Paul McCartney - Save Us (2013)

Paul McCartney - NEW (2013)

Paul McCartney’s new album “NEW” is his sixteenth solo studio release and his first album of new material in six years. This release sees McCartney trying different things and experimenting a lot more than he has done in recent years both in terms of the recording of the album, as well as the overall sound. What is different about this album is that McCartney used four different producers to help him produce this record, after he initially set out to trial his favourite producers before eventually deciding to use them all. Giles Martin (son of George), Mark Ronson, Ethan Johns, and Paul Epworth all appear on this record helping Paul behind the mixing desk, with their presence being highly noticeable and having a significant impact in the creation of the overall feel and sound of the album.

“NEW” musically speaking is very varied and probably represents McCartney’s most diverse release in years. Although many of the tracks retain a pop/rock feel to them, some of the recordings are not typical of the traditional pop/rock style that has served McCartney well as a solo artist over the years, a style which instead has largely been replaced with a noticeably strong electronic pop sound and some unusual arrangements as well. The presence of four of the best producers in the business has also ensured that all the material whatever the style has a contemporary slickness to it and a heavily produced feel.

As for the material itself, well the album begins with a full on pop-rocker called “Save Us" which contains some Queen-inspired backing vocals in the chorus in what is a highly charged ferocious start to the album. This is followed by the alternative pop of “Alligator” and “On My Way to Work”, both of which are largely in the traditional McCartney mould all be it with a bit of contemporary pop production to spice things up. “Queenie Eye” is another stomping pop-rocker with a very catchy chorus, while “Early Days” an acoustic folk number is one of Paul’s best songs in recent years and captures him in a tender reflective mood as he sings about the pre-Beatle days and in particular his friendship with John Lennon. This is followed by title track “New” which is probably the most Beatles-sounding song on the album, with its psychedelic pop feel resembling “Got to Get You into My Life” and “Penny Lane”. This is definitely one of the standout songs on the album and captures Paul having fun musically with a brilliant acapella doo wop vocal outro. At the latter end of the record Paul returns to the guitar pop/rock which he is most familiar with in the form of “Everybody Out There” and “I Can Bet”, before he really begins to experiment with a more electronic pop sound. Songs such as “Appreciate”, “Road”, and “Looking at Her” are very adventurous in terms of their arrangements and overly produced electronic sound, but unfortunately it is here where this album falls down and begins to lag. I am sure he had the right intent and I applaud him for experimenting and trying new things, but these songs to me represent a bit of a bore considering some of the quality that appears on the first half of the album.

In conclusion then, overall I would say that this album represents a pretty ambitious offering from Paul and I compliment him for mixing it up stylistically when other established acts of a similar ilk would be more likely to stick with a tried and tested formula at this stage of their career. Although the injection of electronic and contemporary pop influences offer mixed results, there are definitely a few songs on here that show Paul at his strongest musically and represent some of his best work in years. Considering he is still recording and touring at age 71, as well as the fact that his last record was an indifferent collection of old standards this album is a pretty good effort. Paul’s attempt on “NEW” to rework his sound to suit a more modern audience, while also his decision to experiment with some more modern influences shows he at least still has plenty of musical ideas to play with, not to mention the energy and desire to turn those ideas into a reality, something that I applaud and marvel at.

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- Sam

 

 

 

 

Paul McCartney - Long Haired Lady (1971)

Paul & Linda McCartney - Ram (1971)

Much of the ex-Beatles solo material was either hit or miss, something that was going to be inevitable as it would be very difficult to continue with each release to match the quality of what was some of the greatest music ever committed to tape. Paul McCartney’s second solo album “Ram” however is definitely a hit. On this release Paul seems to return to his love of making music, and in many ways “Ram” represents a break from his Beatles past and a back to basics DIY approach to recording for him. Firstly, many of the songs on the album were conceived on his farm in Scotland, where he hid away from the public eye and the messy situation that was The Beatles breakup. This time away brought him closer to his family, while he kept himself busy by playing around on his guitar coming up with ideas for songs, but without the pressure to produce material for an album. The time out of the spotlight also seemed to translate well to the recording of the album, with Paul seemingly having fun with the songs on this album leading to a very loose sound across the album and experimentation with different song structures (short simple songs mixed with longer more experimental pieces), musical styles, and rhythms. Central to “Ram” is an underlying pop sound that includes a strong Beatles and Beach Boys influence in terms of melody and harmony on some tracks, but at the same time underneath this there is no formulaic concept style wise with folk, blues, and progressive/experimental rock making appearance throughout the album.

One notable aspect of this album was that it is the one and only album credited to Paul and Linda McCartney, and also marked the beginning of Linda’s involvement in Paul’s music, something that would become firmly established in Wings later on and would continue until her death in 1998. Linda co-wrote six of the songs on the album, sang harmony vocals on many of the tracks, and also encouraged Paul throughout the whole process in terms of song-writing while also acting as a calming influence during what had been a turbulent period in Paul’s life.

At the time of its release the record itself was panned by critics as being mediocre and uneven, critics that also included Paul’s former band mates who did not think much of the album musically. But what caught the wrath of the other Beatles the most was McCartney’s song lyrics, with John Lennon believing the songs “Too Many People”, “Dear Boy”, and “Back Seat Of My Car” as being subtle digs at him and Yoko, while George Harrison and Ringo Starr believed the song “3 Legs” to be an attack on the three ex-Beatles. Paul McCartney subsequently confirmed that the lyric “too many people preaching practices” from the song “Too Many People” was about John & Yoko, but denied that any of the other songs were about his formed band mates. Despite this initial reaction, time has improved the standing of Ram and it is now genuinely seen as one of McCartney’s greatest works, something that I support wholeheartedly. I believe “Ram” to be McCartney’s best solo album, while it would also sit in my top three Beatles solo albums in third place, edged out by “All Things Must Pass” and “John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band”. To me Ram is a proper collection of songs of equal standing with their being no absolute standout tracks but at the same time no weak tracks. Each song on the album is different from the next, while there is enough quality across the album to keep the listener engaged. So if you are interested in exploring what the ex-Beatles did once the party was over, Ram is definitely one of the albums you should start with.

 

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- Sam