Memory Almost Full
Paul McCartney
Engineer: David Kahne, Geoff Emerick, Steve Orchard, Paul Hicks, Adam Noble,
Producer: David Kahne
Hear Music, 2007
1 CD
Catalogue #: 7230348
EAN: 0888072303485
UPC: 888072303485
Personnel: Rusty Anderson (guitar); Paul "Wix" Wickens (keyboards); Brian Ray (bass guitar); Abe Laboriel Jnr. (drums).
The first release from the Starbucks-backed Hear Music label, 2007's MEMORY ALMOST FULL, is a significant point in Paul McCartney's long and legendary career. Not only does it mark the end of his decades-long relationship with Capitol Records, MEMORY is easily one of McCartney's most Beatlesque solo outings, a notion particularly reinforced by the album's ABBEY ROAD-styled closing suite.
Even before that dynamic medley, however, McCartney offers up some of his most vibrant songs in years--most notably the jangly opener, "Dance Tonight," and "Ever Present Past," a wonderfully catchy ode to memory--and these tracks contrast well with the largely subdued numbers on CHAOS AND CREATION IN THE BACKYARD. As with that preceding pop-oriented outing, Macca plays almost all instruments himself, although instead of working with producer Nigel Godrich again, he goes back to working with David Kahne for a more muscular, straight-ahead sound. By the time the upbeat "That Was Me" signals the record's closing sequence, it is abundantly clear that this is top-shelf McCartney, and listeners can almost hear a hearty round of applause as "Nod Your Head" brings MEMORY to its majestic end.
Tracklist
Paul McCartney
Of all the Beatles, Paul McCartney was by far the most successful as a solo act. While many (including John Lennon) dismissed his post-Beatles output as lightweight pap, Paul's extraordinary popularity spoke for itself. "Mull of Kintyre" was for a time the most successful single ever. In the 1990s, McCartney (now a knight of the British Empire) tried his hand at classical composition and movies, while collaborating with admirers like Elvis Costello. Meanwhile, he continued to produce the kind of rock & roll he helped create, though without the kind of chart-topping success that he enjoyed in previous decades.
