FEATURE:
The Power of Reimagination
Will Paul McCartney and Brittany Howard’s Studio Album Reworkings Become More Widespread?
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NOT that it has become a full-blown thing…
but, as two massive artists have either released or announced a reimagined/imagined version of a recent studio album, I wonder whether it will become more of a thing. I shall come to Brittany Howard’s forthcoming release. We all know that Paul McCartney released McCartney III last year. It was the long-awaited conclusion to the eponymous trilogy. Few would have expected any action after that in terms of new releases. McCartney III Imagined was released in April. This is the eleven tracks from the original album with ‘new’ versions. A series of great artists have provided their take on the songs. The track order is different on Imagined than it is the original release. My favourite track from McCartney III, Slidin’, has an EOB remix. Phoebe Bridgers features on Seize the Day; Find My Way has Beck on it, whilst St. Vincent remixes Women and Wives. It is a mixture of remixes and the original songs sort of turned into collaborations. Whilst this sort of things has been done before (there were a load of remix albums in the ‘90s!), the fact someone as high-profile as Paul McCartney has done it is really interesting. Not intended to make money or capitalise on the original album, I think it was more of a chance for newer artists to give their take on these songs. There was quite a lot of praise for the McCartney III Imagined project. Whilst not as acclaimed as the original album, many were impressed by the unexpectedness of the album, in addition to the well-chosen collaborators. I think each artist brings something unique and fresh to the songs, meaning you essentially get a new album, yet you already know the songs and their background.
The reviews for McCartney III Imagined were largely positive. The album could have been a bit of a mess; McCartney clearly spent a lot of time and energy ensuring he has the right people on the album. This is what CLASH wrote in their review:
“Paul McCartney’s ongoing creative luminescence is truly exceptional. Whereas peers such as Eric Clapton and Van Morrison find themselves at loggerheads with the world, Macca’s joi de vivre and thumbs up positivity has become the perfect lockdown antidote.
Last year’s home-recorded ‘McCartney III’ was a wonderful DIY song cycle, slowing an ad hoc triptych that spans 1970’s ‘McCartney’ and 1980’s ‘McCartney III’. Fun and full of vim, ‘McCartney III’ proved that his undoubted gift with melody – not for nothing does the phrase ‘McCartney-esque’ stand as such high praise – remained undaunted, matched with a passion for experimental whimsy.
‘McCartney III Reimagined’ features a hand-picked cast giving the songs on the home studio album a once over. Pleasingly diverse, it finds Sir Paul hanging over the tapes to some truly incredible artists – indeed, it’s probably time to chalk ‘curatorial abilities’ on the lengthy list of things the Beatles icon excels at.
Beck’s bubbling, immediate, and really-rather-funky take on ‘Find My Way’ opens the set, before pop auteur Dominic Fike has his wicked way with ‘The Kiss Of Venus’. Both are rather faithful interpretations, but often it’s when guest depart from the core text that ‘McCartney III Reimagined’ becomes truly enlightening.
Take the gloriously chilled out funk of Khruangbin, who are left free to tease ‘Pretty Boys’ out to such dynamic lengths. EOB – in reality Radiohead’s Ed O’Brien – delivers a full throttle nu metal nuclear explosion with his take on ‘Slidin’ while Massive Attack producer 3D explodes ‘Deep Deep Feeling’ on the 10 minute finale.
Implausibly diverse, ‘McCartney III Reimagined’ is able to move from Josh Homme’s bluesy strut ‘Lavatory Lil’ to a pleasingly sweet, entirely heartfelt Anderson .Paak take on ‘When Winter Comes’. The peaks, however, arguably come from the hands of two female artists: St. Vincent’s gloriously luxurious ‘Women And Wives’ preens its way to a spasmodic guitar solo, while Phoebe Bridgers tantalising take on ‘Seize The Day’ proves that her golden run is showing no signs of slowing down.
Remix albums are often – truth be told – an absolute chore, a hangover from the 90s era of 17 quid compact discs. This reiminaging, however, serves of noble dual task – it illustrates Paul McCartney’s continued creative relevance to artists a third of his age, while also underlining the craftmanship that went into last year’s ‘McCartney III’. Not an essential listen, perhaps, but one that will fascinate and intrigue fans”.
If every artist was to do this, it might lose its appeal and special edge. That said, I wonder whether we will see more artists – those who are big-name and can do this sort of thing – follow an album with a sort of ‘reimagined’ version. Possibly motivated by Paul McCartney’s release, Brittany Howard is doing something similar with her Jaime album. Pitchfork explains more:
“Brittany Howard has announced Jaime Reimagined, a record featuring new versions of songs from her solo debut Jaime. The album includes previously shared remixes from Bon Iver, Michael Kiwanuka, Fred again..,and EarthGang. Reimagined also features Childish Gambino’s interpretation of “Stay High,” as well as new guest contributions from Common, Emily King, and the Internet’s Syd. Below, hear Little Dragon’s remix of “Presence” and BadBadNotGood’s remix of “Tomorrow.”
“Making Jaime was so much fun for me because I was able to explore so many different genres of music,” Brittany Howard said in a statement. “There were no rules. This reimagination project has been no different. I have been honored to have so many incredible artists from all musical worlds interpret my songs in such interesting and different ways.”
Jaime Reimagined is out digitally on July 23 via ATO; a vinyl edition will follow on September 24”.
As it is out digitally, one can hear songs from that album. It is quite similar to McCartney III Imagined, in the sense that there are remixes and new versions. You can pre-order a physical copy of JaimeReimagined now. I do wonder whether other artists are thinking along the same lines. I guess the albums that are being reworked and reimagined would need to be fairly current – the past couple of years, say. I feel that everyone from Taylor Swift (folklore), Phoebe Bridgers (Punisher) and Dua Lipa (Future Nostalgia) could benefit from something like that. I would be curious to see how those original albums are reimagined.
In fact, Dua Lipa sort of got there ‘first’ with Club Future Nostalgia from August last year. This was the album remixed by a series of musical guests. Considering Future Nostalgia was so popular and made a big impression, I can see why this new version was launched. Although, perhaps, not quiet as impactful and interesting as McCartney III Imagined, it was a chance to hear these very personal songs given a tweak and new life. This is what AllMusic wrote in their review:
“When her sophomore album, Future Nostalgia, was greeted with overwhelming acclaim at the start of 2020, English pop diva Dua Lipa decided to gift fans with a bonus remix LP, Club Future Nostalgia. With American electronic artist the Blessed Madonna at the helm, the disco-kissed pop perfection of the original receives a sweaty, thumping update in the form of an extended DJ mix. Seamlessly throbbing from track to track, the set revisits each of the impeccably produced songs from Future Nostalgia, sometimes improving them ("Boys Will Be Boys") and other times not quite hitting the highs that the crew targeted, like on the Madonna and Missy Elliot update of "Levitating." The Blessed Madonna goes deep on "Hallucinate" with Mr. Fingers and Paul Woolford and on "Pretty Please" with Midland and Masters at Work, which offer the most interesting takes on the album. Unreleased session cuts "Love Is Religion" and "That Kind of Woman" make their official debuts here, both highlights in their own right. The former, a joyous romp that soars during the choir-backed chorus, could have been a single, while the latter gets Stuart Price's Jacques Lu Cont treatment as a pulsing gem that's woven with Stevie Nicks' "Stand Back." Additional surprises pop up elsewhere in the mix, bringing samples by Jamiroquai ("Canned Heat") and Neneh Cherry ("Buffalo Stance") to the party alongside guest vocalists Gwen Stefani and Blackpink and producers Yaeji and Mark Ronson. Like the original, this is a nonstop party. However, without the boundaries of an official studio release, Club Future Nostalgia transforms Dua's party for one into a full-on collaborative celebration. While first-timers to this era would be best served listening to the parent album first, existing fans who can't get enough of that LP will find Club Future Nostalgia to be an absolute blast”.
I am stuck on the idea of this becoming a more regular thing. I am not sure that ‘smaller’ artists can attract the same sort of focus and collaborators if they wanted to go down this road - though there is nothing to stop them. For me, the appeal comes from a huge artist putting out a great new album and then revisiting it fairly soon after. I love what Brittany Howard, Paul McCartney and Dua Lipa have done. Maybe it will not become a huge thing and we will see a load of reimagined and imagined-type albums. I do think that more will crop up. The interesting question is whether releasing a remix/re-versioned edition takes something away from the original. I personally prefer McCartney III to its Imagined cousin – although it is great hearing what the likes of Khruangbin and Damon Albarn have done with tracks from a true master. Let us see what happens in the coming months. Hearing the same album slightly differently is a phenomenon that could catch on. Of course, remixes have existed for decades, though very few artists have put an album back out entirely with remixes and/or collaborations similar to what McCartney, Howard and Lipa have done. It has happened a few times in the past, yet we might see it become more frequent in the coming years. If the remix albums of the 1990s were seen as a bit naff or forgettable, this newer and more diverse album where we get a roster of eclectic artists putting their stamp on songs seems a lot more beneficial and rewarding. Many people will be keeping their eyes peeled to see how far this reimagining reaches. As we heard on McCartney III Imagined, the results are…
OFTEN spectacular.