Super Bowl + Paul McCartney Ramblings

First - The Super Bowl

1. Didn't Bush and Clinton look like sports announcers from the late 70's in their matching blazers?

2. Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, and Chris Collinsworth are mediocre announcers at best. The call improved over the Vikings-Packers game three weeks ago. After the first quarter, and a number of missed calls, they found their stride. And who was working out the camera angles? Ack.... FOX should go back to what it is good at, right-wing media hackery as news.

3. The FCC's priorities may be a little skewed, but this time there was a silver lining. Eliminating horse farts from commercial TV, if only for 3.5 hours, is a minor victory. And replacing Janet and Justin with Paul McCartney? I actually watched this year's half-time show, even if the song selections just reminded me of how the Beatles have become a whitewashed shadow of what they once were. It even makes me long for the glory days of Wings.

4. Ummm... Where were the "good" ads? The FedEx/Kinkos ad ruined everything when it skewered every other ad - all I kept thinking was... ''Dennis Rodman" - yep Celebrity endorser. Tabasco sauce? yep... Attractive female. But, I'm still using UPS and the printshop here at work.

Second - speaking of Paul McCartney...

Top Ten Underrated McCartney songs:
1. Getting Closer - Back To The Egg - 1979
A late seventies rocker, awesome radio song that you never hear on the radio.
2. Nineteen-Hundred And Eighty-Five - Band On The Run - 1973
Sci-fi squiggly sounds make this a great early-seventies "project" rock type song, but in typical McCartney fashion, it's got a great groove underneath. A perfect ending to Paul's best CD.
3. Momma Miss America - McCartney - 1969
This belongs in some art-house indie flick some day, ala Quentin Tarantino. Just a good reminder that Paul can really jam when he wants to.
4. Single Pigeon - Red Rose Speedway - 1973
A very simple song - a great song for walking or biking alone in the park. Sometimes I wish it was longer, but other times I like that it ends leaving you wanting more.
5. Letting Go - Venus And Mars - 1974
This song grooves hard and slow. I used to hate this song. It's not easy to get in to, it feels too slow at first. Give it a few listens, you'll be scrolling it back to the top on your iPod.
6. Girl's School - 1978
This is fun at higher decibels, preferrably right at the beginning of a long drive, even if it's a bit offensive at times. (But in typical McCartney fashion, he slurrs everything so that you're singing along for the 8th time until saying, "wait, what did I just say about that poor girl?")
7. Talk More Talk - Press To Play - 1986
See #2 - except insert "Phil Collins and 80's overproduction" - still a very good song if you remember when it was released.
8. Big Barn Bed - Red Rose Speedway - 1973
The best beginning to a song. (You can hear him working out the melody at the end of "Ram On" on Ram...) Not sure if he knew what to do with the rest of the song. I often turn it off before it's done, but the beginning is golden.
9. Backwards Traveller - London Town - 1978
This has got some typical McCartney weird-ass lyrics. It's just fun to listen to though. The melody is hard to ignore.
10. Temporary Secretary - McCartney II - 1980
Annoying? Yes. But, you have to give credit for a pop star having spent 20 years in the biz, practically inventing an entire genre of music, giving New Wave and Electronica a try and not making it half bad. (See Ou Est Le Soleil on Flowers In The Dirt - my #11 for a similar take on the beginnings of 90's dance music as well...)

A quick runner up list of rarer Macca songs worth listening to:
11. Ou Est Le Soleil - Flowers In The Dirt - 1989
12. Oh Woman Oh Why - 1969
13. Famous Groupies - London Town - 1978
14. Here Today - Tug Of War - 1982
15. That Would Be Something - McCartney - 1969
16. Dear Boy - Ram - 1971
17. Figure Of Eight - Flowers In The Dirt - 1989
18. London Town - London Town - 1978
19. Mull Of Kintyre - 1978 (Everyone but the US went bananas over this, so it barely counts.)
20. Mrs. Vanderbilt - Band On The Run - 1973

Keep in mind - I tried to list songs the casual Beatles fan would be unfamiliar with, skipping the obvious hits like "Live And Let Die", "Jet", "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" or "Silly Love Songs".

5 WORST McCartney songs I can NOT figure out why people like:

1. My Love - Red Rose Speedway - 1973
2. Let 'Em In - Wings @ Speed of Sound - 1976
3. Coming Up - McCartney II - 1980
4. Ebony And Ivory - Tug Of War - 1982
5. Wild Life - 1972 - The entire album. (Okay, nobody likes this, I just thought I'd pile it on.)