Paul McCartney – Memory Almost Full
It’s hard to imagine, with all the stuff Paul McCartney’s been through in the past ten years – and I trust that I don’t have to elaborate on that – that he could turn out a cheerful classic album like this. It’s also his first U.S. release published by someone other than Capitol Records, the Beatles’ home label Stateside since the beginning; this one was released by a new label started up by, of all people, Starbucks. Yes, the coffee chain. But don’t let any of the above distract you from the fact that this is Sir Paul’s best offering in ten years.
The first three songs, “Dance Tonight”, “Ever Present Past” and “Your Sunshine”, are a triple-threat reminded of why the man’s considered one of the finest pop songsmiths on the planet, even four decades after most of his lifelong listeners first made his acquaintance. They’re classic specimens of McCarthy’s musical craftsmanship, and they’re just so cheerful that it’s impossible not to crack a smile. “Mister Bellamy” and “Vintage Clothes” also fall into this category, despite the former feeling just a little bit like a follow-up to “Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey” – this isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
He also proves that he’s still fully capable of rocking out on numbers like “Only Mama Knows” and “That Was Me”, which have both quickly become a couple of my McCartney favorites. “Only Mama Knows” starts out with a string section, but after that brief intro, becomes pure rock ‘n’ roll, while “That Was Me” is an almost obligatory humorous travelogue of McCartney’s past, from his childhood to a little gig in a place called the Cavern and beyond.
Not everything is sunshine on Memory Almost Full, either; things slow down and become more introspective with “You Tell Me” and “End Of The End”. In “End Of The End”, McCartney basically lays down how he’d like to be remembered when he’s gone, a sobering thought to be sure, but it’s also a song that’s virtually destined to be played over his own obituary. There are also just a couple of hints of bitterness at recent events in his life, and the media’s attention to them: he sings “I’m not coming down / no matter what you say / I like it up here anyway” on the seemingly cheerful “Mister Bellamy”. ‘Nuff said.
What makes the whole endeavour that much more impressive is that McCartney has joined the ranks of the musical hermit crabs with Memory Almost Full. With the exception of any overdubbed orchestral sweeteners, the ex-Beatle literally plays and sings everything himself. You’d have to figure that if anyone in the world would be able to pull something like that off, Paul McCartney would be it. The result is his best album in about ten years – it’s pure Paul, and it’s intensely admirable both for the great music and the pure class of the guy making it. A simply outstanding album.
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- Dance Tonight (2:52)
- Ever Present Past (2:54)
- See Your Sunshine (3:17)
- Only Mama Knows (4:17)
- You Tell Me (3:15)
- Mister Bellamy (3:39)
- Gratitude (3:17)
- Vintage Clothes (2:22)
- That Was Me (2:38)
- Feet In The Clouds (3:24)
- House Of Wax (4:59)
- End Of The End (2:51)
- Nod Your Head (1:55)
Released by: Hear Music
Release date: 2007
Total running time: 41:40
Some people seem to take inordinate delight in downplaying Paul McCartney’s contributions to pop music, especially in his post-Beatles years. But I ask you: who can listen to “Coming Up”, “My Love” or “No More Lonely Nights” and say that Paul was past his prime when he coined these tunes? Forever doomed to be widely regarded as the cute, irreverent half of the Lennon/McCartney songwriting powerhouse, McCartney has always been capable of putting that perception to rest with his ballads. (C’mon, we are talking about the man chiefly responsible for “Hey Jude” and “Yesterday”.) Now, there are some tracks on here that do a lot to give McCartney’s solo portfolio that “cute, irreverent” label (I’m thinking “Band On The Run” and especially “Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey” – a song that some people refer to as “Hands Across The Water” – here), and a few that seem to go a bit far in trying to correct that perception (“Live And Let Die”) – but criticism of the lyrics aside, I still like just about everything on this collection.
Wow, it’s finally happened – Paul McCartney, whose last project I really dug was 1997’s Flaming Pie, has been dragged into the 90s. Not a bad trick, considering that this album was released in 2001.
with jingoistic, repetetive lyrics that don’t really rise to the challenge of addressing the momentous events that inspired them. Honestly, I would’ve rather he’d ended Driving Rain with “Rinse The Raindrops”, or perhaps moved the “No More Lonely Nights”-esque “Your Loving Flame” down to end the album; “Freedom” is, in itself, hardly a song befitting the occasion, and not as good as the rest of the album.
This is quite possibly the best solo album McCartney has ever done. It’s hard for me to give a fair accounting of why I like this one so much, because I’m biased toward any album which heavily features ELO maestro Jeff Lynne. Lynne co-produces, plays and sings on several tracks, and his sonic signature is apparent – and perfectly suited to songs written by McCartney, whose Beatles songs once inspired Lynne. Among the best tracks on the album are “Heaven On A Sunday”, which is a perfect combination of McCartney’s and Lynne’s strengths as well as featuring a guitar passage by James McCartney, Paul’s 19-year-old son; “The World Tonight”, “Beautiful Night” featuring Ringo Starr, “If You Wanna” featuring Steve Miller