Paul is Live (1993) 

 


  1. Drive My Car
  2. Let Me Roll It
  3. Looking for Changes
  4. Peace in the Neighborhood
  5. All My Loving
  6. Robbie's Bit (Thanks Chet)
  7. Good Rockin' Tonight
  8. We Can Work it Out
  9. Hope of Deliverance
  10.Michelle
  11.Biker Like an Icon
  12.Here, There and Everywhere
  13.My Love
  14.Magical Mystery Tour
  15.C'mon People
  16.Lady Madonna
  17.Paperback Writer
  18.Penny Lane
  19.Live and Let Die
  20.Kansas City
  21.Welcome to Soundcheck
  22.Hotel in Benidorm
  23.I Wanna Be Your Man
  24.A Fine Day

 

If ever there were a McCartney release that could be classified under the heading of “unnecessary,” it’s this one. Coming on the heels of his second colossal stadium tour—and following just a few years after the comprehensive Tripping the Live Fantastic—Paul Is Live feels less like a live album and more like a contractual obligation. The novelty was gone, the format was tired, and while McCartney himself may have still been firing on stage, the question wasn’t whether he could still do it, but why we needed to hear it again.

To its credit, the album doesn’t attempt to document the entire show. Many of the tracks that overlapped with the previous tour’s setlist have been sensibly excised, and the result is a single disc rather than another sprawling double-album. This keeps the cost down and the repetition at bay—but it also exposes the thinness of what’s left. Remove the duplicated highlights, and what remains is a somewhat underwhelming assortment of second-tier material and setlist swaps.

The backbone of the record consists of five songs from McCartney’s then-current studio album Off the Ground. While solid in their original studio form, these live renditions don’t add much to the originals, and one suspects most listeners were more interested in hearing the Beatles cuts anyway. And while it’s always a pleasure to hear McCartney revisit the Lennon/McCartney catalogue, the selection here doesn’t resonate as strongly as it did on the previous live set.

There are bright spots. Let Me Roll It is as vital as ever, and Live and Let Die (the sole holdover from Tripping the Live Fantastic) retains its bombastic flair. But these moments are fleeting. Elsewhere, we’re treated to a guitar solo from Robbie McIntosh—an odd and self-indulgent addition that’s more pub jam than stadium triumph—and a ten-minute soundcheck tacked on at the end, presumably to pad the running time rather than elevate the listening experience.

In the end, Paul Is Live feels more like a souvenir than a statement. A handful of songs worth hearing again, surrounded by filler that likely played better in person than it does on disc. Had the digital marketplace existed in 1993, this would’ve made for an ideal à la carte download: cherry-pick the standouts, skip the rest. As it stands, this one’s for completists only.

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