New - Track-by-track thoughts
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RMartinez:
That's your opinion. I have mine. I disagree with you.
Indeed, we'll have to agree to disagree!
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Day 2: a couple of times more through the album. "New" is still my favorite song on the album, but that's been out for a while now, so I'll talk about the rest. No doubt - "Everybody Out There" has been my 'go-to' track since getting it. It's been growing on me since he debuted it live. "Save Us" starting off the album really seems to work nicely. I wasn't into it at first, when done live, but the album version got me into it. "On My Way To Work" has been stuck in my head since last night. Catchy tune that I am really enjoying. The first 8 songs of "New" seem to draw me in a lot more than the latter songs, though I'm diggin' the little "Get Back" flavor on "I Can Bet". I like this album better than MAF, a LOT better than CACITB and DR. I think this is his best since Flaming Pie (but not as good). I'm not counting live albums, covers, Fireman, classical, etc. - just solo original - though some of those other ones I would rate higher than "New" as well. In my opinion: New - 8/10 Memory Almost Full - 7/10 Chaos and Creation In The Backyard - 5/10 Driving Rain - 6/10 Flaming Pie - 9/10
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Here is how I hear NEW: ALLIGATOR ? pretty good song, Wings-ish guitar lick. 8/10 APPRECIATE ? weird dance groove, not much of a song. 4/10 EARLY DAYS ? nice acoustic tune, not very McCartney-ish or Beatle-ish, very American sounding. 6/10 EVERYBODY OUT THERE ? good song, verses could use a harmony under Paul?s, would strengthen the melody, Paul being spiritual but not as good as HOPE OF DELIVERANCE. 8/10 GET ME OUT OF HERE ? another American sounding song, acoustic southern-flavored. Not sure why he is doing this. 5/10 SAVE US ? good rock tune, but not as good as ONLY MAMA KNOWS. 7/10 ON MY WAY TO WORK ? a bit forced, McCartney trying to write about ?a day in his life? it?s OK, not great. 6/10 QUEENIE EYE ? kind of like THAT WAS ME, kind of a White Album throw away, bad Lennon. 6/10 NEW ? great pop song in the style I expect from McCartney, EVER PRESENT PAST of this CD. 9/10 HOSANNA ? Nice song, acoustic Paul, very 70s. 7/10 I CAN BET ? OK song, cool studio tricks, song is so so. 6/10 LOOKING AT HER ? No, just Paul doodling, not his style. 4/10 ROAD ? another song with weird electronic intro and moody background sounds weak melody WTF?? 2/10 TURNED OUT ? sounds George-ish, could hear George singing this, OK song, middle is not good. 6/10 GET ME OUT OF HERE ? acoustic, slide American sounding folk style, WHY????? Blues tinged. Just a riff, not a great song. 5/10 SCARED ? Paul piano song, OK, not great. 5/10 If I am harsh, it is because I expect greatness. Since 2002, I have heard McCartney just doodling a lot in the studio, lots of studio tricks and sounds that may come off as "modern" but are not songwriting. Some things on FLOWERS, OFF THE GROUND and FLAMING PIE had this vibe, but mostly those albums had songwriting, Paul McCartney songwriting on them. A lot of what I hear in the last eleven years is just "vibes" and "grooves" and Paul repeating a vocal riff or something. I listen and ask myself, "If someone in a bar played this with an acoustic guitar or a piano, would I like it? Really like it?" I try and go beyond the "I am a McCartney fan, do I like this?" Of course a McCartney fan will like it! But the older I get, the less patience I have for that sort of thing. Why are there THREE acoustic songs in a southern USA style??? McCartney did that with ROCKY RACCOON and much better with that one song. As far as Blues, I'd rather hear ON THE WAY from McCartney II than GET ME OUT OF HERE. I wish McCartney would have focused on ten strong McCartney style songs, which he clearly can do. Hey, these are just opinions! I know many will disagree! Nonetheless, NEW will sell loads of units. I bought it, hook, line, and stinker!
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Ok, proper song by song review : Save Us - Classic uptempo McCartney.Could be from BOTR, BTTE, Flowers in The Dirt , Off The ground or Flaming Pie. In a perfect world , this would be a massive hit single. Love the little "Queen" bit . 9/10 Alligator - starts off like a Driving Rain song - the chorus sounds a bit like a LIly Allen Song ! Impressive high register vocals for someone whose voice is apparently "Shot"! 7/10. On My Way To Work - Ok song.Doesn't really do much , but is a pleasant listen nonetheless. Melody is quite catchy , but the tempo is pedestrian. 6/10 Queenie Eye - WOW ! Great arrangement, Great performance ,quirky, majestic,great chords. A 100 carat gold single if I ever heard one . Again in a perfect world.... This sounds like Gary Barlow/Take That trying to sound like the Beatles! 10/10 Early Days - One that has really grown on me . Tender, fragile and poignant. For those who think Paul's voice has suddenly deteriorated, I find this song AND performance incredibly reminiscent of "The Songs We Were Singing" from "Flaming Pie" 16 years ago... 7/10 New - classic swinging 60's Macca. Infectuous , clever and upbeat. "Penny Lane" meets "Got to get you into my life". I see from the sleeve notes, that it has real horns on it . Despite some peoples thoughts, I always thought they were real - just heavily compressed .Nice work Mark Ronson too 9/10 Appreciate - like an updated "Press To play" song reminiscent of "Pretty Little Head". Its not a bad song, but doesn't do enough for me.Good "club" song , but possibly my least favourite on the album along with "Road" and "Struggle" .... 6/10 Everybody Out there - straight out of the "Flaming Pie/Off The Ground " school of McCartney tracks. I have mixed feelings in the extreme here. The "Everybody out There" bit seems contrived and meaningless, while the "there but for the grace of god" bit , is both musically and lyrically beautiful - so on balance ... 7/10 Hossana - At first I thought this was incredibly ordinary. At day two I now think it is understated but beautiful. The chorus knocks me out .Hairs on the back of my neck stuff. This is a bit like "New's" version of Winedark Open Sea. It also reminds me of some of the stuff that Ethan Johns did with Crowded House on the "Time On Earth" album. For the chorus alone .... 8/10 I Can Bet - SUPERB! Perfect, clsassic McCartney pop/rock. It has everything. Great performance , and production. Touches of wings - the spirit of Linda on moog ! Quirky new recording touches and arrangement - and a killer catchy chorus. THIS to me is what a number one single sounds like! 10/10 Looking At Her - Another one that crept up on me ! Thought little of it first, but the chorus is sublime The modern production style works well with the song . 8/10 Road - Maybe my least fav after "Appreciate"and "Struggle". It's good enough , and ambitious , but it hasn't caught my imagination .... yet. One of the tracks on the album with more cutting edge production. This also reminds me of "Pretty Little Head" from "Press To Play". 6/10 Turned Out - This song sounds like it was written by George Harrison ! Paul said that "Friends to go " from "Chaos" was like a George song - this SO much more so. The melody chords and slide guitar are VERY George. 8/10 Get Me Out Of Here - Another one that I thought at first " whats the big deal" , but that has totally changed . McCartney delta blues style! Lo-Fi vocals, great Robert Johnson style acoustic guitar, and Seasick Steve style percussion. This is reminiscent of the Liverpool band "Gomez". 7/10 Struggle - An extra track on the Japanese edition. Would fit perfectly on Electric Arguments by The Fireman. I haven't heard this as much as the others , but at the moment sounds very much to me like an experimental Paul B side. If the production was less experimental , I think I'd enjoy the basis of the song more. 6/10 Scared - A nice Paul piano ballad, but imo not in the same league as "From a Lover To A Friend", "Your Loving Frame", "This Never happened To Me before" , or "I want to Come Home". That said , it is still a good song.It sounds like a bit of an afterthought though, and with a bit more work on the arrangement, I may have thought more of it.Have to say , a really odd ending to the album... 7/10 When all is said and done, I think the person who has made the biggest overall impression on me production wise of the four involved, would have to be Paul Epworth. "Save Us" and "Queenie Eye" are just VERY well made in every way possible...
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RMartinez:
Here is how I hear NEW: ALLIGATOR ? pretty good song, Wings-ish guitar lick. 8/10 APPRECIATE ? weird dance groove, not much of a song. 4/10 EARLY DAYS ? nice acoustic tune, not very McCartney-ish or Beatle-ish, very American sounding. 6/10 EVERYBODY OUT THERE ? good song, verses could use a harmony under Paul?s, would strengthen the melody, Paul being spiritual but not as good as HOPE OF DELIVERANCE. 8/10 GET ME OUT OF HERE ? another American sounding song, acoustic southern-flavored. Not sure why he is doing this. 5/10 SAVE US ? good rock tune, but not as good as ONLY MAMA KNOWS. 7/10 ON MY WAY TO WORK ? a bit forced, McCartney trying to write about ?a day in his life? it?s OK, not great. 6/10 QUEENIE EYE ? kind of like THAT WAS ME, kind of a White Album throw away, bad Lennon. 6/10 NEW ? great pop song in the style I expect from McCartney, EVER PRESENT PAST of this CD. 9/10 HOSANNA ? Nice song, acoustic Paul, very 70s. 7/10 I CAN BET ? OK song, cool studio tricks, song is so so. 6/10 LOOKING AT HER ? No, just Paul doodling, not his style. 4/10 ROAD ? another song with weird electronic intro and moody background sounds weak melody WTF?? 2/10 TURNED OUT ? sounds George-ish, could hear George singing this, OK song, middle is not good. 6/10 GET ME OUT OF HERE ? acoustic, slide American sounding folk style, WHY????? Blues tinged. Just a riff, not a great song. 5/10 SCARED ? Paul piano song, OK, not great. 5/10 If I am harsh, it is because I expect greatness. Since 2002, I have heard McCartney just doodling a lot in the studio, lots of studio tricks and sounds that may come off as "modern" but are not songwriting. Some things on FLOWERS, OFF THE GROUND and FLAMING PIE had this vibe, but mostly those albums had songwriting, Paul McCartney songwriting on them. A lot of what I hear in the last eleven years is just "vibes" and "grooves" and Paul repeating a vocal riff or something. I listen and ask myself, "If someone in a bar played this with an acoustic guitar or a piano, would I like it? Really like it?" I try and go beyond the "I am a McCartney fan, do I like this?" Of course a McCartney fan will like it! But the older I get, the less patience I have for that sort of thing. Why are there THREE acoustic songs in a southern USA style??? McCartney did that with ROCKY RACCOON and much better with that one song. As far as Blues, I'd rather hear ON THE WAY from McCartney II than GET ME OUT OF HERE. I wish McCartney would have focused on ten strong McCartney style songs, which he clearly can do. Hey, these are just opinions! I know many will disagree! Nonetheless, NEW will sell loads of units. I bought it, hook, line, and stinker!
Amazing how different people hear different things, I can't get enough of the album. I think it's incredibly good! Look on the bright side, at least you'll not have to sit through any of the tracks live in New Mexico...
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titorules007:
sarah1471:
RMartinez:
sarah1471:
Ok so I have spent the day (whilst working) listening constantly to the album. Like all fans I was desperate for this to be brilliant.............but apart from a few songs this is not (for me) a great one.. Save Us 8/10 Alligator 8/10 On My Way Back to Work 2/10 Queenie Eye 7/10 Early Days 6/10 New 8/10 Appreciate 2/10 Everybody Out There 8/10 Hosanna 0/10 I Can Bet 7/10 Looking At Her 2/10 Road 9/10 Turned Out 4/10 Get Me Out of Here 4/10 Scared 0/10 So five songs out of 15 that I love....but TWO should have been binned and will be "skipped" for ever more.....................this is JUST MY opinion. Scared is just "lazy" song writing and Hosanna....................Yawn
I appreciate your honest opinions. I think this is an ok CD so far. It doesn't stack up to MAF, but is in line with CHAOS and DRIVING for my tastes. Song for song, FLAMING PIE and OFF THE GROUND leave it in the dust. IMO.
Totally agree
How do you totaly agree when 3 post back you said it was Paul's best post beatles album. I love the Album. Not sure if its better than Flaming Pie but I like it more than Chaos and MAF. I think there is a lot of pairity on this album amongst the fans. Some people hate songs while others love them and almost all ofthe songs on the Album are brilliant in soneones eyes. I really like Alligator, Save us, everybody out there, Road, new, and Early Days. Dont really like Appreciate but some of you love it. Jusy goes to show you how great of an album this really is. b
No No!! I was quoting Beatles4ever&ever when I said "best post beatles album"....but I dont know how to "quote" people on here...I DONT think it is the best post Beatles album...I think is BELOW FP,OTG and MAF....but a little better than Press
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cfergoid:
RMartinez:
Here is how I hear NEW: ALLIGATOR ? pretty good song, Wings-ish guitar lick. 8/10 APPRECIATE ? weird dance groove, not much of a song. 4/10 EARLY DAYS ? nice acoustic tune, not very McCartney-ish or Beatle-ish, very American sounding. 6/10 EVERYBODY OUT THERE ? good song, verses could use a harmony under Paul?s, would strengthen the melody, Paul being spiritual but not as good as HOPE OF DELIVERANCE. 8/10 GET ME OUT OF HERE ? another American sounding song, acoustic southern-flavored. Not sure why he is doing this. 5/10 SAVE US ? good rock tune, but not as good as ONLY MAMA KNOWS. 7/10 ON MY WAY TO WORK ? a bit forced, McCartney trying to write about ?a day in his life? it?s OK, not great. 6/10 QUEENIE EYE ? kind of like THAT WAS ME, kind of a White Album throw away, bad Lennon. 6/10 NEW ? great pop song in the style I expect from McCartney, EVER PRESENT PAST of this CD. 9/10 HOSANNA ? Nice song, acoustic Paul, very 70s. 7/10 I CAN BET ? OK song, cool studio tricks, song is so so. 6/10 LOOKING AT HER ? No, just Paul doodling, not his style. 4/10 ROAD ? another song with weird electronic intro and moody background sounds weak melody WTF?? 2/10 TURNED OUT ? sounds George-ish, could hear George singing this, OK song, middle is not good. 6/10 GET ME OUT OF HERE ? acoustic, slide American sounding folk style, WHY????? Blues tinged. Just a riff, not a great song. 5/10 SCARED ? Paul piano song, OK, not great. 5/10 If I am harsh, it is because I expect greatness. Since 2002, I have heard McCartney just doodling a lot in the studio, lots of studio tricks and sounds that may come off as "modern" but are not songwriting. Some things on FLOWERS, OFF THE GROUND and FLAMING PIE had this vibe, but mostly those albums had songwriting, Paul McCartney songwriting on them. A lot of what I hear in the last eleven years is just "vibes" and "grooves" and Paul repeating a vocal riff or something. I listen and ask myself, "If someone in a bar played this with an acoustic guitar or a piano, would I like it? Really like it?" I try and go beyond the "I am a McCartney fan, do I like this?" Of course a McCartney fan will like it! But the older I get, the less patience I have for that sort of thing. Why are there THREE acoustic songs in a southern USA style??? McCartney did that with ROCKY RACCOON and much better with that one song. As far as Blues, I'd rather hear ON THE WAY from McCartney II than GET ME OUT OF HERE. I wish McCartney would have focused on ten strong McCartney style songs, which he clearly can do. Hey, these are just opinions! I know many will disagree! Nonetheless, NEW will sell loads of units. I bought it, hook, line, and stinker!
Amazing how different people hear different things, I can't get enough of the album. I think it's incredibly good! Look on the bright side, at least you'll not have to sit through any of the tracks live in New Mexico...
Ha ha! We'll see how many of these songs actually get played live anywhere.
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RMartinez:
Ha ha! We'll see how many of these songs actually get played live anywhere.
Certainly not in the UK by the looks of things!!
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cfergoid:
RMartinez:
That's your opinion. I have mine. I disagree with you.
Indeed, we'll have to agree to disagree!
Ha ha ha! I Love this RMartinez....I think we are in agreement but for one song.....Hosana
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cfergoid:
RMartinez:
Ha ha! We'll see how many of these songs actually get played live anywhere.
Certainly not in the UK by the looks of things!!
Paul will play the UK in 2014, he said so. Honestly, a good handful of the songs on NEW just don't sound like they would be very good live. There are a lot of soundscapes and rhythm boxes and echo chambers. Obviously he is playing the ones already that work in a band context. And yes, a couple of more would, like APPRECIATE. But who knows? It depends on how well NEW does between now and January. If it has legs, Paul will play many tunes off of it in 2014. If not, maybe less. Still, McCartney kept a few Fireman and MAF tunes in the set list for quite a while.
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RMartinez:
cfergoid:
RMartinez:
Ha ha! We'll see how many of these songs actually get played live anywhere.
Certainly not in the UK by the looks of things!!
Paul will play the UK in 2014, he said so. Honestly, a good handful of the songs on NEW just don't sound like they would be very good live. There are a lot of soundscapes and rhythm boxes and echo chambers. Obviously he is playing the ones already that work in a band context. And yes, a couple of more would, like APPRECIATE. But who knows? It depends on how well NEW does between now and January. If it has legs, Paul will play many tunes off of it in 2014. If not, maybe less. Still, McCartney kept a few Fireman and MAF tunes in the set list for quite a while.
Unfortunately, I think he's playing the two weakest songs live (Save Us and Everybody Out There). I think I Can Bet and Turned Out are BEGGING to be played live, Queenie Eye sounded great in Times Square, Early Days would work in the acoustic set, Alligator would work live. On My Way to Work could be played live although it's probably a little too dull (and I say that as a fan of the song!).
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cfergoid:
RMartinez:
cfergoid:
RMartinez:
Ha ha! We'll see how many of these songs actually get played live anywhere.
Certainly not in the UK by the looks of things!!
Paul will play the UK in 2014, he said so. Honestly, a good handful of the songs on NEW just don't sound like they would be very good live. There are a lot of soundscapes and rhythm boxes and echo chambers. Obviously he is playing the ones already that work in a band context. And yes, a couple of more would, like APPRECIATE. But who knows? It depends on how well NEW does between now and January. If it has legs, Paul will play many tunes off of it in 2014. If not, maybe less. Still, McCartney kept a few Fireman and MAF tunes in the set list for quite a while.
Unfortunately, I think he's playing the two weakest songs live (Save Us and Everybody Out There). I think I Can Bet and Turned Out are BEGGING to be played live, Queenie Eye sounded great in Times Square, Early Days would work in the acoustic set, Alligator would work live. On My Way to Work could be played live although it's probably a little too dull (and I say that as a fan of the song!).
I do agree!
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RMartinez:
I do agree!
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Save Us-- Awesome. **** Alligator-- Eh. Not great. ** On My Way To Work-- Ok. Pretty good. Catchy *** Queenie Eye-- So Chaos-esque! ***** Early Days-- Not my type. But all right. *** New-- Hate it! * Appreciate-- Hooked it's brilliant! **** Everybody Out There-- Simply amazing. **** Hosanna-- Started off good. Where did it go? After hearing rave reviews, I'm pretty disappointed. ** I Can Bet-- Daring. **** Looking At Her-- Me gusta! ***.5 Road-- EPIC. **** Turned Out-- Eh. ** Get Me Out Of Here-- Classic Paul! LOVE IT!!! ***** Scared-- ??? Writing is as good as a song today. Bleh. -* Overall, 3.5 stars. It's pretty good. Worth buying? Yeah. Worth Saving? Maybe. Worth Raving? No. It underwhelmed me. Catchy, flashy, but not strong enough. A lot of songs sound the same.
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cfergoid:
RMartinez:
cfergoid:
RMartinez:
Ha ha! We'll see how many of these songs actually get played live anywhere.
Certainly not in the UK by the looks of things!!
Paul will play the UK in 2014, he said so. Honestly, a good handful of the songs on NEW just don't sound like they would be very good live. There are a lot of soundscapes and rhythm boxes and echo chambers. Obviously he is playing the ones already that work in a band context. And yes, a couple of more would, like APPRECIATE. But who knows? It depends on how well NEW does between now and January. If it has legs, Paul will play many tunes off of it in 2014. If not, maybe less. Still, McCartney kept a few Fireman and MAF tunes in the set list for quite a while.
Unfortunately, I think he's playing the two weakest songs live (Save Us and Everybody Out There). [..]/quote]
So true, my hope was lost after hearing those tunes on the live recordings, but boy... did he picked the wrong songs to promote this album for?! Cue countless appearances of 'Hosanna' in soundcheck and at one promo moment: never in the actual setlist...
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I like Save Us alright, but it's a bit generic. Everybody Out There is the weakest track by a long long long way IMO. It's kinda not really a song, if that makes sense. LOVE everything else on there though, outstanding album IMO.
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cfergoid:
I like Save Us alright, but it's a bit generic. Everybody Out There is the weakest track by a long long long way IMO. It's kinda not really a song, if that makes sense. LOVE everything else on there though, outstanding album IMO.
Yes, exactly! I dislike it even more with his "I tried to write an anthem for the concerts"-explanation... Another overly forced 'Freedom', 'C'Mon People' (which I even find okay), 'Vanilla Sky'... Will be dropped before this tour is over. Glad to see we are on the same page.
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cfergoid:
I like Save Us alright, but it's a bit generic. Everybody Out There is the weakest track by a long long long way IMO. It's kinda not really a song, if that makes sense. LOVE everything else on there though, outstanding album IMO.
Everybody Out There is embarrassing, imo. Felt that way when he sang it live & it sounds even worse on vinyl. Its as if Paul wrote the song just to sing live. Definition of forced songwriting.
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JoeySmith:
cfergoid:
I like Save Us alright, but it's a bit generic. Everybody Out There is the weakest track by a long long long way IMO. It's kinda not really a song, if that makes sense. LOVE everything else on there though, outstanding album IMO.
Everybody Out There is embarrassing, imo. Felt that way when he sang it live & it sounds even worse on vinyl. Its as if Paul wrote the song just to sing live. Definition of forced songwriting.
Funny that!! IMHO "Scared" is a forced "I must sit down and write a piano ballad" song.
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Just listened to NEW for the first time! Grade: A- I'm blown away by how modern this album sounds without selling out to Top 40 trickery. Love the production! The songs, themselves, will resonate in their own time. "Early Days" is pretty darn emotive! Lovin' the fuck outta' "Appreciate"! "EOT" is, yet, another post-'98 Macca track that sounds like LINDA is singing on it! ("Whoa-oh-oh-oh!"). "I Can Bet" just SCREAMS Flaming Pie-era! As I'd hoped, "Everybody Out There" works better within the context of the whole album. Still, not a terribly strong song. I like the bipolar dynamics of "Looking At Her" -- soft for her...manic for him. "Road" is this album's "House Of Wax." Love it. "Turned Out" sounds a bit like"filler" to me, but it's very Paul at the same time. "Get Me Out Of Here" is the Tom Petty'esque-type song I've been wanting Paul to write for years and years! Funny and low-down dirty! "Alligator" may be my favorite! And, of course, I already LOVE both singles. Life is good.