Great McCartney Gems From The Eighties

In every decade and on every album by McCartney there are some so-called hidden gems to be found: tracks not really known to a worldwide audience, but nevertheless belonging to his best work. Here are my favorite gems from the Eighties; in chronological order:

Check My Machine
I think this is such a funny song! It is pure nonsense, Paul freaking out at home, during the sessions that eventually lead to the album McCartney II. Check My Machine has a for Macca unique banjo sound and is above all an incredibly swinging song; Well, at least I can’t keep sitting around when hearing it. Released in 1980 as B-side to Waterfalls.

What’s That You’re Doing?
I really think McCartney took the wrong singles from his album Tug of War. Nothing wrong with songs like Take It Away and the title track, and I understand why Ebony and Ivory was released, but in my opinion there were better options for a single. What's That You're Doing?, for example, that other collaboration between McCartney and Stevie Wonder. Again a swinging dance song, a bit more Stevie than Paul, and in my opinion a guaranteed success if it was released as a single.

Ballroom Dancing
Another hidden gem from the Tug of War album, and another dance track. Ballroom Dancing is an extraordinary mix of rock and a foxtrot and it got this 1920’s feel which you can find in more McCartney songs. The song was considered to be released as a single, as well was the version from McCartney's 1984 movie Give My Regards To Broad Street, but for unclear reasons these releases were cancelled.

Sweetest Little Show
I really have a soft spot for this little gem from the 1983 Pipes of Peace album. The song with a bit of a rockabilly feel has some surprising hooks, like the latin sounding acoustic guitar solo, followed by the even surprisingly uplifting end of the track. Contains some fatherly advice to novice bands from the 'elder statesman' of pop music.

Write Away
If you ask me, the best tracks from the Press To Play-sessions didn’t make it to the original LP, released in 1986. The jazzy Write Away is one of them. Written by McCartney with 10cc front man Eric Stewart, it was released as the B-side to the single Pretty Little Head and as bonus track on the Press To Play cd edition. With its peculiar percussion intro, the song immediately gets to you. 

It’s Not True
Another one that should be on Press To Play, but the song only made it as cd bonus track and the B-side of the single Press. Both in different versions, where the bonus track-version contains some extra heavy drumming. I always felt the song was about Linda and how the tabloid press has treated her, although I don’t know if that’s true. 

Back On My Feet
The first release of the successful collaboration with Elvis Costello, which appeared as B-side to Once Upon A Long Ago, is also my favorite written by the two. Back On My Feet is a rocking pop song with great vocals and I really dig the lead guitar on it.

Shallow Grave
It took more than 25 years before the best hidden gems of this era were released: the demo’s made by Paul and Elvis Costello, of which most of them were recorded on the day they’ve written them. The demo’s finally find their way to the public in 2017 with the release of the Archive Collection edition of the 1989 album Flowers In The Dirt. From all this charming demo’s, with only Paul and Elvis on acoustic guitar, Shallow Grave is by far my favorite.

Related Posts:

McCartney's Eighties
McCartney's Eighties Singles Top 10
McCartney's Seventies Singles Top 10

André Homan

André Homan is a Dutch writer and journalist.

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