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Paul McCartney Furthers A Great Capitol Tradition With “Press To Play”
By Paul Iorio

NEW YORK -- Paul McCartney's name somehow looks just right beneath the Capitol Records logo on his new album "Press to Play." The association stirs memories of the tine when the name Beatles was also under that logo. McCartney’s recent resigning has brought him full circle with a new album that furthers his legacy as one of the best songwriters of the 20th century.

"Press To Play” is McCartney’s fifteenth past Beatle album and he’s lined up some star support musicians for it. Phil Collins and Peter Townshend take star turns on the punkish “Angry,” and Carlos Alomar, Eric Stewart, and Rick Marotta back McCartney on other tracks.

The album is decidedly harder-edged than much of his other work. ’’Angry” is most Lennonesque in intensity, “Move Over Busker” is flat out Stones-style rock, and "However Absurd” is a quasi-avant-garde tune that dabbles in free associative ***. Still, on “Stranglehold” and “Only Love Remains,’’ McCartney plays the ***y pop-rock and heart felt ballads that *** become his trademarks.

The first single, “Press,” Is a song of un**hed love set against a funkish beat, with melody that can only be described as, well, McCartneyesque. McCartney is one of the artist who can sing a line like “Darling, I love you very, very much / And I am relying on your touch” and get away with it.

'Press debuted on the Cash Box chart at #53 bullet and, as of this writing, is In the *** forty even though the album has yet to released. But the single and the album pay well be only the first sign of renewed musical activity for McCartney. In a Rolling Stone Interview in the September 11, 1986 issue McCartney suggests that a collaboration with George Harrison may be in the offing. “George and l have talked once or twice about plonking a couple of acoustics together... So I hope for the future in that direction,” he told RS.

The prerelease ascclaim for this album suggests that it may rank with “Band On the Run” and “Tug Of War” as being among his best post-Beatle efforts. Those albums were blockbusters “Band On The Run” entered the CB album chart at #65 bullet in 1973, moved to #44 bullet the next week, before passing both “Ringo” and John Lennon’s “Mind Games” on its way to number one. “Band . . . ” 's critical success was summed up by a '73 review in Cash Box: “Tire music is the message here and each cut sparkles from the first single ’Helen Wheels’ to the beautiful love ballad ’No Words' and the classic rocker ’Jet.’ As always, the harmonies and musicianship are more than professional - they’re brilliant.”

McCartney proved himself a vital force in the '80’s with “Tug Of War.“ That '82 album learned McCartney with Beatle producer George martin for a smash that debuted on the CB album chart at #5 and then a week later went to number one. Of that album, Cash Box wrote: “Superlative compositions, arrangements and production work combine to make this McCartney’s most artistic solo album to date.”

“Press To Play” is, in parts, unlike anything McCartney has done before. “Angry” and “Move Over Busker” recall nothing so much as the early rock 'n' roll The Beatles used to play in 1961 and 1962. And, of course that was one of the many things that first caught Capitol’s attention in the early ’60’s. “Press To Play” continues and, more important, furthers that tradition.

Cash Box August 30, 1986