When he’s 64…
Paul McCartney showed up in the headlines again this week, and his ex-wife was all over the news this past week due to the paparrazi that was found guilty of harassing her. Some ‘expert’ talks about Paul’s shame in this article, but I have to imagine Paul is a bit PO’d about his new record not getting a fraction of the interest that his personal life is getting.
When he imagined age 64, this surely couldn’t be what he expected, right?
The guy so famous for romanticizing ever-lasting love in his Sgt Peppers song marked his own 64th year by experiencing the full highs and lows of love and life, sometimes at the same time.
The highs obviously marked by releasing his very good (great?) solo record, Memory Almost Full, and the lows related to the prolonged divorce from Heather Mills that played out in the headlines for more than a year, and for the criticism he got when he decided to sign with the Starbucks label. And don’t forget he’s got a 3-yr old daughter to boot.
Being a fan of Wings music is kind of a guilty pleasure, since his post-Beatles music is usually compared unfavorably to the work that made him the biggest & richest entertainer on the planet. His last few solo records didn’t do much for me either, but I admit I was curious to listen to this one just to see whether he’d get all nasty toward his ex and regretful about the failed marriage, or if he was gonna produce another up-and-down record like he’s been known for of late.
Instead, I was pretty much dumbstruck when I listened to it. This is just a terrific record, showing off Paul’s ability to create great melodies, use rhythm piano just like he used to in some of his best work, and it is all the more impressive given that he doesn’t have anything to prove. It reminds me of some of his early Wings work, like McCartney or Ram.
Some thoughts about a couple of the songs: I figured at first that the tune ‘Gratitude’ would be some kind of potshot at Heather M; instead it seems to be some post-divorce paean of respect to his ex. Or, perhaps he just wanted to play w/ the entertainment media that were expecting the same, and were surely disappointed that he sincerely sings about the good times of his short 2nd marriage. Speculation…
I especially like the song ‘222′ which is stuck on the bonus disk, part of a de-lux limited edition package for the record. This song was totally unexpected, kind of like the whole record. Macca’s still got it at 64.
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i have to say that i agree wholeheartedly. the record is just good. when i put it in for the first time a couple months ago while i was doing random shit around my apartment, i was completely ready to have it play through without me even noticing, losing its competition with my daydreaming.
but from the very first song, which i still think is one of the best on the record, it had my full attention.
PW — can you email me 222? for some reason i don’t have the bonus disk version, and by some reason, i mean because i didn’t buy the record.
nice review…
Jeez, gotta say my favorite song is House of Wax. I was blown away by it as I heard it on the shuffle while listening to new music adn cutting the grass. I was really taken back to the Revolver/Sgt. Pep days.
nq