Driving Rain

Track list

Disc 1

1. Lonely Road

   Written by Paul McCartney

   3:16 • Studio version • A

   Paul McCartney : Acoustic guitar, Bass, Electric guitar, Executive producer, Vocals Rusty Anderson : Acoustic guitar, Electric guitar, Pedal steel guitar Abe Laboriel Jr. : Drums, Tambourine Gabe Dixon : Electric piano David Kahne : Mixing engineer, Organ, Producer Mark Dearnley : Mixing engineer, Recording engineer Jaime Sickora : Assistant engineer Kevin Mills : Second assistant engineer

   SessionRecording : Feb 16, 2001 • Studio : Henson Recording Studio, Los Angeles

   

2. From A Lover To A Friend

   Written by Paul McCartney

   3:49 • Studio version • A

   Paul McCartney : Bass, Executive producer, Piano, Vocals Rusty Anderson : 12-string electric guitar Abe Laboriel Jr. : Drums Gabe Dixon : Piano David Kahne : Mixing engineer, Producer Mark Dearnley : Mixing engineer, Recording engineer Jaime Sickora : Assistant engineer Kevin Mills : Second assistant engineer

   SessionRecording : Feb 20, 2001 • Studio : Henson Recording Studio, Los Angeles

3. She's Given Up Talking

   Written by Paul McCartney

   4:57 • Studio version • A

   Paul McCartney : Acoustic guitar, Bass, Drums, Executive producer, Vocals Rusty Anderson : Electric guitar, Leslie pedal Abe Laboriel Jr. : Electronic percussion Gabe Dixon : Hammond organ David Kahne : Electric guitar, Mixing engineer, Producer Mark Dearnley : Mixing engineer, Recording engineer Jaime Sickora : Assistant engineer Kevin Mills : Second assistant engineer

   SessionRecording : Feb 17, 2001 • Studio : Henson Recording Studio, Los Angeles

4. Driving Rain

   Written by Paul McCartney

   3:27 • Studio version • A

   Paul McCartney : Acoustic guitar, Bass, Executive producer, Vocals Rusty Anderson : 12-string electric guitar, Electric guitar Abe Laboriel Jr. : Drums Gabe Dixon : Electric piano David Kahne : Mixing engineer, Producer, Synthesizer Mark Dearnley : Mixing engineer, Recording engineer Jaime Sickora : Assistant engineer Kevin Mills : Second assistant engineer

   SessionRecording : Feb 27, 2001 • Studio : Henson Recording Studio, Los Angeles

5. I Do

   Written by Paul McCartney

   2:56 • Studio version • A

   Paul McCartney : Acoustic guitar, Bass, Executive producer, Vocals Rusty Anderson : Electric guitar Abe Laboriel Jr. : Drums, Tambourine Gabe Dixon : Piano David Kahne : Mixing engineer, Orchestral samples, Producer Mark Dearnley : Recording engineer Jaime Sickora : Assistant engineer Kevin Mills : Second assistant engineer David Leonard : Mixing engineer

   SessionRecording : Feb 17, 2001 • Studio : Henson Recording Studio, Los Angeles

6. Tiny Bubble

   Written by Paul McCartney

   4:21 • Studio version • A

   Paul McCartney : Bass, Electric guitar, Executive producer, Piano, Vocals Rusty Anderson : Electric guitar Abe Laboriel Jr. : Drums Gabe Dixon : Hammond organ David Kahne : Mixing engineer, Producer Mark Dearnley : Mixing engineer, Recording engineer Jaime Sickora : Assistant engineer Kevin Mills : Second assistant engineer

   SessionRecording : Feb 25, 2001 • Studio : Henson Recording Studio, Los Angeles

7. Magic

   Written by Paul McCartney

   3:59 • Studio version • A

   Paul McCartney : Acoustic guitar, Bass, Electric guitar, Executive producer, Vocals Rusty Anderson : Acoustic guitar, Electric guitar Abe Laboriel Jr. : Drums Gabe Dixon : Piano David Kahne : Mixing engineer, Producer, Synthesizer Mark Dearnley : Mixing engineer, Recording engineer Jaime Sickora : Assistant engineer Kevin Mills : Second assistant engineer

   SessionRecording : Feb 25, 2001 • Studio : Henson Recording Studio, Los Angeles

8. Your Way

   Written by Paul McCartney

   2:55 • Studio version • A

   Paul McCartney : Drums, Electric guitar, Executive producer, Percussion, Vocals Rusty Anderson : Backing vocals, Bass, Pedal steel guitar Abe Laboriel Jr. : Backing vocals, Drums, Electronic drums Gabe Dixon : Backing vocals, Hammond organ David Kahne : Mixing engineer, Producer Mark Dearnley : Mixing engineer, Recording engineer Jaime Sickora : Assistant engineer Kevin Mills : Second assistant engineer

   SessionRecording : Feb 18, 2001 • Studio : Henson Recording Studio, Los Angeles

9. Spinning On An Axis

   Written by Paul McCartney, James McCartney

   5:16 • Studio version • A

   Paul McCartney : Acoustic guitar, Bass, Electric guitar, Executive producer, Percussion, Vocals James McCartney : Percussion Rusty Anderson : Acoustic guitar, Electric guitar, Percussion Abe Laboriel Jr. : Drums, Percussion Gabe Dixon : Percussion David Kahne : Mixing engineer, Piano, Producer Mark Dearnley : Mixing engineer, Recording engineer Jaime Sickora : Assistant engineer Kevin Mills : Second assistant engineer

   SessionRecording : Feb 21, 2001 • Studio : Henson Recording Studio, Los Angeles

10. About You

    Written by Paul McCartney

    2:54 • Studio version • A

    Paul McCartney : Electric guitar, Executive producer, Vocals Rusty Anderson : 12-string electric guitar, Bass Abe Laboriel Jr. : Drums, Tambourine Gabe Dixon : Electric piano, Hammond organ David Kahne : Mixing engineer, Producer Mark Dearnley : Mixing engineer, Recording engineer Jaime Sickora : Assistant engineer Kevin Mills : Second assistant engineer

    SessionRecording : Feb 16, 2001 • Studio : Henson Recording Studio, Los Angeles

11. Heather

    Written by Paul McCartney

    3:26 • Studio version • A

    Paul McCartney : Acoustic guitar, Backing vocals, Bass, Electric guitar, Executive producer, Piano, Vocals Rusty Anderson : Backing vocals Abe Laboriel Jr. : Drums Gabe Dixon : Backing vocals David Kahne : Mixing engineer, Producer, Strings sampling Geoff Emerick : Recording engineer Ralph Morrison : Violin Paul Hicks : Recording engineer Mark Dearnley : Mixing engineer, Recording engineer Jaime Sickora : Assistant engineer Kevin Mills : Second assistant engineer

    SessionRecording : Mar 02, 2001 • Studio : Henson Recording Studio, Los Angeles

12. Back In The Sunshine Again

    Written by Paul McCartney, James McCartney

    4:23 • Studio version • A

    Paul McCartney : Bass, Electric guitar, Executive producer, Vocals James McCartney : Electric guitar Rusty Anderson : Electric guitar Abe Laboriel Jr. : Drums Gabe Dixon : Piano David Kahne : Mixing engineer, Producer Mark Dearnley : Recording engineer Jaime Sickora : Assistant engineer Kevin Mills : Second assistant engineer David Leonard : Mixing engineer

    SessionRecording : Feb 28, 2001 • Studio : Henson Recording Studio, Los Angeles

13. Your Loving Flame

    Written by Paul McCartney

    3:44 • Studio version • A

    Paul McCartney : Backing vocals, Bass, Executive producer, Piano, Tambourine, Vocals Rusty Anderson : Acoustic guitar, Backing vocals, Electric guitar Abe Laboriel Jr. : Backing vocals, Drums Gabe Dixon : Backing vocals, Hammond organ David Kahne : Mixing engineer, Producer, Strings sampling David Campbell : Viola Matt Funes : Viola Joel Derouin : Violin Larry Corbett : Cello Mark Dearnley : Recording engineer Jaime Sickora : Assistant engineer Kevin Mills : Second assistant engineer David Leonard : Mixing engineer

    SessionRecording : Jun 19, 2001 • Studio : Henson Recording Studio, Los Angeles

14. Riding Into Jaipur

    Written by Paul McCartney

    4:08 • Studio version • A

    Paul McCartney : Acoustic guitar, Bass, Electric guitar, Executive producer, Vocals Rusty Anderson : 12-string electric guitar, Tampura Abe Laboriel Jr. : Electronic percussion Gabe Dixon : Piano David Kahne : Mixing engineer, Producer, Synthesizer Mark Dearnley : Mixing engineer, Recording engineer Jaime Sickora : Assistant engineer Kevin Mills : Second assistant engineer

    SessionRecording : Feb 16, 2001 • Studio : Henson Recording Studio, Los Angeles

15. Rinse The Raindrops

    Written by Paul McCartney

    10:13 • Studio version • A

    Paul McCartney : Bass, Executive producer, Spanish guitar, Vocals Rusty Anderson : Electric guitar Abe Laboriel Jr. : Accordion, Drums Gabe Dixon : Electric piano, Hammond organ, Piano David Kahne : Mixing engineer, Producer Mark Dearnley : Mixing engineer, Recording engineer Jaime Sickora : Assistant engineer Kevin Mills : Second assistant engineer

    SessionRecording : Feb 19, 2001 • Studio : Henson Recording Studio, Los Angeles

16. Freedom

    Written by Paul McCartney

    3:34 • Studio version • L1

    Paul McCartney : Acoustic guitar, Bass, Electric guitar, Vocals Rusty Anderson : Electric guitar Abe Laboriel Jr. : Drums Gabe Dixon : Electric piano Eric Clapton : Electric guitar Will Lee : Bass

    Live recording : Oct 20, 2001 • Studio : Madison Square Garden

    Overdubs : Oct 23, 2001 • Studio : Quad Studios, New York

From Wikipedia:

Driving Rain is the twelfth studio album by Paul McCartney, recorded and released in 2001.

Background

Clearly determined to follow the example of Run Devil Run‘s brisk making, Driving Rain – except for two songs – was cut with David Kahne co-producing in two weeks, starting in February 2001 and with a set of new musicians whom McCartney intended on backing him on tour. The cover of the album featured a photograph taken with a Casio wristwatch that had a built-in camera.

Music and lyrics

Driving Rain features many songs inspired by and written for Heather Mills. “Back in the Sunshine Again” was co-written by McCartney and his son, James. On 11 September 2001, McCartney was sitting on a plane in New York City when the terrorist attacks occurred and was able to witness the events from his seat. Incensed at the tragedy and determined to respond, he composed “Freedom” and helped organise (alongside Harvey Weinstein) The Concert for New York City, a massive all star show at Madison Square Garden on 20 October where “Freedom” was performed to a very receptive audience.

The song “About You” was written for Mills, as thanks for helping McCartney grieving the death of his first wife, Linda McCartney.

Release

In November 2001, Driving Rain was released to generally strong reviews but stunned many with its very low sales. The album sold 66,000 copies in its first week in the US. Perhaps due to the lack of a hit single to support it, Driving Rain peaked at number 46 in the UK, and became McCartney’s lowest-selling album in his homeland. The US reaction was a little stronger, with the album peaking at number 26 and being certified Gold by the RIAA.

Reviewing the album for Uncut magazine, Ian MacDonald noted McCartney’s spontaneous approach to its recording, such that, “In parts (for example, the lengthy closer ‘Rinse The Raindrops’), the results are almost ferocious, coming as close to a McCartney-esque Tin Machine as one could reasonably imagine.” MacDonald considered the more “polished and produced” tracks to be “the most successful“, however, and concluded: “Possibly a grower, this album is certainly better than anything Macca’s done for some while, if not the late masterpiece some of us have been hoping for.“

Impulsively, McCartney halted the pressing of Driving Rain so that “Freedom” could appear as a hidden track (since the artwork had already been printed). The just-released “From a Lover to a Friend” (which only reached number 45 in the UK) was repackaged with “Freedom“, although the single failed to re-chart.

Beginning in April 2002, the Driving USA tour – a significant success which would lead to worldwide tour extensions – was launched.

In May 2007, McCartney said there are those who ascribe “militant” connotations to “Freedom” and, because of this, he had decided to remove the song from his 2007 setlist, while also suggesting that it could possibly return when he next mounted a US tour. About the song, McCartney added: “I thought it was a great sentiment, and immediately post 9/11, I thought it was the right sentiment. But it got hijacked. And it got a bit of a militaristic meaning attached itself to it, and you found Mr. Bush using that kind of idea rather a lot, in a way I felt altered the meaning of the song.” […]