Review: Paul McCartney - Memory Almost Full
Label: Hear Music
Released: June 5, 2007
Paul McCartney's solo career has been erratic to say the least. His first solo effort shows us both that he's a great pop songwriter and that he’s willing to stretch out and take chances at times. Sometimes those chances worked, but often they were too slick for their own good. From the mid-70s until the mid-90s, it seems that even his hits were really misses, at least artistically. His misguided belief that he should be writing more than pop songs culminated in the disastrous Liverpool Oratorio which went way beyond the watering down of decent songs. At that point, he was just out of his league. Then, beginning with 1997's Flaming Pie, McCartney seemed to rediscover himself. His pop sensibilities were still present, but he abandoned the slickness in favor of a raw and genuine approach. The results were solid and even excellent albums where he sounded far more alive than he had in his 30s and 40s. That brings us to his latest release, Memory Almost Full. His recent run of critical success would lead one to expect more of the same, but McCartney opts for some changes, returning to some of his earlier ambitions with varying success.
Generally speaking, there are no really bad songs on here, only some bad moments. The album actually has some tracks that nearly rank among his best. The opening track, "Dance Tonight," is upbeat folk with a stomping rhythm, some mandolin and a catchy hook. It certainly raises expectations for the rest of the album. Things take a definite turn with "Ever Present Past," which gets a bit glossy much in the vein of McCartney's 80s output. Still, the hook is strong enough that the gloss isn't overbearing. He tries a bit of blue-eyed soul on "See Your Sunshine." (Seriously, I checked the songwriting credits to see if Paul wrote this one with Daryl Hall.) It's a good pop song, but lacks the teeth of his recent releases. "Only Mama Knows" tries to recreate some his best rock bombast. It falls significantly short of that target, but still ranks as a solid, energetic track. "You Tell Me" is one of several tracks that sound like it may have been an Abbey Road outtake. Far from being a knock, his ability to recapture any elements of the Beatles' most complete effort is amazing almost 40 years down the road. McCartney has slight hints of hip-hop in the odd cadence of "Mr. Bellamy," but it doesn't work very well and the result is one of the album's real orphans. "Gratitude" also captures some of that Abbey Road essence. It's an oddly sweet and loving send-off to Heather Mills. As such it is one of his best love songs, being completely devoid of the saccharine nature that invalidates so much of his worst work. "Vintage Clothes" is more solid upbeat pop, but suffers somewhat from heavy-handed production and corny lyrics. To be fair though, McCartney has gone much farther down this road in the past and he at least showed some restraint here. "That Was Me" has a bit of an awkward modern arrangement, but makes up for it with jazzy pop energy. The album is reined in a bit on the folky "Feet in the Clouds." The strings are a bit too much, but once again McCartney's return to his more polished former self doesn't do the damage that it once did, resulting in another decent song. "House of Wax" is unusually weak songwriting for McCartney coupled with overwrought production and way too much ambient noise. There's a decent guitar solo, but that is by no means enough to save the song. If there is any doubt that Paul is facing his own mortality, "The End of the End" sufficiently dispels it. It's a low-key piano-driven piece that is part last wishes and part end of life optimism. It's more subtle than a lot of the album, but really sinks in as one of the best tracks. To avoid ending on anything remotely melancholy, Memory Almost Full closes with "Nod Your Head," another fine McCartney rocker that falls only a tad shy of "Live and Let Die."
There is a consistent feeling that Paul sees the end of his career (and possibly even his life) approaching. Yet, he doesn't greet it with trepidation. Rather, he embraces the past and pushes on toward the future openly and willingly, albeit not flawlessly. The touch of sadness to Memory Almost Full is countered, though not overwhelmed, by its good vibe. Over the course of the album, McCartney borrows from some of his most ambitious work, some of his worst work and some of his most genuine work. The results vary as he falls short of his best, yet even shorter of his worst efforts. While this may be his worst album in ten years, it's as good or better than anything in the 20 years before that.
Rating: 6/10
Released: June 5, 2007
Paul McCartney's solo career has been erratic to say the least. His first solo effort shows us both that he's a great pop songwriter and that he’s willing to stretch out and take chances at times. Sometimes those chances worked, but often they were too slick for their own good. From the mid-70s until the mid-90s, it seems that even his hits were really misses, at least artistically. His misguided belief that he should be writing more than pop songs culminated in the disastrous Liverpool Oratorio which went way beyond the watering down of decent songs. At that point, he was just out of his league. Then, beginning with 1997's Flaming Pie, McCartney seemed to rediscover himself. His pop sensibilities were still present, but he abandoned the slickness in favor of a raw and genuine approach. The results were solid and even excellent albums where he sounded far more alive than he had in his 30s and 40s. That brings us to his latest release, Memory Almost Full. His recent run of critical success would lead one to expect more of the same, but McCartney opts for some changes, returning to some of his earlier ambitions with varying success.
Generally speaking, there are no really bad songs on here, only some bad moments. The album actually has some tracks that nearly rank among his best. The opening track, "Dance Tonight," is upbeat folk with a stomping rhythm, some mandolin and a catchy hook. It certainly raises expectations for the rest of the album. Things take a definite turn with "Ever Present Past," which gets a bit glossy much in the vein of McCartney's 80s output. Still, the hook is strong enough that the gloss isn't overbearing. He tries a bit of blue-eyed soul on "See Your Sunshine." (Seriously, I checked the songwriting credits to see if Paul wrote this one with Daryl Hall.) It's a good pop song, but lacks the teeth of his recent releases. "Only Mama Knows" tries to recreate some his best rock bombast. It falls significantly short of that target, but still ranks as a solid, energetic track. "You Tell Me" is one of several tracks that sound like it may have been an Abbey Road outtake. Far from being a knock, his ability to recapture any elements of the Beatles' most complete effort is amazing almost 40 years down the road. McCartney has slight hints of hip-hop in the odd cadence of "Mr. Bellamy," but it doesn't work very well and the result is one of the album's real orphans. "Gratitude" also captures some of that Abbey Road essence. It's an oddly sweet and loving send-off to Heather Mills. As such it is one of his best love songs, being completely devoid of the saccharine nature that invalidates so much of his worst work. "Vintage Clothes" is more solid upbeat pop, but suffers somewhat from heavy-handed production and corny lyrics. To be fair though, McCartney has gone much farther down this road in the past and he at least showed some restraint here. "That Was Me" has a bit of an awkward modern arrangement, but makes up for it with jazzy pop energy. The album is reined in a bit on the folky "Feet in the Clouds." The strings are a bit too much, but once again McCartney's return to his more polished former self doesn't do the damage that it once did, resulting in another decent song. "House of Wax" is unusually weak songwriting for McCartney coupled with overwrought production and way too much ambient noise. There's a decent guitar solo, but that is by no means enough to save the song. If there is any doubt that Paul is facing his own mortality, "The End of the End" sufficiently dispels it. It's a low-key piano-driven piece that is part last wishes and part end of life optimism. It's more subtle than a lot of the album, but really sinks in as one of the best tracks. To avoid ending on anything remotely melancholy, Memory Almost Full closes with "Nod Your Head," another fine McCartney rocker that falls only a tad shy of "Live and Let Die."
There is a consistent feeling that Paul sees the end of his career (and possibly even his life) approaching. Yet, he doesn't greet it with trepidation. Rather, he embraces the past and pushes on toward the future openly and willingly, albeit not flawlessly. The touch of sadness to Memory Almost Full is countered, though not overwhelmed, by its good vibe. Over the course of the album, McCartney borrows from some of his most ambitious work, some of his worst work and some of his most genuine work. The results vary as he falls short of his best, yet even shorter of his worst efforts. While this may be his worst album in ten years, it's as good or better than anything in the 20 years before that.
Rating: 6/10
posted by bob_vinyl at 1:47 PM
8 Comments:
Very nice review, Bob. The thing that gets me about this album is the lyrics--it really is a pleasant look back at life, an attempt to capture memories and treasure them instead of finding excuses to be bitter and disappointed. As such, it's an interesting philosophical statement as well as a decent art-pop album.
-- david
I've not heard this yet Bob so can't say whether I agree or otherwise yet! I've been a bit put off by comments that he's moved away from his Chaos And Creation style and gone 'back to pop'. I though Chaos was his best album since Live And Let Die probably so have been reluctant to try his new one. I'll make the effort now!
David - I think you're right. The whole album has a sense of satisfaction, that he can die a happy man. It's evident in both the music and the lyrics.
Bill - I was put off by the popiness of the album as well. Had I reviewed this on a single listen, I think I would have been more negative, but it definitely grew on me. In a lot of ways, it comes out as a happy medium between his glossy pop side and his more genuine rock side. There are a couple of good rockers on there too, so it's definitely worth a listen.
I finally had a listen earlier this morning Bob. Like you say, a couple of decent rockers and a fair bit I thought that sounded like Wings. Only the one listen so far so can't really make any strong points but I doubt I'll ever rate it as highly as Chaos. Pleased he's not left that darker edge totally behind him though.
I did get that sense of satisfaction both you and David mention. That Was Me makes for an interesting listen next to George's When We Was Fab.
Also sales of nearly half a million so far (according to wikipedia!) seems to indicate his move to the Starbucks label has paid off.
Good review, when I first checked out his website which displayed samples of the album I thought it was going to be great. I felt a lot of the songs had a heavier feel but kept that great McCartney hook. When I bought the CD I was terribly disappointed, very few of the songs really caught my attention and I haven't really listened to it much since my first two initial listens.
Bill - That's an interesting point about "That Was me" and "When We Was Fab." I need to dig out Cloud Nine and listen to them together.
Jeff - After the second listen, I think I came to grips with it not being the album I expected, but I can see why you're disappointed. He's set the bar fairly high over the last ten years and this album doesn't quite meet it.
When you pull out "When We Was Fab" you might as well throw on "All Those Years Ago" too, which is still my favorite Beatle-looking-back tune.
-- david
Good review, thanks. I'm not much of a PM fan but may check out a song or two on this :)
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