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Tug of War (Paul McCartney album)

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Tug of War is the third solo studio album by Paul McCartney, released in April 1982. It was McCartney's first album released after the dissolution of Wings in April 1981. The album was produced by former Beatles producer George Martin and was a number #1 in numerous countries.

Recording

Following the release of the solo album McCartney II, Wings regrouped in July and October 1980 to rehearse several songs which later appeared on Tug of War and Pipes of Peace. Feeling the need for direction, McCartney called upon his old producer, George Martin, to begin recording a song written for the animated Rupert Bear character (to which McCartney owned the rights), entitled "We All Stand Together", among others. The productive sessions continued until 9 December, the morning McCartney woke up to discover his old songwriting partner and fellow ex-Beatle, John Lennon, had been shot and killed the night before in New York City. Abandoning that day's session part-way through (where he and Denny Laine were recording future B-Side "Rainclouds"), both Martin and McCartney felt it was best to leave the project for the time being and start anew once they were ready.

In February 1981, two months after Lennon's death, Paul McCartney resumed his sessions, recording that month with Stevie Wonder, Stanley Clarke, Carl Perkins and Ringo Starr and laying down several songs in the process. The recordings were held at AIR Studios in Montserrat, in the Caribbean and lasted from 3 February to 2 March, ending with Ebony and Ivory and What's That You're Doing, two songs featuring Stevie Wonder.[1] 10cc guitarist Eric Stewart also became a frequent collaborator of McCartney's during this era. Further sessions that summer were also undertaken at George Martin's AIR studios at Oxford Street, London – with the producer manning the controls and giving McCartney's music the benefit of 1980s technology. The sessions were so productive that several of its tracks would be held over for the next album, Pipes of Peace, which followed in 1983. The rest of 1981 would be spent in a quiet fashion, with McCartney and Martin touching up the album and perfecting it.

Release, critical reception and aftermath

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Robert ChristgauB+[3]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[4]
The Great Rock Discography5/10[5]
Q[6]
Rolling Stone[7]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[8]

In a contemporary review for Rolling Stone, music critic Stephen Holden hailed Tug of War as "the masterpiece everyone has always known Paul McCartney could make", particularly because of its vivid music and consistent songwriting.[7] Robert Palmer was less enthusiastic in his review for The New York Times and found the album "exquisitely crafted though lyrically flawed", as he thought McCartney's lyrics were often "cliched or mawkish," but that the album "at its best, is as finely crafted as his work with the Beatles."[9]

In March 1982, McCartney's duet with Stevie Wonder, "Ebony and Ivory", was released to great commercial success, reaching number one in many countries. Consequently, when Tug of War appeared in April, it was an worldwide number one, selling several million copies and did much to restore McCartney's critical reputation after what was viewed as a lean period for him. Tug of War was nominated for the "Album of the Year" Grammy in 1983. The follow-up single "Take It Away" was a US Top 10 entry as well.

The album was issued in the US on compact disc on 29 February 1984.[10] In 1993, Tug of War was remastered and re-issued on CD as part of "The Paul McCartney Collection" series. There were no bonus tracks: "Rainclouds" and "I'll Give You a Ring", B-sides of "Ebony and Ivory" and "Take It Away", respectively, were omitted. In 2007, Tug of War was remastered and re-released on the iTunes Store adding a solo version of "Ebony and Ivory".

Another reissue was release on 2 October 2015, as part of the Paul McCartney Archive Collection. This edition included a remixed version of the album, along with the original mix, and a series of videos.

Track listing

All songs were written by Paul McCartney, except "What's That You're Doing?" co-written by Stevie Wonder

Side one
  1. "Tug of War" – 4:22
  2. "Take It Away" – 4:14
  3. "Somebody Who Cares" – 3:19
  4. "What's That You're Doing?" (Duet with Stevie Wonder) – 6:19
  5. "Here Today" – 2:27
Side two
  2. "Ballroom Dancing" – 4:07
  3. "The Pound Is Sinking" – 2:54
  4. "Wanderlust" – 3:49
  5. "Get It" (Duet with Carl Perkins) – 2:29
  6. "Be What You See (Link)" – 0:34
  7. "Dress Me Up as a Robber" – 2:41
  8. "Ebony and Ivory" (Duet with Stevie Wonder) – 3:46
iTunes bonus track
  2. "Ebony and Ivory" (Solo version) – 3:46

2015 Archive Collection bonus tracks

  1. "Stop, You Don’t Know Where She Came From" (Demo) – 1:44
  2. "Wanderlust" (Demo) – 1:46
  3. "Ballroom Dancing" (Demo) – 2:04
  4. "Take It Away" (Demo) – 5:37
  5. "The Pound Is Sinking" (Demo) – 2:35
  6. "Something That Didn’t Happen" (Demo) – 2:017
  7. "Ebony and Ivory" (Demo) – 1:46
  8. "Dress Me Up As a Robber / Robber Riff" (Demo) – 3:42
  9. "Ebony and Ivory" (Solo Version) – 3:50
  10. "Rainclouds" – 3:13
  11. "I’ll Give You a Ring" – 3:09

Personnel

Accolades

Grammy Awards

Year Nominee / work Award Result
1983 Tug of War Album of the Year[11] Nominated
"Ebony and Ivory" (Duet with Stevie Wonder) Song of the Year[11] Nominated
Record of the Year[11] Nominated
Best Pop Vocal Performance – Duo or Group[11] Nominated
"What's That You're Doing?"
(Duet with Stevie Wonder)		 Best R&B Vocal Performance – Duo or Group[11] Nominated

American Music Awards

Year Nominee / work Award Result
1983 Paul McCartney (performer) Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist[12] Nominated
"Ebony and Ivory"
(Duet with Stevie Wonder)		 Favorite Pop/Rock Single[12] Nominated

Brit Awards

Year Nominee / work Award Result
1983
[13]		 Paul McCartney (performer) Best British Male Artist Won
Sony Trophy for Technical Excellence Won
George Martin (producer) Best British Producer Nominated

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
France (SNEP)[15] Gold 289,800[14]
Japan (Oricon Charts) — 237,000[C][16][17]
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[18] Gold 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[19] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[20] Platinum 1,000,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Charts

Notes

  • A^ In the United States, Tug of War also entered the R&B chart, peaking at No. 11 there.[36]
  • B^ Until January 1987, Japanese albums chart had been separated into LP, CD, and cassette charts. Tug of War also entered the cassette chart, peaking at No. 12 and entering top 100 for 19 weeks.
  • C^ Combined sales of LP, CD, and audio cassette.

References

  1. ^ Luca Perasi, Paul McCartney: Recording Sessions (1969-2013), L.I.L.Y. Publishing, 2013, ISBN 978-88-909122-1-4, pp.213-225.
  2. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Tug of War at AllMusic. Retrieved 29 June 2011.
  3. ^ Christgau, Robert (1 June 1982). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
  4. ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th edn). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. p. 1257. ISBN 0-19-531373-9.
  5. ^ "Paul McCartney Tug of War". Acclaimed Music. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
  6. ^ Nicol, Jimmy (October 1993). "Re-releases: Paul McCartney The Paul McCartney Collection". Q. p. 119.
  7. ^ a b Holden, Stephen (27 May 1982). "Music Reviews : Tug of War by Paul McCartney". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 29 August 2011. Retrieved 17 April 2008Template:Inconsistent citations {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; 17 April 2008 suggested (help)CS1 maint: postscript (link)
  8. ^ Randall, Mac; Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th edn). New York, NY: Simon & Schuster. p. 526. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  9. ^ Palmer, Robert (25 April 1982). "Music View; PAUL MCCARTNEY'S LATEST IS EXQUISITE BUT FLAWED". nytimes.com. The New York Times. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
  10. ^ Miles, Barry; Badman, Keith, ed. (2001). The Beatles Diary After the Break-Up: 1970–2001 (reprint ed.). London: Music Sales Group. ISBN 9780711983076.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: editors list (link)
  11. ^ a b c d e "Rock on the Net: 25th Annual Grammy Awards – 1983". Retrieved 31 August 2011.
  12. ^ a b "10th American Music Awards". Retrieved 1 February 2012.
  13. ^ "The BRITs 1983". brits.co.uk. British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 11 February 2012.
  14. ^ "Les Albums Or". infodisc.fr. SNEP. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
  15. ^ "French album certifications – Paul McCartney – Tug of War" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
  16. ^ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  17. ^ a b 1982年アルバム年間ヒットチャート "Japanese Year-End Albums Chart 1982" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 27 November 2010. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  18. ^ "Solo Exitos 1959–2002 Ano A Ano: Certificados 1979–1990". Solo Exitos 1959–2002 Ano A Ano.
  19. ^ id MUST BE PROVIDED for UK CERTIFICATION.
  20. ^ "American album certifications – Paul McCartney – Tug of War". Recording Industry Association of America.
  21. ^ a b Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  22. ^ "Paul McCartney – Tug of War – austriancharts.at" (ASP) (in German). Retrieved 31 August 2011.
  23. ^ Nielsen Business Media, Inc (12 June 1982). Billboard – 21 June – 1982. Retrieved 12 February 2012. {{cite book}}: |author1= has generic name (help)
  24. ^ Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 31 October 2011
  25. ^ "dutchcharts.nl Paul McCartney – Tug of War" (ASP). dutchcharts.nl (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
  26. ^ "InfoDisc : Tous les Albums classés par Artiste > Choisir Un Artiste Dans la Liste" (PHP) (in French). infodisc.fr. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
  27. ^ a b "Hit Parade Italia – Gli album più venduti del 1982" (in Italian). hitparadeitalia.it. Retrieved 12 February 2012.
  28. ^ Nielsen Business Media, Inc (19 June 1982). Billboard – 19 June – 1982. Retrieved 12 February 2012. {{cite book}}: |author1= has generic name (help)
  29. ^ "Paul McCartney Japanese Album Chart listings". Original Confidence. Retrieved 29 August 2011.
  30. ^ a-ビートルズ "– Yamachan Land (Archives of the Japanese record charts) – Albums Chart Daijiten – The Beatles" (in Japanese). 30 December 2007. Retrieved 31 August 2011. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  31. ^ "charts.org.nz Paul McCartney – Tug of War" (ASP). Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
  32. ^ "norwegiancharts.com Paul McCartney – Tug of War" (ASP). VG-lista. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
  33. ^ Nielsen Business Media, Inc (3 July 1982). Billboard – 3 July – 1982. Retrieved 12 February 2012. {{cite book}}: |author1= has generic name (help)
  34. ^ "swedishcharts.com Paul McCartney – Tug of War" (ASP). Retrieved 31 August 2011.
  35. ^ "Chart Stats Paul McCartney – Tug of War". The Official Charts Company. Archived from the original (PHP) on 2 January 2013. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
  36. ^ a b "allmusic ((( Tug of War > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums )))". allmusic.com. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
  37. ^ "Album Search: Paul McCartney: Tug of War" (ASP) (in German). Media Control. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
  38. ^ "Austriancharts.st – Jahreshitparade 1982". Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 August 2010.
  39. ^ "Top 100 Albums '82". RPM. 25 December 1982. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
  40. ^ "Les Albums (CD) de 1982 par InfoDisc" (PHP) (in French). infodisc.fr. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
  41. ^ "UK best albums 1982". Retrieved 27 November 2010.
  42. ^ Nielsen Business Media, Inc (25 December 1982). Billboard.com – Year End Charts – Year-end Albums – The Billboard 200. Retrieved 29 January 2012. {{cite book}}: |author1= has generic name (help)
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