Paul McCartney, “Take It Away” from Tug of War (1982): One Track Mind
Celebrated at the time as a partial Beatles reunion, Paul McCartney’s “Take it Away” certainly starts that way, with an off-kilter rhythm courtesy of Ringo Starr and all of the tasteful hallmarks of a George Martin production — right down to the stoic piano accompaniment. But there was more to this standout track from Tug of War, released in April 1982.
The song’s most interesting new element, really, comes from 10cc alum Eric Stewart, whose presence clearly sparked Paul McCartney to dabble in some of that group’s now-famous layering of background vocals. “Take It Away” ends with a soaring loop of wordless sighs from a thousand Pauls, Erics and Lindas. A darker undertone surrounds the album, too, no matter how high that coda rises. That had more to do with the Beatle who wasn’t there, rather than the ones who were.
When studio ace Steve Gadd arrived for these McCartney sessions in early 1981 at George Martin’s Air Studios, he says he could immediately sense how heavy John Lennon’s recent murder still hung over his former collaborators. “It was a big impact,” Steve Gadd tells us, in an exclusive Something Else! Sitdown. “It wasn’t morbid there, but there was a lot of security around. Not where we could see them, but we knew that they had the perimeter set up, and that they were being very careful. It was just a hard time. We didn’t really talk about John a lot. Everyone was just trying to get on with it, you know? I’m glad I was there. Playing with those guys was quite an experience.”
By: Nick Deriso
Source: Something Else
