Bill Harry.

"The Paul McCartney Encyclopedia"The Beatles 1963-1970

BILL HARRY. THE PAUL MCCARTNEY ENCYCLOPEDIA

Udo, Seijuro
The Japanese promoter who organised the Wings tour of Japan in 1980,
a task which had taken him over two years. When the tour had to be
cancelled due to Paul's arrest on drugs charges, Udo accused Paul of
betraying him, claiming that the cancellation had cost him
£200,000.
Paul compensated him for the full amount.
Ullman, Tracey
A talented British actress who also forged a successful career for
herself as a hit recording artist. Critics first noticed her
versatility when she did comic character impersonations in the BBC
TV series Three Of A Kind.
Tracey made her film debut in Give My Regards To Broad Street, in
which she portrayed Sandra, a young working-class woman.
Commenting on her role in Give My Regards To Broad Street, she said,
'I have to cry right the way through the film and generally look
dreadful. McCartney's character has to comfort me all the while and
because he was a childhood hero of mine that was very nice.'
Paul appeared in the video film of her single 'They Don't Know'. She
simply rang Paul and asked him if he'd do an afternoon's work
appearing on her video. She said, 'Hey, Paul, I've been in your
film, now you be in mine.' And he agreed. He is seen driving a car
with her as the passenger. She said Paul was paid 'forty-three
pounds and luncheon vouchers for his work'.
The single reached No. 2 in the British charts in October 1983.
Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey
A single credited to Paul and Linda McCartney and issued in America
on Monday 2 August 1971 on Apple 1837. It topped the charts. 'Too
Many People' was on the flip.
Paul had an Uncle Albert who died when Paul was young. Paul recalled
him as a good bloke who used to get drunk and stand on the table and
read passages from the Bible. Admiral Halsey was an American
admiral.
Unforgettable
Also known as Paul's Christmas Album, a recording which Paul made
for his fellow Beatles in the mid-1960s. Only four copies of the
album were pressed. He said, 'It was like a magazine programme: full
of weird interviews, experimental music, tape loops, some tracks I
knew the others hadn't heard. It was just a compilation of odd
things.' There were also excerpts of Nat King Cole singing
'Unforgettable'.
Unplugged (album)
Unplugged - The Official Bootleg was a 17-track album from Paul's
Friday 25 January 1991 taping for MTV's Unplugged series. Paul had
originally considered calling it simply Bootleg.
There was a limited worldwide pressing of only 250,000 copies in all
formats, with only 45,000 available in Britain. It was released in
Britain on Monday 20 May 1991 and in America on Friday 4 June 1991.
The limited edition was mostly in compact disc and cassette, but
with some vinyl. Although it entered the British charts at No. 7,
its chart stay only lasted three weeks due to the limited pressing.
It had a short run in the American charts, with its highest placing
at No. 14.
It was while he was driving away from his performance at Limehouse
Studios in north London that the idea struck Paul. He said, 'I
figured that as Unplugged would be screened around the world there
was every chance that some bright spark would tape the show and turn
it into a bootleg. So we decided to bootleg the show ourselves. We
heard the tapes in the car driving back. By the time we got home,
we'd decided we'd got an album - albeit one of the fastest I've ever
made.
'It was a good laugh because, just like the bootleggers, we didn't
mess with the tapes and try to clean it up - as a producer would
with a proper album. We're just putting it out as it happened.'
The album featured Paul's new band for the first time on record,
with Blair Cunningham replacing Chris Whitten on drums.
Paul and his band performed 22 different numbers for the recorded
show, 14 of which were included on the MTV broadcast and 17 on the
album.
The tracks were: Side One: 'Be-Bop-A-Lula', 'I Lost My Little Girl',
'Here, There And Everywhere', 'Blue Moon Of Kentucky', 'We Can Work
It Out', 'San Francisco Bay Blues', 'I've Just Seen A Face', 'Every
Night', 'She's A Woman'. Side Two: 'Hi-Heel Sneakers', 'And I Love
Her', 'That Would Be Something', 'Blackbird', 'Ain't No Sunshine',
'Good Rockin' Tonight', 'Singing The Blues', 'Junk'.
There were three extra tracks included which weren't featured on
MTV's edited screening, but which Paul had performed that night.
They were 'San Francisco Bay Blues', 'Hi-Heel Sneakers' and 'Ain't
No Sunshine'.
Paul made a special request and as a result the vinyl releases for
the world appeared on Hispavox, EMI's Spanish label (Hispavox
7964131). The sleeve note was also in Spanish.
CD (Capitol CDP 7964132) and cassette releases (C4-96413), were
issued in the US by Capitol and in the UK by Parlophone and featured
sleeve notes in English.
This was actually Paul's second official bootleg. He recorded Choba
� ���� in 1988, which was released only in the Soviet Union.
Of Unplugged - The Official Bootleg he said, 'This is number two in
a series of "bootlegs". The Russian one was a good experience, so
I'm happy to be doing it again. This time we're having the vinyl
version printed in Spain, complete with Spanish sleeve notes, so
linguists beware! I don't know what it'll actually mean: we'll
probably end up with a title that's Spanish for "Madam, that's my
luggage".'
Each sleeve of the package was individually numbered and featured a
black-and-white photograph of Paul and the band performing and there
was an insert booklet with photos, credits and liner notes.
In 1996 a CD-Rom 'MTV Unplugged' was released featuring various
artists from the MTV series. Paul's performance of 'Things We Said
Today' was included. The disc was released by Viacom New Media via
Sony (VNM 1008).
Unplugged (TV show)
A popular MTV series in which rock musicians performed acoustically,
without electronics or amplification.
Paul recorded an Unplugged concert for two-and-a-half hours on the
tiny stage at Limehouse television studios, Wembley, London before
an audience of 200 invited friends on the evening of Friday 25
January 1991.
Paul had dug deep into his blues and rockabilly roots for the
performance and synthesisers, Stratocasters and that Hofner bass
were left at home as the band busked it. Paul played a six-string
acoustic, lead guitarist Robbie Mclntosh played six- and
twelve-string acoustics and steel guitar, Hamish Stuart played an
acoustic bass, Paul 'Wix' Wickens tinkled on a stand-up piano and an
accordion, Linda McCartney played a hand-pumped Indian harmonium and
Paul's new drummer - ex-Pretender Blair Cunningham - kept to a
simple kit.
Among the highlights of the show, which aired on MTV on Wednesday 3
April, was the first-ever TV performance of 'I Lost My Little Girl',
which was the first song Paul ever wrote when he was a schoolboy of
fourteen years old. During 'Ain't No Sunshine', Paul switched roles
and Hamish sang lead vocal, Robbie played the bass, Linda played
percussion, Blair played triangle - and Paul beat the drums.
The numbers Paul performed were: 'Matchbox', 'Midnight Special', 'I
Lost My Little Girl', 'Here There And Everywhere', 'San Francisco
Bay Blues', 'We Can Work It Out', 'Blue Moon Of Kentucky', 'I've
Just Seen A Face', 'Every Night', 4Be-Bop-A-Lula', 'She's A Woman',
'And I Love Her', 'The Fool', 'Things We Said Today', 'That Would Be
Something', 'Blackbird', 'Hi-Heel Sneakers', 'Good Rockin' Tonight'
and 'Junk'.
Paul then took over on drums while Hamish took over on vocals for
'Ain't No Sunshine'.
They reverted back to previous form while Paul tried again with 'We
Can Work It Out', which hadn't worked out when he'd played it
earlier on, and closed with 'Singing The Blues'.
Following the MTV transmission there was a short programme 'Last
Word' which included an interview with Paul and some clips from his
1989/90 tours. The Unplugged show was also simultaneously broadcast
on American radio.
It was shown on Danish television on Tuesday 23 July 1991 and
Channel Four screened the programme in Britain on 18 August 1991.
Up Close
An MTV series. Paul together with his group - Linda, Hamish, Blair,
Robbie and Wix - recorded two shows for the Up Close series at the
Ed Sullivan Theater, New York on Thursday 10 December and Friday 11
December 1992.
Paul had enjoyed his previous MTV show Unplugged the previous year
and was pleased at the opportunity given to promote his new single
'Hope Of Deliverance' and the Off The Ground album.
To the announcement: 'Ladies and gentlemen: please welcome Paul
McCartney!' Paul and his group appeared on stage with Paul saying,
'Thank you. Good evening.' He then explained what the show was
about: 'Unplugged, no, sorry, Up Close, is a new MTV series,' and
then performed 'Twenty Flight Rock'.
Welcoming the audience to the theatre, he referred to the fact that
this was the very theatre the Beatles made their American television
debut in on 9 February 9 1964, saying, 'I got the strangest feeling
of deja vu. I feel like I've been here, I don't know what it was.
Some previous life, probably!'
He then performed 'Get Out Of The Way'.
Following a rendition of 'Fixing A Hole', Paul said, 'Hang on, I
think I've got to have some make-up,' and a make-up girl ran on
stage to attend to it.
Paul and the group then performed 'Looking For Changes'.
Paul then said, 'Seems like yesterday to me, but then it would,' and
began to play 'Penny Lane'.
Changing to an acoustic guitar he then played another track from the
new album, 'Biker Like An Icon', then 'I Owe It All To You' and 'Big
Boys Bickering'. Due to some four-letter words used in the last
song, MTV wouldn't use 'Big Boys Bickering' in the broadcast.
Paul tuned his guitar and performed 'Michelle', followed by 'Jingle
Bells'.
The next numbers were 'Hope Of Deliverance' and 'Can't Buy Me Love',
before a short break during which Paul changed to an electric guitar
to play 'Peace In The Neighbourhood'. The make-up girl then came on
stage for a second time to attend to him.
The title track to the new album, 'Off The Ground', came next, with
Paul announcing that his daughter Mary had thought of the title. He
next announced, 'This is a new version of a song you've heard
before,' and launched into 'I Wanna Be Your Man'.
Paul said, This is one of the songs we did on tour a couple of years
ago, and this one goes back more than twenty years,' and then
performed 'Sgt Pepper'.
On finishing the number he said, 'Thank you, you're a great crowd.'
The make-up girl came on the stage for a third time and Paul
encouraged the audience to applaud her. A piano was brought onto the
stage and Paul sat down at it to perform 'My Love'. Then he
performed 'C Moon', followed by 'Lady Madonna' and 'C'Mon People'.
He then announced, 'We've only got one more song to do, so get your
booing in now,' and was greeted by a chorus of boos. 'It's been a
great pleasure,' he said, 'we've enjoyed it, coming here to New York
to play for you. You've been lovely, a great crowd as usual ...
here's one that got covered,' and he played 'Live And Let Die'.
At the end of the number Paul and the group left the stage and, due
to the cheers, he returned for a moment to say, 'That's it!'
The programme was first broadcast by MTV in America on Wednesday 3
February 1993 at 10 p.m. EST (Eastern Standard Time) and in Europe
on MTV on Wednesday 24 February. It was also screened on BBC 1 on
Monday 12 April 1993.
Used To Be Bad
A track from the Flaming Pie album, written by Paul and Steve Miller
and lasting 4 minutes and 12 seconds. It was produced by Paul and
engineered by Geoff Emerick and Jan Jacobs with assistance from
Keith Smith. It was recorded on 5 May 1995 at Paul's home studio,
the Mill, with Paul on lead vocal, drums and bass guitar. Steve
Miller also sang most of the lead vocal part and played electric
guitar.
Paul commented, 'Steve came to England saying, "I want to get you
singing Texas blues." That sounded like a good offer and he turned
up with millions of little blues riffs. It was just a jam, really,
with Steve wacking out these riffs, I got on the drums and we just
went for it - a little duet, sung on one mike, from a jam. And we
did it in one take.'