| Run Devil Run | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 4 October 1999 | |||
| Recorded | 1–5 March and 4–5 May 1999 | |||
| Studio | Abbey Road, London | |||
| Genre | Rock and roll[1][2] | |||
| Length | 40:46 | |||
| Label | Parlophone | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Paul McCartney chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Run Devil Run | ||||
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Run Devil Run is the eleventh solo studio album by the English musicianPaul McCartney, released in 1999. It features mostly covers of both familiar and obscure 1950srock and roll songs, along with three original McCartney compositions written in the same style, making it his second covers album afterCHOBA B CCCP. As his first project following first wifeLinda's death in 1998, McCartney felt the need to get back to his roots and perform some of the music he loved as a teenager. On 14 December 1999, McCartney returned to theCavern Club where he used to play in the early days withthe Beatles, to perform the album almost in its entirety.
Following the death of his wifeLinda McCartney in April 1998,Paul McCartney had a year of mourning.[3] Wanting to keep things fresh, a lesson he had learned from his experiences working onThe Beatles Anthology project and put to use onFlaming Pie, McCartney planned to cut the album as quickly as possible, much in the waythe Beatles had recorded in their early years.[3] AskingChris Thomas to help produce,[nb 1] McCartney booked time atAbbey Road Studios to undertake his quest.[5]
The album consists of 12cover versions ofrock and roll songs and three McCartney originals.
Of the covers, "Blue Jean Bop" was written and recorded by Gene Vincent in 1956.[6] "She Said Yeah" had been recorded byLarry Williams.[6] "All Shook Up", "I Got Stung" and "Party" had been recorded byElvis Presley.[6] "No Other Baby" was written by Dickie Bishop and Bob Watson,[7] and was originally recorded in 1958 byskiffle groupthe Vipers[nb 2][8] and released as a single. Despite never owning a copy of the song, it had made a big enough imprint on McCartney for him to record it 40 years on.[6] "Lonesome Town" had been recorded byRicky Nelson.[6] "Movie Magg" had been recorded byCarl Perkins.[6]Chuck Berry's composition "Brown Eyed Handsome Man" had been recorded by him and byBuddy Holly whose version McCartney liked.[6] "Shake a Hand" was written byJoe Morris and recorded byLittle Richard in 1956.[8] "Coquette" had been recorded byFats Domino. "Honey Hush" had been first recorded byJoe Turner, though the liner notes state that McCartney was more familiar with the version byJohnny Burnette.
Of the originals "Run Devil Run" is a song in theChuck Berry style, "Try Not to Cry" was recounting a widower's suffering,[9] and "What It Is" had been started a few months prior to Linda's death.[6]
He wasn't thinking it was going to be the next big record. He was just free to enjoy himself.[5]
Wanting to work with reliable and empathetic musicians, McCartney called upPink Floyd'sDavid Gilmour to play guitar.[nb 3][5] Also recruited were guitaristMick Green,[nb 4] keyboardistsPete Wingfield andGeraint Watkins, and on drumsDeep Purple'sIan Paice andDave Mattacks.[5] McCartney played bass,[5] and overdubbed electric or acoustic guitar or percussion on some songs.
McCartney wanted the sessions to be laid back, with no post-production.[5] McCartney had brought a list of material that he wished to play,[5] the songs being early rock and roll songs from his childhood and a few originals he had written in a similar style.[5]
The initial sessions were a week[5] in early March, with a few more sessions done in May, and then the album—featuring three new McCartney songs among the old classics—was complete.[6]
Thomas thought it a "cathartic" exercise for McCartney, calling it the "this is for Linda album".[10]
Released on 4 October 1999 in the UK, and a day later in the US, reaching number 12 in the UK and number 27 in the US.[11]
The titleRun Devil Run was inspired byMiller's Rexall Drugs, ahoodoo and herbal medicine shop inSouth DowntownAtlanta with products by that very name.[12] It appealed to McCartney as a great title for a rock and roll song, which he duly composed. The store was located at 87 Broad Street in Atlanta, Georgia.
To stimulate sales, a number of different bonus discs and singles were issued to accompany the album. Two special editions ofRun Devil Run with limited-edition bonus discs were available only at certain retailers. A special limited edition of the album, sold only atBest Buy, featured a bonus interview disc. A similar special limited edition of the album, sold only atMusicland andSam Goody stores, featured a four-track E.P. that contained the original artists' versions of four songs on the album: "Blue Jean Bop" by Gene Vincent & His Blue Caps, "Lonesome Town" byRicky Nelson, "Coquette" byFats Domino, and "Let's Have a Party" byWanda Jackson. Also, in the UK, all fifteen songs on the album, along with "Fabulous", were released on 25 December 1999, as set of eight 7-inch singles sold together in aRun Devil Run Limited Edition Collector's Box designed to look like a record case from the 1950s.
"No Other Baby" was released as a 7" vinyl single in the UK with two songs on the B-side, "Brown Eyed Handsome Man" and a non-album track "Fabulous". In America, "No Other Baby" was released on a special juke-box single, with "Try Not to Cry" included as the B-side. "No Other Baby", "Brown Eyed Handsome Man" and "Fabulous" were released together on two different CD singles, one of which contained stereo versions of the three songs and the other of which containedmono versions of the three songs. The music video for "No Other Baby", which was filmed in black and white, highlights McCartney's grief after Linda's death.[8]
McCartney filmed a performance atthe Cavern Club as part of promotion for the album,[13] on 14 December 1999.[14] This performance was eventually released as a videoLive at the Cavern Club.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [15] |
| Blender | [16] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [17] |
| Entertainment Weekly | A−[18] |
| The Essential Rock Discography | 7/10[19] |
| The Guardian | [20] |
| Q | [21] |
| Rolling Stone |  [22] |
| USA Today | [23] |
| The Village Voice | A−[24] |
On release,Run Devil Run received several highly favourable reviews. McCartney biographer Peter Ames Carlin said that despite the rock and roll songs being written by others, the album was "the most deeply autobiographical album of Paul's career".[6]Rhapsody praised the work, calling it one of their favourite cover albums.[25]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Blue Jean Bop" | Gene Vincent, Hal Levy | 1:57 |
| 2. | "She Said Yeah" | Roddy Jackson,Sonny Bono [as 'Don Christy'] | 2:07 |
| 3. | "All Shook Up" | Otis Blackwell,Elvis Presley | 2:06 |
| 4. | "Run Devil Run" | Paul McCartney | 2:36 |
| 5. | "No Other Baby" | Dickie Bishop, Bob Watson | 4:18 |
| 6. | "Lonesome Town" | Baker Knight | 3:30 |
| 7. | "Try Not to Cry" | McCartney | 2:41 |
| 8. | "Movie Magg" | Carl Perkins | 2:12 |
| 9. | "Brown Eyed Handsome Man" | Chuck Berry | 2:27 |
| 10. | "What It Is" | McCartney | 2:23 |
| 11. | "Coquette" | Johnny Green,Carmen Lombardo,Gus Kahn | 2:43 |
| 12. | "I Got Stung" | David Hill,Aaron Schroeder | 2:40 |
| 13. | "Honey Hush" | Joe Turner | 2:36 |
| 14. | "Shake a Hand" | Joe Morris | 3:52 |
| 15. | "Party" | Jessie Mae Robinson | 2:38 |
| 16. | "Fabulous" (7" box set only) | Bernie Lowe,Kal Mann | 2:16 |
Notes
Personnel per booklets.[26][27]
Production
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Japan (Oricon Charts) | — | 14,870[41][42] |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[43] | Gold | 105,332[40] |
Footnotes
Citations
Why did McCartney make an album of Fifties rock & roll oldies in 1999?
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