Give My Regards to Broad Street
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| Give My Regards to Broad Street | ||
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| Soundtrack by Paul McCartney | ||
| Released | 22 October 1984 | |
| Recorded | November 1982 - July 1983 |
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| Genre | Rock | |
| Length | 61:10 | |
| Label | Parlophone/EMI | |
| Producer(s) | George Martin | |
| Professional reviews | ||
|---|---|---|
| Paul McCartney chronology | ||
| Pipes of Peace (1983) |
Give My Regards to Broad Street (1984) |
Press to Play (1986) |
Give My Regards to Broad Street (named after the former London railway station) is the title of Paul McCartney's soundtrack album to his self-written film, both released in 1984. Following up the twin successes of Tug of War and Pipes of Peace, Give My Regards to Broad Street proved to be a financial disaster as a film, but garnered McCartney another hit album.
Beginning filming and recording in November 1982 following Pipes of Peace's conclusion, production on the album and film continued until July the following year. In the interim, Pipes of Peace and its singles were released and the film project was thus scheduled for a fall 1984 release once an appropriate amount of time had passed.
Contents |
[edit] The Film
Starring McCartney, his wife Linda, Ringo Starr and his wife Barbara Bach, as well as Bryan Brown, Ralph Richardson, and Tracey Ullman, the film details a day in the life of McCartney (somewhat like The Beatles' A Hard Day's Night). The master tapes to McCartney's new album are suspected of being stolen by an employee with a shady past (who has also disappeared), and amid much searching (and music), the tapes are found in the possession of the man in question, who accidentally locks himself in shed in a railway station. Both are discovered—of course—by McCartney. After a sensational media build-up, the film—with its less-than-exciting plot—was savaged by critics upon its November unveiling and Give My Regards to Broad Street ended up as one of 1984's most notable cinematic flops. Despite the film being a flop, "No More Lonely Nights" was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and a BAFTA Film Award for Best Original Song-Motion Picture.The movie was also snubbed by the Golden Raspberry Awards.
[edit] The Album
Preceded by "No More Lonely Nights (Ballad)", a worldwide Top 10 smash featuring blistering David Gilmour guitar work, Give My Regards to Broad Street entered the UK charts at #1, while going gold with a #21 peak in the US (selling under expectations there). It would also mark the end of McCartney's brief alliance with Columbia Records in the US, which had started with the final Wings album Back to the Egg in 1979. McCartney would re-sign with EMI worldwide (where he remains) with his Columbia output reverting back to his new—and original—label in the US.
The majority of the album - which is sequenced in the order of the songs' appearance in the film - features re-interpretations of many of his past Beatles and Wings classics: "Good Day Sunshine", Yesterday, "Here, There and Everywhere", "Silly Love Songs", "For No One", "Eleanor Rigby" and "The Long And Winding Road" (without the heavy strings courtesy of Phil Spector that McCartney had so loathed in 1970). Besides "No More Lonely Nights" (also heard in a dance version), the only previously-unheard tracks were "Not Such A Bad Boy", "No Values" and a symphonic extension of "Eleanor Rigby" entitled "Eleanor's Dream". The scope of the album was so immense that when it saw release that October, its vinyl issue had specially edited versions of its songs. The cassette and the later CD edition preserved the tracks' full lengths, while the CD went one further by including a bonus 1940's-styled piece called "Goodnight Princess".
While Give My Regards to Broad Street may not rank as McCartney's most memorable project, many McCartney fans deem it to have its virtues and a worthwhile experience.
In November, simultaneously with the film's premiere, McCartney's Rupert Bear recording, "We All Stand Together", started back in 1980, was released and became an enormous hit single in the UK, reaching #3, and was credited to "Paul McCartney and the Frog Chorus".
In 1993, Give My Regards to Broad Street was remastered and reissued on CD as part of "The Paul McCartney Collection" series with two extended dance mixes of "No More Lonely Nights" as bonus tracks.
[edit] Track listing
All songs by Paul McCartney, except where noted.
- "No More Lonely Nights (Ballad)" – 5:13
- Features David Gilmour on lead guitar
- "Good Day Sunshine"/"Corridor Music" (John Lennon/Paul McCartney)/ (Paul McCartney) – 2:33
- "Yesterday" (John Lennon/Paul McCartney) – 1:43
- "Here, There And Everywhere" (John Lennon/Paul McCartney) – 1:43
- "Wanderlust" – 4:07
- "Ballroom Dancing" – 4:51
- "Silly Love Songs"/"Silly Love Songs (Reprise)" – 5:27
- "Not Such A Bad Boy" – 3:29
- "So Bad" – 3:25
- "No Values" – 4:12
- "No More Lonely Nights (Ballad Reprise)" is incorrectly listed as being segued with "No Values" on the 1993 CD remaster
- "No More Lonely Nights (Ballad Reprise)"/"For No One" (Paul McCartney) / (John Lennon/Paul McCartney) – 2:12
- "Eleanor Rigby"/"Eleanor's Dream" (John Lennon/Paul McCartney) / (Paul McCartney) – 9:10
- "The Long And Winding Road" (John Lennon/Paul McCartney) – 3:57
- "No More Lonely Nights (Playout Version)" – 5:03
- "Goodnight Princess" – 3:58
- All songs now segued onto one track on CD were originally listed separately on the 1984 release of Give My Regards to Broad Street
