Memory Almost Full has aged very well
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Listened to it again recently & from top to bottom, it holds up very well. Has the classic McCartney melodies & energy without sounding worn. I would now put it in my top tier of McCartney albums.
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A great album!!!
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I've never been keen on the album although You Tell Me has always been a firm favourite of mine.
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I liked it from the very beginning...even Dance Tonight, which I initially thought was a poor choice as an opening single, has aged well in my opinion (I did like the song even back then, just didn't strike me as 'single' material) And I still go to bat for Gratitude, a song I defended strongly from the beginning, despite getting blasted pretty much on the same level as Freedom, and other songs that even the hardest core fans don't like
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PS - I think the biggest issue with Memory Almost Full was that it simply followed a masterpiece (Chaos and Creations)...it's pretty much the same effect suffered by Off the Ground (folks were expecting Abbey Road II after Flowers in the Dirt and in fact, the album fell a little short of Flowers, but was still very good)...Venus and Mars is now appreciated as one of Paul's better albums, but at the time, critics and some fans found it to be a let down after Band on the Run...I don't think Paul lives in a 'gotta top the last one' world...I feel like there's a quote I'm forgetting that actually disputes that - but if there is one, I'd still feel otherwise
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Absolutely love Memory Almost Full. Reminded me so much of a Wings album; catchy singles, tender ballads, couple silly fun songs, and a great majestic rocker (House of Wax). Always thought Gratitude was for his fans and how we have been with him since the 60's.
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I have also been listening to this album in the last couple of days as it happens, for the first time in a while. It's hard to believe that it will be ten years old in 2017. In fact, some of it is actually quite a bit older than that as the initial band sessions occurred before Paul started work on Chaos and Creation. I've always liked Memory Almost Full a lot. It was very different to Chaos and Creation in that it was more of a straight rock/pop album, whereas Chaos was sonically much dryer and had more lyrical depth. And then New was different once again, in that it was much more contemporary in nature. But Memory Almost Full still stands up extremely well between them. Certainly one of Paul's strongest albums in my opinion.
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I originally didn't like MAF as much as Chaos, but I now like them both equally (a lot). They're totally opposite in mood/tone, but each great in its own way.
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Bruce M.:
I originally didn't like MAF as much as Chaos, but I now like them both equally (a lot). They're totally opposite in mood/tone, but each great in its own way.
That's exactly how I feel about those two, equally great in their own way...a lot!!
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This seems to be the pattern with Paul albums. When they come out, his fans either love them or hate them. Ten years later, there are a lot more in the love category. Twenty years later, they're all classics.
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HaileyMcComet:
This seems to be the pattern with Paul albums. When they come out, his fans either love them or hate them. Ten years later, there are a lot more in the love category. Twenty years later, they're all classics.
This is especially true when the said album follows an album that was universally recognized as an instant classic (as I was sort of alluding to above)
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HaileyMcComet:
This seems to be the pattern with Paul albums. When they come out, his fans either love them or hate them. Ten years later, there are a lot more in the love category. Twenty years later, they're all classics.
Not quite. I'll go to my grave disliking Wild Life and P2P, and being utterly baffled by the love of some fans for Ram. Your mileage may vary.
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This thread has cajoled me to listen to Memory Almost Full (also known as MAF) again, for the first time in some time. I always liked the album. S0, on listening to it again for the first time in some time: The choices of singles were very poor.... nothing new.... I think Dance Tonight and Ever Present Past are fine songs and deserved on the album, but not the best choices of the first representation of the new album. But I like them both. It's just I don't find either worthy of being released as "singles". See Your Sunshine... a GREAT middle-break or bridge or whatever it is. But the rest of the song is lackluster. Always liked Only Mama Knows. Still don't like You Tell Me all that much. Not just the voice, but the whole tone. Lacks flavor. Mr. Bellamy is great. And could've been even better. And whilst Gratitude was ridiculously coined as some kind of new Oh! Darling at the time.... and is NOTHING like it..... I still quite like the song. I know most do not like it, but one of my guilty pleasures. Love Vintage Clothes and That Was Me.... my favorite part of the album. Feet in the Clouds... a pleasant song.... pass mark. House of Wax never ever did it for me, although I know some think it is an epic. Not for me. Tries too hard. It's OK though. The End of the End.... I wasn't totally enamored with/by this song at the time... although this has grown on me... I now really like it. Nod Your Head..... just a bit of fun. No problem with it. In retrospect, Memory Almost Full is probably two songs short. But I have really enjoyed listening to it again!
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toris:
This thread has cajoled me to listen to Memory Almost Full (also known as MAF) again, for the first time in some time. I always liked the album. S0, on listening to it again for the first time in some time: The choices of singles were very poor.... nothing new.... I think Dance Tonight and Ever Present Past are fine songs and deserved on the album, but not the best choices of the first representation of the new album. But I like them both. It's just I don't find either worthy of being released as "singles". See Your Sunshine... a GREAT middle-break or bridge or whatever it is. But the rest of the song is lackluster. Always liked Only Mama Knows. Still don't like You Tell Me all that much. Not just the voice, but the whole tone. Lacks flavor. Mr. Bellamy is great. And could've been even better. And whilst Gratitude was ridiculously coined as some kind of new Oh! Darling at the time.... and is NOTHING like it..... I still quite like the song. I know most do not like it, but one of my guilty pleasures. Love Vintage Clothes and That Was Me.... my favorite part of the album. Feet in the Clouds... a pleasant song.... pass mark. House of Wax never ever did it for me, although I know some think it is an epic. Not for me. Tries too hard. It's OK though. The End of the End.... I wasn't totally enamored with/by this song at the time... although this has grown on me... I now really like it. Nod Your Head..... just a bit of fun. No problem with it. In retrospect, Memory Almost Full is probably two songs short. But I have really enjoyed listening to it again!
"House of Wax never ever did it for me, although I know some think it is an epic. Not for me. Tries too hard. It's OK though. " Count me as one of those who love "House Of Wax" especially the guitar solos. "Love Vintage Clothes and That Was Me.... my favorite part of the album" I agree and I have been saying for years that McCarteny should have played "That Was Me" live. "And whilst Gratitude was ridiculously coined as some kind of new Oh! Darling at the time.... and is NOTHING like it..... I still quite like the song. I know most do not like it, but one of my guilty pleasures. " To each their own but this song makes me cringe and wish it was not on the album. "The choices of singles were very poor.... nothing new.... I think Dance Tonight and Ever Present Past are fine songs and deserved on the album, but not the best choices of the first representation of the new album." I agree, I would have chosen "Only Mama Knows" or "That Was Me" as singles.
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Bruce M.:
HaileyMcComet:
This seems to be the pattern with Paul albums. When they come out, his fans either love them or hate them. Ten years later, there are a lot more in the love category. Twenty years later, they're all classics.
Not quite. I'll go to my grave disliking Wild Life and P2P, and being utterly baffled by the love of some fans for Ram. Your mileage may vary.
I agree, have always hated "Wild Life" and "Pipes Of Peace" and that will not change. I agree with you on RAM, don't get the love of this record which is very ordinary for the most part. Too each their own - lol.
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What I think is special about this cd is the way it was released. The three "secret" gigs (London, New York and Los Angeles) used to promote it added a lot of interest in Paul's latest music...not to mention it is a really good album!!
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rich n:
PS - I think the biggest issue with Memory Almost Full was that it simply followed a masterpiece (Chaos and Creations)...it's pretty much the same effect suffered by Off the Ground (folks were expecting Abbey Road II after Flowers in the Dirt and in fact, the album fell a little short of Flowers, but was still very good)...Venus and Mars is now appreciated as one of Paul's better albums, but at the time, critics and some fans found it to be a let down after Band on the Run...I don't think Paul lives in a 'gotta top the last one' world...I feel like there's a quote I'm forgetting that actually disputes that - but if there is one, I'd still feel otherwise
I don't know if I am the only one but I was kind of surprised it was this good because he started doing songs with David Kahne for it and then went back to finish it up after doing CHAOS with Nigel Godrich.
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My complaint about MAF is a common one. The sound is atrocious. As far as sound goes (not song quality) it's Paul's All Things Must Pass.
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TommyC909:
My complaint about MAF is a common one. The sound is atrocious.
I don't know about atrocious but the album certainly makes for a clinical and very tiring listening experience. Right from the opening track, I just want to turn the volume down and even then it sounds loud and oppressive. And what with half the songs being of throwaway quality its not an album I listen to very often.
