Pipes of Peace is the fifth solo album by the English singer-songwriter Paul McCartney, released on 31 October 1983 through Parlophone and Columbia Records. The follow-up to the highly successful Tug of War (1982), the album was produced by George Martin, who also produced the previous album. Recording for Pipes of Peace took place between December 1980 and August 1983; several tracks originated from the Tug of War sessions. A pop album, Pipes of Peace is more electronic-influenced than its predecessor. The album features two collaborations between McCartney and Michael Jackson, "Say Say Say" and "The Man". The former, released as a single, topped the charts in seven countries, including the US. "Pipes of Peace", released as the second single, was a UK number one for two weeks.
Commercially, Pipes of Peace failed to match the success of Tug of War, peaking at number four in the UK and number 15 in the US, becoming McCartney's first album not to reach the top ten of the Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart. Music critics generally dismissed it as a safe record and inferior to its predecessor, although some complimented the production and vocal performances. Retrospective reviews have also been mixed. It has been reissued several times, including in 2015 as part of the Paul McCartney Archive Collection.
Background and recording Pipes of Peace was McCartney's second consecutive solo collaboration with producer George Martin, following his previous album Tug of War. According to the author Luca Perasi, McCartney intended for the projects to be "twin albums". At the time, McCartney stated:Humphries, Patrick. Paul McCartney – Pipes of Peace Press Kit. 1983.
Pipes of Peace was recorded sporadically between December 1980 and August 1983. Recording halted in November 1982 when McCartney began filming Give My Regards to Broad Street. Four of the album's final eleven songs – "Hey Hey", "Sweetest Little Show", "Keep Under Cover" and "Average Person" – originated from the Tug of War sessions and were recorded from December 1980 and February 1981 at AIR Studios in London and Montserrat and at Park Gates Studio in Battle, East Sussex. The two collaborations with Michael Jackson – "Say Say Say" and "The Man" – were recorded in May 1981.
Other songs were mostly recorded at AIR in London. These included "Tug of Peace" (in January 1982), "Pipes of Peace", "So Bad" and "Through Our Love" (in September 1982), and "The Other Me" and the outtake "It's Not On" (in January–February 1983). These sessions were engineered by Geoff Emerick, assisted by Jon Jacobs. Like Tug of War, Pipes of Peace was mixed at Montserrat using digital equipment.
Composition
Pipes of Peace is a pop album containing both ballads and midtempo rockers. Unlike Tug of War, the album features an electro-tinged sound and, and according to AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine, feels "fleet, adventurous, and modern" compared to its "consciously classical" predecessor. According to Martin, this stylistic change was deliberate:
The album opens with its title track, which Erlewine notes "mirrors" the preceding album's title track "Tug of War". McCartney later described the song as an anthem for peace. "Say Say Say" blends funk with country and western and alternates between chorus and verse in its song structure. "The Other Me" explores the feeling of impostor syndrome; in his book The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present, McCartney stated it was an example of "be[ing] your own psychiatrist. You're reviewing your actions, admitting your faults and then looking for the solution which will make it better next time." Erlewine characterises it as a "bit of confession disgused as a synthesized soft rock lark", while he likens "Keep Under Cover" to the Wings album Red Rose Speedway (1973). "So Bad" is a homage to the quiet storm-era work of Smokey Robinson, with McCartney utilising falsetto vocals.
"The Man" is another duet with Jackson, which Ron Hart of Pitchfork considers to be "a little closer [to] Paul territory" in comparison with "Say Say Say" due to its "strummy acoustic charm and Wings-esque bombast". Erlewine calls it a "super-slick bit of yacht pop". "Sweetest Little Show" originated from a 1980 jam session with Wings guitarist Denny Lane, which Nick DeRiso credits with giving the track its "Wings-like exuberance". "Average Person" displays elements of music hall, with Erlewine citing it as an instance of the record's "whimsy slid[ing] right into silliness". According to McCartney, the track's music hall influences came from his father Jim McCartney, while the lyrics came from his idea that ordinary people have "hidden sides and ambitions".
On the track "Tug of Peace", McCartney blends the title song to Tug of War with that of the new album; Erlewine describes the mix as "an almost-electro collage that twists the songs into McCartney II territory". Despite finding the mash-up to be ultimately "clunky", Hart argues that the track foreshadows McCartney's later electronic work on Liverpool Sound Collage (2000) and as the Fireman. The album closes with the ballad "Through Our Love", whose orchestral arrangement DeRiso compares to Phil Spector's work on the Beatles' Let It Be (1970).
Release "Say Say Say" was released as the album's lead single on 3 October 1983. It was a major commercial success, topping the charts in seven countries – Canada, France, Italy, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the US, where it was certified platinum. In the UK, it peaked at number two. Following "Say Say Say", the album's title track, released in the UK on 5 December 1983, became a UK number 1 for two weeks and was certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). In the US, the B-side "So Bad" hit number 23. "The Man" was intended for release as a single on 12 February 1984 but was cancelled by McCartney shortly before release.
Pipes of Peace was released on 31 October 1983. Its cover artwork was photographed by Linda McCartney. The original gatefold sleeve featured song titles and images of musicians who played on the album. The inner sleeve featured song lyrics and two images: one of the painting Vincent's Chair with Pipe (1888) by Vincent van Gogh and one of the sculpture in chrome Van Gogh's Chair (1966) by Clive Barker. Commercially, Pipes of Peace failed to match the success of Tug of War. In the UK, it peaked at number 4, selling 300,000 copies, and number 15 in the US, becoming McCartney's first album not to reach the top 10 of the Billboard Top LPs & Tapes chart. It was, however, certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Elsewhere, the album topped the chart in Norway and reached number 3 in Spain, 5 in Japan, 8 in Italy and 10 in Canada. According to McCartney biographer Howard Sounes, the album's commercial reception was "slightly disappointing, considering the quality of the work".
Critical reception Initial reviews
Critical reaction was less positive than that which greeted Tug of War, with many calling Pipes of Peace inferior to that album. Several reviewers dismissed Pipes of Peace as a safe record compared to Tug of War; High Fidelity Mitchell Cohen said that it replaces its predecessor's "tough-mindedness" in favour of "gumdrop music". In The New York Times, Stephen Holden wrote: "Where Tug of War meditated on polarity and conflict ... Pipes of Peace is a pastoral pop mosaic that preaches sweetness, light and tolerance in lovely but lightweight pop music and playfully childlike rhymes."
Others derided it as "insipid", "uninspired", "mediocre", "forgettable" and lacking "substance". Reviewing the album for the NME, Penny Reel described Pipes of Peace as "A dull, tired and empty collection of quasi-funk and gooey rock arrangements ... with McCartney cooing platitudinous sentiments on a set of lyrics seemingly made up on the spur of the moment." In Musician magazine, J. D. Considine was also negative towards Pipes of Peace, calling it an album which indicates that McCartney is "every bit as shallow as his severest critics have thought him to be". Record magazine's Craig Zeller described Pipes of Peace as "another lousy McCartney album with a couple of halfway decent cuts, a load of hummable pablum and the usual no-risk coasting." Robert Hilburn of the Los Angeles Times complimented Michael Jackson's appearances but otherwise found Pipes of Peace to be filled with songs that lack merit. Hilburn wrote that McCartney still displayed a knack for "delectable" melodies while simultaneously "exhibit[ing] a puzzling lack of ambition and judgment". Several critics criticised the message of "Tug of Peace". Writing for Smash Hits, Mark Ellen said the album "has its moments" but mostly features songs that have nothing to say.
More moderately, The Indianapolis Star Scott L. Miley argued that, while still inferior to Tug of War, Pipes of Peace retains "the power" of its predecessor and is overall a "step up" above most of his solo work, highlighting the Jackson collaborations and "Average Person". Miley further praised the musicality on "Sweetest Little Show" and "Hey Hey", but criticised the lyrics as "light". Overall, he wrote that while Pipes of Peace "doesn't darken McCartney's pop cleverness", it "veils the promise of Tug of War." Mikal Gilmore of the Los Angeles Herald Examiner described Pipes of Peace as "a wonderfully crafted disappointment", writing that it "puts forth a winsome hopefulness that ends up blithe at best, and disarmingly whimsical at worst". He nevertheless praised McCartney's vocal performances, particularly on "Say Say Say". In his review for Record Mirror, Jim Reid complimented the production but found it an album of "habit and routine" and "a decent effort for a man who's lost inspiration and edge".
Later reviews
In lists ranking McCartney's albums from worst to best, Pipes of Peace has generally placed in the lower half or towards the bottom. Sounes views Pipes of Peace and its predecessor as "abounding with well-crafted tunes" that almost match the standard of McCartney's work with the Beatles; yet, he adds, the two albums "must be marked down for a surfeit of love ballads with lamentable lyrics". In AllMusic, Erlewine writes that while the album lacks the "gravitas" of its predecessor, it successfully showcases "an impeccable craftsman at play". Reviewing the 2015 reissue of Pipes of Peace, for Pitchfork, Ron Hart notes that, at the time of release, "Some critics derided McCartney for aging gracelessly", yet "a good listen to the album today reveals some ways it was ahead of its time." Hart writes of the song "Tug of Peace": "an early, primitive version of a mash-up that brought together the title cuts of these underappreciated albums. The blend is clunky, but it foreshadows his electronic music work as the Fireman and on Liverpool Sound Collage."
By contrast, Jeff Strowe of PopMatters argues that the album "presents McCartney at his most regrettable" and calls "Pipes of Peace" and "Tug of Peace" a "woefully underdeveloped title track" and a "dreadful mashup", respectively. Strowe writes more favourably of "Say Say Say", however, describing it as "catchy in that pure '80s manner", and highlights "Sweetest Little Show" and "Average Person" as "a nice one-two punch of refreshing creativity that give the proceedings a much needed spark of interest and vitality". Record Collector Jamie Atkins found Pipes of Peace to be a "let-down" compared to Tug of War and representing the beginning of McCartney's artistic decline.
Track listing All songs written by Paul McCartney, except where noted.
Reissues