Saturday, October 17, 2009

Fool on the Hill, The by Paul McCartney – ***

First released: 1967

When I first heard this song, I didn’t think much of it, but it was one of those McCartney or Beatles tunes that grew on me over the years. Though still not my favorite. I really appreciate the varied instruments used in the production. The performance in "Magical Mystery Tour" always makes me think of the close up of McCartney’s sleepy eyes and him running around like an idiot in France. It's also on 1967-1970. A (demo) version and (Take 4) appear on 1996's "Anthology 2".

Later, McCartney attached some Martin Luther King speeches to the song when played live, which I never quite understood. Maybe I’m just dense. Somebody feel free to explain it to me. Still later, the King speeches were removed when played live. The “King” version appeared on 1990’s "Tripping the Live Fantastic". A different live version appears on 2002/3's "Back in the US/World".

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