Add Paul McCartney's PIPES OF PEACE to the list including TUG OF WAR, RED ROSE SPEEDWAY, FLOWERS IN THE DIRT, VENUS AND MARS, LONDON TOWN, BACK TO THE EGG and MCCARTNEY - albums I find either over-rated or, in this case, under-rated. PIPES OF PEACE includes the smash "Say Say Say," the superb minor hit "So Bad," and the rollicking "Sweetest Little Show"/"Average Person" medley, all candidates for a best-of collection. Another two or three tracks are very good. Released in 1983, PIPES OF PEACE was the start of a popularity decline for Paul McCartney, but to hear this album you would wonder why.

This album is as important to the progession of McCartney's songwriting as Tug Of War was to showing Paul could still write a good song. Paul wanted 'Tug'to be a double album but George Martin wanted a single. Simply put, these are the left overs. What makes this album important is he FINISHED the songs. 'Hey,Hey' is a fragment because Paul wanted it to be. George Martin made Paul finish the songs on 'Pipes' and 'Tug'. They made a good decision seperating these two albums because this album is not as strong. These are left overs and Paul knows it with his silly lyrics and jabs at himself (Keep Undercover,The Other Me). Left overs though can sometimes be quite tasty(So Bad,Pipes of Peace,Sweetest Little Show). By relearning to finish songs and not just leaving tasty fragments of what could have been;Paul gives you a competely cooked meal,even though that meal might be more Turkey TV Dinner than Thanskgiving feast.(2.5-stars)

Like any major artist that has breaks away from their original band, their solo efforts will be judged against what made them legends. Any solo Beatle effort no matter how great or bad probably will have the worst of the criticsms. Paul McCartney's PIPES OF PEACE is not a great album. However, there are a few bright spots not to be forgotten. SO BAD is a pretty good McCartney love ballad with a good bass line and drums by Ringo. (The accompanying promotion video for the song with Paul, Ringo, and Linda is pretty good too). Then, there is SAY,SAY,SAY featuring Micheal Jackson which demonstrates that McCartney can still write a song to fit any style and performer (the song also had a great video for enhancement). Lastly, there is THE OTHER ME with some of his best thought provoking lyrics and melodies. The rest of the album is decent if not forgettable, however, the three gems mentioned above make up for the lackluster rest. This album was the followup to the classic TUG OF WAR. Maybe McCartney should have round out that album with the three outstanding ones from 'PEACE'.

With McCartney in his 40's, his world conscience shows up in the title track, a sweet mid-paced affair which displays a universal message: "Help me learn the songs of joy instead of/burn baby burn/won't you show me how to play/the pipes of peace, play the pipes of peace." The marching rhythm complete with drum machine and choir adds a nice touch.

Like Stevie Wonder did on Tug Of War, Michael Jackson shows up for two songs here, and one of them became a big hit. "Say Say Say" is a more effective number than "The Girl Is Mine," featuring harmonica and a brass section and computerized voices. Things would not be so cozy between McCartney and Jackson, as the latter outbid McCartney for the rights to the Beatles songs. But that line, "baptised in all my tears" really caught my eye.

"The Other Me" is a mid-paced apology to a sig. other for really bad behaviour--"I acted like a dustbin" and asks for a second chance--"I wish I could take it back/I'd like to make a different mood/and if you let me try again/I'll have a better attitude." That's the other me he sings of.

Quick Vivaldi-type strings and quick guitar pop distinguish the chorus of "Keep Under Cover." There's some nice electric Wings-type guitar reminiscent of his early days. It's a promise to share life with someone despite the uncertain journey ahead, but without that special one, one might as well "keep under cover." Or play ostrich, in other words. And as DLR said, you know what happen to ostrich's hind ends.

OK, my favourite track here. "So Bad", later to be done live in Give My Regards To Broadstreet is a nice slow ballad with Paul and Linda singing together in the chorus. Paul's falsetto makes this all the more better. In addition to the chorus, :"Girl I love you so bad" there's this dynamic: "Well it feels so good, sometimes it feels so bad/this is worse than anything I've ever hard."

"The Man" is the second song with Jacko, a more chirpy soulful pop, is about a man who can do anything with his cheery outlook on life.

The acoustic guitar of "Sweetest Little Show" recalls 70's-style pop he did with the Wings, especially the harmony backing vocals in the chorus.

"Look at the average person/speak to the man on the beat/can you imagine the first one you'd meet". A sung interview best describes "Average Person" trying to find out what they do for a living and what they'd rather like to do or what kept them from pursuing their dreams. This is a quick-paced kitchen-sink type rock-pop song, with some special effects, clapping, and harmony vocals.
"Hey Hey" is a fiery jazz-rock instrumental co-written with jazz bassist Stanley Clarke, which leads to "Tug Of Peace" a funky accompaniment to the title track coupled with Tibetan chanting, with lines from "Tug Of War" and "Pipes Of Peace" fighting it out. How true, "your troubles cease when you learn to play the pipes of peace."

"Through Our Love" is another schmaltzy and idyllic McCartney ballad with strings (I enjoy those, actually) with some equally schmaltzy lyrics: "Whenever you get some time/I'd like to roll it all/up in a ball/and spend it with you." The brass section and kettle drums that come on later heightens the tempo of the song, which basically says "through our love we can learn to do things that they said were impossible."

Another worthy effort from Macca and his last album of all-new material until the experimental and flawed Press To Play.

hmmm....there are great tracs like "Keep under cover" or "Pipes of peace" but also a lot of material that should have been b-sides.too many bad songs to give it 4 stars but i give it 3 stars for Title track which is amazing.