Pipes of Peace

by Paul McCartney

Overview

Styled as a conspicuous companion piece to Tug of War, Pipes of Peace mirrors its 1982 cousin in many ways: its title track holds up a mirror to its forefather -- and, if that weren't enough, Paul McCartney serves up the knowing "Tug of Peace," an almost-electro collage that twists the songs into McCartney II territory -- it serves up two showcases for duets with a former Motown star along with a cameo from fusion superstar Stanley Clarke and, most importantly, it is also produced by former Fab Four ringleader George Martin. Some of that production occurred during the sessions for Tug of War, with roughly half of the record culled from outtakes from that album, but Pipes of Peace has a distinctly different feel than its predecessor, seeming fleet, adventurous, and modern, almost as an accidental riposte to the consciously classical Tug of War. Sometimes that whimsy slides right into silliness -- witness "Average Person," a music hall showstopper inexplicably shoehorned into the middle of the second side -- but that lightness allows McCartney to indulge in an instrumental funk collaboration with Clarke ("Hey Hey"), a super-slick bit of yacht pop with Jackson ("The Man"), a bit of confession disguised as a synthesized soft rock lark ("The Other Me"), and a galloping revision of Red Rose Speedway with "Keep Under Cover." If McCartney gets a little sticky on the ballad "So Bad," his melody saves him and the album's other two hits have aged exceptionally well: "Say Say Say" hits hard, sounding as funky as anything on Thriller, and "Pipes of Peace" achieves an earned grace. Perhaps Pipes of Peace doesn't have the gravitas of Tug of War but it offers something equally valuable: a portrait of an impeccable craftsman at play. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	11/17/2017
Label:	Capitol / Virgin Emi
UPC:	0602557567595
Rank:	56980

Tracks

1. Pipes of Peace
2. Say Say Say
3. The Other Me
4. Keep Under Cover
5. So Bad
6. The Man
7. Sweetest Little Show
8. Average Person
9. Hey Hey
10. Tug of Peace
11. Through Our Love

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Paul McCartney   Primary Artist
Michael Jackson   Primary Artist
Laurie Lewis   Strings
Peter Willison   Strings
Alexander Kok   Strings
Patrick Halling   Strings
George Turnlund   Strings
Michael Rennie   Strings
Galina Solodchin   Strings
Adrian Shepard   Conductor
John Underwood   Strings
Anthony Harvey   Strings
Alan Peters   Strings
Adrian Shepherd   Conductor
Gavin Wright   Strings
Ken Essex   Strings
Dennis Vigay   Strings

Technical Credits

Paul McCartney   Mixing,Arranger,Composer,Engineer,Producer,Filmmaker,Video Director
Steve Jackson   Assistant,Mixing Assistant,Assistant Engineer
Geoff Emerick   Mixing,Engineer
Mark "Spike" Stent   Remixing
Jon Kelly   Mixing,Engineer
Mike Stavrou   Assistant,Assistant Engineer
Michael Jackson   Composer
George Martin   Arranger,Producer
Danny Dawson   Assistant,Mixing Assistant
Kenneth Sillito   Orchestration
Stanley Clarke   Composer
Jon Jacobs   Assistant,Mixing Assistant,Assistant Engineer
Linda McCartney   Filmmaker,Video Director
Teri Reed   Assistant Engineer
Bob Giraldi   Video Director
Jeff Baynes   Filmmaker
Keefco   Producer,Video Producer
Jeff Cummins   Artwork
Anthony Payne   Video Producer
Sam O'Kell   Remastering
Alex Wharton   Mastering,Remastering
Keith Macmillan   Video Director
Sarah Randell   Editing