Paul McCartney sang the last song ever to be performed at a concert at Shea Stadium. Last night, he was a guest at "Last Play at Shea" starring Billy Joel. McCartney sang and played piano on "Let It Be" as the finale after earlier singing and playing bass on "I Saw Her Standing There". McCartney played the first concert at Shea with the Beatles in 1965, 42 years ago. Other guests last night were Steven Tyler, Garth Brooks, Roger Daltry and Astoria's own Tony Bennett.Photo from NY Times.
26 comments:
Face it. McCartney was/is nothing without Lennon. Try humming a "Paul McCartney" tune.
Yes, and he's no Jimmy Sturr, I know. Damn, do I miss Bill Shibilski on WFUV.
Hey Crapper, I didn't mention Jimmy Sturr. I was commenting on McCartney's "talent". At least you could dance to the music Shibilski played. Great cardio exercise.
I'll be at Sturr's Maspeth FREE concert on August 6, 7:30PM. Get there early folks since a mob shows up. (Parking lot of Maspeth Savings, 69th St. & Grand Avenue.) Maspeth's own Carol Golis (Harvest moon Polka Dance Champion) and the Polonaise Dancers. Check out Matt & Elaine's Polka Now Dance moves. I'll be looking for you and the readers. Will you be looking for me?
When are they having a concert for all the businesses that are being stolen from honest hard working people by the scumbag mayor?
I went to the concert on Wednesday. I looked around at the stadium, which, I understood, was to be completely circular with a domed roof.
Thousands of thousands of people.
Then I thought of the new stadium, smaller, with all those skyboxes.
Then it hit me - this stadium was a creation of the sixties, where everyone pretty much could sit together.
It will be a long long time before a crowd of that size ever sees a concert in this city again.
Never thought we'd have a Beatles thread in Queens Crap, but song for song, McCartney outpoints Lennon, melody-wise.
John was the more political of the two, and Paul pretty much tried to stay away from that stuff to avoid alienating anyone.
Sorta like...
www.forgotten-ny.com
"...McCartney outpoints Lennon, melody-wise." Really?
I can't think of any solo McCartney ditty that is half as good as a combo Lennon-McCartney composition. Lennon composing by himself also was from hunger.
"Maybe I'm Amazed"
McCartney in the group Wings
Even if you don't care for McCartney's solo stuff, keep in mind that even when the Beatles were together, he and Lennon often wrote almost entirely separately even though their names appeared on all of their songs from that period. Hey Jude, Let it Be, Paperback Writer, Yesterday, We Can Work It Out, Penny Lane, Blackbird, etc were pretty much 100% Paul.
I have a book somewhere that attempted to guage the % of authorship for each beatles song. From what I recall, most of the songs from about 1965 on were 80%+ written by one or the other. Which ever one sings the lead vocal is usually the one who wrote the song.
I don't think any of the Beatles's solo stuff compared to the work they did as a group. Part of it was competition - Lennon and McCartney used to try to out-write each other. It was also the synergy of their personalities working together and maybe just the energy of four working class guys suddenly on top of the world while still in their twenties.
I personally think McCartney'solo stuff is hit or miss on a song by song basis. Some of it makes me cringe, especially Ebony and Ivory and all that silliness. But he has other songs that I loved that never really made it big.
In the early days when John and Paul did write more collaboratively, John was always pretty blunt about lines in Paul's songs he didn't like. I think that what McCartney needs most in his solo stuff is for someone to tell him when it sucks and send him back to the drawing board - push him to be all that he can be. Without John there probably aren't any people with enough balls to say that to Paul McCartney.
hey crappy:
Jimmy Sturr?
Bill Shibilski?
OH. MY. GOD.
Please tell me you're kidding.
Another thought on the Beatles. I believe they played concerts in Queens than any other borough. By concerts, I'm not counting the Ed Sullivan shows since they were only several songs and with a very limited attendance.
I'm getting old, but from what I recall, they played:
Carnegie Hall winter 1964
Paramount Theatre - winter 1964
Forest Hills Tennis Stadium-
summer 1964
Shea Stadium, 1965
Shea Stadium, 1966.
That would be 3 for Queens, 2 for Manhattan. Anyone else remember?
And like everyone else of importance, they haven't been back since, except for riding to the airports.
Hey Paul, buy a house here, would ya? So our friggin borough gets on the news for once? All those stays at the Plaza are going to add up, Paulie. Forest Hills Gardens should suit your English heritage quite nicely.
Yeah, Paul, but don't buy into Bloomberg's shit. He's not a real environmentalist, he just uses it as an excuse to shit on working class people.
Anonymous writes: "Jimmy Sturr? Bill Shibilski? Oh.My.God. Please tell me you're kidding."
Crappy IS (I betcha) kidding. But I'M not.
Check out Sturr's kick-ass polka recordings with (hang on to your hat) Arlo Guthrie ("The City of New Orleans"), Bela Fleck ("Polka on the ol' Banjo") and umpteen times with Willie Nelson who, BTW, cut his musical teeth with a polka band in Texas ("There is a Tavern in the Town").
Sturr claims he can play anything with a polka beat. Even the National Anthem. He's publicly invited 50 Cent to record with him.
McCartney. Billy Joel. Are you reading this?
I used to listen to Bill Shibilski every Saturday night with my grandparents on the way home from church.
At the end he would say, "If you're just tuning in to hear the Bill Shibilski Polka Party on WFUV - YOU BLEW IT." (Hope I remember his signoff correctly; it's been a loooong time!)
I am still wondering who the hell stole the kiszka.
>>>I can't think of any solo McCartney ditty that is half as good as a combo Lennon-McCartney composition. <<<
There's Maybe I'm Amazed, Every Night, Live and Let Die, and two favorites, Let Me Roll It (Paul always liked his marijuana) and Daytime Nighttime Suffering.
www.forgotten-ny.com
Crappy:
"I used to listen to Bill Shibilski every Saturday night with my grandparents on the way home from church."
Awwwwww.
You're forgiven.
Re McCartney's solos.
Pass me the feather and direct me to the vomitorium.
"There's Maybe I'm Amazed, Every Night, Live and Let Die, and two favorites, Let Me Roll It (Paul always liked his marijuana) and Daytime Nighttime Suffering"
How about Junior's Farm and Jet? He actually got up off his sappy behind and rocked on those songs.
FRANK LLOYD CRAP: You’re right, McCartney has been spotty since the Beatles. But then so was Lennon. (I had a friend, now an enemy, who insisted that John married up.) But then Jesus would have been spotty after he left the Beatles.
GEORGETHEATHEIST: Hey, thanks for the Jimmy Sturr info. I’ve never heard his music but I’ve been a fan of the likes of Brave Combo for years and, as a true Son of Connecticut, I have a soft spot in my heart for Dick Pillar and His Polkabration Band (even though I was once required to grab onto and hold down a metal support which was holding up the tent he was performing under which was in danger of blowing away during the most violent thunderstorm in recent memory, while bolts of lightning were striking all around). I’ll be sure to check him out.
“It is only when our legs have rotted that we can truly dance!” – Brother Theodore
As usual. Not a peep about George Harrison's compositions.
Something? Here Comes The Sun?
http://web.mit.edu/scholvin/www/harrison/hbeatles.htm
I loved them all from the start. But honestly, George gets no respect.
CJ: But honestly, George gets no respect.
Too true.
How about Ringo? They use him as a punchline, like the clown of the band.
cj said...
"As usual. Not a peep about George Harrison's compositions.
Something? Here Comes The Sun?"
You are soooo right. Those two songs were awesome.
TRUMAN HARRIS: How about Ringo?
He was GREAT in Caveman.
Shibilski did in fact sign off with the statement, "and Hey, if you're just tuning in to the Saturday Night Stereo Polka Party with yours truly, Bill Shibilski, sorry about it, but YOU BLEW IT." Then (in the eighties anyway) "Remember Then" came on with Matty "Matt the Bat" DeLito. I still remember hearing "Ree-mem-mem Remember-member Ree-mem-mem Ree-member-member" the Earls would sing at 8pm after Bill's program. I still miss him too. I was just up at the Dick Pillar's Polka-bration. I saw Eddie Blazonczyck Jr. and the Versatones and it brought back so many memories of tuning in and my parents dancing around the living room. And hey, if you're just tuning in to this post, with yours truly, sorry about it, but YOU BLEW IT!
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