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Electric Arguments | 
| Artists: The Fireman (paul Mccartney, Youth)
Label: Pinnacle
Category: Music
List Price: £16.99
Buy New: £8.98
You Save: £8.01 (47%)
New (15) Used (4) from £5.99
Rating:  19 reviews
Sales Rank: 271
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.5
EAN: 5016958104023
ASIN: B001IMFI1U
Release Date: November 24, 2008
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
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| Tracks:
| • | Nothing Too Much Just Out Of Sight | | • | Two Magpies | | • | Sing The Changes | | • | Travelling Light | | • | Highway | | • | Light From Your Lighthouse | | • | Sun Is Shining | | • | Dance 'Till We're High | | • | Lifelong Passion | | • | Is This Love? | | • | Lovers In A Dream | | • | Universal Here, Everlasting Now | | • | Don't Stop Running |
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| Customer Reviews: Read 14 more reviews...
 Psychedelic rebirth January 5, 2009
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Never been one for recognising the importance of Paul McCartney. Have been a fan of 'The Beatles' and acknowledge that Paul or 'sir Paul' is a great and worthy song writer, but as an artist his work has been uneven, commercial and as people have already said somewhat mediocre, this is fine if you choose your music on minimums. It seems that many artists have great creative periods and then rot can set in and they can produce crowd pleasing drivel, or albums for contractual obligation, wearing their hearts on their sleeve about the sacrifice they have made to be rich, popular and famous. Paul McCartney is still a superb live performer.
This album however is something that would certainly slip under the radar for a lot of people and the people I have played this too are now looking at 'Sir Paul' in another light altogether. Martin Glover or 'Youth' is a bit of a legendary Psy Trance producer and recording artist. He was originally in 'The Killing Joke'. Great things have been achieved by both Jaz Colman and Youth and the Jaz Colman and Anne Dudley collaboration 'Songs from the Victorious City' seems to share some of this collaboration as a concept. The Fireman was a sort of ambient electronic project Paul McCartney and Youth did. I do not know the history of this but when the first album was released it had a limited release and was a bit mysterious. The album 'Electric Arguments' should be bought by all lovers of Psychedelic music and those who enjoy the sort of music that falls between rock and electronic, such as `Death in Vegas', `Evil Heat' style `Primal Scream' or even `Mercury Rev' or `The Flaming Lips'. It is a kind of come back album in a similar way to 'Aerial' by 'Kate Bush'.
The sophistication of this album and it's production values do not seem to fully reveal themselves when you first hear it. You get the feeling it is rough, unfinished and a bit of a mish-mash of different styles. The first track is a raw heavy blues number, the next track is a loose whimsical number about magpies, blackbird, magpies, maybe a song about a raven or crow next? The album goes on like this, the lyrics are simple, some songs just seem to be about love, other songs seem to be about support, there are references to real objects. The more you listen the deeper it gets, you start noticing subtleties in the production, you get the impression that after a messy divorce with Heather Mills Paul has gone into the studio maybe got a little high with Youth and started making the kind of album that he needed to make as a form of catharsis. It really works. I have been playing this a lot, on my MP3 player, really loud on a club PA. It sounds better louder but also works in so many different contexts. It has the right balance of tunes to feel like a real album and goes off in so many different directions. Track 8 'Dance 'Till W'ere High' is my highpoint, it would make a great song released at Christmas it has bells ringing and lush orchestral arrangements. After this point the album seems to go more into psychedelic realms, there are parts and sounds that remind me of psychedelic 'Beatles' and certainly the end is very music a kind of electronic 'Tomorrow Never Knows' if McCartney had written the music. This is closest to psy chill electronic music that Martin Glover has been well known for. Some of it reminds me of 'The New Radicals' hit, other parts remind me of 'The Arcade Fire'. There are bits that sound like `Tom Waits' or even `Nick Cave. This is what is strange about it. It makes me want to go and investigate Paul McCartney's back catalogue and makes me wonder if he will hit this high (and I mean high man...) again as this is the psychedelic work that we deserve. He has access to all he wants to make the kind of album as much for himself as something to listen to and I think that this is it. He has gone into the studio and done what he does best expressing himself through his music. The cover represents his new flare for abstract art, which is more childlike and playful like some of the motifs on this album, but childlike like a regressive individual who is past living for appearances. I love this record and would rate it as one of the best and understated releases of 2008. It is infectious.
Hear Paul Sing The Changes December 28, 2008
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
With 'Electric Arguments', The Fireman (a.k.a. Paul McCartney and ex-Killing Joke bassist Youth) have produced something in between a Paul McCartney solo album and an experimental release similar to the last two predominantly instrumental albums under the Fireman guise. After last year's well-received, fairly commercial 'Memory Almost Full', this is a nice change of pace from the mainstream, with Paul using this pseudonym to remind us of his avant-garde, ultra-creative side. Of course, if Paul was feeling particularly brave, he could have released this under his real name instead of The Fireman - but, thinking realistically, he probably wouldn't have got away with it, even though many of these compositions are more than good enough for a Paul McCartney solo album.
The album opens with the dirty 'Nothing Too Much Just Out Of Sight', featuring Macca's raw, throaty vocals over a persistent bluesy riff. The slightly twee 'Two Magpies' follows, featuring Paul's falsetto over a charming acoustic guitar pattern. The third track 'Sing The Changes' is the first glimpse of something approaching special on this release, even though the chords and melody are a tad simplistic - the production and instrumentation make this track a lot more interesting that it otherwise would have been. Next up is 'Travelling Light', an extremely lovely, dreamy piece which could easily have slotted straight onto 'Chaos & Creation In The Backyard' and been a fan's favourite.
'Highway' takes us back into rock territory and we're treated to a driving bass-line, thundering pianos and wailing harmonicas and it's great stuff. 'Light From Your Lighthouse' is a catchy folk-stomper which is charming enough but soon wears a little thin after a few plays. The next song, 'Sun Is Shining' is a summery, upbeat track which soon gets you tapping your feet and nodding your head, appreciating the musicianship contained within it. After 'Sun Is Shining', we come to the best song on the album, 'Dance 'Till We're High', an uplifting piece of utter brilliance which boast bells chiming, a string section punctuating the chorus, rolling and tumbling towards the almost anti-climatic end.
'Lifelong Passion' is an Asian-tinted piece which seems to be based around one chord and, while pleasant, is not particularly special. 'Is This Love?' is a beautiful mystical piece which seems to have Indian roots. The swelling cymbals, the sweet flute and the gently persuasive tambourine all topped off by Paul's vocals floating serenely over the music make this a very enjoyable track indeed. 'Lovers In A Dream' is a decent piece of ambient dance music backed by a persistent bass drum beat which slowly builds sonic levels until it reaches a climax and then takes a minute-or-so to wind down. 'Universal Here, Everlasting Now' is another, less mellow, "club" track and, again, while decent, for those who don't particularly care for this style of music, the album may be losing a little of its appeal. It does have a very pretty piano outro, though. The final track on 'Electric Arguments' is 'Don't Stop Running', another, albeit dancy, highlight of the album.
I have to admit that I'm not entirely convinced by all of this material. It's undoubtedly great to hear new, leftfield McCartney tracks, but some of the ideas are basic shells of compositions - there are a few three chord wonders here - which are then embellished with layers of instruments and admittedly excellent production, but at least half of these songs wouldn't stand on their own merits if performed by Paul with nothing but an acoustic guitar. This is, richly creative, an entertaining listen and without a doubt, the best of the three 'Fireman' albums. While it certainly keeps us fans ticking over waiting for the next "proper" solo album, I believe this is a little short of the work of genius some fans are proclaiming it to be and it does mean that a lot of these ultra-positive reviews are likely to be raising expectations. However, if you approach this album not expecting it to be absolutely fantastic, you will probably be pleasantly surprised. I have to admit, Paul's eclectic tastes and creativity make you wonder what his next release will be - but considering his current form, you know it will probably be rather good.
More McCartney Solo than Fireman December 27, 2008
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
OK - after Memory Almost Full, I was beginning to wonder if old Macca had finally given up being truly creative... well, I guess not!
EA is a positive outing attempt to blend rock and dance styles, and amazingly it works! On the downside Macca doesn't sound his best vocally, but having said that, in terms of pleasing fans and maintaining his legend status, I would say he'd have been better releasing this as a solo Macca album and not under the (almost obscure) Fireman banner: and then doing something more in line with what we love about the Fireman albums, i.e. melodic tunes to drift a Sunday afternoon away with!
The first two Fireman albums are genius, this one is excellent but the singing spoils it.
This is more like it. December 13, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Following on from the mediocre 'Memory Almost Full' album, 'Electric Arguements' is a breath of fresh air and displays what Macca can achieve when he's making music for his own amusement instead of having it dumbed down for easy-listening consumption.
'Two Magpies', 'Travelling Light' and 'Dance Til We're High' are my personal favourites although most of the first eight tracks are particularly pleasing overall.
Unfortunately standards do start to slip a little following track eight but the album does pick up again towards the end.
So not the perfect album then but a highly enjoyable,inventive,melodic album nonetheless that reveals further delights with each play.
EA should appeal to McCartney/ non-McCartney fans alike.
Back to what he is doing best December 10, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Electric Arguments shows Paul McCartney at his eclectic best rocking out our aural senses with the fiery "Nothing too much, just out of sight" which can leave us guessing where all this pent up aggression and vitirol is coming from? whilst other tracks such as "Two Magpies" is a lovely basic song with added acoustic flavours backed up by Paul's singing which hasn't aged a bit from his day's as a Beatle and the other "Sing the changes" is very uplifting which carries on in a similar vien with "Highway".
His solo career has often been met with added scorn and amazement at times but nobody can ever say he has ever written a boring tune as there is none on here to moan about!
Looking through the booklet that accompanies the album its funny to see Paul letting himself go with a canvas and paintbrush like a kid in a candy shop making the artwork that's seen on this album which despite all the problems he faced with his now ex-wife its good to see him letting himself go to keep us happy.
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