Paul McCartney adds John Lennon into his setlist

[Cosmicman]

Angry Beatle fans are upset with Paul McCartney within the last year for adding songs into his setlist that were originally recorded, featuring John Lennon's vocals as the lead.
McCartney says they are his songs to and he feels he can do what he wants with them. I have to agree. McCartney singing John Lennon's lines is pretty cool.

Even singing, "Give Peace a Chance" doesn't sound that bad. Even though McCartney didn't write that song, it was still credited to Lennon/McCartney.

In my opinion, who cares? John Lennon isn't singing the songs anymore and probably not anytime soon.

We all need to remember...

Give Peace A Chance. It is all about the meaning of the songs, not who originally sang them.

I managed to find one of the songs, "A Day In A Life" on youtube. Yoko Ono is in the audience and she doesn't seem to mind McCartney's new additions to his setlists.

YouTube - Paul McCartney - A Day In The Life [Live at Liverpool, 2008]


The current Beatle rumors are McCartney and Ringo are going to do a tour featuring a lot of Beatle songs with an orchestra and their bands as a tribute to peace. A little late for a Beatle renunion, but that doesn't sound so bad.

[Mikey]

Paul should be able to sing any Lennon/McCartney song he wants, imo

[Cosmicman]

Paul should be able to sing any Lennon/McCartney song he wants, imo

Exactly!

[david_b]

Agreed on all fronts, but George Harrison said it best back when 'Broadstreet' came out, when asked about Paul's re-recording of some Beatle hits for the movie..:

'He probably just ran out of any good material on his own'.

George was the funniest ever--!!

[Mikey]

Hell, I wouldn't even mind hearing Paul try some of Lennon's post-Beatles stuff.

McCartney would probably do No.9 Dream really good.

also ..

I'd like to hear Paul doing Instant Karma using his Jet voice.

[david_b]

Actually Wrathdemon, I just went to the Chicago Beatlefest a week ago Saturday. Got to see/meet Neil Innes of the Rutles and Pattie Boyd was there as well. Didn't spend much except for a half dozen glossies, but had the best time at the hotel bar with a couple of young beauticians from Jersey (there for a beautician's conference).

Interesting day..

[Mikey]

Cheese and Onions

[david_b]

I wish Paul would do that stuff instead of ANOTHER 'Hey Jude' closing.. Enough already ~ Let's hear 'Juniors Farm' or 'Spin It On'..! Even more 'Lucille' would be better. I've downloaded off the web 'Last Flight', the final Glasgow concert from 1979. The best ever Wings concert, giving the '76 tour a run for it's money, especially with Laurence Juber on guitar..! He Rocks.

[Cosmicman]

I wish Paul would do that stuff instead of ANOTHER 'Hey Jude' closing.. Enough already ~ Let's hear 'Juniors Farm' or 'Spin It On'..! Even more 'Lucille' would be better. I've downloaded off the web 'Last Flight', the final Glasgow concert from 1979. The best ever Wings concert, giving the '76 tour a run for it's money, especially with Laurence Juber on guitar..! He Rocks.

I think Paul is realizing that he is famous for help creating classics like "Revolution" and "A Day In A Life" and maybe it wasn't those sappy tunes like "Let Me Roll It" and "Junior's Farm" that makes people come to see Paul.

I mean come on. I know Paul McCartney & the Wings were pretty big in the 70s but when you look into the history of the band, it was basically just two guys. Paul McCartney and Denny Lane with the help of Linda McCartney (green. red, blue, green, blue red...)
The ever changing lineups of "The Wings" made it impossible to adore and appreciate them like we did The Beatles.

Paul McCartney is the only Beatle left that can pull it off. He might as well start playing the songs people want to hear and not what people have to sit through.

Maybe Paul realizes that it is almost soon where he might be having to punch out on the time clock and maybe he wants to give the fans what they really want...

The Beatles.

I don't know about you. But I think I would rather hear Paul fumble through Lennon's vocals then another rendition of "Coming Up" or "My brave Face".

Point?

[Adam West]

If the Jonas Brothers are singing Hello Goodbye for Target, McCartney should be able to sing whatever he wants.

[MIB41]

Here's Lennon singing (or perhaps mocking) "yesterday". Note the video is of McCartney singing but the audio is dubbed in and that's Lennon. It's hysterical!

YouTube - Lennon loved McCartney 2: Yesterday

Of course in this link he is complaining about a fan giving him credit for "yesterday". It goes without saying that there was plenty of competition between the two artists back in the day.

YouTube - John Lennon *****es about a McCartney-playing violinist

[Cosmicman]

Here's Lennon singing (or perhaps mocking) "yesterday". Note the video is of McCartney singing but the audio is dubbed in and that's Lennon. It's hysterical!

YouTube - Lennon loved McCartney 2: Yesterday

Of course in this link he is complaining about a fan giving him credit for "yesterday". It goes without saying that there was plenty of competition between the two artists back in the day.

YouTube - John Lennon *****es about a McCartney-playing violinist

I love that Dick Cavett episode. I have copies of when Lennon took over for the week on there on VHS. I love it how John Lennon made the comment about the violinist playing "Yesterday" thinking it would make him happy unaware that John Lennon had nothing to do with that song and he really didn't care for it. It is comical how John talks about that and the fact he signed the violin and never told the guy the truth. Classic John Lennon piece there.

I was sitting on Youtube for almost two days listening to the endless Beatle/Lennon bootlegs that have been put on there. It is impossible to hear them all and it mesmerizes me everytime. Sometimes I have to pinch myself to knock it off and getaway from Youtube. The amount of bootlegs and off the wall stuff that is on there now is amazing.

[david_b]

Great comments - It's really perspective in most cases.. I don't mind hearing the Beatle stuff, but it's not 'the Beatles' performing it anymore.. It's only Paul ('course same is true for Wings obviously..).

I get tired of hearing the Beatles stuff from him, primarily since he only really sings the same half dozen songs. I miss 'I'm Down', 'Night Before', and some of the rarer ones.

He did pull out some old chestnuts during his later tours ~ I saw him up close in Germany in '90 and he did some great old tunes, like '20 Flight Rock', 'Pepper' and 'Things we said today', which he's done on the last few tours.

[MIB41]

I love that Dick Cavett episode. I have copies of when Lennon took over for the week on there on VHS. I love it how John Lennon made the comment about the violinist playing "Yesterday" thinking it would make him happy unaware that John Lennon had nothing to do with that song and he really didn't care for it. It is comical how John talks about that and the fact he signed the violin and never told the guy the truth. Classic John Lennon piece there.

I was sitting on Youtube for almost two days listening to the endless Beatle/Lennon bootlegs that have been put on there. It is impossible to hear them all and it mesmerizes me everytime. Sometimes I have to pinch myself to knock it off and getaway from Youtube. The amount of bootlegs and off the wall stuff that is on there now is amazing.

I couldn't agree more Wrathdemon, especially about the bootleg outtakes. If you haven't already, you should listen to the original takes for "Free as a bird" and "Real Love". As I'm sure you already know, they were ideas Lennon had just placed on a tape recorder. Am I the only one amazed that he never finished those for himself? Incredible...

[Cosmicman]

I couldn't agree more Wrathdemon, especially about the bootleg outtakes. If you haven't already, you should listen to the original takes for "Free as a bird" and "Real Love". As I'm sure you already know, they were ideas Lennon had just placed on a tape recorder. Am I the only one amazed that he never finished those for himself? Incredible...

I had copies of those a few years after the last anthology albums came out. I met some Beatle freak online who sold me a tape with the original piano/vocal demos before the "threetles" lifted to make the new songs.

There is (or was) a third song called "Now and Then" that was supposed to be on The Beatles Anthology 3 and Paul decided to shelf it at the last minute. It is apparently another Lennon demo the "threetles" redid and made into a track. We'll never know why it was shelved or perhaps Sir Paul is waiting for a correct date or time to release it as a new Beatles song. I guess we'll have to wait and see....