Paul McCartney Calls Out Bands Using Backing Tapes

An important part of being a musician of any level of success is being able to tune out critics. Unless, of course, your critic is Paul McCartney. Then you should probably listen.

In a recent interview with the UK's Express, the former Beatle hit out at large music acts that use backing tracks to aid in their live performances. McCartney revealed that his current sound guy, Paul Pablo Boothroyd, had let him in on the fact that many of the major acts he had worked with in the past had used backing tapes.

"Our sound guy Pablo used to be on some tours, and at one point in the show a little red light would go on and he’d be live," said McCartney, "and he would play it out for 30 seconds and the light would go off, and the tape would go on again."

“We are glad that at the end five of us take a bow, and there is nobody hidden under the stage either, which I hear some naughty people do," he added, refusing to divulge the culprits. "Sorry, I won’t say names."

Several websites have pointed out that Boothroyd has worked with Eurythmics and AC/DC, among others, during the course of his career.

You can read more here.