Paul McCartney – Thrillington Review

Paul McCartney has thrilled and will thrill again with his instrumental work. That is a promise from The Beatles and Wings member which has been in place for decades. Thrillington may not be all that well-known a piece of work, but it’s worth a listen all the same. McCartney ditched crediting himself for this orchestral interpretation of Ram, presumably because his second solo album didn’t fare all that well at time of release. Recording Ram was as personal a project as it gets for McCartney, who reacted well, all things considered, to the break-up of The Beatles. Thrillington comes years later and outlines what the veteran songwriter could do when tasked with showcasing his instrumental spirit. He would do so with The Firemen, McCartney II, and Chaos and Creation in the Backyard. But each project was prompted by something, a chance for the Let It Be hitmaker to trial this or challenge that. Thrillington is merely an exploration of McCartney’s music with the man himself leading us through.  

Much like Ram, McCartney had a feel for the future of music. It’s not the lo-fi pop sound but the easy listening orchestral music that dominates even now. For those who listened to Ram continually since first discovering it, you’ll be able to hear McCartney and McCartney despite their vocals being absent. It adds a whole new layer to the songs, and the direction from Richard Hewson is nothing short of marvellous. Some of these songs, like Too Many People, have the same rise and fall as the original. It suits to not drift too far from the instrumental origins, especially on a song that was seen by John Lennon as a criticism of his post-Beatles life. But pieces like 3 Legs feel like they adapt that bawdy style, the overexposure to contemporary jazz and its timings, very well. It’s a monumental effort from Hewson here, and what an enjoyable one at that. He turns the surrealism of Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey into a worthy instrumental interpretation.  

Smile Away is a great example of what Hewson achieves here. You can feel where the lyrics should be and what they are replaced with. Saxophone where the gruff tone McCartney provided should be but instead there’s a sway to the instrumental spectacle, a humour still intact to the choices at hand. Heart of the Country passes on over and it’s Monkberry Moon Delight that steals the spotlight there. High-strung violins, piercing and possessive moments of real instrumental delight fly through the adaptation to one of McCartney’s surrealist best. Long Haired Lady has a shimmering charm to it which is effectively removed and planted on Thrillington. That’s the best part of this instrumental occasion. Each song holds firm with its charming style and original meaning. It’s one for the Ram lovers, that’s for sure.  

What’s not to love about Ram, though? An essential from McCartney’s discography and hugely influential. Thrillington is a riff on the tone, not the ideas, purported by McCartney’s second solo offering. A nice touch and a flourishing piece of work is what Thrillington is. It needn’t be more than that, and it sticks within the confines of what instrumental adaptations of songs stronger with words can offer. A nice listen. It’s an attempt to turn Ram, an easy listening album, into an even easier listen. A light delight for those who want it. As specific an audience it may be for fans of McCartney, and bigger fans of Ram, there’s a few arrangements throughout that challenge the consistent and often quality sound of the original work. Never better, but a collection of provoking moments.