New in the Charts Thread
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No.3 in the charts is respectable, definitely, but it's rapid descent is disappointing -- it didn't have to be that way. I see Paul's website is today trumpeting his interview with Radio 1's Zane Lowe in The Shard. This is symptomatic of the terrible mis-direction of the album's promotion, a desperate search for hip credibility. There is no point trying to sell an album by a 71-year-old man to people in their late teens or early 20s -- with a handful of exceptions, they will NEVER buy it. It's delusional and, frankly, a bit embarassing. In the UK, why didn't Paul do a major daytime interview on Radio 2? And what happened to the major TV documentaries he always used to do about the making of an album or in which he would perform songs from it (cf. Put It There. Moving On, In The World Tonight)? He did one for 'Band On The Run' in 2010 which made ITV primetime here and definitely pushed the album into the Top 20. But he won't do something similar for 'New'? I just don't get it.
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Mumbojunk:
No.3 in the charts is respectable, definitely, but it's rapid descent is disappointing -- it didn't have to be that way. I see Paul's website is today trumpeting his interview with Radio 1's Zane Lowe in The Shard. This is symptomatic of the terrible mis-direction of the album's promotion, a desperate search for hip credibility. There is no point trying to sell an album by a 71-year-old man to people in their late teens or early 20s -- with a handful of exceptions, they will NEVER buy it. It's delusional and, frankly, a bit embarassing. In the UK, why didn't Paul do a major daytime interview on Radio 2? And what happened to the major TV documentaries he always used to do about the making of an album or in which he would perform songs from it (cf. Put It There. Moving On, In The World Tonight)? He did one for 'Band On The Run' in 2010 which made ITV primetime here and definitely pushed the album into the Top 20. But he won't do something similar for 'New'? I just don't get it.
I still think there could be a TV documentary, maybe later this month. If not, maybe 2014, perhaps to coincide with a tour. Too late for the album, I know.
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Paul's album isn't the only oldies record that has struggled for decent sales across the globe, Elton's new album The Diving Board seems to be faring even more poorly though it's great too. Paul Peak positions Chart (2013)Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA) 22 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) 6 Croatian Foreign Albums (IFPI) 5 Danish Albums (Hitlisten) 2 German Albums (Media Control) 6 Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)18 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) 9 Irish Albums (IRMA) 12 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) 12 Italian Albums (FIMI) 4 Japanese Albums (Oricon) 2 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) 1 Polish Albums (ZPAV) 18 Scottish Albums (OCC) 3 Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE) 8 UK Albums (OCC) 3 US Billboard 200 3 French Albums (SNEP) 2 Elton Chart (2013)Peak position Australian Albums Chart 26 Austrian Albums Chart 13 Belgian Album Chart (Flanders) 33 Belgian Album Chart (Wallonia) 20 Canadian Albums Chart 7 Croatian Western Albums Chart 9 Czech Albums Chart 11 Danish Albums Chart 6 Dutch Albums Chart 22 French Albums Chart 24 German Albums Chart 11 Greek Albums Chart 14 Irish Albums Chart 14 Italian Albums Chart 12 Japanese Albums Chart 100 New Zealand Albums Chart 20 Norwegian Top 40 10 Spanish Albums Chart 36 Swedish Albums Chart 42 Swiss Albums Chart 7 UK Albums Chart 3 US Billboard 200 4
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beatlesfanrandy:
toris:
I never thought NEW would end up dominating the charts for twelve weeks on end. Disappointing that it is slipping so quickly, but it did reach #3 (I think that is right), which is still impressive. And it is a great album.
Just about all albums start at their highest point and go down from there now. It used to be an album would enter the charts and very slowly climb from bottom to the top. It's completely the opposite now. New has done very respectably in 2013, even for an ex-Beatle.
That change happened in 1991 with Nielsen Soundscan. It was at that point that sales started to be tabulated from the CD or cassette or whatever actually being scanned at checkout. Before that, it depended on record store employees reporting what was sold, and that system was rife with corruption. They would blatantly fudge the numbers in exchange for, let's say, favors from the label; or some employees would just inflate the sales numbers for their favorite bands just for kicks.
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hengirl:
I said when the date was announced it was an odd time to release the album,so many big names coming out at this time it should have been held back till the new year,simple as that it has sadly been an utter failure in the UK and thats a shame,while its not his best album it is a very good one and should have been much better sales wise. I cite again Rod Stewarts album Time,its been in the charts for months while it is,in my view a better album than NEW (again just my view) you have to ask yourself what did Decca and Stewart's team done so right where MPL have gone so utterly wrong with this album?,the mind boggles. I suppose Paul has it right after all,people go to the shows to hear the hits NOT the new stuff this failure seemingly proves him right sadly.
Paul's NEW album really has nothing to do with the New Year, don't know why you are thinking that? I don't know why you would say that it has been an utter failure in the UK since it's top placement was number 3, not too shabby! World wide it has also placed well. Mostly single digit numbers . Overall time, the UK has not been the world's leading indicator of Paul's popularity world wide - no offense intended. Paul Peak positions Chart (2013)Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA) 22 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) 6 Croatian Foreign Albums (IFPI) 5 Danish Albums (Hitlisten) 2 German Albums (Media Control) 6 Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)18 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) 9 Irish Albums (IRMA) 12 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) 12 Italian Albums (FIMI) 4 Japanese Albums (Oricon) 2 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) 1 Polish Albums (ZPAV) 18 Scottish Albums (OCC) 3 Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE) 8 UK Albums (OCC) 3 US Billboard 200 3 French Albums (SNEP) 2 This is an excellent and truly solid album of Paul's and I would be really unhappy if he decided not to continue to give it the promotion it deserves. It is a brilliant album and I really hope that he plans to include at least 5-6 songs from the NEW album in his next tour. I think the peak chart positions warrant that and it would bring his "current" music and it's playability to a whole new audience. Overall, this is definitely the album for him to tour, as it is very solid from start to finish and there are really no clunkers or toss away songs. I still find Paul much more listenable than Rod Stewart and always have. My personal taste. I'm not as impressed because Rod's done so many covers of other people's songs, where as Paul writes his own songs and has a much wider range of music than Rod does. Paul will always be the most successful song writer of all time and this album is a brilliant example of that!! Can't to hear the next one as well. Hope he tours this one and gives it all he's got! I can't wait to hear the songs from this album "live".
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RMartinez:
Do people really still listen to the radio? I am not trying to be provocative, it just seems like the world has changed so much, to even consider radio airplay seems like vaudeville. But maybe touring to promote a CD is also like vaudeville. I just don't know anymore. What on earth is Elton John and Cher doing right that McCartney is not doing??
Per Mediabase, the main industry monitor of such things, the current top song on the Top 40 chart was heard by over 116 million people in the past 7 days. That seems like a decent-sized audience to me. One would have to play an awful lot of concerts to reach that many people. http://www.mediabase.com/mmrweb/allaboutcountry/Charts.asp?format=H1R As for Elton, his album hasn't done as well as Paul's. But Cher has a single that's #1 on the Dance/Club Play chart. That's not a chart Paul will ever be on, I feel safe to say.
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TIME FOR SOME HARD FACTS NEW is now at No. 49 in its 3rd week with half the results in on hitsdailydouble. Even if it ends up nearer to 40 this is a lousy performance of a great album. Paul hasn`t had a hit album or a hit single in almost 30 years. NEW is in danger of being the second album after Press to play not getting a gold certification in the US. Obviously, I`m not writing this because I dislike Paul`s music. Quite to the contrary, I LOVE it. I think he is the greatest composer of popular music living or dead. He simply doesn`t sell a lot of records anymore, whatever the reasons maybe...and in my view it certainly isn`t the quality of the music. So please stop talking about "giving the BBC Beatles album breathing space" or how NEW sold 7000 copies (if that) to stay at No. 1 in Norway. All this talk about how NEW is doing "oh - so - quite - well - to - nearly - impressive" is more humiliating than facing the facts another great Paul album ignored by the masses.
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Frank:
TIME FOR SOME HARD FACTS : NEW is now at No. 49 in its 3rd week with half the results in on hitsdailydouble. Even if it ends up nearer to 40 this is a lousy performance of a great album. Paul hasn`t had a hit album or a hit single in almost 30 years. NEW is in danger of being the second album after Press to play not getting a gold certification in the US. Obviously, I`m not writing this because I dislike Paul`s music. Quite to the contrary, I LOVE it. I think he is the greatest composer of popular music living or dead. He simply doesn`t sell a lot of records anymore, whatever the reasons maybe...and in my view it certainly isn`t the quality of the music. So please stop talking about "giving the BBC Beatles album breathing space" or how NEW sold 7000 copies (if that) to stay at No. 1 in Norway. All this talk about how NEW is doing "oh - so - quite - well - to - nearly - impressive" is more humiliating than facing the facts : another great Paul album ignored by the masses.
Hard to disagree with what you say,it is a fine album and still it failed it seems for all sorts of reasons but failed it has and that fact is the hardest thing for me is so many wont hear this album such a shame it really is.
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Frank:
TIME FOR SOME HARD FACTS : NEW is now at No. 49 in its 3rd week with half the results in on hitsdailydouble. Even if it ends up nearer to 40 this is a lousy performance of a great album. Paul hasn`t had a hit album or a hit single in almost 30 years. NEW is in danger of being the second album after Press to play not getting a gold certification in the US. Obviously, I`m not writing this because I dislike Paul`s music. Quite to the contrary, I LOVE it. I think he is the greatest composer of popular music living or dead. He simply doesn`t sell a lot of records anymore, whatever the reasons maybe...and in my view it certainly isn`t the quality of the music. So please stop talking about "giving the BBC Beatles album breathing space" or how NEW sold 7000 copies (if that) to stay at No. 1 in Norway. All this talk about how NEW is doing "oh - so - quite - well - to - nearly - impressive" is more humiliating than facing the facts : another great Paul album ignored by the masses.
For someone who claims to LOVE Paul's music you seem quick to count him out... let's give him a chance to play these great songs in concert, this is a fantastic album which needs more promotion. Paul may not be at the forefront for some younger audience who are perhaps used to some of the newer groups or artists. He has relied heavily on his Beatles songs for a long time now. His last albums have been focused on a specific niche or faction of people, Kisses on the Bottom a more mature audience, Ocean's Kingdom a classical audience, and Electric Arguments an electronica meets Paul letting go audience ... This is undoubtably a strong solid album and I'm not willing to throw it away just yet. Like a fine wine, this album still needs time to breathe, in order to appreciate it's full flavours, listening pleasure and develop it's fullest potential. I am not ready to count this album out yet!!
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hengirl:
Frank:
TIME FOR SOME HARD FACTS : NEW is now at No. 49 in its 3rd week with half the results in on hitsdailydouble. Even if it ends up nearer to 40 this is a lousy performance of a great album. Paul hasn`t had a hit album or a hit single in almost 30 years. NEW is in danger of being the second album after Press to play not getting a gold certification in the US. Obviously, I`m not writing this because I dislike Paul`s music. Quite to the contrary, I LOVE it. I think he is the greatest composer of popular music living or dead. He simply doesn`t sell a lot of records anymore, whatever the reasons maybe...and in my view it certainly isn`t the quality of the music. So please stop talking about "giving the BBC Beatles album breathing space" or how NEW sold 7000 copies (if that) to stay at No. 1 in Norway. All this talk about how NEW is doing "oh - so - quite - well - to - nearly - impressive" is more humiliating than facing the facts : another great Paul album ignored by the masses.
Hard to disagree with what you say,it is a fine album and still it failed it seems for all sorts of reasons but failed it has and that fact is the hardest thing for me is so many wont hear this album such a shame it really is.
Not trying to be humiliating at all. I love the album and wish more people would hear it, but I don't see how it's going to happen. I'm not sure why they released a major Paul project and a major Beatles project so close together, but it's a fact that Beatles and solo Beatles projects don't tend to be in full-on promotion mode at the same time as each other, so as not to compete for the same fan money and media attention. Paul is the most successful songwriter ever, as someone said, and the way music now is spread so thin, I don't see how anyone can ever take that crown from him.
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favoritething:
hengirl:
Frank:
TIME FOR SOME HARD FACTS : NEW is now at No. 49 in its 3rd week with half the results in on hitsdailydouble. Even if it ends up nearer to 40 this is a lousy performance of a great album. Paul hasn`t had a hit album or a hit single in almost 30 years. NEW is in danger of being the second album after Press to play not getting a gold certification in the US. Obviously, I`m not writing this because I dislike Paul`s music. Quite to the contrary, I LOVE it. I think he is the greatest composer of popular music living or dead. He simply doesn`t sell a lot of records anymore, whatever the reasons maybe...and in my view it certainly isn`t the quality of the music. So please stop talking about "giving the BBC Beatles album breathing space" or how NEW sold 7000 copies (if that) to stay at No. 1 in Norway. All this talk about how NEW is doing "oh - so - quite - well - to - nearly - impressive" is more humiliating than facing the facts : another great Paul album ignored by the masses.
Hard to disagree with what you say,it is a fine album and still it failed it seems for all sorts of reasons but failed it has and that fact is the hardest thing for me is so many wont hear this album such a shame it really is.
Not trying to be humiliating at all. I love the album and wish more people would hear it, but I don't see how it's going to happen. I'm not sure why they released a major Paul project and a major Beatles project so close together, but it's a fact that Beatles and solo Beatles projects don't tend to be in full-on promotion mode at the same time as each other, so as not to compete for the same fan money and media attention. Paul is the most successful songwriter ever, as someone said, and the way music now is spread so thin, I don't see how anyone can ever take that crown from him.
________________________________________________________ I must admit that I am a little perplexed that "NEW" hasn't done better in the 2nd and 3rd weeks. Like with many questions, there are probably multiple answers...people not buying CD's anymore (especially boomers), Paul's age, Paul's marketing etc. While Paul got music reviews from all the likely sources (mostly from positive to glowing), I still think he needed to appear on several more big US TV Shows. The fact that he didn't in my opinion is why his sales dipped significantly in the 2nd and 3rd weeks. He appeared on Kimmel and Colbert (both before the album actually came out I believe) but he really needed to do more after the album was released. People are very busy and they have to be reminded that Paul has a great album of new music. Paul needed to appear on various TV shows that have large audiences with different niche markets to keep the momentum going. Paul is friends with Leno, Barbara Walters (the View), Ellen etc. so I do think he could have gotten on these shows rather easily. One of the big Morning Shows also would have been great along with CBS Sunday Morning. These shows I'm sure would have spurned more sales in the critical 2nd and 3rd weeks but for whatever reason, the promotions ceased. Once that happened, the sales will dramatically stop for any aging rocker. Pearl Jam is an exception. They are about 20 years younger than Paul and are currently on a US Tour. It is not surprising that their loyal fan base did deliver solid sales for their album. Unfortunately Paul is at a different point where his fan base is far more splintered and generally older. I will be curious how the Beatles BBC Album will do. Seems to me that it might get out of the gate a lot slower than many might think. I'm wondering if it would have been better to release it in February 2014 to coinside with the 50th Anniversary. I guess they are trying to capture the Christmas season. Not sure it will enter the charts in the Top 10 in America without the Anniversary hype. I could be wrong. As I said in another Post, I do think it is possible that NEW might have "legs" in early 2014 if Paul tours and plays a good selection of NEW tracks (hopefully 6 to . This is the only way in my opinion, that NEW could get back on the charts (I'm not talking about Top 10 but maybe in the Top 30. As far as Paul's legacy, people will always be buying his music on a steady basis so I do think that NEW will eventually become GOLD.
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The problem is simple: Promotion ceased after the first week, at least in the U.S., other than the release of the Queenie Eye video. So without heavy radio play, the album drops off the radar screen. To keep it going, he would have had to do another TV gig or two, and/or some concerts, preferably in major media markets, where local TV and radio would pick up on it in addition to the crowd at the show. The folks at MPL and Hear Music are big boys and girls. They know this is the case. But promotion that comes well after the fact can help. Paul went on "Oprah" after Flaming Pie had dropped of the album chart, did a couple songs from the album, and for one week it came back onto the chart. So it's not too late, but New will sink like a stone without continuing promotion.
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People have short attention spans. Unlike us, Paul McCartney is not on their minds all the time unless he puts himself right in front of them. If he does some high-profile appearance, "New" can rebound up the charts for a week, but it won't keep selling on its own. There's just too much other music out there to distract people. Whenever the Grammys are on, all the performers' and winners' albums get a boost up the charts for a week, and then start to fade again. Same with the Country Music Awards or other well-known events. The chances of an album catching fire from just one of those things and holding on for weeks or months is not impossible, but pretty rare, and it's more likely to be an up-and-coming artist than an established one. I would say that there's a strong possibility of Paul playing on the Grammys this coming February, since it coincides with the 50th anniversary of the Ed Sullivan appearance, and that could certainly have a sales impact. (But remember, he can only be nominated for the song "New," because the album came out too late.) From there, there's the video game he's doing music for in the spring, and also certainly a tour in 2014. All of that can help, but I wouldn't expect blockbuster sales, and by next summer, he's sure to be promoting the next archive reissues! The man does not stand still for long!
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love2travel:
Frank:
TIME FOR SOME HARD FACTS : NEW is now at No. 49 in its 3rd week with half the results in on hitsdailydouble. Even if it ends up nearer to 40 this is a lousy performance of a great album. Paul hasn`t had a hit album or a hit single in almost 30 years. NEW is in danger of being the second album after Press to play not getting a gold certification in the US. Obviously, I`m not writing this because I dislike Paul`s music. Quite to the contrary, I LOVE it. I think he is the greatest composer of popular music living or dead. He simply doesn`t sell a lot of records anymore, whatever the reasons maybe...and in my view it certainly isn`t the quality of the music. So please stop talking about "giving the BBC Beatles album breathing space" or how NEW sold 7000 copies (if that) to stay at No. 1 in Norway. All this talk about how NEW is doing "oh - so - quite - well - to - nearly - impressive" is more humiliating than facing the facts : another great Paul album ignored by the masses.
For someone who claims to LOVE Paul's music you seem quick to count him out... let's give him a chance to play these great songs in concert, this is a fantastic album which needs more promotion. Paul may not be at the forefront for some younger audience who are perhaps used to some of the newer groups or artists. He has relied heavily on his Beatles songs for a long time now. His last albums have been focused on a specific niche or faction of people, Kisses on the Bottom a more mature audience, Ocean's Kingdom a classical audience, and Electric Arguments an electronica meets Paul letting go audience ... This is undoubtably a strong solid album and I'm not willing to throw it away just yet. Like a fine wine, this album still needs time to breathe, in order to appreciate it's full flavours, listening pleasure and develop it's fullest potential. I am not ready to count this album out yet!!
Paul's audience nowadays IS more mature hehe so why he was going the hip and trendy route,at least in the UK,was baffling to me a youngster wont buy it in any great numbers so why head to that type of audience for any of the its precious promotion time,go for people who may have,for whatever reason fallen out of love with Paul,get them buying it the ones who've not bought a Paul album since the stone age,not people who'll never buy it to begin with. The album wont make a comeback in any great numbers because of live plays either,the people who'll have bought the album have,well bought the album live plays of songs off this album wont make that much of a difference now to it or its sales,its a shame but there you go. I'll mention yet again Rod Stewart and his Time album,6 months in the top 30 here in the UK number one for a time too,he did something right did he not?for me he released it t the right time not on the run up to christmas when the big guns releasing all around it there was a big chance what happened would happen,it would get sunk in floodwater's of "big" artists and their tepid releases. I don't think NEW is brilliant by any means but its a fine album non the less and to see it become potential bargain bin fodder is shocking and rather sad but i dont see anyway back for it sadly and boy do i hope im wrong.
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If the sales of New are a bit slow I think it may be because of the long gap between mainstream albums. It is about 6 years since Memory Almost Full. I think Paul had been on a real roll since Flaming Pie producing quality rock/pop albums and then stopped to concentrate on his niche projects. The general public and even the casual fan can tend to lose interest and are not interested in Paul's side projects. I think it was a mistake not making Electric Arguments into a fully fledged Paul McCartney rock/pop album. The very good live album GENYC seemed like a stop gap measure. While I enjoyed the oldies covers KOTB album, which did also have 2 great original songs, the casual observer may of thought Paul as a producer of original material was a spent force. I think Paul may of been a bit concerned by this and therefore named the new album "New" to emphasize he could still produce original contemporary music which he has done brilliantly on New.
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Apollo C. Vermouth:
If the sales of New are a bit slow I think it may be because of the long gap between mainstream albums. It is about 6 years since Memory Almost Full. I think Paul had been on a real roll since Flaming Pie producing quality rock/pop albums and then stopped to concentrate on his niche projects. The general public and even the casual fan can tend to lose interest and are not interested in Paul's side projects. I think it was a mistake not making Electric Arguments into a fully fledged Paul McCartney rock/pop album. The very good live album GENYC seemed like a stop gap measure. While I enjoyed the oldies covers KOTB album, which did also have 2 great original songs, the casual observer may of thought Paul as a producer of original material was a spent force. I think Paul may of been a bit concerned by this and therefore named the new album "New" to emphasize he could still produce original contemporary music which he has done brilliantly on New.
If anything the long gap between albums of new material should have helped NEW, not the other way around. (consider Bowie`s ten year gap and the success of Next Day) I don`t think KOTB made enough of an impression to change anybody`s perception of Paul. And finally, sales of NEW are not a bit slow, it`s plummenting down the charts like a rock.
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B J Conlee:
favoritething:
hengirl:
Frank:
TIME FOR SOME HARD FACTS : NEW is now at No. 49 in its 3rd week with half the results in on hitsdailydouble. Even if it ends up nearer to 40 this is a lousy performance of a great album. Paul hasn`t had a hit album or a hit single in almost 30 years. NEW is in danger of being the second album after Press to play not getting a gold certification in the US. Obviously, I`m not writing this because I dislike Paul`s music. Quite to the contrary, I LOVE it. I think he is the greatest composer of popular music living or dead. He simply doesn`t sell a lot of records anymore, whatever the reasons maybe...and in my view it certainly isn`t the quality of the music. So please stop talking about "giving the BBC Beatles album breathing space" or how NEW sold 7000 copies (if that) to stay at No. 1 in Norway. All this talk about how NEW is doing "oh - so - quite - well - to - nearly - impressive" is more humiliating than facing the facts : another great Paul album ignored by the masses.
Hard to disagree with what you say,it is a fine album and still it failed it seems for all sorts of reasons but failed it has and that fact is the hardest thing for me is so many wont hear this album such a shame it really is.
Not trying to be humiliating at all. I love the album and wish more people would hear it, but I don't see how it's going to happen. I'm not sure why they released a major Paul project and a major Beatles project so close together, but it's a fact that Beatles and solo Beatles projects don't tend to be in full-on promotion mode at the same time as each other, so as not to compete for the same fan money and media attention. Paul is the most successful songwriter ever, as someone said, and the way music now is spread so thin, I don't see how anyone can ever take that crown from him.
________________________________________________________ I must admit that I am a little perplexed that "NEW" hasn't done better in the 2nd and 3rd weeks. Like with many questions, there are probably multiple answers...people not buying CD's anymore (especially boomers), Paul's age, Paul's marketing etc. While Paul got music reviews from all the likely sources (mostly from positive to glowing), I still think he needed to appear on several more big US TV Shows. The fact that he didn't in my opinion is why his sales dipped significantly in the 2nd and 3rd weeks. He appeared on Kimmel and Colbert (both before the album actually came out I believe) but he really needed to do more after the album was released. People are very busy and they have to be reminded that Paul has a great album of new music. Paul needed to appear on various TV shows that have large audiences with different niche markets to keep the momentum going. Paul is friends with Leno, Barbara Walters (the View), Ellen etc. so I do think he could have gotten on these shows rather easily. One of the big Morning Shows also would have been great along with CBS Sunday Morning. These shows I'm sure would have spurned more sales in the critical 2nd and 3rd weeks but for whatever reason, the promotions ceased. Once that happened, the sales will dramatically stop for any aging rocker. Pearl Jam is an exception. They are about 20 years younger than Paul and are currently on a US Tour. It is not surprising that their loyal fan base did deliver solid sales for their album. Unfortunately Paul is at a different point where his fan base is far more splintered and generally older. I will be curious how the Beatles BBC Album will do. Seems to me that it might get out of the gate a lot slower than many might think. I'm wondering if it would have been better to release it in February 2014 to coinside with the 50th Anniversary. I guess they are trying to capture the Christmas season. Not sure it will enter the charts in the Top 10 in America without the Anniversary hype. I could be wrong. As I said in another Post, I do think it is possible that NEW might have "legs" in early 2014 if Paul tours and plays a good selection of NEW tracks (hopefully 6 to . This is the only way in my opinion, that NEW could get back on the charts (I'm not talking about Top 10 but maybe in the Top 30. As far as Paul's legacy, people will always be buying his music on a steady basis so I do think that NEW will eventually become GOLD.
You make some really good points here. It does seem that most of the promotion was before the album came out and only in the first week. I think people do have short attention spans. It's only the third week, so appearing on more TV shows, including morning shows with large audiences sounds like a really good idea to keep the momentum going for the album!! I am so perplexed as well, that "NEW" hasn't done better, it's such a solid album!! More promotion does seem to be the answer. More people need to be listening to it. I've had several friends who've listened to it, who have lost the thread with Paul after Wings, come up and tell me how much they liked the songs they've heard. I wish Paul would make more videos too! I myself was not as keen on Queenie Eye, until I saw that video, for me it's a visual thing along with the music. I sure hope Paul plays the heck out of this album in Japan!!! It has such great reviews from so many sources, was just reading the NY Times review and People Magazine one. In the latest People Magazine music section, one of the reviewers even had Paul listed as #4 in his TOP 10 FALL FAVES!!! Katy Perry was #7 and Arctic Monkeys was #8... so obviously he was very very impressed with Paul's album. I do think that people who hear it all are. Was in several HMV's recently and they were playing the album as well! So nice to hear several Paul songs in a music store!! I found that the more I listened to the whole album, the more I picked up on several songs, which became my new favorites. There are so many songs that are so enjoyable, I really hope that Paul does at least 6 (or more) songs from this album for promotion. As far as the pop up gig, I really think they were great... somehow the word needs to get out better on those. I remember reading about a fan in NY who left what he was doing and he tried to race over on mass transit, but just did not make it. That's the problem with those, more notice for people to actually get there. I remember how great it was when Paul played on the marquee although it is a bit cold this time of year. How about Sirius/XM radio. I remember hearing Tom Petty doing a one hour bit for a week recently and I tried to tune in as he is another fav of mine. As for Paul, if he could get a number of songs of his played on several channel's and not just the one's that Beatle songs would be on... I think that would be a good thing.
Apollo C. Vermouth:
If the sales of New are a bit slow I think it may be because of the long gap between mainstream albums. It is about 6 years since Memory Almost Full. I think Paul had been on a real roll since Flaming Pie producing quality rock/pop albums and then stopped to concentrate on his niche projects. The general public and even the casual fan can tend to lose interest and are not interested in Paul's side projects. I think it was a mistake not making Electric Arguments into a fully fledged Paul McCartney rock/pop album. The very good live album GENYC seemed like a stop gap measure. While I enjoyed the oldies covers KOTB album, which did also have 2 great original songs, the casual observer may of thought Paul as a producer of original material was a spent force. I think Paul may of been a bit concerned by this and therefore named the new album "New" to emphasize he could still produce original contemporary music which he has done brilliantly on New.
I agree with you especially about promoting Electric Arguments as a full fledged Paul McCartney rock/pop album!!! That should have be a lesson. This album is getting even better reviews, as I went back to read the ones for EA... which were really good, but they are even much better for this album. I really hope and pray that Paul takes this album and promotes the heck out of it!!! It really deserves it... he's always saying that his music is like his children. Well if one of his children needed some help right now, I know he would be doing everything he could to make things better!!! So there's a metaphor for you if I ever heard one!!! Paul your delightful, wonderful, sublime children need you to promote them!!! Please do
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How can a TOP 5 not be a HIT ALBUM??
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wingsdgm:
How can a TOP 5 not be a HIT ALBUM??
well of course New was a hit album.......for a week or two. But it would have been even more of a hit album had it stayed in the top 5 or top 20 for six months or so. When a new album by someone like Paul McCartney has fallen out of the top 100 within six weeks of release (which is likely to be the case in the UK) then its going to be judged as a failure....relatively speaking.
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Sadly, "New" will be Paul's worst selling mainstream album. Even "Wild Life" sold more copies.