McCartney II

[WhinyLittleRunt]

Anyone know what kind of synthesizer he was using for this horrible album?

I just got the album after debating many years not to buy it, and it was just like when I finally decided to watch Escape from LA after knowing it couldn't beat Escape from NY... could have done without it thats for sure!

But there are some fun synth licks all over that album so I was curious what machines made them?

[MrFrodo]

Could Sir Paul have used an early version of the Fairlight?

[hfinn]

CS-80

[madtheory]

Hey, great topic runt! I kinda like this album too.

He never used a Failright (!). He used the EII alright, and almost put Emu under when he did the Spies Like Us Video, where the II had an extra I added for a laugh. Emu had a lot of pissed of EII customers wanting their money back, because it appeared they'd released the EIII without telling them.

McCartney II definitely has CS80 on it. Anyone know what he used for sequencing? If memory serves, Temporary Secretary has 14 steps in the silly riff. So not a CS30...

[tim gueguen]

Wikipedia claims it was recorded in July of '79, so probably no CMI on it.

[TACO]

The bonus track "Secret Friend" is a beautiful song!

[Naive Teen Idol]

Revive! They've just released special (2-CD) and deluxe (3-CD/1-DVD) editions of this. Trying to find the pic online but I'm looking at a pic in the 2-CD set with a CS-80, Minimoog, and some sort of white module sitting on top of the Yamaha. Also, in the bgd are several Roland amps and what appears to be a Space Echo. In a Quietus interview, he says he also rented an ARP sequencer (which I gather is used on "Temporary Secretary").

My ears tells me some drum box is used on this record (the instrumentals, "Secret Friend") and a Mellotron ("Summer's Day Song") -- but nothing that sounds like a CS-80.

Does anyone else have any thoughts about or additional insights into this odd, rough little record?

[Naive Teen Idol]

Well, a quicker listen myself notes that the CS-80 is featured pretty prominently on "Blue Sway" -- which comes in two versions here. Should note that Macca was a pretty big CS-80 user earlier in his career as well -- it's the big honkin' synth on "With a Little Luck."

[MrFrodo]

Well, a quicker listen myself notes that the CS-80 is featured pretty prominently on "Blue Sway" -- which comes in two versions here. Should note that Macca was a pretty big CS-80 user earlier in his career as well -- it's the big honkin' synth on "With a Little Luck."

Was the CS-80 the only synth used on that song? What created the strings, if not?

[Nannerfan]

The bonus track "Secret Friend" is a beautiful song!

indeed!!

I think McCartney by this time had a lot of synths. Who knows what he used... but I bet by now it's very expensive.

I guess mostly Prophet V and CS-80.

btw - I like that album.

[MrFrodo]

When did he start using the Fairlight? When they'd come out with the IIx edition?

[Naive Teen Idol]

Well, a quicker listen myself notes that the CS-80 is featured pretty prominently on "Blue Sway" -- which comes in two versions here. Should note that Macca was a pretty big CS-80 user earlier in his career as well -- it's the big honkin' synth on "With a Little Luck."

Was the CS-80 the only synth used on that song? What created the strings, if not?

Wh version are you referring to? The orchestral version or the second half of the medley with "All You Horseriders"? Both versions use CS-80 best as I can tell (you can hear the signature glassando in the intro) but the orchestral version uses real strings of course.

As for Fairlight, there may have been one on Pipes of Peace -- it's one of the few I don't have. But he was in full sampler mode by (the underrated) Press to Play in 1986. I know he used EII's around that time -- but can't remember whether he ever used a Fairlight.

[madtheory]

Yep, McCartney never used a Fairlight. Interesting story about his sampling in the SOS retro article on the EII.

[nathanscribe]

You can clearly see an ARP Pro Soloist and the back of a Roland Jupiter-4 in the photo of his studio. I did wonder while listening to it if the sequence on Temp Sec was done with the Jupe's random arpeggiator, spliced to a tape loop.

[redchapterjubilee]

There's a tiny little double note jog when the riff resets on Temporary Secretary that leads me to believe he looped it. Old school tape loop. Sir Paul was no stranger to the splicing razor. Honestly i had no idea what synths he used. I could tell some of it was polyphonic so I assumed Prophet or CS-80. Minimoog maybe, certainly Mellotron. I vacillate on whether or not hat's a stringer in "Waterfalls" as it could be a poly with other stuff going on.

I'm still making do with the original vinyl but I go through periods where I become obsessed with this album. "Coming Up" was the first 45 I remember owning as a kid. It runs between straight goofball stuff, some pretty gnarly rock, prescient electronica and some of Paul's most beautiful ballads. The record just sounds good to me too. The reverb on the vocals, the tape echo, the drums. It always puzzles me how the Lennon myth seems to overshadow Paul. Like he's third fiddle when it comes to talent in the Beatles post-breakup behind Lennon and Harrison.