Press To Play

Track list

Disc 1

1. Stranglehold

   Written by Paul McCartney, Eric Stewart

   3:36 • Studio version • A

   Paul McCartney : Acoustic guitar, Backing vocals, Bass, Electric guitar, Producer, Vocals Eric Stewart : Acoustic guitar, Backing vocals, Electric guitar Trevor Jones : Assistant engineer (?) Eddie Klein : Assistant engineer (?) Tony Clark : Assistant engineer (?) Matt Butler : Assistant engineer (?) Jon Kelly : Assistant engineer (?) Jerry Marotta : Drums John Hammel : Assistant engineer (?) Matt Howe : Assistant engineer (?) Gary Barnacle : Horns (?) Dick Morrisey : Horns (?) Hugh Padgham : Engineering, Mixing engineer, Producer Peter Mew : Assistant engineer (?) Haydn Bendall : Assistant engineer (?)

   Session Recording: March - May 1985 • Studio Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK

   Session Overdubs: October 1st - December 6th 1985 • Studio Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK

   Session Mixing: April 14th-18th 1986 • Studio AIR Studios, London, UK

   Credits & recording details courtesy of Luca Perasi • From the books "Paul McCartney: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs" • Buy Volume 1 (1970-1989) and Volume 2 (1990-2012) on Amazon

2. Good Times Coming / Feel The Sun

   Written by Paul McCartney

   4:56 • Studio version • A

   Paul McCartney : Backing vocals, Bass, Electric guitar, Electric piano (?), Keyboards (?), Producer, Shaker (?), Vocals Eric Stewart : Electric guitar Trevor Jones : Assistant engineer (?) Eddie Klein : Assistant engineer (?) Tony Clark : Assistant engineer (?) Matt Butler : Assistant engineer (?) Jon Kelly : Assistant engineer (?) Jerry Marotta : Drums Carlos Alomar : Electric guitar Eddie Rayner : Keyboards Kate Robbins : Backing vocals Ruby James : Backing vocals John Hammel : Assistant engineer (?) Matt Howe : Assistant engineer (?) Hugh Padgham : Engineering, Mixing engineer, Producer Peter Mew : Assistant engineer (?) Haydn Bendall : Assistant engineer (?)

   Session Recording: March - May 1985 • Studio Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK

   Session Overdubs: October 1st - December 6th 1985 • Studio Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK

   Session Mixing: April 14th-18th 1986 • Studio AIR Studios, London, UK

   Credits & recording details courtesy of Luca Perasi • From the books "Paul McCartney: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs" • Buy Volume 1 (1970-1989) and Volume 2 (1990-2012) on Amazon

3. Talk More Talk

   Written by Paul McCartney

   5:18 • Studio version • A

   Paul McCartney : Acoustic guitar, Bass, Electric guitar, Keyboards, Producer, Vocals Linda Eastman / McCartney : Vocals James McCartney : Vocals Trevor Jones : Assistant engineer (?) Eddie Klein : Assistant engineer Tony Clark : Assistant engineer (?) Matt Butler : Assistant engineer (?) John Hammel : Assistant engineer, Vocals Matt Howe : Assistant engineer, Vocals Steve Jackson : Assistant engineer, Vocals Hugh Padgham : Engineering, Mixing engineer, Producer Peter Mew : Assistant engineer (?) Haydn Bendall : Assistant engineer (?)

   Recording : Unknown date prior to March 1985 • Studio Unknown

   Session Overdubs: October 1st - December 6th 1985 • Studio Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK

   Session Mixing: April 14th-18th 1986 • Studio AIR Studios, London, UK

   Credits & recording details courtesy of Luca Perasi • From the books "Paul McCartney: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs" • Buy Volume 1 (1970-1989) and Volume 2 (1990-2012) on Amazon

4. Footprints

   Written by Paul McCartney, Eric Stewart

   4:32 • Studio version • A

   Paul McCartney : Acoustic guitar, Bass, Keyboards, Producer, Spanish guitar, Spinet, Vocals Eric Stewart : Acoustic guitar, Electric guitar (?), Synthesizers (?) Trevor Jones : Assistant engineer (?) Eddie Klein : Assistant engineer (?) Tony Clark : Assistant engineer (?) Matt Butler : Assistant engineer (?) Jon Kelly : Assistant engineer (?) Jerry Marotta : Lynn-drum programming, Percussion John Hammel : Assistant engineer (?) Matt Howe : Assistant engineer (?) Hugh Padgham : Engineering, Mixing engineer, Producer Peter Mew : Assistant engineer (?) Haydn Bendall : Assistant engineer (?)

   Session Recording: March - May 1985 • Studio Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK

   Session Overdubs: October 1st - December 6th 1985 • Studio Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK

   Session Mixing: April 14th-18th 1986 • Studio AIR Studios, London, UK

   Credits & recording details courtesy of Luca Perasi • From the books "Paul McCartney: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs" • Buy Volume 1 (1970-1989) and Volume 2 (1990-2012) on Amazon

5. Only Love Remains

   Written by Paul McCartney

   4:16 • Studio version • A

   Paul McCartney : Backing vocals, Classical guitar, Piano, Producer, Synthesizers, Vocals Linda Eastman / McCartney : Backing vocals Eric Stewart : Acoustic guitar (?), Backing vocals Trevor Jones : Assistant engineer (?) Eddie Klein : Assistant engineer (?) Tony Clark : Assistant engineer (?) Matt Butler : Assistant engineer (?) Jon Kelly : Assistant engineer (?) Ray Cooper : Marimba, Shaker (?), Tambourine (?) Kate Robbins : Backing vocals Ruby James : Backing vocals John Hammel : Assistant engineer (?) Matt Howe : Assistant engineer (?) Graham Ward : Drums Simon Chamberlain : Synth bass John Bradbury : Violin Hugh Padgham : Engineering, Mixing engineer, Producer Peter Mew : Assistant engineer (?) Haydn Bendall : Assistant engineer (?)

   Session Recording: October 1st - December 6th 1985 • Studio Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK

   Session Mixing: April 14th-18th 1986 • Studio AIR Studios, London, UK

   Credits & recording details courtesy of Luca Perasi • From the books "Paul McCartney: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs" • Buy Volume 1 (1970-1989) and Volume 2 (1990-2012) on Amazon

6. Press

   Written by Paul McCartney

   4:43 • Studio version • A

   Paul McCartney : Backing vocals, Electric guitar, Keyboards, Producer, Vocals Linda Eastman / McCartney : Backing vocals Eric Stewart : Backing vocals Trevor Jones : Assistant engineer (?) Eddie Klein : Assistant engineer (?) Tony Clark : Assistant engineer (?) Matt Butler : Assistant engineer (?) Jon Kelly : Assistant engineer (?) Jerry Marotta : Drums Carlos Alomar : Electric guitar Eddie Rayner : Keyboards (?), Synthesizers (?) John Hammel : Assistant engineer (?) Matt Howe : Assistant engineer (?) Simon Chamberlain : Synth bass (?) John Bradbury : Violin (?) Gavin Wright : Violin (?) Hugh Padgham : Engineering, Mixing engineer, Producer, Recording engineer Peter Mew : Assistant engineer (?) Burt Bevans : Mixing engineer Steve Forward : Mixing engineer Haydn Bendall : Assistant engineer (?)

   Session Recording: March - May 1985 • Studio Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK

   Session Overdubs: October 1st - December 6th 1985 • Studio Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK

   Session Mixing: April 14th-18th 1986 • Studio AIR Studios, London, UK

   Credits & recording details courtesy of Luca Perasi • From the books "Paul McCartney: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs" • Buy Volume 1 (1970-1989) and Volume 2 (1990-2012) on Amazon

   

7. Pretty Little Head

   Written by Paul McCartney, Eric Stewart

   5:13 • Studio version • A

   Paul McCartney : Backing vocals, Bass, Drums, Electric guitar, Producer, Vocals Linda Eastman / McCartney : Backing vocals Eric Stewart : Backing vocals, Keyboards Trevor Jones : Assistant engineer (?) Eddie Klein : Assistant engineer (?) Tony Clark : Assistant engineer (?) Matt Butler : Assistant engineer (?) Jon Kelly : Assistant engineer (?) Jerry Marotta : Percussion, Vibraphone John Hammel : Assistant engineer (?) Matt Howe : Assistant engineer (?) Hugh Padgham : Engineering, Mixing engineer, Producer Peter Mew : Assistant engineer (?) Haydn Bendall : Assistant engineer (?)

   Session Recording: March - May 1985 • Studio Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK

   Session Overdubs: October 1st - December 6th 1985 • Studio Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK

   Session Mixing: April 14th-18th 1986 • Studio AIR Studios, London, UK

   Credits & recording details courtesy of Luca Perasi • From the books "Paul McCartney: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs" • Buy Volume 1 (1970-1989) and Volume 2 (1990-2012) on Amazon

   

8. Move Over Busker

   Written by Paul McCartney, Eric Stewart

   4:05 • Studio version • A

   Paul McCartney : Backing vocals, Bass, Piano, Producer, Vocals Eric Stewart : Backing vocals, Electric guitar Trevor Jones : Assistant engineer (?) Eddie Klein : Assistant engineer (?) Tony Clark : Assistant engineer (?) Matt Butler : Assistant engineer (?) Jon Kelly : Assistant engineer (?) Jerry Marotta : Drums Carlos Alomar : Electric guitar Kate Robbins : Backing vocals Ruby James : Backing vocals John Hammel : Assistant engineer (?) Matt Howe : Assistant engineer (?) Hugh Padgham : Engineering, Mixing engineer, Producer Peter Mew : Assistant engineer (?) Haydn Bendall : Assistant engineer (?)

   Session Recording: March - May 1985 • Studio Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK

   Session Overdubs: October 1st - December 6th 1985 • Studio Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK

   Session Mixing: April 14th-18th 1986 • Studio AIR Studios, London, UK

   Credits & recording details courtesy of Luca Perasi • From the books "Paul McCartney: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs" • Buy Volume 1 (1970-1989) and Volume 2 (1990-2012) on Amazon

9. Angry

   Written by Paul McCartney, Eric Stewart

   3:36 • Studio version • A

   Paul McCartney : Backing vocals, Bass, Drums, Electric guitar, Producer, Vocals Linda Eastman / McCartney : Vocals Trevor Jones : Assistant engineer (?) Eddie Klein : Assistant engineer (?) Tony Clark : Assistant engineer (?) Matt Butler : Assistant engineer (?) Ray Cooper : Tambourine Pete Townshend : Backing vocals, Electric guitar John Hammel : Assistant engineer (?) Matt Howe : Assistant engineer (?) Phil Collins : Drums Hugh Padgham : Engineering, Mixing engineer, Producer Peter Mew : Assistant engineer (?) Haydn Bendall : Assistant engineer (?)

   Session Recording: October 1st - December 6th 1985 • Studio Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK

   Session Mixing: April 14th-18th 1986 • Studio AIR Studios, London, UK

   Credits & recording details courtesy of Luca Perasi • From the books "Paul McCartney: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs" • Buy Volume 1 (1970-1989) and Volume 2 (1990-2012) on Amazon

10. However Absurd

    Written by Paul McCartney, Eric Stewart

    4:59 • Studio version • A

    Paul McCartney : Acoustic guitar, Backing vocals, Bass, Electric guitar, Keyboards (?), Piano, Producer, Vocals Eric Stewart : Acoustic guitar (?), Electric guitar Trevor Jones : Assistant engineer (?) Eddie Klein : Assistant engineer (?) Tony Clark : Assistant engineer (?) Matt Butler : Assistant engineer (?) Jon Kelly : Assistant engineer (?) Anne Dudley : Orchestration Jerry Marotta : Drums John Hammel : Assistant engineer (?) Matt Howe : Assistant engineer (?) Hugh Padgham : Engineering, Mixing engineer, Producer Peter Mew : Assistant engineer (?) Haydn Bendall : Assistant engineer (?)

    Session Recording: March - May 1985 • Studio Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK

    Session Overdubs: October 1st - December 6th 1985 • Studio Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK

    Session Mixing: April 14th-18th 1986 • Studio AIR Studios, London, UK

    Credits & recording details courtesy of Luca Perasi • From the books "Paul McCartney: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs" • Buy Volume 1 (1970-1989) and Volume 2 (1990-2012) on Amazon

11. Write Away

    Written by Paul McCartney, Eric Stewart

    3:01 • Studio version • A

    Paul McCartney : Backing vocals, Bass, Piano, Producer, Vocals Linda Eastman / McCartney : Backing vocals Eric Stewart : Backing vocals, Electric guitar Trevor Jones : Assistant engineer (?) Eddie Klein : Assistant engineer (?) Tony Clark : Assistant engineer (?) Matt Butler : Assistant engineer (?) Jon Kelly : Assistant engineer (?) Jerry Marotta : Percussion Carlos Alomar : Electric guitar Eddie Rayner : Keyboards Lenny Pickett : Saxophone John Hammel : Assistant engineer (?) Matt Howe : Assistant engineer (?) Hugh Padgham : Engineering, Mixing engineer, Producer Peter Mew : Assistant engineer (?) Haydn Bendall : Assistant engineer (?)

    Session Recording: March - May 1985 • Studio Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK

    Session Overdubs: October 1st - December 6th 1985 • Studio Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK

    Session Mixing: April 14th-18th 1986 • Studio AIR Studios, London, UK

    Credits & recording details courtesy of Luca Perasi • From the books "Paul McCartney: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs" • Buy Volume 1 (1970-1989) and Volume 2 (1990-2012) on Amazon

12. It's Not True

    Written by Paul McCartney

    5:53 • Studio version • A

    Paul McCartney : Backing vocals, Bass, Electric piano, Producer, Vocals Eric Stewart : Electric guitar Trevor Jones : Assistant engineer (?) Eddie Klein : Assistant engineer (?) Tony Clark : Assistant engineer (?) Matt Butler : Assistant engineer (?) Jon Kelly : Assistant engineer (?) Jerry Marotta : Drums Carlos Alomar : Electric guitar LaBouche : Backing vocals Lenny Pickett : Saxophone John Hammel : Assistant engineer (?) Matt Howe : Assistant engineer (?) Julian Mendelsohn : Mixing engineer Hugh Padgham : Engineering, Producer Peter Mew : Assistant engineer (?) Haydn Bendall : Assistant engineer (?)

    Session Recording: March - May 1985 • Studio Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK

    Session Overdubs: October 1st - December 6th 1985 • Studio Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK

    Session Mixing: April 14th-18th 1986 • Studio AIR Studios, London, UK

    Credits & recording details courtesy of Luca Perasi • From the books "Paul McCartney: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs" • Buy Volume 1 (1970-1989) and Volume 2 (1990-2012) on Amazon

13. Tough On A Tightrope

    Written by Paul McCartney, Eric Stewart

    4:52 • Studio version • A

    Paul McCartney : Acoustic guitar, Backing vocals, Bass, Electric guitar, Piano, Producer, Synthesizers (?), Vocals Linda Eastman / McCartney : Backing vocals Eric Stewart : Acoustic guitar, Backing vocals, Electric guitar Trevor Jones : Assistant engineer (?) Eddie Klein : Assistant engineer (?) Tony Clark : Assistant engineer (?) Matt Butler : Assistant engineer (?) Jon Kelly : Assistant engineer (?) Jerry Marotta : Congas (?), Drums Carlos Alomar : Electric guitar John Hammel : Assistant engineer (?) Matt Howe : Assistant engineer (?) Hugh Padgham : Engineering, Mixing engineer, Producer Peter Mew : Assistant engineer (?) Haydn Bendall : Assistant engineer (?)

    Session Recording: March - May 1985 • Studio Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK

    Session Overdubs: October 1st - December 6th 1985 • Studio Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK

    Session Mixing: April 14th-18th 1986 • Studio AIR Studios, London, UK

    Credits & recording details courtesy of Luca Perasi • From the books "Paul McCartney: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs" • Buy Volume 1 (1970-1989) and Volume 2 (1990-2012) on Amazon

From Wikipedia:

Press to Play is the sixth studio album by English musician Paul McCartney, released in August 1986. It was McCartney’s first album of entirely new music since Pipes of Peace in 1983, and his first solo album to be issued internationally by EMI following a six-year alliance with Columbia Records in the United States and Canada. Keen to re-establish himself after his poorly received 1984 musical film, Give My Regards to Broad Street, McCartney enlisted producer Hugh Padgham to give the album a contemporary sound.

On release, Press to Play received a mixed critical reception and it was McCartney’s poorest selling studio album up to that point. Although it failed to make the top 20 in America, the album peaked at number 8 on the UK Albums Chart and achieved gold status from the BPI in September 1986. Four singles were issued from Press to Play: “Press“, “Pretty Little Head“, “Stranglehold” and “Only Love Remains“. “Press” was a minor success, peaking at number 21 in the US. The music video for the song featured McCartney walking around Piccadilly Circus tube station in London, catching a tube train and speaking with members of the general public.

Production and recording

After the box office flop of the musical film Give My Regards to Broad Street, McCartney decided that it was time for a change of pace in his solo career. In an attempt to give his music a more contemporary sound, he joined forces with Hugh Padgham, an in-demand, multiple award-winning producer famed for having recorded Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins, Genesis, The Human League, The Police, and XTC, Beginning in March 1985, McCartney began recording Press to Play, having written several new songs, many with current collaborator, 10cc guitarist Eric Stewart who co-wrote six of the album’s ten songs, McCartney claimed that “When we started working on the record, Hugh came in one day and said he’d had a dream,” McCartney recalled when he visited New York in 1986. “He dreamed he woke up one morning and had made this really bad, syrupy album with me, an album he hated, and that it had blown his whole career. We took that as a little warning“. Guesting on the album would be The Who’s lead guitarist, Pete Townshend, Genesis’ drummer and lead vocalist Phil Collins, Split Enz’s keyboard maestro Eddie Rayner and Eric Stewart himself. Carlos Alomar also overdubbed electric guitar on several tracks, including “Press“, “Good Times Coming/Feel the Sun“, “It’s Not True“, “Tough on a Tightrope“, “Write Away” and “Move Over Busker“, according to his recollections included in the book Paul McCartney: Recording Sessions (1969–2013).

The album would not be finished until the end of the year, by which time only one song would see release from its sessions – the title track to the film Spies Like Us, joined by Phil Ramone in the producer’s chair. “Spies Like Us“, a non-album single backed by Wings’ 1975 recording “My Carnival“, proved to be a US top 10 hit, setting the stage for Press to Play. In 1993, Press to Play was remastered and reissued on the CD as part of The Paul McCartney Collection series with his 1985 hit “Spies Like Us” and an alternate mix of impending 1987 UK success “Once Upon a Long Ago” as bonus tracks. In this edition “Press” (4:25) was replaced by the 4:43 remixed version.

Album’s cover artwork

The album’s cover features Paul McCartney and his then-wife, Linda McCartney. The album cover’s photograph was taken by George Hurrell, using the same box camera that he used in Hollywood in the 1930s and the 1940s. Hurrell was renowned for his photographs of movie stars of the 1930s and 1940s like Clark Gable and Greta Garbo, to which the album’s cover was meant to pay homage.

Release

“Press“, a slick up-tempo pop song, was released in July 1986 and went on to become the album’s sole top 30 hit. Press to Play itself appeared on 25 August in the United States and 1 September in the United Kingdom. It received lukewarm reviews and proved to be McCartney’s weakest-selling studio album up to that point. Peaking at number 8 in the UK, its chart life was brief, while in the US, Press to Play failed to go gold, peaking at number 30 and selling only 250,000 copies. The follow-up singles, “Pretty Little Head” and “Only Love Remains“, performed poorly on the charts. As a result of this disappointing commercial reception, author Howard Sounes writes, McCartney appointed a former Polydor Records executive, Richard Ogden, as his manager, “to help revive his career“.

Critical reception

AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine admired the track “Press“, but gave the album a star rating of 2.5 out of 5, saying: “McCartney is dabbling in each of his strengths, just to see what works. It doesn’t wind up as one of his stronger albums, but it’s more interesting than some of his more consistent ones, and those aforementioned cuts demonstrate that he could still cut effective pop records when he put his mind to it.“

In a review for the Chicago Tribune, critic Lynn Van Matre wrote of the album: “No doubt about it, this is McCartney’s most rocking album in ages. Much of it’s catchy, most of it’s fun, and it’s superior to McCartney’s efforts of recent years.” In the Los Angeles Times, Terry Atkinson praised “Press” as “a sprightly, sunny delight – one of the most playful, positive pop songs ever written about the joy of sex and its link with love“, but opined that overall “the album finds McCartney as lost as usual and Stewart of little help“. Atkinson concluded: “‘Press to Play,’ though it shows some signs of recovery, is basically just another in a long line (over 12 years!) of post-‘Band on the Run’ letdowns by a once almost unimaginably creative artist.“

More recently, Kit O’Toole of Blogcritics has contended that much of the album belongs among McCartney’s “most ambitious work” and that the adventurousness of the project is unfairly overlooked. O’Toole adds: “Press to Play, along with McCartney II, arguably laid the foundation for his future musical experiments under the name The Fireman (particularly the first two albums, Strawberries Oceans Ships Forest and Rushes).” […]

From Washington Post, March 16, 2017:

In 1986, McCartney released his sixth solo studio album, “Press to Play,” working with producer Hugh Padgham, known for his work with Phil Collins and the Human League.

McCartney: Sometimes you get caught up in trying to be the current flavor, trying to go along and flavor your cooking with the food of the month, and I think “Press to Play” was certainly that. . . . I remember the records I listened to. “Let’s Dance.” Or “Drive” by the Cars. Records that were of the time and I probably just thought, “Yeah, it’d be quite nice to get into a bit of that.”

Eric Stewart, from CultureSonar, December 3, 2018:

Q: You’ve spoken of your disappointment with the production of Press to Play, but “Footprints” and “Pretty Little Head” still sound as vibrant and fresh as any of McCartney’s work. How do you feel about that album?

A: It’s unfortunate, really. We started off writing songs like “Stranglehold” and “Footprints” on acoustic guitars before the studio. When we sat down to [record] them, Hugh Padgham was the brilliant engineer at the time… [Then] Hugh started getting nasty with me. He’d talk to Paul on the talkback and started referring to me as “he,” not Eric. He’d say, “Can you do it again, he doesn’t like it”. I went with Paul upstairs to have a chat. I asked who was producing; he said the three of us…. The next morning, Paul’s manager calls to say that Paul didn’t think the production was working out and wouldn’t continue working with me.

That’s a shock. When we started, we had John Kelly engineering before Hugh. The first thing we recorded was “Angry.” Paul had these great lyrics “What the hell gives the right to tell me what to do with my life?” I played a really good, heavy guitar riff to that. That night, Gloria picks up the phone and Paul tells her I’m a “fucking genius”… I thought it would carry on, but Padgham screwed it. He said he’d walk away if he didn’t produce it himself, so Paul let me go. That was very sad. Much later on, he did apologize, saying he got it wrong too. By the time it was finished, we’d had five producers on it. Five. It ended up being Paul’s lowest selling album.

Eric Stewart

Going further

• https://www.facebook.com/PaulMcCartney/photos/a.488766413312.281294.182736663312/10154590142108313/?type=3&theater

CHRISTIAN FUENTES. • 4 years ago

Agustín Soler Fernández • 4 years ago

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