Pipes Of Peace (1983)
Pipes of Peace is quite an interesting album. You don’t walk away from it thinking, “Holy smokes, that was a seamless beauty of a record.” But you also don’t walk away thinking, “Well… I didn’t care for that,” because there is quite a lot to adore here. Thematically, it’s an appropriate counterpart and follow-up to Tug of War. It shares a lot of similarities, like a sibling, but it’s also its own thing.
The album opens with the self-titled track Pipes of Peace, which, while charming, doesn’t fully prepare you for some of the wonderful hits to come. It’s a simple yet sweet opener with a melodic warmth that eases you into the record. That said, the more I listen to it, the more I appreciate all the production and all the attentive harmonies that went into it.
Right when you think the tone has been set, here come Michael Jackson and Say Say Say! What an absolute killer dance-pop song. Arguably the best feature I’ve ever heard Jackson take part in. He’s on fire, and the back-and-forth between him and Paul is like a drug. You’ve got this blaring horn section and these lethal, bouncy synths that take you straight to the dance floor. Hot damn.
Now, Pipes of Peace is a bit of a rollercoaster. You aren’t going to drop screaming too far down on any of these tracks, but you’ll hit some curves. The Other Me follows the McCartney-Jackson duet, and it feels simple. There’s not really a better way to put it. There’s nothing wrong with it, and it’s a very nice song, it just feels a touch too simple. It does build to something toe-tapping at the end, though, which leads very nicely into Keep Under Cover. This one has these roaring, upbeat Eleanor Rigby-esque strings carrying the momentum from start to finish, with some real rocking guitar. It’s a really fun pop-rock song that feels like a natural progression from The Beatles.
Ending the first half of the record is So Bad, a very sweet ballad. It’s a bit sappy and maybe a bit wimpy, but at least it’s more memorable than some of the ballads on McCartney II. No, I won’t stop the McCartney II jabs.
Michael Jackson’s second and final feature on the album, The Man, is a bit sissy (I say with all the love in the world). It comes off like one of those 1970s sissy soft pop/rock songs, but dammit, it’s a guilty pleasure. It’s got a scorcher of a guitar intro and solo. I sit here trying to decide whether I like it because of potential McCartney bias, or whether I’d like it just as much if a group like Styx had done it. You cannot tell me those handclaps don’t remind you of Too Much Time on My Hands.
I tease my mother endlessly about Styx, but they do have some hits I’m quite fond of. The one above being one of them.
Sweetest Little Show is a nice little pop song, but that solo in the middle doesn’t do much for it. It feels a bit out of place stylistically, like two different songs mashed together, and it comes off a little awkward.
We then pick right back up with Average Person, which is just so fun. It feels like it could have been a Ringo Starr song on a later Beatles album. The whimsical lyrics and bouncy piano make it an absolute joy. This is no Penny Lane, but it still rocks. It could pass for a Sgt. Pepper B-side that never made the album, one Paul rearranged and dropped onto this record. I know it isn’t, obviously, but it sure sounds like it could have been.
Hey Hey is a really fun, funky track, but honestly it feels like filler at most. It’s absolutely worth hearing if you’re playing the whole album, but it can be skipped if you’re picking off select tracks for a mixtape.
I don’t think anyone handed the aux cord is going to put on Hey Hey, but if they put on Hi, Hi, Hi, then they’re really cool! And don’t forget to check out the Archive Collection version of this record, since it comes with three fantastic bonus tracks, along with some interesting demos. Ode to a Koala Bear, Twice in a Lifetime, and Christian Bop are all wonderful additions.
Tug of Peace, the direct response to the Tug of War album, is a bit all over the place. It won’t get many replays from me and just feels like a melting pot of random ideas. Lastly, Through Our Love brings the album to a really nice close. Halfway through, an epic, climactic build lifts the song higher than you’d think it could go, leaving you to finish the album with a big, impressed smile on your face. Well done.
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Highlight Songs:
Say Say Say
Keep Under Cover
Average Person
Through Our Love
The Man (even though it’s sissy)
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Own it, Stream it, Forget about it?
Own it. Go for it. It’s a fantastic complement to Tug of War, and it deserves some love for the many great things on it. Is it Paul’s strongest album? No, not at all. Is there a lot to love on it? Absolutely. Without a doubt.
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Overall Rating:
4 Stars
