NEW.. The best Macca Solo Studio Pop Rock Album since:
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Bruce M.:
It's the best album since... Memory Almost Full. It actually ranks about equally with MAF. Both have one utter clunker (Gratitude and Looking At Her) 3 or 4 really inspired cuts (Mr. Bellamy, The End of the End, You Tell Me, On My Way to Work, Early Days, New), and a fair amount that's solid but not quite stellar. Neither is quite as good as Tug of War, which -- despite conventional wisdom -- is better than Band on the Run. That ought to set off a few screaming fits...
Bruce, As I expected, there are surely a great variety of opinions (even among fans) when it comes to Paul's music and this post certainly is a good example. As someone else said, it is very hard to list a Macca Solo Top 10 List because so many of them (even the highest rated) are so close. To each his own, but I kind of like "Looking At Her". Granted, it is not deep and pretty simple, but to my ears it is a "feel good/guilty pleasure Pop song. I like the bridge (the "look at the effect that she's having on me part), the guitar solo and the sweet and sour contrast in the music and vocal. I also think that Giles Martin does a good Production job. Certainly not one of the best songs on NEW but in my opinion a good, feel good album cut. It appears that quite a few others on this Site also like it. The song Gratitude, to my ears, is a stone cold clunker. I have been a fan of Paul's since 1964 and I have to say that there are damn few Macca songs that are unlistenable but this is one of them (Again, only my opinion). It's a shame that his producer didn't have the nerve to tell him that since most fans seem to feel similar. Nod Your Head is another one on MAF that to me is just a novelty song and another clunker. Those two songs alone are what makes NEW better to me. Both CD's have very good diversity but NEW is very listenable from beginning to end.
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I prefer the "New" album over "MAF" by a long shot, but have stated before that I appreciate and like "Gratitude" for its theme and because of the singing and overall sound, the melody. Everything. It sounds like a white gospel song to me or the way he sings this with so much feeling even a black gospel song (black gospel sounds vastly superior to me over the "white" variety). I interpret it as a rock spiritual, sort of. In my view Paul is singing this to God. Admittedly the first few times I heard "Gratitude" the song rubbed me a bit the wrong way and even grated a bit--until I noticed all the wonderful emotion in his voice, which struck with a great deal of impact, it's intense. Imagine in your mind's ear Elvis Presley singing this on an Elvis gospel album and you might perceive my meaning. "Nod Your Head" I found really jarring and discordant in places, and didn't like that. But I began to appreciate the parts that didn't sound that way and heard the song as bouncy exuberant pop music. I somewhat prefer "Tug of War" album to the "Band on the Run" album. The latter has been over exposed and is too familiar, for one thing.
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I relistened to Memory Almost Full just a few days ago, and I must say I was really disappointed after hearing New. To me there are only two good songs on MAF, Only Mama Knows and That Was Me. The rest is really poor I'm afraid. Now I know why there's so many copies of it in the used record and CD shops. New is at least his best since Flaming Pie.
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beatlesfanrandy:
I relistened to Memory Almost Full just a few days ago, and I must say I was really disappointed after hearing New. To me there are only two good songs on MAF, Only Mama Knows and That Was Me. The rest is really poor I'm afraid. Now I know why there's so many copies of it in the used record and CD shops. New is at least his best since Flaming Pie.
I can't believe you only think there is only 2 good songs on MAF. Yeh I know we all have different opinions and taste but to say the rest is poor is beyond me. As I said I think there is not that much between MAF and New but I know a lot of people think Chaos & Creation is much better than MAF and one of Paul's best. Well not me IMO. Chaos is too one paced and lacks a few rockers like Only Mama Knows and That Was Me which I notice you like on MAF. I gather your tastes must lean towards Paul's rockier stuff.
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NEW and MAF are about the same to my ears. Both good McCartney CDs!
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NEW is an amalgam of MAF's superior songs and Electric Argument's superior dynmaics.
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audi:
NEW is an amalgam of MAF's superior songs and Electric Argument's superior dynmaics.
Yes I agree... I would say it's the best album
Hope he continues with this formula
I love that Paul is bringing Electric Arguments/Fireman into his regular body of songs. It really turns me on to hear those songs that go there... just listening to the evolution of it is
so awesome, fascinating, wonderful and marvelous and very cool
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Apollo C. Vermouth:
beatlesfanrandy:
I relistened to Memory Almost Full just a few days ago, and I must say I was really disappointed after hearing New. To me there are only two good songs on MAF, Only Mama Knows and That Was Me. The rest is really poor I'm afraid. Now I know why there's so many copies of it in the used record and CD shops. New is at least his best since Flaming Pie.
I can't believe you only think there is only 2 good songs on MAF. Yeh I know we all have different opinions and taste but to say the rest is poor is beyond me. As I said I think there is not that much between MAF and New but I know a lot of people think Chaos & Creation is much better than MAF and one of Paul's best. Well not me IMO. Chaos is too one paced and lacks a few rockers like Only Mama Knows and That Was Me which I notice you like on MAF. I gather your tastes must lean towards Paul's rockier stuff.
For me, about 60% of MAF is brilliant and most of the rest is pretty good, except for "Gratitude" -- and if push came to shove, I'd take "Gratitude" over "Looking at Her." Don't get me wrong, I like "New," but I think it's half a brilliant album (pretty much the first half) and half of a so-so one.
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One more thought: The trend I'm seeing here and also on Steve Hoffman's forums are that the people who love New tend to be big fans of Electric Arguments. Electric Arguments leaves me pretty cold -- like the songs, hate the production. I LOVE the live version of Sing the Changes on GENYC, but the studio version does nothing for me. But I can see how people who like the sound of Electric Arguments would like the songs on New that don't do much for me.
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Bruce M.:
Apollo C. Vermouth:
beatlesfanrandy:
I relistened to Memory Almost Full just a few days ago, and I must say I was really disappointed after hearing New. To me there are only two good songs on MAF, Only Mama Knows and That Was Me. The rest is really poor I'm afraid. Now I know why there's so many copies of it in the used record and CD shops. New is at least his best since Flaming Pie.
I can't believe you only think there is only 2 good songs on MAF. Yeh I know we all have different opinions and taste but to say the rest is poor is beyond me. As I said I think there is not that much between MAF and New but I know a lot of people think Chaos & Creation is much better than MAF and one of Paul's best. Well not me IMO. Chaos is too one paced and lacks a few rockers like Only Mama Knows and That Was Me which I notice you like on MAF. I gather your tastes must lean towards Paul's rockier stuff.
For me, about 60% of MAF is brilliant and most of the rest is pretty good, except for "Gratitude" -- and if push came to shove, I'd take "Gratitude" over "Looking at Her." Don't get me wrong, I like "New," but I think it's half a brilliant album (pretty much the first half) and half of a so-so one.
Listen to Looking at Her from 1:31 onward... I think that's pretty solid. Was thinking the Spanish influence could have been a bit stronger sound on that one in the beginning. Overall I enjoy it, but especially after the first minute and a half. Lyrically, I would compare See Your Sunshine with Looking at Her instead of Gratitude.
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Chaos and Creation In The Backyard. Easier to type, too!
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....its his best since Chaos. I just love the fact we are all discussing were it fits it with his best albums rather than where it belongs with his 'lesser LP's' And for the record, I love 'Gratitude'
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greenmetalsuit:
....its his best since Chaos. I just love the fact we are all discussing were it fits it with his best albums rather than where it belongs with his 'lesser LP's' And for the record, I love 'Gratitude'
I don't dislike "Gratitude" as a song; I just think the production and mixing are abysmal. Those few seconds where he sings "cold and lonely nights ended" are right up there with the best moments on the album, but the song as a whole just leaves me feeling pummeled and beaten down. "See Your Sunshine" has similar issues for me, but it's just a better song.
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I love Gratitude...sounds like Back To The Egg Wings...so I LOVE ALL MAF..
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Apollo C. Vermouth:
beatlesfanrandy:
I relistened to Memory Almost Full just a few days ago, and I must say I was really disappointed after hearing New. To me there are only two good songs on MAF, Only Mama Knows and That Was Me. The rest is really poor I'm afraid. Now I know why there's so many copies of it in the used record and CD shops. New is at least his best since Flaming Pie.
I can't believe you only think there is only 2 good songs on MAF. Yeh I know we all have different opinions and taste but to say the rest is poor is beyond me. As I said I think there is not that much between MAF and New but I know a lot of people think Chaos & Creation is much better than MAF and one of Paul's best. Well not me IMO. Chaos is too one paced and lacks a few rockers like Only Mama Knows and That Was Me which I notice you like on MAF. I gather your tastes must lean towards Paul's rockier stuff.
No. my taste leans towards good songs. I don't think Memory Almost Full has many good songs. But I don't like or have a copy of Driving Rain either. And those are the two McCartney albums you will see most in the used bins. So it isn't just me.
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NEW and MAF are about the same for me. Meaning, they are a bit better than CHAOS and DRIVING. Meaning, they are good, but not as good as FLAMING PIE, OFF THE GROUND or FLOWERS IN THE DIRT. Just my opinion. At this point, Paul is making good music for a legend who has nothing to prove. In the 70s, he had to prove he could compete with his Beatles legacy and shut Lennon up for criticizing McCartney in the press. With Lennon gone, well, we all saw what the 80s were like for McCartney. With FLOWERS started a decade of McCartney reclaiming his place in the pantheon of rock and pop music. Since 2002, well, he puts out CDs but really has embraced his Beatles past and treats his solo career the way he treated the Beatles in the 70s!
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I love it, this is such a great title track
I'd say I'll play this album as much as I do Wings albums, for me its probably in that pantheon, best since Wings probably. I like Off The Ground a lot also.. -
Best since Chaos..... But hey, he's on a roll..... Chaos, Memory and New are all very good.... Lets just hope its not another 6 years until the New new one appears....
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My current rankings of Macca albums goes something like this: Band on the Run Flaming Pie Tug Of War Flowers In The Dirt Ram Chaos/New McCartney Electric Arguments Memory Almost Full Venus and Mars Off the Ground Driving Rain Back to the Egg London Town Press to Play Red Rose Speedway Wild Life Wings at the Speed of Sound Pipes of Peace McCartney II As you can see I have Chaos and New tied for 6th at the moment. If I decide Chaos is better, then New is the best album since Chaos and Creation in the Backyard. If I decide New is better, then New is the best album since Flaming Pie. Note I didn't include live albums, or albums that are mostly covers, greatest hits, or Classical. I did include one of the Fireman albums as Electric Arguments is pretty much a McCartney album. Although if I were to include Run Devil Run I would rank it pretty high as I really enjoy it.
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bobbyville:
Although if I were to include Run Devil Run I would rank it pretty high as I really enjoy it.
had to do it
love that track