I can guarantee Lieberman that at every single McCartney concert he goes to in the future, "Live and Let Die" will be played. It gives Sir Paul a chance to play with his light show (which still makes his guitarist Brian Ray jump every time, even after 12 years working for the greatest living songwriter), it's still the greatest James Bond movie song ever (just ahead of Shirley Bassey's "Goldfinger"), oh, and it's still one of Paul's personal favorite songs to play and sing. Love that it caught on quick within the Bay Area in 1973, even to the ears of this poster who was then 5 years old!
I'm not a trained musician. I just listen to what appeals or intrigues. I have always liked the structure to this song, as performed by Paul. Lots of contrasts in weight and tone, the warning drone of the bass as heard in his refrain is balanced by the string section (in this case bearing a faint similarity to Menndelsohn's Violin Concerto, staccato and aggressive statements being made). There are passages of lilting harmonies interlaced with the quiet atonal strums of acoustic guitar. Nice, real nice, especially for someone who I'm told does not read written music with great fluency. Issace Hayes (Shaft!) was the same, did not read music, but found a way to notate and compose anyway.
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ReplyDeleteI can guarantee Lieberman that at every single McCartney concert he goes to in the future, "Live and Let Die" will be played. It gives Sir Paul a chance to play with his light show (which still makes his guitarist Brian Ray jump every time, even after 12 years working for the greatest living songwriter), it's still the greatest James Bond movie song ever (just ahead of Shirley Bassey's "Goldfinger"), oh, and it's still one of Paul's personal favorite songs to play and sing. Love that it caught on quick within the Bay Area in 1973, even to the ears of this poster who was then 5 years old!
ReplyDeleteI'm not a trained musician. I just listen to what appeals or intrigues. I have always liked the structure to this song, as performed by Paul. Lots of contrasts in weight and tone, the warning drone of the bass as heard in his refrain is balanced by the string section (in this case bearing a faint similarity to Menndelsohn's Violin Concerto, staccato and aggressive statements being made). There are passages of lilting harmonies interlaced with the quiet atonal strums of acoustic guitar. Nice, real nice, especially for someone who I'm told does not read written music with great fluency. Issace Hayes (Shaft!) was the same, did not read music, but found a way to notate and compose anyway.
ReplyDelete