Like 1970's
McCartney
, 1980's
McCartney II
functioned as a way for
Paul McCartney
to clear the decks: to experiment and recalibrate in the aftermath of his band falling apart. This means 1982's
Tug of War
is, in many ways, the very first
solo album, a record recorded not at home but in a studio, a record made without
Wings
and not co-credited to
Linda
, who nevertheless is present as a backing vocalist.
recognized this album as something of a major opportunity, so he revived his relationship with
Beatles
producer
George Martin
and brought in several heavy-hitters as guests, including his hero
Carl Perkins
, his Motown counterpart
Stevie Wonder
, fusion star
Stanley Clarke
, prog rock refugees
Eric Stewart
and
Andy Mackay
, and his old bandmate
Ringo Starr
, whose presence was overshadowed by "Here Today," an elegy written for the murdered
John Lennon
. Tucked away at the end of the first side, "Here Today" is bittersweet and small when compared to all the show pieces elbowing each other for attention throughout
: the grave march of the title track, the vaudevillian "Ballroom Dancing," the stately drama of "Wanderlust," and sincere schmaltz of "Ebony and Ivory," the
Wonder
duet that helped turn this album into the blockbuster it was intended to be. As good as some of these numbers are -- and they are, bearing an ambition and execution that outstrips latter-day
-- much of the charm of
lies in the excess around the edges, whether it's the rockabilly lark of the
Perkins
duet "Get It," the later-period
whimsy of '"The Pound Is Sinking," the electro-throwaway "Dress Me Up as a Robber," or the long, electro-funk workout of "What's That You're Doing?," a track that's a fuller collaboration between
Paul
Stevie
than "Ebony and Ivory." Such crowd-pleasing genre-hopping finds its apotheosis on "Take It Away," a salute to eager performers and the crowds who love them, which means it summarizes not only the appeal of
in general -- it is, by design, a record that gives the people old
Beatle
-- but
in general. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine