Off the Ground

Erika (June 8, 2007)

This is definitely not one of Macca\'s best albums, but I still like it. A few songs come off as kind of preachy, but not always in a bad way. A few songs are too long. I like that there are some story-songs on this album, \"Mistress and Maid,\" and \"Biker Like an Icon.\" \"Off the Ground,\" \"The Lovers that Never Were,\" and \"Winedark Open Sea\" are also quite good.

Bruce Beatlefan (May 24, 2007)

Have you noticed that Paul McCartney, post 1980, seems to release albums in thematic pairs? Tug of War/Pipes of Peace was his MTV-oriented, post-rock and roll sound. Press to Play/Flowers in the Dirt was his commit to 1980\'s styles, return to strong lyrics sound. Off The Ground/Flaming Pie was his return to youth/Beatles, more pensive, wistful phase, followed by Driving Rain/Chaos and Creation, which I guess would be identified as his Heather Mills era. Curiously, in each of these pairings, one album is generally regarded as classic McCartney and the twin is at best regarded as a mixed blessing.

Off the Ground is the unfortunate \'mixed blessing\' when compared to the success of Flaming Pie. Paul certainly returns to idealistic themes of the sixties: Make Love Not War (\"Off the Ground\", \"Peace in the Neighborhood\"), Save the World (\"C\'Mon People\", \"Hope of Deliverance\", \"Lookin for Changes\"), If It Feels Good Do It (\"Biker Like an Icon\", \"Get Out of My Way\"), and the idealistic Hippy-Chick (\"Golden Earth Girl\", \"I Owe it All to You\"). But this album simply does not have the focus of Flaming Pie. Except for the first and last tracks, the sixties images are just not convincing--Paul is the middle-aged man with a vague conviction that the good ol\' days were better. The Beatles Anthology project allowed him to visit those days in a much more vital way, and the songs in Flaming Pie are so much more vivid and colorful when compared to this collection.

Or, perhaps the difference is in the music itself. The songs of Off the Ground are just not memorable songs. The two leftover Elvis Cosello collaborations (\"Mistress and Maid\", \"The Lovers that Never Were\"), while being the strongest songs on this album, clearly represent the bottom-of-the-barrel when compared to the earlier releases in this successful partnership. In earlier years, McCartney specialized in crazy, unpromising ideas which resulted in superb songs. In Off the Ground, a lot of good ideas just sound...flat and uninspiring.

This is probably the most obscure CD in McCartney\'s entire career. Other McCartney \'failures\' have at least some historical significance (Wild Life--the first Wings album, Red Rose Speedway--a number one single, McCartney II--ditto). This album had no significant single and was an unremarkable album amidst a run of very good ones. Off the Ground is probably the closest thing to a dispensible Paul McCartney album.

Karra (March 3, 2006)

In my opinion this is an album with a great potensial, but it lacks because some of the songs on it are fillers, or simply (witch I mean is a huge problem on this record, and on many others of Paul)that the songs last to long. Take \"Peace in the Neighbourhood\" or \"I Owe It All To You\". Both would have been great songs if the length had been cut down to 3 and a half minute. They aren\'t and this is the biggest problem on this record.
But there are many good recordings too, \"Hope of Deliverance\", \"C\'mon People\" and \"Mistress and Maid\" are great, but songs like \"Golden Earth Girl\" and \"Loking for Changes is simply not good enough.
But overall, a okey album from Paul.

Paul G. (November 6, 2005)

This is what I call one of Paul's 'weed' albums -
If you're stoned on weed it's probably very very good - straight it's at best eclectic. A sip of a different wine.

John (July 14, 2005)

I really don't care for this album. The only track I really like is Hope of Deliverance. It's classic McCartney. It's catchy and has you singing it or humming it to yourself after you hear it. It's the only song I go back to from this CD.
Mistress and Maid is interesting. Lyrics aren't bad but not much of a tune.
Looking for Changes is awful.
I Owe It All To You is okay but it loses me with the Egyptian Temples and Golden Canyons.
C'Mon People tries to hard to be an anthem but dumb lyrics ruin it.
The rest of the tracks are either passable or lousy.
The entire album, like a lot of McCartney's work, suffers from sloppy lyrics.

kadiri (June 26, 2005)

i knew some songs of the album before i heard it: hope of deliv. of the ground, biker..
i love Mistress And Maid and looking for changes ,I thing it's a good album because paul is able to make very good songs as he used to do and he 's also to write songs in another kind of music

Harry (May 27, 2004)

Often bagged but not a bad effort by Paul. Off The Ground, Hope Of Deliverance, Looking For Changes, I Owe It All To You, Biker Like An Icon, Mistress And Maid, Lovers That Never Were and Peace In The Neighbourhood (I shouldn't really like this last one!) are all strong. The overblown C'mon People is embarressing and Winde Dark Open Sea and Get Out Of My Way are very ordinary.