Electric Arguments is the third studio album by the Fireman, released on 24 November 2008 on the duo's website. The album was first announced 29 September 2008 on Paul McCartney's website, making it the first Fireman release to be publicly acknowledged by McCartney. The album cover features the names of both contributors in contrast to the anonymity of their earlier works, and it's also the first album by the duo to feature prominent vocals.
Background and recording.
Each of the songs was recorded in one day, the album itself being completed in only 13 days, spread over the course of nearly a year. The album includes the hidden track "Road Trip", at the end of "Don't Stop Running". Remixes of "Lifelong Passion" were made, titled "Sawain Ambient Acapella" and "Sawain Instrumental Dub". Instrumental mixes of "Sun Is Shining" and "Traveling Light" were made, titled "Equinox Instrumental" and "Travelling Light Instrumental", respectively. Instrumental dub mixes were made of "Sing the Changes" and "Don't Stop Running", titled "Morning Mist Instrumental Dub" and "Wickerman Ambient Dub", respectively.
The duo borrowed the title "Electric Arguments" from the poem "Kansas City to St. Louis" by Allen Ginsberg. McCartney stated this was because "he's been looking at the beauty of word combinations rather than their meaning." He also said of his collaboration with Youth:
We had a ball making this album, and it was a great departure because it seemed more like improv theatre. In the improv spirit, there are William Burroughs-type cut-ups in the lyrics. I came to "Sing the Changes," as well as all the other songs in the album, with absolutely no concept of what the melody or lyrics would be about. So it was like writing on the spot, which I think lent an electricity to the whole sound.
Release.
An edited version of "Nothing Too Much Out of Sight" premiered on BBC Radio 1 on 29 September 2008. "Lifelong Passion" was available briefly as a charity download for Adopt-A-Minefield.
"Electric Arguments" debuted at number 79 on the UK Album Charts, marking the first appearance for the Fireman in the British charts. The duo also made their inaugural appearance on the "Billboard" 200, peaking at number 67.
Critical reception.
According to reviews aggregator Metacritic, the album rated 74 out of 100, indicating a "generally favourable" critical reception, based on 23 reviews (18 of which were positive, four mixed, and one negative). AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote that "There are more twists and turns, more textures, than on any other McCartney album in the last 20 years …" Will Hermes of "Rolling Stone" called the album "the ex-Beatle's headiest music in years". In a four-star review for "The Times", Pete Paphides wrote that ""Electric Arguments" is delivered with a disregard for production values or playlist potential that would make, say, Keane or the Kooks blush at their own conservatism".
Less impressed, Alex Macpherson of "The Guardian" described the album as "heavily laboured hackwork". He said of the track "Nothing Too Much Just Out of Sight": "This has been pegged by the more excitable tabloids as a hate rant against [McCartney's ex-wife] Heather Mills, but if this is what she has had to put up with, it may just have done the unthinkable and engendered sympathy for the poor woman." Ron Hart of "PopMatters" rated "Electric Arguments" 7 out of 10 and considered that the project's appeal "depends on where you stand as a Macca fan", following the singer's run of strong studio albums since "Driving Rain" in 2001. After opining that these nominal McCartney albums were "much stronger releases on almost every level", Hart concluded: ""Electric Arguments" does harbor its own unique charm that will certainly appeal to longtime fans [more] than Macca's previous pair of Fireman jaunts." Robert Christgau of "MSN Music" dismissed the album as a "dud."
Track listing.
All songs written by Paul McCartney.
iTunes bonus track
Reissues.
"Electric Arguments" has been reissued in several packages:
The original 13-track album.
DVD Audio of the original album
References.
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