Thursday, December 13, 2012

McCartney and Nirvana (?) Have Still Got It...

Fortunately as a fan of both the Beatles and Nirvana, last night's performance at the 12/12/12 concert at Madison Square Garden was not signalling the end of the world for me.

Yes, you will hear whining from Beatles fans about McCartney playing with the remnants of a band they never accepted and never understood (let alone appreciated) due to their 40 year age removal and cultural differences (though lets face it, the Beatles were revolutionary but no one would put them at the top of the instrumental skill pyramid, so please spare me the "talent" argument) and you will hear bitching from Nirvana fans asking why they are playing with this old, womanly looking (Paul, stop with the plastic surgery....age gracefully like Clapton and Waters) singer of a band who has never played a lick of feedback in his life.

But what came out of this perhaps odd joining of trans generational touchstones was an excellent, truly hard rocking, bluesy and original piece.  Beforehand many were wondering if we'd be hearing McCartney belting out "Rape Me" or "Territorial Pissings"...ummm...no.

The track that McCartney joined Dave Grohl (on drums) Kris Novoselic (on bass) and Pat Smear (on guitar) for (providing his own guitar work as well as vocals) was Cut Me Some Slack.  Grohl's hammering drums are as brutal as ever and haven't suffered a lick during his time fronting the Foo Fighters (who often contain Pat Smear on guitar).  McCartney rages and howls through the number in a way that should make clear that you can be heavy well into your 70s with no need to continually regurgitate the same soft pablum that you believe your audience will want to hear (see Neil Young).  The song will be the first released off of Grohl's Sound City documentary film soundtrack (though I'm unclear on whether the soundtrack version will be with McCartney doing vocals or Grohl).  Enjoy.

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