Emotional Turmoil = Great Music
Performer: Paul McCartney
The CD: “Memory Almost Full”
It’s no secret: Sir Paul has had a rotten year. A bitter divorce and a custody battle with his much-younger second wife, with his vast fortune at stake and the British tabloids eating up every minute of it with a spoon — that has to make your life seem fairly miserable at times. Luckily for us, when artists go through rough times, sometimes the result is a truly remarkable creation.
“Memory Almost Full” is McCartney’s best work since 1980’s “McCartney II” (which was recorded at another tumultuous time in McCartney’s life, following his fabled Japanese drug bust and eight-day stint in a Tokyo jail). This is the former Beatle’s first album in years that doesn’t suffer from the sheen of contentment that makes much of his post-Beatle music a little hard to take. When I reviewed McCartney’s last CD, “Chaos and Creation In The Backyard,” I noted how hard it was for him to produce music that stood up to his incredible catalog. With this CD, he has delivered an album that stands among his best.
The songs are tight and catchy–hummable beyond belief. This is some of McCartney’s finest work. It’s the work of a master in his twilight years, who can still make music with the best of them. Surprisingly, although McCartney’s partner in his doomed marriage is a strong presence on the album, there isn’t any bitterness. Sadness, yes, and regret. But Heather Mills McCartney isn’t portrayed as the villain of this CD.
On the song “My Ever Present Past” McCartney sings: “I’ve got too much on my plate. Don’t have no time to be a decent lover.” The song seems to be McCartney taking the blame for the failure of his marriage, with the age difference and his standing in the world playing a large part.
The song “Gratitude” expresses exactly that: gratitude for Ms. Mills showing McCartney how to love again following the death of his first wife, Linda. It’s either a truly sincere expression of how McCartney feels, or a complete masterpiece of sarcasm. My money’s on the former.
There’s more to the album than the McCartney’s dirty laundry. “See Your Sunshine” is a lovely tune about his young daughter. “That Was Me” is a bluesy romp through the events of McCartney’s life, ranging from his childhood, through the Beatle years and up to today.
There are also some nice story-songs in this collection. “House Of Wax” and “Mr. Bellamy” employ striking arrangements to tell offbeat stories with sketchy snapshots.
The two most-rocking moments on the CD are the first and last tracks. “Dance Tonight” is a brilliantly catchy mandolin-driven stomper with simple lyrics that recall some of McCartney’s lighter moments in the Beatles like “Birthday” and “Why Don’t We Do It In The Road.” “Nod Your Head” is an all-out rocker, in the vein of “I’ve Had Enough” from the “London Town” album.
The highlight of the album, however, is “The End Of The End,” which will be played at baby boomer funerals for decades to come. This slow, but optimistic, reflection on a life well-lived is designed to comfort with lyrics like: “At the end of the end it’s the start of a journey to a much better place, and this wasn’t bad, so a much better place would have to be special. No need to be sad.” This tune may be the tear-jerker of the century.
“Memory Almost Full” is a pretty amazing achievement. It’s available exclusively at Starbucks Coffee and on iTunes, which may seem strange for what may be a landmark album in Paul McCartney’s solo career, but if this is the result of Sir Paul on a caffiene bender, I can only hope the partnership continues.
– By Rudy Pannuci
