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[tkitna]

I broke this out again and listened to it on my way to work.  Pauls last really good album.

That's is all.

[Moogmodule]

I broke this out again and listened to it on my way to work.  Pauls last really good album.

That's is all.

It's a good album. I think Paul accepted (with difficulty) the authority of Nigel Godrich as producer. Just what he needed.

Great cover too.

[Kevin]

Yes, good. It seems that when artists reach a certain age they feel compelled to release their "honest" album, and so it is.
Nice to hear Paul's vocals nice and clean for once.
I've just read it only sold 45000 copies in the UK. That's astonishing. But I guess that if it wasn't McCartney would I listen to it? Probably not.

[Moogmodule]

Yes, good. It seems that when artists reach a certain age they feel compelled to release their "honest" album, and so it is.
Nice to hear Paul's vocals nice and clean for once.
I've just read it only sold 45000 copies in the UK. That's astonishing. But I guess that if it wasn't McCartney would I listen to it? Probably not.

That is low. When you consider it sold twice that in France and 1.3 million worldwide. Interestingly Memory Almost Full, which seemed to be a more low key promotion, sold twice that in the UK.

[tkitna]

Yes, good. It seems that when artists reach a certain age they feel compelled to release their "honest" album, and so it is.
Nice to hear Paul's vocals nice and clean for once.
I've just read it only sold 45000 copies in the UK. That's astonishing. But I guess that if it wasn't McCartney would I listen to it? Probably not.

Honest is a good way to label it Kevin.  Paul was messed up during this album and had those bitter feelings towards Heather.  I always said that it took a little kick in the pants for these guys to write something good and this is a prime example.  Its not perfect for sure, but its personal and I dig that. 

I had no idea it sold so poorly.  That should be a testament of how good it is.   

[oldbrownshoe]

'Memory Almost Full' was actually given away free with a daily newspaper a few months after its release.

My feelings about 'Creation' is that, even at just under 47 minutes, the whole thing seemed a bit too long.
A taught 10-track CD clocking in at 32 minutes would have improved it.
'Fine Line' and 'Jenny Wren' were pretty good singles though.

I picked up a (free) Ray Davies CD a few years ago and Ray seems incapable now of writing a song under 5 minutes.
His greatest songs (i.e. the 60s ones) rarely exceeded 3 minutes.
 

[Mr Mustard]

I thought I'd give "Chaos And Creation In The Backyard" another listen and I was surprised by how much I've gone off it. My God Macca sounds so old. And fragile. And his talent for melody seems to have largely deserted him (as per his previous album, "Driving Rain") although "Fine Line" and the delicate "Jenny Wren" show glimpses of it still in there somewhere, buried deep. I really don't think upset and discontent sit well artistically with Paul. John was brilliant at channelling all his fears and angst into powerful recordings but Paul flourishes best when he's happy. And he doesn't sound at all happy, or confident, or in control. I liked it when it came out, but with hindsight I think that's because "Driving Rain" was so dire, and this does at least mark a slight improvement.

I decided to follow up with another listen to "Memory Almost Full". By contrast, I found it much better than my recollection. Barely a poor tune on it, it has a consistency and a positive vibe which permeates the whole album. Paul sounds about five or ten years younger, his voice is stronger, the whole thing is refreshing. Which is all very curious, since it was largely recorded immediately before "Chaos" then completed afterwards. So the recordings of the two albums overlapped; yet all the energy appears to have been reserved for "Memory", whereas "Chaos" has become the repository for all of Paul's doubt and insecurity, to me he sounds careworn - at times almost crushed.

For what it's worth I think "NEW" - the chronological follow up to "Memory Almost Full" - continues the positive momentum and is comfortably the best album he's released in nearly two decades.

[Kevin]

. My God Macca sounds so old. And fragile. And his talent for melody seems to have largely deserted him (as per his previous album, "Driving Rain") although "Fine Line" and the delicate "Jenny Wren" show glimpses of it still in there somewhere, buried deep.

I think the that was kind of he point. Paul is often critiscised for his reliance on melody and lazy lyric. I agree that this album isn't his natural state, but I'm glad he went out on a limb and tried, just the once.
His music can tend to be a bit "glossy" and his vocal a bit processed. Good on him for making an album where he abandons all his comforts. It's one of he few times you get a glimpse of the man himself.  And it's a good listen. I think a high point for he later part of his career.

[Mr Mustard]

I know what you're saying and I do admire the courage Paul put into this. But purely as a listening exercise I'm not taken with it I'm afraid. He just sounds miserable.... but without the feisty retaliation of a young Lennon who usually grappled with adversity head-on. Paul just sounds so tired and demoralised, and I can't enjoy that.

Paul is often critiscised for his reliance on melody

That's true and for the life of me, I'll never understand it. Writing quality, catchy, accessible pop music is so much harder than people seem to realise. To me it's always been a bit like criticising a chef for reliance on flavour and making his dishes too tasty, instead of "challenging".

[tkitna]

I thought I'd give "Chaos And Creation In The Backyard" another listen and I was surprised by how much I've gone off it. My God Macca sounds so old. And fragile. And his talent for melody seems to have largely deserted him (as per his previous album, "Driving Rain") although "Fine Line" and the delicate "Jenny Wren" show glimpses of it still in there somewhere, buried deep. I really don't think upset and discontent sit well artistically with Paul. John was brilliant at channelling all his fears and angst into powerful recordings but Paul flourishes best when he's happy. And he doesn't sound at all happy, or confident, or in control. I liked it when it came out, but with hindsight I think that's because "Driving Rain" was so dire, and this does at least mark a slight improvement.

I decided to follow up with another listen to "Memory Almost Full". By contrast, I found it much better than my recollection. Barely a poor tune on it, it has a consistency and a positive vibe which permeates the whole album. Paul sounds about five or ten years younger, his voice is stronger, the whole thing is refreshing. Which is all very curious, since it was largely recorded immediately before "Chaos" then completed afterwards. So the recordings of the two albums overlapped; yet all the energy appears to have been reserved for "Memory", whereas "Chaos" has become the repository for all of Paul's doubt and insecurity, to me he sounds careworn - at times almost crushed.

For what it's worth I think "NEW" - the chronological follow up to "Memory Almost Full" - continues the positive momentum and is comfortably the best album he's released in nearly two decades.

Like Kevin said, I think the mature sounding songs were the point.  The only song that didnt warm me like before was Jenny Wren.  His vocals do sound weak here in my opinion.  I wish he would have sang the song in a lower octave as the falsetto's have abandoned Paul at this point.  Love the guitar in the song though.  I'm not getting the melodies being absent on the record either.  There's not a lot of up beat tunes and tempo's, but I still feel and hear melodies.  Still say 'Too Much Rain' is the best song he's done for years.

I feel 'Memory Almost Full', 'Driving Rain', and 'New' are all carbon copies of each other,,,,,awful.  An artist catering to the public, trying to stay relevant and with the times where it just doesn't work anymore.  It took me at least 20 listens before I was able to tolerate 'New'.  People shouldn't have to work that hard to force themselves to find enjoyment from their favorite artist.  All three of those albums are forgettable and never leave the shelves for me, but once again, different strokes for different folks.

[tkitna]

Listened to 'Memory Almost Full' on the way to work today to see how its aged to my ears.  Not well unfortunately.  I love 'Only Mama Knows' (think its brilliant) and I like 2/3's of 'Mr. Bellamy' until he starts noodling around for another 1:00.  'House Of Wax' has some decent stuff happening every once in awhile but its pretty drawn out and boring.  I also like 'Nod Your Head' because its short and doesn't take itself seriously.  The rest is pretty dire IMO.  I ran out of time and didn't listen to the 4 other bonus tracks on the other CD.

[Mr Mustard]

Honestly, I think "Memory Almost Full" is a grower. The more I play it, the more I like it. The tunes are strong - I'd agree that "Only Mama Knows" is outstanding, but there are plenty of other goodies here once you open up to it.

There are reflections of some of Paul's better stuff recurring throughout this album in my opinion. "Ever Present Past" for example could have come straight off "Ram" as far as I'm concerned, "Vintage Clothes" would fit perfectly on "Tug Of War", and (regrettable falsetto aside) the lovely "You Tell Me" wouldn't be out of place on "Flaming Pie". I can understand your liking "House Of Wax" which has a strong flavour of "Back To The Egg" about it. All good McCartney albums and I file "Memory" up there near them. Oh and I almost forgot... surely the fun/bouncy "That Was Me" belongs on "Run Devil Run"!!! Have to disagree over "Nod Your Head" though - one of the only low points here for me, reminds me too much (God help us) of the horror that is "Press To Play".

I decided to re-listen to "Chaos" but still find most of the tunes (when they actually manifest at all) instantly forgettable; too often Paul seems to be delivering rambling recitals, semi-talking us through the lyrics rather than actually singing ("How Kind Of You", "At The Mercy" ) or else straining for too long on one note  ("This Never Happened Before", "Anyway"). Coming as it does from such a one time master vocalist, this is distressing to my ears. But I'm liking "Fine Line" and "Jenny Wren" (despite the vocal - guitar and melody carry it) as much as ever. No wonder they happened to be the singles and the album itself sold poorly.

The reason I love "NEW" is because it is choc full of tunes I instantly seemed to remember after just a couple of plays. A long time since any solo album has registered so quickly with me; it's very "Beatley" and that is never a bad thing! The title track owes a lot to "Penny Lane" for example.

[nimrod]

Listened to 'Memory Almost Full' on the way to work today to see how its aged to my ears.  Not well unfortunately.  I love 'Only Mama Knows' (think its brilliant) and I like 2/3's of 'Mr. Bellamy' until he starts noodling around for another 1:00.  'House Of Wax' has some decent stuff happening every once in awhile but its pretty drawn out and boring.  I also like 'Nod Your Head' because its short and doesn't take itself seriously.  The rest is pretty dire IMO.  I ran out of time and didn't listen to the 4 other bonus tracks on the other CD.

a couple of things for me

See Your Sunshine has a fab bass line 

The piano sound in End Of The End is horrible (compare it to Let It Be or Imagine)

Lousy cover

[tkitna]

"Ever Present Past" for example could have come straight off "Ram" as far as I'm concerned

Wow Mr.M, we are on the opposite side of the universe on this one.    When I played it today, I almost swore it was a Macca 2 throw away.  It just reminds me of that trippy, techno sound for some reason.

Have to disagree over "Nod Your Head" though - one of the only low points here for me, reminds me too much (God help us) of the horror that is "Press To Play".

Lol.  You never did like Press did you?  I always have liked that one, but absolutely hate 'Pipes Of Peace'.  Ehhhh

The reason I love "NEW" is because it is choc full of tunes I instantly seemed to remember after just a couple of plays. A long time since any solo album has registered so quickly with me; it's very "Beatley" and that is never a bad thing! The title track owes a lot to "Penny Lane" for example.

I found nothing memorable about 'NEW' and still don't.  That's the thing, every Paul record had at least one bright spot or something that grabbed me in some way, but 'NEW' has nothing I want to revisit.  Strangely enough, I felt 'Road' was the best song on the album and its not your typical Paul song.  My tastes are strange I guess.

[tkitna]

One other thing I was thinking about today, but don't think I've ever mentioned.  I hate when Paul hums and whistles threw verses of songs, and he does it a lot.  Its almost as though he's to lazy to write another verse so he hums.  Annoying.

[Mr Mustard]

My tastes are strange I guess.

I think you're being hard on yourself as usual Todd.

Like you said, different strokes for different folks... I always enjoy reading your opinions, and unlike me you're a musician, so it could be said I don't know what I'm talking about! 

What fascinates me is how we all hear these things differently, that's why I enjoy the microscopes. There is of course no "right" or "wrong", it's all subjective (although I'd personally find it difficult to understand how any fan of Paul couldn't like, say "Band On The Run", "Tug Of War" or "Ram"). I notice that we share a lot of common ground on Paul's earlier post-Beatles material... we seem to diverge more with the later stuff. But some of those more recent albums need time to "sink in".

I don't want to be too dismissive of "Chaos", so I'm going to give it a few more listens this weekend. In fact I might try a few others I've been rather offhand about ("Press To Play", "Driving Rain") as you say, there's usually something present to lift any album.

I'll probably report back on the "Paul's Albums" thread, if anyone's interested!

[Ovi]

Truly great album. I hear a lot of emotion in the songs. Love the production - lots of my favourite moments are Nigel Godrich touches, such as the hypnotizing strings, slowly ascending and descending and the tinkling celesta in 'Riding to Vanity Fair'.