Allusion to the digital world though it may be, there's a sweet, elegiac undercurrent to the title of Paul McCartney's Memory Almost Full, an acknowledgement that it was written and recorded when McCartney was 64, the age he mythologized on Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, released almost exactly 40 years before Memory. Certainly, McCartney has mortality on the mind, but this isn't an entirely unusual occurrence for him in this third act of his solo career. Ever since his wife Linda's death from cancer in 1998, he's been dancing around the subject, peppering Flaming Pie with longing looks back, grieving by throwing himself into the past on the covers album Run Devil Run, slowly coming to terms with his status as the old guard on the carefully ruminative Chaos and Creation in the Backyard. But if that previous record was precise, bearing all the hallmarks of meticulous producer Nigel Godrich, Memory Almost Full is startlingly bright and frequently lively, an album that embraces McCartney's unerring gift for melody. Yet for as pop as it is, this is not an album made with any illusion that Paul will soon have a succession of hit singles: it's an art-pop album, not unlike either of the McCartney albums. Sometimes this is reflected in the construction --- the quick succession of short songs at the end, uncannily (and quite deliberately) sounding like a suite -- sometimes in the lyrics, but the remarkable thing is that McCartney never sounds self-consciously pretentious here, as if he's striving to make a major statement. Rather, he's quietly taking stock of his life and loves, his work and achievements. Unlike latter-day efforts by Johnny Cash or the murky Daniel Lanois-produced albums by Bob Dylan, mortality haunts the album, but there's no fetishization of death. Instead, McCartney marvels at his life -- explicitly so in the disarmingly guileless "That Was Me," where he enthuses about his role in a stage play in grammar school with the same vigor as he boasts about playing the Cavern Club with the Beatles -- and realizes that when he reaches "The End of the End," he doesn't want anything more than the fond old stories of his life to be told.
This matter-of-fact acknowledgement that he's in the last act of his life hangs over this album, but his penchant for nostalgia -- this is the man who wrote the sepia-toned music hall shuffle "Your Mother Should Know" before he was 30, after all -- has lost its rose-tinted streak. Where he once romanticized days gone by, McCartney now admits that we're merely living with "The Ever Present Past," just like how although we live in the present, we still wear "Vintage Clothes." He's no longer pining for the past, since he knows where the present is heading, yet he seems disarmingly grateful for where his journey has taken him and what it has meant for him, to the extent that he slings no arrows at his second wife, Heather Mills, he only offers her "Gratitude." Given the nastiness of the coverage of his recent divorce, Paul might be spinning his eternal optimism a bit hard on this song, but it isn't forced or saccharine -- it fits alongside the clear-eyed sentiment of the rest of Memory Almost Full. It rings true to the open-heartedness of his music, and the album delivers some of McCartney's best latter-day music. Memory Almost Full is so melodic and memorable, it's easy to take for granted his skill as a craftsman, particularly here when it feels so natural and unforced, even when it takes left turns, which it thankfully does more than once. Best of all, this is the rare pop meditation on mortality that doesn't present itself as a major statement, yet it is thematically and musically coherent, slowly working its way under your skin and lodging its way into your cluttered memory. On the surface, it's bright and accessible, as easy to enjoy as the best of Paul's solo albums, but it lingers in the heart and mind in a way uncommon to the rest of his work, and to many other latter-day albums from his peers as well.
With growing controversy and disucssion over Paul McCartney's NEW hit solo album (possibly his best ever), Memory Almost Full explores the world of McCartney's past, with an explosion of new rock style, mixed with the classic Beatles Delayed ending, and overall a mix of new and old.The Album itself may just be the BEST solo album in McCartney's History! The album not only contains songs that mo...
More >
Hey MOG! I'm back in full effect. I've been listening to Paul McCartney's Memory's Almost Full quite a bit lately. Reviews have been pretty good, though for most critics, it's been difficult to separate the music from the fact it was released on Starbucks' Hear Music label.Of course, Hear Music's success will depend on the strength of its product. McCartney's solo work overall is a bit spotty...
More >
Tough to quantify Paul McCartney after all these years. Cultural institution? Still-vital artist? Rich has-been? Puerile, sometimes infantile romantic? The Cute Beatle? I guess he’s a bit of each, but there’s no denying his effortless way with a melody, his rock ‘n’ roll cred, and his usually reliable pop instincts.As a singer, musician and composer, McCartney was always the most prolific,
More >
The first few seconds of Paul McCartney's upcoming single "Ever Present Past" brought to mind the opening to The Bob Crewe Generation's "Music To Watch Girls By". Very sixties. Paul always has cool song titles from "Helter Skelter" and "Fool On The Hill" to in your face titles like "Why Don't We Do It In The Road" and "Here Today". They're almost always poetic in title alone.Of interesting n...
More >
Following his Friday night headlining Coachella performance Sir Paul McCartney will head to Vegas to christen the new bigger and badder version of the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino's the New Joint. Usually not a big deal, but McCartney and the concert promoters, Concerts West/AEG Live, are trying to break some world records with this April 19th gig. First, they're saying that this one-off gig sold ...
More >
After only a year Starbuck's Hear Music record label will be handing over the label's management duties to Concord Music Group. Since forming in March 2007 Starbucks has signed and released albums from former Beatle Paul McCartney, Joni Mitchell."Now is the appropriate time to restructure our entertainment business to better align our efforts with our overall business strategies," Howard Schult...
More >
I paid for Paul McCartney's Memory Almost Full. Why? Because every time I walked into Starbucks I was accosted by that "Ever Present Past"'s ididadoodah and it sounded good. So, yeah, I'm a little P.O.ed that the folks in London will able to pick up the May 18th edition of the Mail On Sunday, a UK version of The New York Post, and whip out the album for FREE. McCartney is "notorious for being a...
More >
While I like a lot of Paul's new CD, I must admit that this song is my fave. The first time I heard I thought : "Whoa, his voice is really going", as it sounded weak and strained. Yet, the more I heard it the more I grew to love that vocal, because it seemed to encompass fragility. It may well be the most emotional-sounding Macca vocal ever. But besides that, I think the melody is stellar, the ...
More >
Tough to quantify Paul McCartney after all these years. Cultural institution? Still-vital artist? Rich has-been? Puerile, sometimes infantile romantic? The Cute Beatle? I guess he’s a bit of each, but there’s no denying his effortless way with a melody, his rock ‘n’ roll cred, and his usually reliable pop instincts.As a singer, musician and composer, McCartney was always the most prolific,
More >
Displaying his versatility and enthusiasm for good music, Paul McCartney is excited about the new remix of "Nod Your Head" from his new album, Memory Almost Full. The remix was produced by Sly and Robbie, infamous for their collaborations as the Taxi Gang and with Sinead O'Connor on her "reggae album." Sly and Robbie are the top of the game in dub music, playing bass guitar and drums as instr...
More >
The first few seconds of Paul McCartney's upcoming single "Ever Present Past" brought to mind the opening to The Bob Crewe Generation's "Music To Watch Girls By". Very sixties. Paul always has cool song titles from "Helter Skelter" and "Fool On The Hill" to in your face titles like "Why Don't We Do It In The Road" and "Here Today". They're almost always poetic in title alone.Of interesting n...
More >
Ex-Beatle Paul McCartney reveleaed to UK newspaper The Sunday Mirrorthat he will not be hitting the road in support of his new solo album, Memory Almost Full. McCartney will be putting his rock and roll lifestyle on hold until his divorce from golddigger Heather Mills, his second wife and of their 3-year old daughter Beatrice Milly McCartney, is finalized. "I'm going to do bits and pieces to su...
More >
Paul McCartney played to 700 people last night at New York City’s newest venue, the Highline Ballroom. Macca’s camp put the show together last minute to promote his new album Memory Almost Full, which debuted this week at Number Three on the Billboard Top 200. The show featured 20 songs, both old Beatles tunes and new songs off Memory Almost Full. McCartney dedicated the intimate performace to
More >
Paul McCartney will play a 'secret' New York city show tomorrow night (June 13) at the Highline Ballroom, according to the artists website.There will be a limited number of free wristband given away at the Ballroom's box office, available June 13 from 12.30pm (EDT).McCartney is promoting his new album ??Memory's Almost Full?? (Hear Music - Starbucks!). The album was released in early June and h...
More >
Paul McCartney's new album is on Emusic. "For real, right here":http://www.emusic.com/album/Paul-McCartney-Memory-Almost-Full-MP3-Download/11044254.htmlGlad I didn't buy it off of Itunes yesterday.
More >
Paul McCartney and his estranged wife, the one-legged gold-digger Heather Mills, have failed to reach a settlement in their divorce. The two, who spent most of last week in court negotiating their divorce but to no avail, will now have a high court judge decide how much of McCartney's estimated $1.7 billion Mills will receive.McCartney had reportedly settled on $50 million, but Mills wanted $10...
More >
Paul McCartney is a good musician and all, but is this maybe unfair treatment of employees?Tomorrow, Starbucks will have Paul McCartney's premier Starbucks release playing nonstop throughout the day. A Barista with a 6 hour shift will listen to the Memory Almost Full album from start to finish at least 8 times! According to yahoo news:Starbucks Corp. estimates that some 6 million people will b...
More >
In a wild turn of events, eMusic has acquired the rights to distribute Paul McCartney's brand new album, Memory Almost Full as a DRM-free digital download. Even better - it is included in the free downloads offered to new users.Hypebot has the scoop.Mike the Knife has the best review of the new album.If you worked at Starbucks today, I apologize for bringing this topic up....
More >
on a ridiculous note, wiki says the title of Paul McCartney's new album :Memory Almost Full is an anagram of "for my soulmate LLM" (The initials of Linda Louise McCartney)...
More >
| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
|---|---|---|
| 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 The End of the End |
|
|
| 13 Nod Your Head |
|
|
| 14 In Private |
|
|
| 15 Why So Blue |
|
|
| 16 222 |
|
|
| 17 Paul Talks About The Music Of Memory Almost Full |
|
|
Click to purchase…
© 2006-2009 Mog Inc. All Rights Reserved
 "Memory Almost Full")
