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Press to Play

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Press to Play
Studio albumby
Paul McCartney
Released25 August 1986(1986-08-25)
RecordedMarch–May 1985; October–December 1985
StudioHog Hill Mill(Icklesham,UK)
GenreRock
Length45:11(LP)
58:53(CD)
LabelParlophone(UK)
Capitol(US)
Producer
Paul McCartneychronology
Give My Regards to Broad Street
(1984) 		Press to Play
(1986) 		All the Best!
(1987)
SinglesfromPress to Play
  1. "Press"
    Released: 14 July 1986
  2. "Pretty Little Head"
    Released: 27 October 1986 (UK)
  3. "Stranglehold"
    Released: 29 October 1986 (US)
  4. "Only Love Remains"
    Released: 1 December 1986

Press to Playis the sixth solo studio album by English musicianPaul McCartney,released on 25 August 1986. It was McCartney's first album of entirely new music sincePipes of Peacein 1983, and his first solo album to be issued internationally byEMIfollowing a six-year alliance withColumbia Recordsin the United States andCanada.Keen to re-establish himself after his poorly received 1984 musical filmGive My Regards to Broad Street,McCartney enlisted producerHugh Padghamto give the album a contemporary sound.

On release,Press to Playreceived a mixed critical reception and was McCartney's poorest-selling studio album up to that point. Although it failed to make the top 20 in America, the album peaked at number 8 on theUK Albums Chartand achieved gold status from theBPIin September 1986.[1]Four singles were issued fromPress to Play:"Press","Pretty Little Head","Stranglehold"and"Only Love Remains"."Press "was a minor success, peaking at number 21 in the US. The music video for the song featured McCartney walking around Bond Street and Charing Crosstube stationsin London, catching a tube train and speaking with members of the general public.

Production and recording

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After the box office flop of the musical filmGive My Regards to Broad Street(1984), McCartney decided that it was time for a change of pace in his solo career. In an attempt to give his music a more contemporary sound, he joined forces withHugh Padgham,an in-demand, multiple award-winning producer famed for having recordedPeter Gabriel,Phil Collins,Genesis,the Human League,the Police,andXTC.McCartney began recordingPress to Playin March 1985, having written several new songs, many with current collaborator,10ccguitaristEric Stewartwho co-wrote eight of the album's 13 songs. One additional song co-written by McCartney and Stewart was released as a B-side ( "Hanglide" ), while two more songs were later recorded by 10cc for their studio albums...Meanwhile(1992) andMirror Mirror(1995).

McCartney recalled in 1986: "When we started working on the record, Hugh came in one day and said he'd had a dream. He dreamed he woke up one morning and had made this really bad, syrupy album with me, an album he hated, and that it had blown his whole career. We took that as a little warning".[2]Guesting on the album would bethe Who's lead guitarist,Pete Townshend,Genesis' drummer and lead vocalistPhil Collins,Split Enz's keyboardistEddie Raynerand Eric Stewart.Carlos Alomaralso overdubbed electric guitar on several tracks, including "Press","Good Times Coming/Feel the Sun "," It's Not True "," Tough on a Tightrope "," Write Away "and" Move Over Busker ", according to his recollections included in the bookPaul McCartney: Recording Sessions (1969–2013).[3]

The album was not finished until the end of 1985, by which time only one song would see release from its sessions – the title track to the filmSpies Like Us(1985), joined byPhil Ramonein the producer's chair. "Spies Like Us",a non-album single backed byPaul McCartney and Wings' 1975 recording "My Carnival", was a US top 10 hit.

Cover artwork

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The album's cover features Paul McCartney and his then-wife,Linda McCartney.The album cover's photograph was taken byGeorge Hurrell,using the samebox camerathat he used inHollywoodin the 1930s and the 1940s.[4]Hurrell was renowned for his photographs of movie stars of the 1930s and 1940s likeClark GableandGreta Garbo,to which the album's cover was meant to pay homage.[5]

Release

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"Press",a slick up-tempo pop song, was released in July 1986 and went on to become the album's sole top 30 hit.Press to Playitself appeared on 25 August in the United States[6]and 1 September in the United Kingdom.[7]It received lukewarm reviews[8]and proved to be McCartney's weakest-selling studio album up to that point.[9]

Peaking at number 8 in the UK, its chart life was brief, while in the US,Press to Playfailed to go gold, peaking at number 30 and selling only 250,000 copies.[10]The follow-up singles, "Pretty Little Head"and"Only Love Remains",performed poorly on the charts. As a result of this disappointing commercial reception, authorHoward Souneswrites, McCartney appointed a formerPolydor Recordsexecutive, Richard Ogden, as his manager, "to help revive his career".[11]

In 1993,Press to Playwas remastered and reissued on theCDas part ofThe Paul McCartney Collectionseries with his 1985 hit "Spies Like Us" and an alternate mix of impending 1987 UK success "Once Upon a Long Ago"as bonus tracks. In this edition" Press "(4:25) was replaced by the 4:43 remixed version.[4]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[12]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[13]
The Essential Rock Discography4/10[14]
Los Angeles Times(unfavourable)[15]
Q[16]
Record Mirror2/5[17]
Rolling Stone(favourable)[18]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[19]
Smash Hits5/10[20]
Stylus Magazine(mixed)[21]

AllMusiceditorStephen Thomas Erlewineadmired the track "Press", but gave the album a 3 out of 5 star rating saying: "McCartney is dabbling in each of his strengths, just to see what works. It doesn't wind up as one of his stronger albums, but it's more interesting than some of his more consistent ones, and those aforementioned cuts demonstrate that he could still cut effective pop records when he put his mind to it."[12]

In a review for theChicago Tribune,critic Lynn Van Matre wrote of the album: "No doubt about it, this is McCartney's most rocking album in ages. Much of it's catchy, most of it's fun, and it's superior to McCartney's efforts of recent years."[22]In theLos Angeles Times,Terry Atkinson praised "Press" as "a sprightly, sunny delight – one of the most playful, positive pop songs ever written about the joy of sex and its link with love", but opined that overall "the album finds McCartney as lost as usual and Stewart of little help". Atkinson concluded: "'Press to Play,' though it shows some signs of recovery, is basically just another in a long line (over 12 years!) of post-'Band on the Run' letdowns by a once almost unimaginably creative artist. "[10]

More recently, Kit O'Toole ofBlogcriticshas contended that much of the album belongs among McCartney's "most ambitious work" and that the adventurousness of the project is unfairly overlooked. O'Toole adds: "Press to Play,along withMcCartney II,arguably laid the foundation for his future musical experiments under the nameThe Fireman(particularly the first two albums,Strawberries Oceans Ships ForestandRushes). "[23]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Paul McCartney andEric Stewart,except where noted

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Stranglehold"3:36
2."Good Times Coming/Feel the Sun"McCartney4:44
3."Talk More Talk"McCartney5:18
4."Footprints"4:32
5."Only Love Remains"McCartney4:13
Total length:22:23
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
6."Press"McCartney4:43
7."Pretty Little Head"5:14
8."Move Over Busker"4:05
9."Angry"3:36
10."However Absurd"4:56
Total length:22:34
Additional CD tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
11."Write Away"3:00
12."It's Not True"McCartney5:53
13."Tough on a Tightrope"4:42
Total length:13:35
1993The Paul McCartney Collectionbonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
14."Spies Like Us"McCartney4:45
15."Once Upon a Long Ago"(long version)McCartney4:37
Total length:9:22
iTunes bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
16."Press"(12" Bevans/Forward dub mix)McCartney6:31

Personnel

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Musicians

Production and artwork

  • Paul McCartney – producer, stereo drawings
  • Hugh Padgham – producer (1–13, 15), engineer (1, 2, 4–15), mixing (1–5, 7–11, 13, 14)
  • Phil Ramone – producer (14, 15)
  • George Hurrell– photography
  • Haydn Bendall– additional engineer
  • Matt Butler – additional engineer
  • Tony Clark– additional engineer
  • Matt Howe – additional engineer
  • Steve Jackson – additional engineer, engineer (3)
  • Jon Kelly– additional engineer
  • Peter Mew– additional engineer
  • Bert Bevans – mixing (6)
  • Steve Forward – mixing (6)
  • Julian Mendelsohn– mixing (12)
  • George Martin– mixing (15)
  • John Hammel – studio technician
  • Trevor Jones – studio technician
  • Eddie Klein – studio technician

Charts, sales and certifications

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Notes

  • A^Until January 1987, Japanese albums chart had been separated into LP, CD, and cassette charts.Press to Playalso entered the cassette chart at number 21, and peaked at number 8 on the CD chart.

References

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  1. ^"Paul McCartney: Artist: Official Charts". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 March 2014.
  2. ^Palmer, Robert (29 August 1986)."PAUL McCARTNEY GOES BACK TO THE HARD SOUND".The New York Times.
  3. ^Luca Perasi,Paul McCartney: Recording Sessions (1969–2013),L.I.L.Y. Publishing, 2013,ISBN978-88-909122-1-4,pp.245–258.
  4. ^ab"Paul McCartney – Press To Play (CD, Album) at Discogs".Discogs.com.Retrieved7 June2012.
  5. ^"Paul McCartney – Press to Play (1993, CD)".Discogs.
  6. ^Madinger, Chip; Easter, Mark (2000).Eight Arms to Hold You: The Solo Beatles Compendium.Chesterfield, MO: 44.1 Productions. p. 601.ISBN0-615-11724-4.
  7. ^Badman, Keith (2001).The Beatles Diary Volume 2: After the Break-Up 1970–2001.London: Omnibus Press. p. 376.ISBN978-0-7119-8307-6.
  8. ^Madinger, Chip; Easter, Mark (2000).Eight Arms to Hold You: The Solo Beatles Compendium.Chesterfield, MO: 44.1 Productions. pp. 281, 291.ISBN0-615-11724-4.
  9. ^Sounes, Howard (2010).Fab: An Intimate Life of Paul McCartney.London: HarperCollins. pp. 405–06.ISBN978-0-00-723705-0.
  10. ^abGrein, Paul (28 May 1989)."McCartney: Low-Key With New Album".Los Angeles Times.Retrieved21 October2011.
  11. ^Sounes, Howard (2010).Fab: An Intimate Life of Paul McCartney.London: HarperCollins. p. 407.ISBN978-0-00-723705-0.
  12. ^abErlewine, Stephen Thomas."Paul McCartneyPress to Play".AllMusic.Retrieved30 January2024.
  13. ^Larkin, Colin (2006).The Encyclopedia of Popular Music(4th edn).New York, NY: Oxford University Press. p. 1257.ISBN0-19-531373-9.
  14. ^Strong, Martin C. (2006).The Essential Rock Discography.Edinburgh, UK: Canongate. p. 696.ISBN978-1-84195-827-9.
  15. ^Atkinson, Terry (31 August 1986)."Paul: Signs Of Hope Before The Letdown".Los Angeles Times.Retrieved31 August2011.
  16. ^Nicol, Jimmy (October 1993). "Re-releases: Paul McCartneyThe Paul McCartney Collection".Q.p. 119.
  17. ^Levy, Eleanor (13 September 1986)."Albums: Paul McCartney –Press to Play(Parlophone) "(PDF).Record Mirror.London: Spotlight Publications Ltd. p. 18.ISSN0144-5804.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 23 June 2023.Retrieved8 January2024– via World Radio History.
  18. ^DeCurtis, Anthony (23 October 1986)."Paul McCartneyPress to Play".Rolling Stone.Retrieved21 December2014.
  19. ^Randall, Mac; Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds) (2004).The New Rolling Stone Album Guide(4th edn). New York, NY: Simon & Schuster. p. 526.ISBN0-7432-0169-8.
  20. ^Patterson, Sylvia(24 September – 7 October 1986)."Albums: Paul McCartney –Press to Play(WEA) ".Smash Hits.Vol. 8, no. 19. Peterborough: EMAP National Publications, Ltd. p. 56.ISSN0260-3004.Retrieved2 January2023– viaFlickr.
  21. ^Soto, Alfred (8 February 2005)."Press to Play– On Second Thought ".Stylus Magazine.Retrieved21 October2011.
  22. ^Van Matre, Lynn (12 September 1986)."No Silly Love Songs On 'Press To Play'".Chicago Tribune.Retrieved20 October2011.
  23. ^O'Toole, Kit (22 April 2010)."Want to hear Paul McCartney's Most Adventurous Album? JustPress to Play".Blogcritics.Retrieved22 December2014.
  24. ^Kent, David(1993).Australian Chart Book 1970–1992.St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book.ISBN0-646-11917-6.
  25. ^"Top Albums/CDs – Volume 45, No. 2".RPM.4 October 1986. Archived fromthe original(PHP)on 17 March 2014.Retrieved3 May2012.
  26. ^"dutchcharts.nl Paul McCartney –Press to Play".dutchcharts.nl(in Dutch).MegaCharts.Retrieved1 May2013.
  27. ^abOricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005.Roppongi,Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006.ISBN4-87131-077-9.
  28. ^"norwegiancharts.com Paul McCartney –Press to Play".VG-lista.Retrieved1 May2013.
  29. ^Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005).Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002(1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE.ISBN84-8048-639-2.
  30. ^"swedishcharts.com Paul McCartney –Press to Play"(in Swedish).Retrieved1 May2013.
  31. ^"Paul McCartney –Press to Play– hitparade.ch ".Retrieved1 May2013.
  32. ^"Paul McCartney: Artist: Official Charts".Official Charts Company.Retrieved5 March2014.
  33. ^"The Pop Life – The New York Times".The New York Times.5 July 1989.Retrieved21 October2011.
  34. ^"Album Search: Paul McCartney –Press to Play"(in German). Media Control. Archived fromthe originalon 24 July 2014.Retrieved1 May2013.
  35. ^"British album certifications – Paul McCartney – Press to Play".British Phonographic Industry.
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