Reception – Locrian Mode; Canons; and Polytonality?
The opening track on Wings’ 1979 album, Back to the Egg, is a curious number entitled Reception. It might be superfically regarded as a throwaway introduction to Wings’ most rock-based album. However, as I will explore here, there is perhaps a little more to the track than meets the...
Comparing My Love and ET
In my recent blog post Lydian Beatles we covered the characteristic sound of the Lydian mode and its use in countless Sci-Fi films, to the extent that it is also called “the Hollywood mode”. The main point to bear in mind about the Lydian mode is the use of...
Delaying the Tonic – a McCartney Songwriting Trait
In the art of songwriting, it’s often advisable to not show all your cards too early in the game. This involves concealing the home, or tonic key, until the end of the first verse. When the tonic finally arrives, the listener feels a real sense of arrival, after a...
Author’s Introduction
Hello, my name is Adrian Allan and I am the author of Paul McCartney After The Beatles: A Musical Appreciation, Volumes One and Two. I was born in November 1971, six months after the release of Ram, and thus can be considered a second-generation fan of Paul McCartney and...