Paul McCartney - The Official "Memory Almost Full" Album Thread

That really is a crap cover. I know CD covers need minimalism and, I suppose, it does stand out because it creates a very striking shape in your mind but, even so, it really is rubbish. Even if the chair had colour...

 

Of course! That's why those reviews aren't so "reliable"*, and, also, because the excitement determined by listening to the latest effort of one of their musical hero may confuse a little anybody's skill to judge in a "critical" way during these first listenings.

* for instance, there are few people who appreciate McCartney II.

 

Yes. But, especially if you're already a pop-rock icon, why do you absolutely need to have a successful single, and, thus, to demeanish the quality of your song trying to achieve that?

Isn't the quality more important than the sales?

It's not just the sound (which contains bits that I like very much), but the refrain, which is "sticky", but quite silly. Too much silly, maybe.

(Still, I think the overall song is better than most singles I hear, but this is even because the average quality is very low).

Ah, thank you.

 

Thig is, Paul keeps relying on others to release his albums...his label execs need the hit single, high chart position, etc...

He should release his own LPs ala Prince.

 

2 days without listening to EPP and I got back to it. I had fun. It's kind of dance-rock track, a departure from his latest singles. I bet we might get some remixied tracks out of it. Fun. And with a nice lyric!

 

I don't mind if he does different things, if it's something good.

It's not by doing different things that he can "interrupt the renaissance", but it's making quite banal refrains as the one in EPP, which sounds like a silly jingle.

I'm not expecting C&C part 2, I was expecting something more colourful, but still meaningful, and EEP is absolutely more colorful, but, musically, it has dangerously weak bits.

I hope it will work as a single, at least.

(But the problem with this is that he will consolidate his reputation as silly songs' writer, and not as the admirable composer than he is when he puts more effort in his songwriting).

 

Count me in. But the album is not about McCartney II.

 

If I can be of some help, there are nothing like EPP on the album, a rather dark one with some dry vocals in the vein of Chaos.

 

Methinks he's joking about no longer being here. The dark empty chair is a bit scary to say at least.

 

Perhaps the black colour has some "scary" meaning?

 

I was thinking, it's kind of a Paul's autograph on your old dark chair

 

Uh..wow! It sounds like exacty what I was hoping for.

 

You will like it. I thought I was spoil my Christmas day but on the contrary: it got even more exciting!

 

Didn't he release a single with Keith Partidge or was the Greg Brady?

 

Yes, you can... In fact this is good news...

And I like some of the lyrics.

Is "Nod Your Head" only a bonus track for the japanese edition, or will it appear in all the editions?

 

This is a good point. Since the beginning of the internet age, I've read advance reviews and impressions of McCartney albums, and I don't think I've ever read a bad or particularly negative review on internet fan sites and the like. The first time I start seeing any possibly negative reviews is when critics, usually in magazines and the like, start getting their advance copies.

Also, I think sometimes these early reviews don't always accruately even describe the music, at least compared to what I end up thinking about it once I actually hear it. Also, sometimes (certainly not always, and not neccesarily in the case of reviews on this board) very early reviews tend to be written by fans who aren't as able to accurately describe the music or instrumentation or production quality, etc. Then again, "mainstream" reviews aren't always accurate in this regard either.

I remember reading descriptions of "Driving Rain" well in advance, and these descriptions were totally off both in terms of describing the style of the music and the quality of it. That's not to say my impression is any more accurate than anybody else's. But take "Ever Present Past". Some have called this a "rocker", and this doesn't sound anything like what I would call a "rocker." Any review that characterizes the track as "rocker" is a review I'm not going to pay much attention to, because any or all of the other track descriptions could be equally off compared to my perception. Many early album reviews have also tended to compare tracks to previous specific McCartney tracks, and I often find these comparisons to be totally off as well.

 

No, that's a regular track. Very McCartney I-like.

 

Yeah, very right. Not a rocker, but I'd say it's a sort of dance track with some rock elements. I'm being fair: I used not to like this kind of music, but I kind change my view after listening to many other people's stuff - other artists, to be clear.
I was having my dinner thinking about this kind of music and something cool occurred to me. Get As I Write This Letter and think about this song arranged with am elect. drumtrack keeping thet beat and pumping bass. We'd have a 1962-63 dancing Beatle track. All elements are there, but they are old fashioned. It's kind of 60's dancing music, rumba and all of that

 

I like to call that stuff "processed" Mccartney--rock or pop with a modern, electronic vibe. Long Leather Coat, although more "rockin'" that EPP, is a good example, with its choppy synth bass effects. Press is another good example, although the synth bass and electronic percussion make it sound even more "processed." Ou Est Le Soleil is another one--although more dance oriented. There's more stuff in this vein on Macca II and the other 80's albums. Obviously, stuff on the Fireman albums, Twin Freaks, and Liverpool Sound Collage qualifies, to a certain extent.

 

All of these tracks you're talking about sound juicy for me

 

I think it's a little strange that McCartney seems so fatalistic (at least judging by some of the lyrics I've read, and the album cover). I know he's almost 65, but 65 isn't what it was in our grandparent's day. I realize that in terms of the music he is known for and the demands of that genre, he's certainly in December. I actually think he could continue writing songs for the rest of his life, and may very well do that, but recording and performing is going to be nearly impossible. His voice change alone kind of takes him out of the pop realm. That a huge difference between Paul and Bob Dylan. Dylan's voice was never pretty or versatile, so his aging voice isn't likely to be a detriment to his ability to record and perform. McCartney, on the other hand, has/had a pretty voice, and it was very versatile and he made good use of it.

That's not my point. He may toward the end of his performing career (which saddens me greatly), but he isn't exactly knocking on death's door. He's healthy, has a positive outlook, has close family, good friends, eats a good diet, etc... all the things that tend to lead to a long life. In the United States, a 65 year old man is the perfect age for running for President. The oldest candidate for President is 70. We have Senators and Supreme Court Justices serving into their 80s (even late 80s). Maybe McCartney is ruminating on death for his own reasons. Of course the requirements for being a politician are different than being a pop star, but I simply don't think Paul will be leaving us anytime soon.

 

Linda, John, George, his divorce from Heather? More than enough to start ya thinking about your own mortality.

 

maybe he's feeling really depressed, rather than death, loneliness. Which is a slow death in many cases for people.

 

The fear of loneliness on Paul is strong. You get that by reading most of his lyrics.
There's this fearful quote on Try Not To Cry: I want to enjoy being alive/ don't want to leave before I arrive...

 

If Paul is the kind of person who is capable of despair, I'd really be surprised. He's hidden it well. He's certainly had some extreme lows and extreme highs over the past decade, but he's Paul Mc-friggin-Martney. Judging by his music and interviews over his lifetime I think he may be the most mentally healthy rock star ever.