Paul McCartney - Memory Almost Full

I admit a weakness for Paul McCartney albums. Ever since Flaming Pie, I feel like the guy's been on a good streak. And yeah, there are certain caveats with any McCartney record--you know there's gonna be filler, there's a good chance it'll dip into sugary-sweet, sappy love songs at some point--he's generally a very reliable songwriter. Honestly, if you take his body of work as a whole, he's written more excellent pop-rock songs than just about anyone else in the world. Period.

Memory Almost Full doesn't quite live up to the latter-day standards set by such fare as Flaming Pie or Chaos and Creation in the Backyard, but it's a solid effort with lots of bits to recommend it. The album's biggest flaw is that it feels so piecemeal; songs were recorded at different times with varying degrees of backup musicians (a handful of tracks featuring his backing band from Driving Rain, some feature just McCartney and another musician or two, and the majority are solo Macca). There's a disjointed, disorderly feel to this collection, despite the subtle overall thematic cohesion (many of the songs deal with death, dying, aging, and mortality). I can't fault McCartney for aiming too high--this is a record that tries very hard to be McCartney's definitive statement on mortality and the aging process, and manages to come across rather well in that regard--but the record as a whole falls short of this lofty goal. He seems to want the record to be a tour-de-force, an amalgamation of his previous efforts, styles, and experiments all rolled into a single tidy record. It's even got the Abbey Road-esque "pseudo-suite" second side, where there aren't any breaks between tracks in the second half of the album. Unfortunately, it ends up more sloppy than eclectic.

It starts out with the minimalistic "Dance Tonight," a song that Jack White could've possibly written (though in his hands, it would've been rather more menacing and less engaging than it is here). Mandolin, a simple thumping drum, and subtle bass and electric guitar give this song a directness and simple elegance that belies the arch blandness of the lyrics. "Ever Present Pass" sounds like a McCartney-ized version of the current mainstream rock trends (chunky guitar and synth riffs, thumping rhythm section, self-absorbed lyrics). Clearly, McCartney's been listening to the radio and taking notes. The trick, of course, is that McCartney plays the hook on a harpsichord rather than a guitar or piano.

It continues from there in fairly typical McCartney fashion. There are love ballads, song about wacky British characters, and trips down Memory Lane with detours into Nostalgia Drive. McCartney has a lot of tricks in his bag, as he usually does: vaguely hip-hop beats and rhythms in "Mr. Bellamy," a psych-out string intro to "You Tell Me," a straight-ahead rocker from left field at the end of the record with "Nod Your Head." The record sags in the latter third, weighed down by McCartney's efforts to be an Artist (capitol A) and an average guy down in the trenches of love or whatever making things a little too complicated. When he relaxes and lets the music do its thing--like on "Dance Tonight," "Ever Present Past," "Vintage Clothes," "That was Me," and "Nod Your Head"--the music is as good as anything he's done in the past decade or two. Sadly, he can't seem to leave well enough alone, and he constantly tampers with songs in the immaculate-bordering-on-fussy production style that he's always favored.

Ultimately, this McCartney album is a consolidation of his work, a look back over where he's been and what he's done. It's also a bit of a look forward; several songs hint that McCartney is still well aware of the trends in contemporary pop-rock and even a little willing to adapt some elements from those trends into his own work. While the record is more remarkable for what it attempts than for what it accomplishes, and it certainly won't bring any new fans into the fold who aren't already convinced of McCartney's excellence, it's still a solid record from a guy who's made enough albums in his life to know his craft. The craft here is undeniable, and when it's married to actual enthusiasm (such as in "Dance Tonight" or "Nod Your Head"), it's undeniably catchy.

~chuck

Song of the Moment: Paul McCartney, "Mr. Bellamy"