Going back to his Beatle days, Paul McCartney wrote many songs for other artists. Join Chris and Ryan along with author and Beatles expert Andrew Grant Jackson (Still The Greatest) for this special episode on the songs Paul gave away. We venture back to The Beatles' humble beginnings and walk through every song we could uncover up to present day. Artists discussed include Billy J. Kramer & The Dakotas, The Fourmost, Cilla Black, The Rolling Stones, Peter & Gordon, P.J. Proby, Mary Hopkin, Badfinger, John Christie, Peggy Lee, Rod Stewart, The Everly Brothers, Diana Krall, Charlotte Gainsbourg, and more. If you want it, here it is, come and get it!

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This episode edited since initial publication.

Click here for the Episode 22 song list.

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After the heavily produced and commercially successful Flowers in the Dirt, plus the well received The Paul McCartney World Tour in 1989-1990, Paul decided his follow-up would be recorded “live in the studio.” 1993’s Off the Ground, the fruits from the 1991-1992 recording sessions, is a mixed bag. Off the Ground: The Complete Works, a collection of B-sides and songs that didn't make the album, reveals many great songs lurking under the often flimsy surface of the official album. Highlights of the period include “Hope of Deliverance,” “Big Boys Bickering,” “Style Style,” “Get Out of My Way,” and the title track. The last of Paul’s writing collaboration with Elvis Costello (for now) appears on the album as well. If you are looking for the painting that inspired the song, click here. C’mon people, won’t join us for this very fun episode? After all, it wouldn’t take a lot...to get off the ground.

Click here for the Episode 21 song list.

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In 1978, Laurence Juber joined Wings for their final flight. His stellar guitar work on Back to the Egg and the supporting British tour still shines after all these years. On September 23, 2017, at Atlantic Records in North Hollywood, Laurence found time between rehearsals to talk Wings, his incredible solo albums (including Standard Time, LJ, and Mosaic), his work with "yacht rock" icon Al Stewart, his television music career, as well as his fantastic book Guitar With Wings. Without question, Laurence is one of the best guitarists Paul McCartney worked with. Some say Laurence is one of the greatest guitarists of all time. We agree. Please listen to this very special and comprehensive episode with our friend Laurence Juber. It's an honor to share this with you.

Audio and video to check out from the episode:

• Listen to Laurence's "Maise" ft. Paul McCartney on bass and "Denny Laine" on harmonica.
• Watch Laurence play "She Loves You" and "Cobalt Blue."
• Hear Ilsey Juber's writing discography.

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In 1989, after several years of creative struggle, Paul McCartney released Flowers in the Dirt, a critical and commercial success. From the Beatlesesque pop of "My Brave Face" to the golden-era Hollywood glamour of "Distractions," or the paternal whimsy of "Put It There," Paul is in strong writing and performing form. Also, enter Elvis Costello, his acerbic wit balancing and enhancing McCartney's creative yet cloying compositions from the 1980s. Was Elvis Paul's finest collaborator since John Lennon? Is this Paul's best album of the 1980s? Is there more buried beneath the flowers in the dirt? You'll find out all this and more in this swan ... this one.

If you heard our message at the start of this episode, you can use the coupon TAKEITAWAY when you sign up to Pippa. You will get two months of Pippa for $2! ($1 / month for the first two months.) Don’t even worry about it, sign up now.

Click here for the Episode 19 song list.

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We are back for Season Three! From 1984 to 1987, Paul McCartney recorded an abundance of new material. Although not canon, Return to Pepperland is a canceled album (some say) originally slated for release in 1987 to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Now mainly a curio, this bootleg album makes for a convenient catch-all for the stellar (and less than stellar) material from this period—songs written in the early '70s, polished gems not released until the late '90s, and a few fantastic tunes that remain in the MPL vaults. Press play to hear more because this is an episode for true Paul McCartney fans. Good news too, it's not a mile away. Stick around till the end for a special appreciation of our listeners.

Click here for the Episode 18 song list.

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Correction: Phil Ramone’s last collaboration with Billy Joel was 1986’s The Bridge, not, as stated in this episode, 1983‘s An Innocent Man. 4/19/19

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By 1985, Paul McCartney is lost. The critical and commercial bomb of Give My Regards to Broad Street severely shook his confidence. Paul jumps right back in the studio to record his "comeback album" with then in-vogue producer Hugh Padgham (Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins, The Police) to turn in Press to Play in 1986. This eccentric "high 80s" album scored a few slightly successful singles including the featherweight "Press" and the #1 smash hit "Spies Like Us" for the John Landis movie of the same name. Love it or hate it, we're here to talk about it. One of the album's B-sides says it best: “It's got me confused, I'm split down the middle. Conflicting reviews of our life coming in. It's tough on a tightrope.” Tune in to find if it's (not) true.

Click here for the Episode 17 song list.

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On Monday, August 6, 2017, we sat down with Denny Laine in Evanston, IL to talk about his entire career from the 1960s to present day. We discussed songs from The Moody Blues, Ginger Baker’s Air Force, Balls, Wings, and Denny’s solo albums in this wide-ranging, two-part episode.

Episode Includes:

Wings Over America, Anyone Can Fly, Hometown Girls, Wings on my Feet, Lonely Road, Master Suite, All I Want is Freedom, The Rock Survivor, Reborn, Arctic Song, Colin Blunstone’s “Say You Don’t Mind,” Valley of Dreams, and more. If you want to discover Denny Laine gems, listen to this episode.

Buy Denny’s latest release “Meant To Be” & “Over The Horizon” here.

For all official Denny Laine news, follow his Facebook page.

Get tickets to see Denny live here.

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On Monday, August 6, 2017, we sat down with Denny Laine in Evanston, IL to talk about his entire career from the 1960s to present day. We discussed songs from The Moody Blues, Ginger Baker’s Air Force, Balls, Wings, and Denny’s solo albums in this wide-ranging, two-part episode.

Episode Includes:

Magnificent Moodies, Denny Laine String Band, Balls, Trevor Burton, Wings Wild Life, Red Rose Speedway, Ahh…Laine, Band on the Run, McGear, Venus and Mars, Speed of Sound, Wings Over America, Holly Days, London Town, Back to the Egg, Tug of War, Pipes of Peace, Japanese Tears, Cold Cuts, Anyone Can Fly, and Denny’s 2017 single with Ron Pullman, “Meant to Be” and “Over The Horizon.”

Buy Denny’s latest release “Meant To Be” & “Over The Horizon” here.

For all official Denny Laine news, follow his Facebook page.

Get tickets to see Denny live here.

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In the 1980s, Paul experimented and took a few big risks. Sometimes risks don’t pay off, and the movie Give My Regards to Broad Street was both a critical and box office failure. Failure is feedback though, and we’ll trace the effects of this flop on the rest of Paul’s career. Fascinatingly, “No More Lonely Nights,” arguably one of Paul’s biggest artistic and commercial achievements, is from the soundtrack. So are the lost Wings songs “No Values” and “Not Such a Bad Boy.” But hey, Ringo is in the movie, so maybe you should just watch it and listen to this episode.

Click here for the Episode 14 song list.

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Paul McCartney and George Martin follow up the smash success of Tug of War with a sequel in the also successful, if overlooked, Pipes of Peace. Denny has flown the coop, Michael Jackson shows up for a couple tracks, Ringo is back on drums, and Eric Stewart turns in stellar performances. This is “English country music” from the 1980s. Highlights include “Keep Under Cover,” “Say Say Say,” and “Through Our Love.” This is a fun episode you will want to check out. Miss it? It’s not on.

Click here for the Episode 13 song list.

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