Roll over image to zoom in
Paul McCartney: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs (Vol. 1) 1970-1989
£21.80
With 25 albums of pop music, 5 of classical – a total of around 500 songs – released over the course of more than half a century, Paul McCartney’s career, on his own and with Wings, boasts an incredible catalogue that’s always striving to free itself from the shadow of The Beatles. The stories behind the songs, demos and studio recordings, unreleased tracks, recording dates, musicians, live performances and tours, covers, events: Music Is Ideas Volume 1 traces McCartney’s post-Beatles output from 1970 to 1989 in the form of 346 song sheets, filled with details of the recordings and stories behind the sessions. Accompanied by photos, and drawing on interviews and contemporary reviews, this reference book draws the portrait of a musical craftsman who has elevated popular song to an art-form.
Read more
Additional information
| Publisher | L.I.L.Y. Publishing (22 Feb. 2023) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Paperback | 542 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 8890912294 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-8890912290 |
| Dimensions | 20.32 x 3.12 x 25.4 cm |
by G.P. Cole
Over the past two years or so, there have been a couple of superb books on Paul McCartney: his own The Lyrics, and Kozinn and Sinclair’s The McCartney Legacy. Well, this book can be added to the list.
The content of Music Is Ideas overlaps with the other two books (both are referenced in the bibliography) but goes into much deeper detail – it complements rather competes with The Lyrics and Legacy. You really should read all three books!
Luca Perasi forensically (but never boringly) describes the story behind almost 350 songs, from 1970 McCartney album to 1989’s Flowers in the Dirt (a second volume will take the story on). This includes 50 unreleased songs. You get it all – the background to the song; details of the recording session, analysis of the song structure, as well as its subsequent release date and reception. Many musicians and engineers involved in the sessions have been interviewed by the author.
The book is a large format paperback, with high production values, and includes a song title index, which is very useful. I also love the fact that the footnotes are printed in the page margins for quick and easy reference – a nice touch!
I spent many happy hours reading this book, which can be read from cover-to-cover or dipped into at your leisure. Although I have read tons of books on The Beatles and McCartney, I learnt many new things. This is an impressive body of work and welcome addition to the vast library of books devoted to this incredible musician.
by Graeme Pritchard
What an amazing Macca book
by JPGR
This large format book does its work well. It describes all the songs published by McCartney from 1970 to 1989 (including covers and songs by Wings’ members), plus other songs from the period and 50 unreleased tracks. It’s very detailed, with a clear structure, and includes lots of quotes and exclusive interviews by the author. A bit of musical analysis is included as well. Some nice photos and images are scattered throughout the volume. A great tribute to McCartney’s music.
by James
A wonderful book , offering insights into how the master works. Highly recommended
by Marc Wishart
An impressive reference work which is also highly readable. This is well worth the price of admission. A splendid time is guaranteed for all.