It’s always nice to hear something unexpectedly cock-eyed from some of the old monuments of pop. The other week I heard a great radio show which special guest-starred the front man from Californian psych-rock garage superheros Thee Oh Sees who played an hour’s worth of his favourite musical belters (You can listen to the show HERE). They were all corkers but probably most surprising (and perhaps for some most alarming) of the selections was this Paul McCartney song from his commercial flop, synthesized second solo LP. I didn’t even know such a thing existed, although this is perhaps not a great surprise – the only Paul McCartney solo records I know at all well are the two singles I inherited from the family collection when everyone else got rid of their record players: ‘Wonderful Christmas Time’ and ‘We All Stand Together’ with Rupert the Bear and the Frog Chorus.
I know a number of people who think ‘Wonderful Christmas Time’ is utterly dreadful and put it on a par with the festive-themed output of Cliff Richard, but I think it's great (I haven’t asked their opinion on the frog chorus).
Apparently, ‘Temporary Secretary’ was recorded at the same time as ‘Wonderful Christmas Time’ which would explain their mutual electronic-heavy arrangements although in comparison, the Christmas tune is a much more restrained effort than ‘Temporary Secretary’ which reaches much more ludicrous stratospheric heights of synth-o-matic bombast which I imagine could have gone down a storm on any disco dance floor of the era if the record hadn’t totally stiffed.
Rest assured folks, it holds its own against any of Cliff Richard’s Christmas songs. But that’s enough about Christmas – the buttercups are out.
June 2014
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