Search - Fireman :: Rushes

Paul McCartney's Second Fireman Album.

Louie Bourland | Garden Grove CA | 10/13/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

""Rushes" is the second album which Paul McCartney released under the pseudonym of The Fireman. Like the first Fireman album, "Strawberries Oceans Ships Forest", it is a collaboration between McCartney and the producer known as Youth. Unlike that album, the style and flow is more varied and has more of an ambient etherial quality to it.
The opening track "Watercolour Guitars" has a very Pink Floyd/"Shine On" feel to it especially in the guitars and spacey electronics. The guitar riff continues on into the next track "Palo Verde" in which a bass pulse emerges along with spoken words from Linda McCartney (her last appearance on one of Paul's albums) as well a subdued rhythm, ambient chords and treated vocals from Paul.
"Auraveda" is a very psychedelic piece which sounds like an outtake from "Magical Mystery Tour" at first. Sounds of handdrums, sitar, harmonium, mellotron and string bass create an acid-soaked collage during the opening half of the piece. Then it suddenly shifts into floating waves of hypnotic synth chords with light percussion. The second half of this piece is similar to ambient artists such as Steve Roach.
"Fluid" is a moody simplitic piece which reminded me somewhat of Mike Oldfield's "Tubular Bells" especially with its haunting piano lines and repeated guitar phrasings. "Appletree Cinnabar Amber" carries on "Fluid's" guitar line to the next level. Here, Paul adds his steady drumbeat and beefs up the instrumentation. At times, there are hints of "Momma Miss America" from Paul's first solo album.
"Bision" is a short, off-the-cuff piece which again features Paul on drums as well as a distorted bass line and discordant random melodies. This leads into "7AM" which is a continuation of "Auraveda" with a more prominent bass-synth sequence and bits of strings played on the mellotron. The whole album comes full circle with the short coda "Watercolour Rush", a reprise of the guitar line from the album's opening track.
Like his previous Fireman album, there is no information on the CD cover apart from the song titles. However, there is a photo of Paul's backside with the word "Man" written across it in suntan lotion. This is another fine piece of work from Paul McCartney and once again shows off his willingness to create music that is a departure-from-the-norm. This is also another sought-after collector's item. If you're a Paul fan, this is definitely a must-have."

A very good surprise

Louie Bourland | 04/19/1999

(4 out of 5 stars)

"When I heard that a second Fireman album was coming out, I thought "well, I'll have to buy it, as I'm a McCartney completist, but if it's like the first one, I'll probably listen to it just once..." Surprise ! If the first Fireman album is absolutely boring and almost impossible to listen (70 minutes of the same slow theme, with a few variations from one track to another), this one is quite cool ! First of all, the tracks are very different from one to another even if there are a few themes coming back from time to time. And it doesn't sound as cold as the first one, technology here has been used in the right way, to create new, original sounds. Listen to the guitars in "Watercolour guitars", it's beautiful. The title says it all. And you get to hear Paul singing a bit near the end. If only Paul decided to use these experiments in his "regular" songs, (which is more or less what he did with the Beatles) who knows what great things he could create..."

'Tubular Bells' with more drums.....

Mike Frazer | Sydney, NSW Australia | 01/12/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"We were always told that John was the most 'avant-garde' Beatle......wrong ! Sir Paul shows that there is more to his music than Flaming Pies with this little gem. The music flows like a river...fast, slow, loud, soft, meandering, restful. Despite being divided into 8 tracks, this works best as one complete work, as musical themes keep re-appearing all the way through. Excellent meditation/yoga/relaxation soundtrack, and the best bit is the surprised expression on your friends' face when you tell them it's actually Sir Paul McCartney......"