Artist: McCartney, Paul
Label: MPL Communications
Release: 2007
What could possibly still drive a great Beatle forward these days? He has nothing left to prove. Because he’s a Beatle. And since he’s a born Beatle through and through, it’s only natural for an artist like that to keep going.
The seeds of the new studio album were planted back in 2003, when most of the basic ideas for the material were taking shape. Even so, Paul turned to work on “Chaos and Creation in the Backyard” (2005) instead, by his standards a daringly fresh album that, with producer Nigel Godrich’s help, signaled that McCartney had found a new motive to build on his vast body of work, and that he doesn’t always have to lean on his 45-year-old, well-worn but still perfectly functional little shoes.
With “Memories Almost Full,” McCartney comes home, to everything we understand under the names The Beatles, Wings or solo McCartney. Once again he serves up a bundle of pop rock songs, in a way only he understands, in a way that many years ago pretty much amounted to the Bible of pop rock. There was plenty of time between the first ideas and the album’s release, and the songs can boast a fresh musical perfection. Paul is known for his refined knack for presenting an idea in an extremely simple and direct way, while at the same time outfitting, arming and crowning that simplicity with his sincerely sensual touch and the witty garments of arrangements the man handles so deftly whenever he wants to get an idea across effectively. It’s incredible how McCartney stays so convincingly brilliant at this, even at 65 and on his 21st studio album (counting the Wings work). After “Chaos and Creation in the Backyard,” many may have expected Paul to keep opening up as an artist, folding more elements into his classic musical outlook. That didn’t happen. The man is once again walking in his standard footwear, the pair he feels best in and in which he knows how to measure out each and every step most effectively.
And he certainly hasn’t faltered in the stride department. The album has 13 varied pop tunes. Not a single one of them could be called “filler.” Another delightful bit of news is that the album runs barely over 40 minutes, which brings brevity, concision and efficiency to the musical expression. The album opens with Dance Tonight, which is downright banal in its direct nakedness. Whether that bothers anyone or not, the song sits in exactly the right spot on the album, since it sums up its whole message. Driven by acoustic strummed chords and a brisk, easy rhythm that even a Prekmurje clay-pot bass would fit into without any trouble, and of course Paul’s contagiously charming, unmistakable vocals, where else but front and center. Ever Present Past, which follows, is dressed in electricity. Delicate collages, a singable melody, a friendly new pop rhythm and, of course, success was not long in coming. The little song has already found its way to the radio waves. How the choice of arrangements helps build an effective atmosphere within the simple basic axiom of Paul McCartney’s music is underlined by See Your Sunshine, in which Paul puts the bass guitar arrangement itself up front, creating a wonderful counterweight to the otherwise sweet memory of his Heather Mills. The first peak of the record is the fast-paced rocker Only Mother Knows, with an endearing boogie spring in its step that blasts you back awake after the sentimental predecessor. What also adds to the record’s dynamic shift is the fact that Paul used a band for this track, which emphasizes its thoroughly natural rock moment. You Tell Me is an acoustic ballad where Paul’s vocal shines in its moving sensuality with full expressive intensity. Next comes a trip into The Beatles waters with Mr. Bellamy, built around the basic experience of a grand piano, which may at moments echo in someone’s ears in the spirit of Lady Madonna.
Decorative details within the basic simple structure of the songs build atmosphere and dynamics. McCartney steers through this with seasoned skill. That wipes out any chance of the mold of pathos creeping onto the material. There are rationally measured additions that benevolently stir things up, such as the violin touches (the intro and outro of Only Mother Knows), then the “Queen-like” backing vocals in the bluesy Gratitude, surrounding Paul’s centrally emphasized soul approach, which he doesn’t actually use all that often these days. The oddity of the record, which definitely departs from the pop labels, is House Of Vax. It doesn’t hide transcendence for a single moment. Atmospherically close to the spirit of Pink Floyd’s latest creations (even in the choice of vocal lines). It starts out naturally with piano, followed by the atmosphere growing through the addition of an electric guitar, whose solo is steeped in long pull-offs (“Gilmour-isms”). On “Memory Almost Full,” it’s also fascinating to watch how Paul’s vocal finds its way brilliantly while winding between the various genre touches he weaves into his elementary pop rock expression. The End Of The End is one of the strongest moments of the artist’s record. It’s a ballad-driven, personal, confessional requiem. McCartney looks the moment of death in the eye without a shred of pathos, while at the same time looking back fulfilled on his great days. Nod Your Head, as the closing point, blows in with the spirit of Helter Skelter “Beatle-isms.”
Paul has once again carved out an excellent studio album. The album grows on the listener slowly, as a result of the extreme variety between the songs. Once the album grows into your heart and settles into your ears, there’s no danger of getting tired of it. It’s the type of album that, when it finishes spinning, makes you want to hit the “play” button again! Naturally sounding, highly melodic and pleasant to the ears, the easygoing, relaxing “Memory Almost Full,” with its polish, goes on underlining McCartney’s strong creative inspiration in his mature years, and richly rewards all lovers of classic, rustic pop rock moves, the ones Paul laid in the cradle long ago and with which he built himself an unforgettable monument, one in front of which the doubts in the lines of The End Of The End fade in an instant.
Line-up
Paul McCartney – all vocals and instruments
MUSICIANS ON TRACKS no. 4, 5 and no. 8 – 11:
Paul “Wix” Wickens – keyboards
Rusty Anderson – guitar
Brian Ray – bass guitar
Abe Laboriel Jnr. – drums
Production
David Kahne
Track list
1. Dance Tonight
2. Ever Present Past
3. See Your Sunshine
4. Only Mama Knows
5. You Tell Me
6. Mr Bellamy
7. Gratitude
8. Vintage Clothes
9. That Was Me
10. Feet In The Clouds
11. House Of Wax
12. End Of The End
13. Nod Your Head
Album length: 42.05
