Give My Regards to Broad Street - Paul McCartney (Complete Music Review)

In 1984, Paul McCartney starred in what amounts, basically, to an overlong and unremarkable music video titledGive My Regards to Broad Street, which centered upon the theft of the master tapes to Paul's newest album and the musician's resulting efforts to retrieve them. And just like The Magical Mystery Tour film a decade-plus or so earlier, Give My Regards to Broad Street failed to follow in the celluloid footsteps of Help!, A Hard Day's Night, or even Yellow Submarine. 

Of course, sometimes even failed films come with a soundtrack album, and Give My Regards to Broad Streetlends itself well to having its spinoff record -- and of course, because it was a Paul McCartney project, the powers that be did release an album that is a mix of songs from Paul's Beatles career to his solo/Wings years. 

Although I didn't care much for the film (which I've almost totally forgotten), I do like this album, considering that I'm a Beatles fan and thus appreciate the appearance of such songs as "Good Day Sunshine" (half of track 2), a typically sunny "Paul" ballad that follows the 1984 hit song "No More Lonely Nights." 

Of the two versions of that song, I prefer the one on track 1. Yes, it was written in '84 and some of the stylings, such as some of the background vocals, reflect that, but in essence it sounds a heckuva lot like a Beatles' tune, down to the use of a brass ensemble to counterpoint the chorus of "no more lonely nights" -- this effect is very much an homage to George Martin's work on Sgt. Pepper and other albums where orchestras or brass bands were used. The second version, heard before the closing instrumental "Goodnight Princess," is marred (for me, anyway,) by the addition of a disco beat. 

My favorite section here is represented by tracks 3, 4, and 5, which form the Beatles-Wings era medley that blends "Yesterday", "Here, There and Everywhere" and "Wanderlust" seamlessly, even though the original songs originated in two different Beatles albums (Help! and Revolver) and McCartney's album Tug of War. If you listen closely to the finale of "Wanderlust" you'll hear echoes of "Here, There and Everywhere," climaxing with guest performer Ringo Starr's amazing drum work returning it to the final chords of "Wanderlust," and the medley ends with a Sgt. Pepper-like bit from a brass ensemble, with Ringo's crashing drums bringing it back to the ending chords of "Wanderlust." The brass ensemble brings back memories of the Sgt. Pepper's album from 1967. 

Two other upbeat songs, "Silly Love Songs" and "Ballroom Dancing" (the latter, like "Wanderlust," being from Tug of War) are fun little Eighties-style ditties, with nice up-tempo riffs and cheerful lyrics. Particularly nifty is Paul's questioning of why "silly love songs" seem to be out of style, then he uses the phrase "I love you," as a chorus to point out the effectiveness of a heart-felt sentiment expressed simply. 

Contrasting to the ballads from Paul's Beatles and Wings sets are the more rocking songs "Not Such A Bad Boy", "So Bad", and "No Values." They are pretty energetic and if you like edgier rock songs, you're bound to like this trio. I can take them or leave them, depending on my mood, but they are pretty good songs, particularly Pipe of Dreams'"So Bad." 

One of my favorite Beatles' songs, "Eleanor Rigby," segues immediately and hauntingly to "Eleanor's Dream," a seven minute string quartet/orchestral piece based on its melody. Foreshadowing Paul's classical music collaboration with Colin Davis (who composed the music for the BBC's 1970s documentary seriesThe World at War), "Eleanor's Dream" is somber, poignant, and heartachingly beautiful. 

Another favorite song of mine, "For No One," is featured here; its sad music and moving lyrics about a man's grief over a lost love who apparently doesn't care for him anymore never fails to pluck at my heart-strings. 

Also worth mentioning is the new, more restrained version of "The Long and Winding Road," which not only features a beautifully done sax solo, but is not over-produced as it was in Let It Be. Its lyrics (Many times I've been alone/and many times I've cried...) are nicely done by Sir Paul, evoking universal feelings of love and longing in the listener's mind. 

Although Give My Regards to Broad Street isn't going to be considered a classic rock album and is far from being McCartney's best post-Beatles effort, the fact that the mix of songs does strike emotional chords proves that not only does McCartney have talent even in his "fair to middling" albums, but that the songs he co-wrote with John Lennon for the Fab Four seem timeless -- including the ones on a soundtrack for a forgettable film. 

Give My Regards to Broad Street: The Tracks 
1. No More Lonely Nights 
2. Good Day Sunshine / Corridor Music 
3. Yesterday 
4. Here, There And Everywhere 
5. Wanderlust 
6. Ballroom Dancing 
7. Silly Love Songs / Reprise 
8. Not Such A Bad Boy 
9. So Bad 
10. No Values / No More Lonely Nights 
11. For No One 
12. Eleanor Rigby / Eleanor's Dream 
13. The Long And Winding Road, 
14. No More Lonely Nights (Playout) 
15. Goodnight Princess