Paul McCartney - Pipes of Peace

Released in late 1983, Pipes of Peace peaked at No. 15 on the Billboard album charts, thereby becoming the first Paul McCartney LP to run out of gas before reaching the U.S. top 10. Which is not to say that it deserved better--despite the well-meaning title track and the duet with Michael Jackson on "Say Say Say," Pipes of Peace marked a definite artistic low for Sir Paul. Coming on the heels of 1982's effervescent Tug of War, Pipes of Peace sounded surprisingly sleepy and uninspired, and the few half-decent songs ("Keep Under Cover," the unfortunately titled "So Bad") didn't stand a chance against the album's bland, state-of-the-'80s production values. "Say Say Say," a big improvement over "The Girl Is Mine," Macca and Michael's previous collaboration, easily outclasses the album's other tracks. Happily, you can also find it on All the Best, where it gets the company it deserves. --Dan Epstein Amazon.com

Not So Bad

The year 1983 cost former Beatles' member Paul McCartney so much. Even though the album produced #1 song SAY SAY SAY dueted with Michael Jackson then at the top of the corporate music world with THRILLER, it did not have so much appreciaion it deserves.

True that it lacks BEATLES' dyanamism, WINGs sweet pop but this one is also fine in its own right. Sweet ballad SO BAD has faith in its music while KEEP UNDER COVER never betrays the upbeatness Paul had during Beatles and Wings days. And last song THROUGH OUR LOVE nicely closes Paul's just as it is album.

Verdict: Not as instant as predecessors but a fine one.
Rating: 83 out of 100
Recommended for: Mid 80s pop fans. May 2, 2008

THE LOW POINT

This is the last mc cd I got now I have replaced al my lp's. why was this my last, well this was a low point for Mc the songs in the most part are weak at best.... yes a few were good, but most were soft. M jackson was Mc's down fall and mccartney is still trying to reach 1# one after all these year's.Don't get me wrong I'm a true Mccartney fan, and have all his stuff and his stuff after this mess should have reached high on the charts. It took the wind from him. Rock on Paul!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. February 23, 2008

This is Great!

I had this on cassette when I was a kid and I had the 45 to "SAY SAY SAY". being a music / CD collector one would think I would of had this years ago. The CD is even dated 1983 (did they make CDs back then?) Yup, and its a US release. Go figure. Deffinatly a nice collectible CD to own. May 25, 2007

The ex-Beatle's fourth Columbia album

Sir Paul McCartney released his fourth Columbia album in the fall of 1983 with the Top 10 smash,SAY SAY SAY with the King Of Pop Michael Jackson. I'd say that was a reciprocation for McCartney's collaboration on THE GIRL IS MINE from Jackson's meagahit THRILLER. Other hits include the title track and SO BAD. Of all the aforementioned tracks,only the latter did not make it to the 2001 compilation WINGSPAN. The SSS video was totally awesome. I'd say the song was a smash due to Motown great Jackson's moral support. Even TGIM was a Top 20 hit. April 5, 2007

Drownin' in a Sea of Love

No one has defended Paul McCartney's post-Beatles music more than me. This album, however, is indefensible. I recall purchasing it new in 1983, looking forward to more great music, especially on the heels of the 1982 masterpiece "Tug of War". I couldn't have been more disappointed.

The high point of this disc is reached at the very beginning. "Pipes of Peace" is one of the prettiest and most lyrically satisfying songs of Paul's post Beatles breakup work. Unfortunately, it is mostly downhill from there, with the notable exception of the last song on the album.

"Say Say Say" is catchy to a certain extent, and there is a nice interplay between the vocals of Michael Jackson and Paul, but it almost has the feel of a novelty song, as if Paul was using the (at the time)skyrocketing popularity of Jackson to drag himself to the top. If so, he was successful: "Say Say Say" was his last U.S. number one single.

"So Bad" is okay, but not "So Good". When I first heard this song on the radio, I couldn't even tell it was McCartney, due to the extreme falsetto vocalizing.

"Through Our Love" closes the album, and is a prime example of why McCartney is second to none when it comes to ballads. This love song is anything but silly, with great lyrics, a gorgeous melody, fabulous vocals, and a beautiful arrangement. It is one of Paul's most underrated songs.

The rest of the songs on "Pipes of Peace" range from boring to downright awful, with most sounding like throwaways, or "Tug of War" rejects. The 1980's production values and effects only heighten the weaknesses of these remaining tracks.

By far, though, the biggest dissapointment is the absolute, total, complete, absence of any songs that even come close to rocking on this album. It's as if McCartney didn't have a rock and roll song in him at this point. Maybe he was too content, too rich, too un-motivated, or too high. But never did he sound more like he needed John Lennon. October 12, 2006

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