Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey
"Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" | ||||
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Single by Paul & Linda McCartney | ||||
from the album Ram | ||||
B-side | "Too Many People" | |||
Released | 2 August 1971 (US only) | |||
Recorded | 6 November 1970 | |||
Genre | Progressive pop, art pop, psychedelic pop | |||
Length | 4:49 | |||
Label | Apple | |||
Songwriter(s) | Paul and Linda McCartney | |||
Producer(s) | Paul and Linda McCartney | |||
Paul & Linda McCartney singles chronology | ||||
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"Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" is a song by Paul and Linda McCartney from the album Ram. Released in the United States as a single on 2 August 1971,[1] it reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on 4 September 1971,[2][3] making it the first of a string of post-Beatles, Paul McCartney-penned singles to top the US pop chart during the 1970s and 1980s. Billboard ranked the song as number 22 on its Top Pop Singles of 1971 year-end chart.[4] It became McCartney's first gold record after the breakup of the Beatles.
Elements and interpretation
"Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" is composed of several unfinished song fragments that Norwegian engineer Eirik Wangberg stitched together[5] in a similar manner to the medleys from the Beatles' 1969 album Abbey Road.[6] The orchestral arrangements by George Martin were recorded in New York at A & R Recording, along with other instruments by McCartney and his new band. The project was moved to Los Angeles where vocals were added by Paul and Linda McCartney—her first experience of recording in a professional studio.[7] The song is notable for its thunderstorm and environmental sound effects added by Wangberg in Los Angeles;[5] he had been invited by McCartney to mix and sequence the Ram album in any way he saw fit,[7] and he copied the thunder from a monaural film soundtrack, then fashioned an artificial stereo version of it for the song.[5]
McCartney stated that "Uncle Albert" was based on his uncle: "He's someone I recall fondly, and when the song was coming it was like a nostalgia thing."
Reception
Paul McCartney won the
According to
In a contemporary review of Ram,
A retrospective 2012 Pitchfork review by Jayson Greene states: "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey is not only Ram's centerpiece, it is clearly one of McCartney’s five greatest solo songs. As the slash in the title hints, it's a multi-part song, starring two characters. To put its accomplishments in an egg-headed way: It fuses the conversational joy listeners associated with McCartney's melodic gift to the compositional ambition everyone assumed was Lennon's. To put it a simpler way: Every single second of this song is joyously, deliriously catchy, and no two seconds are the same."
On the US charts, the song set a milestone as the all-time songwriting record (at the time) for Paul McCartney for the most consecutive calendar years to write a #1 song. This gave him eight consecutive years (starting with "I Want to Hold Your Hand"), leaving John Lennon behind with only seven years.
Later release
"Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" appears on the
The song appears on several solo Paul McCartney compilations: the US version of
Personnel
- Paul McCartney – vocals, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, piano, bass and xylophone
- Linda McCartney – backing vocals
- Hugh McCracken – acoustic and electric guitar
- Denny Seiwell – drums
- Paul Beaver – synthesizer
- David Nadien, Aaron Rosand – violin
- Marvin Stamm, Mel Davis, Ray Crisara, Snooky Young – brass
- New York Philharmonic Orchestra – orchestral backing
- George Martin – orchestral arrangement
- Eirik Wangberg – mix engineer, thunder sound effect[7]
Chart performance
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
Certifications
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Notes
- ^ McGee 2003, p. 195.
- ^ Billboard. 11 July 1970. p. Front cover. Retrieved 5 October 2016 – via Booksgoogle.com.
- ^ a b "Allmusic: Paul McCartney: Charts & Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
- ^ "Top Pop 100 Singles" Billboard 25 December 1971: TA-36
- ^ a b c Dirani, Claudio (2005). "Interview with Eirik Wangberg". Paul McCartney Project. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
- ISBN 978-1-906002-02-2.
- ^ Classic Rock. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
- ^ a b McGee 2003, p. 196.
- ^ a b McGuinness, Paul (18 June 2021). "Best Paul McCartney Songs: 20 Essential Post-Beatles Macca Tracks". udiscovermusic. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
- ISBN 978-0-313-34969-0.
- ^ "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey". 3 March 2023. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
- National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
- ^ "1971 Grammy Awards". Infoplease.com. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
- ^ "RIAA - Gold & Platinum Searchable Database - September 24, 2015". Recording Industry Association of America. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 15 August 2011.
- ^ Allmusic. Retrieved 25 December 2013.
- ^ DeRiso, Nick (15 May 2016). "How Paul McCartney's 'Ram' Became a Moment of Handmade Genius". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
- ^ Landau, Jon (8 July 1971). "Ram". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
- ^ "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. 14 August 1971. p. 14. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
- ^ "Picks of the Week" (PDF). Record World. 14 August 1971. p. 1. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
- ^ "Wings Greatest - Wings,Paul McCartney | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
- ^ "Paul McCartney - Wingspan - Hits And History". Discogs. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
- ^ "67 Tracks of Pure McCartney..." PaulMcCartney.com. 30 March 2016. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
- ^ "Paul McCartney - Pure McCartney". Discogs. 10 June 2016. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
- ^ "'The 7" Singles Box' – Out 2 December 2022". PaulMcCartney.com. 10 November 2022. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
- ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "Top Singles - Volume 16, No. 5". RPM. 18 September 1971. Archived from the original on 4 May 2014. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
- ^ "Single Search: Paul and Linda McCartney – "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey"" (in German). Media Control. Archived from the original on 21 August 2014. Retrieved 20 February 2013.
- ^ a b Nielsen Business Media, Inc (25 December 1971). Billboard – Talent in Action 1971. Nielsen Business Media. p. 15. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
admiral linda mccartney.
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has generic name (help) - ^ Steffen Hung (26 September 2016). "New Zealand charts portal". charts.nz. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 157.
- ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "RPM 100 Top Singles of 1971". RPM. 8 January 1972. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
- ^ "American single certifications – Paul Mc Cartney – Uncle Albert". Recording Industry Association of America.
References
- McGee, Garry (2003). Band on the Run: A History of Paul McCartney and Wings. New York: ISBN 0-87833-304-5.