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Pipes of Peace

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AMG AllMusic Guide: Pop Albums:

Pipes of Peace

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Home > Library > Entertainment & Arts > Pop Albums

  • Artist: Paul McCartney
  • Rating: StarStarStar
  • Release Date: 1983 11
  • Total Time: 38:33
  • Genre: Rock

Review

Perhaps it isn't surprising that McCartney's grip on the pop charts started to slip with Pipes of Peace, since it was released after his 40th birthday -- and most rockers do not mature particularly gracefully. Although it's rather fascinating that the album didn't reach the Top Ten, despite a blockbuster duet with Michael Jackson in "Say Say Say," Pipes of Peace bewilders in other ways, particularly in its allusions to Tug of War. It often seems as if this album was constructed as a deliberate mirror image of its predecessor; it is also produced by George Martin, also contains two duets with an African-American superstar (Jackson here, Stevie Wonder there), also acknowledges an old bandmate (a Lennon tribute there, a Ringo cameo here), and even contains "Tug of Peace," a deliberate answer song to its predecessor. If only it were nearly as adventurous as Tug of War! Instead of dabbling in all his myriad musical personas, McCartney settles back into a soft rock groove, tempered somewhat by a desire to be contemporary (which means a heavy reliance on drum machines and synthesizers). Instead of sounding modern, McCartney winds up sounding like an aging rocker desperately trying to keep up with the time, but that in turn means that Pipes of Peace can often reveal what the early '80s were like for aging rockers -- he does embrace technology, but he winds up with immaculate productions that are decidedly of their time. Still, at its best, Pipes of Peace is ingratiating soft rock. In particular, the first side is close to irresistible, with the title track being a mid-tempo mini-epic, "Say Say Say" being fine pop-funk, "So Bad" being so sickly sweet that it's alluring, "The Man" being an effervescent Jackson duet, and "The Other Me" scoring with its square dance beats and winning McCartney vocal. Not enough to add up to a latter-day triumph from McCartney, but it still contains better songs than its blockbuster mid-'70s counterparts, and even if it's a little lightweight, it has more flair in its craft and more style in its sound than other McCartney albums, which is enough to make it a minor musical success, despite its disappointing chart performance. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi

Previous:Pipes of Hollywood: Music of the Great Films (1989 Album by Tom Hazelton)
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Wikipedia on Answers.com:

Pipes of Peace

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Home > Library > Miscellaneous > Wikipedia
This article is about the album. For the song, see Pipes of Peace (song).
 This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2008)
Pipes of Peace
Studio album by Paul McCartney
Released 31 October 1983
Recorded October/December 1980, February/March 1981, Summer 1981, September/October 1982, February/July 1983
Genre Rock, pop rock
Length 38:58
Label Parlophone/EMI (UK)
Columbia/CBS (US)
Producer George Martin
Paul McCartney chronology
Tug of War
(1982)		 Pipes of Peace
(1983)		 Give My Regards to Broad Street
(1984)
Singles from Pipes of Peace
  1. "Say Say Say"
    Released: 3 October 1983
  2. "Pipes of Peace"
    Released: 5 December 1983

Pipes of Peace is the fifth solo studio album by Paul McCartney, released in 1983. As the follow-up to the popular Tug of War, Pipes of Peace was nearly as successful and the source of more big hits for McCartney although critics were much cooler on the album than they were on its predecessor.

Contents

Background and structure

Upon its release, many were quick to notice that Pipes of Peace mirrored its predecessor in many ways. It was produced by George Martin, it featured two collaborations with the same artist (this time with Michael Jackson; the Tug of War collaborations being with Stevie Wonder), and continued McCartney's alliance in the studio with Ringo Starr, former 10cc guitarist Eric Stewart and his last session work with Wings guitarist Denny Laine. The reason for all of this is that many of the songs released on Pipes of Peace were recorded during the 1981 sessions for Tug of War, with "Pipes of Peace", "The Other Me", "So Bad", "Tug of Peace" and "Through Our Love" being recorded afterward in September/October 1982. By November, McCartney would start shooting his self-written motion picture Give My Regards to Broad Street, co-starring wife Linda, Ringo Starr and Tracey Ullman, which would take up most of his time throughout 1983. Due to the filming commitments (and to allow a reasonable lapse of time between his new album and Tug of War), Pipes of Peace was delayed until October for release.

With momentum building for his film project—and the accompanying soundtrack album—McCartney would spend much of his energies finishing and preparing for Give My Regards to Broad Street until its release in the autumn of 1984.

In 1983 Pipes of Peace made its debut on CD on Columbia Records. In 1993, Pipes of Peace was remastered and reissued on CD as part of "The Paul McCartney Collection" series, with the previously unreleased "Twice in a Lifetime" (the title song for a 1985 film), his 1984 hit from the Rupert Bear project, "We All Stand Together", and "Simple as That", released in 1986 on an anti-heroin charity album - all as bonus tracks. "Ode to a Koala Bear" (the B-side to "Say Say Say") was overlooked for inclusion.

As a trivia fact, this is the only album in his catalogue from which McCartney has never chosen a single track for live performance.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic 2.5/5 stars[1]
Rolling Stone 2/5 stars[2]
Robert Christgau B− [3]

Critical reaction was less than what had greeted Tug of War, many feeling that Pipes of Peace was a weaker execution of its predecessor's formula.

The album featured the duet between McCartney and Jackson, "Say Say Say" which reached #2 in the UK and #1 in the US where it remained for six weeks (late-1983/early-1984). From 1981 to 1985, McCartney and Jackson would enjoy a friendship, until the two fell out in 1985, when Jackson purchased ATV Music, the company that owned the bulk of The Beatles' song copyrights.

Following "Say Say Say", the album's title track became a UK #1 in early 1984, while in the US, "So Bad" was a Top 30 hit. The album itself was nearly as successful as Tug Of War, reaching #4 in the UK and #15 in the US.

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Paul McCartney, except "Say Say Say" and "The Man" co-written by Michael Jackson, "Hey Hey" co-written by Stanley Clarke. 

Side one
No. Title Length
1. "Pipes of Peace"   3:56
2. "Say Say Say" (Duet with Michael Jackson) 3:55
3. "The Other Me"   3:58
4. "Keep Under Cover"   3:05
5. "So Bad"   3:20
Side two
No. Title Length
6. "The Man" (Duet with Michael Jackson) 3:55
7. "Sweetest Little Show"   2:54
8. "Average Person"   4:33
9. "Hey Hey"   2:54
10. "Tug of Peace"   2:54
11. "Through Our Love"   3:28
The Paul McCartney Collection's 1993 reissue bonus track
No. Title Length
12. "Twice in a Lifetime"   2:59
13. "We All Stand Together"   4:22
14. "Simple as That"   4:17

Personnel

Charts

Chart positions

Chart (1983–84) Position
Australian Kent Music Report[4] 9
Austrian Albums Chart[5] 15
Canadian RPM Albums Chart[6] 10
Dutch Mega Albums Chart[7] 11
French SNEP Albums Chart [8] 13
Italian Albums Chart[9] 8
Japanese Oricon LP Chart[10] 5
New Zealand Albums Chart[11] 38
Norwegian VG-lista Albums Chart[12] 1
Swedish Albums Chart[13] 4
Swiss Albums Chart[14] 12
UK Albums Chart[15] 4
U.S. Billboard 200 [16] 15
West German Media Control Albums Chart [17] 20

Year-end charts

Chart (1983) Position
Australian Albums Chart[4] 89
French Albums Chart[18] 43
Italian Albums Chart[9] 33
UK Albums Chart[19] 33
Chart (1984) Position
Australian Albums Chart[4] 94
Canadian Albums Chart[20] 87
Japanese Albums Chart[21] 45
UK Albums Chart[22] 67
U.S. Billboard Pop Albums[23] 98

Certifications

Region Certification Sales/shipments
Canada (Music Canada)[24] Platinum 100,000^
Japan (Oricon Charts) 201,000[21][25]
United Kingdom (BPI)[26] Platinum 300,000^
United States (RIAA)[27] Platinum 1,000,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone
xunspecified figures based on certification alone

References

  1. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Pipes of Peace at Allmusic. Retrieved 2011-06-29.
  2. ^ Rolling Stone 19 January 1984
  3. ^ Christgau, Robert. Pipes of Peace. Retrieved 2011-06-29.
  4. ^ a b c Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970-1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. 
  5. ^ "Paul McCartney - Pipes of Peace - austriancharts.at" (in German) (ASP). http://austriancharts.at/showitem.asp?interpret=Paul+McCartney&titel=Pipes+Of+Peace&cat=a. Retrieved 2012-02-07. 
  6. ^ Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 2012-02-07
  7. ^ "dutchcharts.nl Paul McCartney - Pipes of Peace" (ASP). dutchcharts.nl. MegaCharts. http://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Paul+McCartney&titel=Pipes+Of+Peace&cat=a. Retrieved 2012-02-07. 
  8. ^ "InfoDisc : Tous les Albums classés par Artiste > Choisir Un Artiste Dans la Liste" (in French) (PHP). infodisc.fr. http://infodisc.fr/Album_M.php. Retrieved 2012-02-07. 
  9. ^ a b "Hit Parade Italia - Gli album più venduti del 1983" (in Italian). hitparadeitalia.it. http://www.hitparadeitalia.it/hp_yenda/lpe1983.htm. Retrieved 2012-02-07. 
  10. ^ a-ビートルズ "- Yamachan Land (Archives of the Japanese record charts) - Albums Chart Daijiten - The Beatles" (in Japanese). 2007-12-30. http://www7a.biglobe.ne.jp/~yamag/album/al_beatles.html a-ビートルズ. Retrieved 2012-02-07. 
  11. ^ "charts.org.nz Paul McCartney - Pipes of Peace" (ASP). Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. http://charts.org.nz/showitem.asp?interpret=Paul+McCartney&titel=Pipes+Of+Peace&cat=a. Retrieved 2012-02-07. 
  12. ^ "norwegiancharts.com Paul McCartney - Pipes of Peace" (ASP). VG-lista. http://norwegiancharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Paul+McCartney&titel=Pipes+Of+Peace&cat=a. Retrieved 2012-02-07. 
  13. ^ "swedishcharts.com Paul McCartney - Pipes of Peace" (ASP). http://swedishcharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Paul+McCartney&titel=Pipes+Of+Peace&cat=a. Retrieved 2012-02-07. 
  14. ^ "Paul McCartney - Pipes Of Peace - hitparade.ch" (in German) (ASP). http://hitparade.ch/showitem.asp?interpret=Paul+McCartney&titel=Pipes+Of+Peace&cat=a. Retrieved 2012-02-07. 
  15. ^ "Chart Stats Paul McCartney - Pipes of Peace" (PHP). The Official Charts Company. http://www.chartstats.com/release.php?release=41798. Retrieved 2012-02-07. 
  16. ^ "allmusic ((( Pipes of Peace > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums )))". allmusic.com. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r12651/charts-awards. Retrieved 2012-02-07. 
  17. ^ "Album Search: Paul McCartney - Pipes of Peace" (in German). Media Control. http://www.charts.de/album.asp?artist=Paul+McCartney&title=Pipes+of+peace&cat=a&country=de. Retrieved 2012-02-07. 
  18. ^ "Les Albums (CD) de 1983 par InfoDisc" (in French) (PHP). infodisc.fr. http://www.infodisc.fr/B-CD_1983.php. Retrieved 2012-01-29. 
  19. ^ "UK best albums 1983". http://uktop40.republika.pl/najlep%20sprzalbumy%20uk%201983.html. Retrieved 27 November 2010. 
  20. ^ "RPM Top 100 Albums of 1984". RPM. http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?brws_s=1&file_num=nlc008388.9642&type=1&interval=24&PHPSESSID=mhe12pta2k83e08udtq66ot062. Retrieved 2012-01-29. 
  21. ^ a b 1984年アルバム年間ヒットチャート "Japanese Year-End Albums Chart 1984" (in Japanese). Oricon. http://www.geocities.jp/entamedata/music/music_a1984.html 1984年アルバム年間ヒットチャート. Retrieved 27 November 2010. 
  22. ^ "UK best albums 1984". http://uktop40.republika.pl/najlep%20sprzalbumy%20uk%201984.html. Retrieved 27 November 2010. 
  23. ^ "1984 Billboard Year-End". Google Books. Billboard. http://books.google.co.jp/books?id=ZSQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=RA1-PA3&dq=%22Pipes+of+Peace%22+billboard+1984+%22Top+Pop+Albums%22&hl=ja&ei=bW3wTMyFAs3IcYbgtZgK&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCcQ6AEwAA#v=snippet&q=Pipes%20of%20Peace&f=false. Retrieved 27 November 2010. 
  24. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Paul McCartney – Pipes of Peace". Music Canada. http://www.musiccanada.com/GPSearchResult.aspx?st=Pipes+of+Peace&sa=Paul+McCartney&smt=0. Retrieved 2012-02-07. 
  25. ^ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970-2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9. 
  26. ^ "British album certifications – Paul McCartney – Pipes of Peace". British Phonographic Industry. http://www.bpi.co.uk/certifiedawards/search.aspx. Retrieved 2012-02-07.  Enter Pipes of Peace in the field Search. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Click Go
  27. ^ "American album certifications – Paul McCartney – Pipes of Peace". Recording Industry Association of America. http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?artist=%22Pipes+of+Peace%22. Retrieved 2012-02-07.  If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH

External links

Preceded by
Infidels by Bob Dylan		 Norwegian VG-lista Chart number-one album
(6 weeks)		 Succeeded by
Cheek to Cheek by Jahn Teigen and Anita Skorgan
Paul McCartney
Studio albums
With Linda McCartney
With Wings
As The Fireman
Live albums
Compilations
Experimental albums
Classical albums
Tours
Filmography
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AMG AllMusic Guide: Pop Albums Copyright © 2012 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved. Read more
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