
    advertising
  19. Dance the Do Radio Ad 2 - 1:05
  • DVD :
  1. Mike (McGear) McCartney reminices at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts / Art School
  2. Mike (McGear) McCartney interview at the Everyman Theater, Liverpool
  3. Leave It Promotional film 1974

The album was also released as a remastered 180 gram vinyl album.

Single releases

Leave it

The first single from the album was in September 1974 Leave It / Sweet Baby . The single reached number 36 in the UK charts. The B-side Sweet Baby is not on the album. A music video was produced for the A-side.

The promotional single was published in the USA as follows: the stereo version is on the A side and the mono version of the song is on the B side .

Sea breezes

The second single Sea Breezes / Givin 'Grease a Ride took place in February 1975 only in Europe. The single Have You Got Problems? / Sea Breezes .

Dance the Do

The third single was Dance the Do / Norton in Europe in June 1975 . The song Dance the Do is not on the album, but was recorded during the recording sessions for the album. The background voice is from Paul and Michael McCartney's cousin, Kate Robbins.

Simply love you

The fourth single was Simply Love You / What Do We Really Know? In Great Britain in November 1975 . released.

Music video

A music video was shot for the single A-side Leave It .

More singles

Liverpool Lou

In May 1974, the scaffold single Liverpool Lou / Ten Years After on Strawberry Jam was released, which reached number 7 in the UK charts. Both recordings are from the McGear Sessions.

Do Nothing All Day

In June 1976 the single Do Nothing All Day / A to Z was released in Great Britain . Both songs are on the CD "Outtakes & Odd Ditties".

All the whales in the ocean

In May 1980 the single All the Whales in the Ocean / I Just Want What You Got - Money! . Both songs are on the CD "Outtakes & Odd Ditties".

Chart placements

The album couldn't get into the charts.

literature

  • Chip Madinger and Mark Easter: Eight Arms to Hold You - The Solo Compendium . 44.1 Productions 2000, ISBN 0-615-11724-4 , pp. 192-193.
  • CD booklet from 2019

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ USA CD re-release
  2. ↑ UK CD re-release
  3. ↑ 2019 CD re-release
  4. ↑ 2019 LP re-release
  5. ↑ Single: Leave It
  6. ↑ Promotional single : Leave It
  7. ↑ Single: "Sea Breezes"
  8. ↑ Brazilian single: "Have You Got Problems?"
  9. ↑ Single: "Dance the Do"
  10. ↑ Single: "Simply Love You"
  11. ↑ Single: "Liverpool Lou"
  12. ↑ Single: "Do Nothing All Day"
  13. ↑ Single: "All the Whales in the Ocean"