NEW- my review
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How could someone in their 70's make an album that is as good as any that he's ever made? In the liner notes McCartney admits how hard he "worked" on this. It shows, Paul. He's been on this road for a few years now- and it's another road to the Toppermost. Again. Observing the upward trajectory has been fun, but still, many of us still cross our fingers every time we read a review. Fear no more! Finally- the day is here, McFans! Our hero- the act we've known for all these years- will finally get all the acclaim due him. And he'll get to read it himself. This LP will shut up so many former critics. And it seems our guy had that very thing in mind when he put this together over these last two years. (or more?) Chaos & Creation grabbed me right away, and it's documented that Godrich worked Paul- demanded better bridges- rejected half-baked ideas. NEW does that, and then some. I can already tell that as instantly as I like this, it will be many listens before there's nothing left to hear. I keep coming back to my initial thought- this contains more things that Paul does well in one LP than any other- and is presented in a way that leaves no doubt that he's The Man. The true King of Pop. Thank you, Paul. This LP coulda been called Man On the Run. Save Us- Pure Paul- pinching off himself with a riff based on the "if I ever get out of here" riff. Maybe re-working that riff was done on purpose- hoping some clever lad would catch the link between the 40 years of the same quest for freedom- Band on the Run, and this LP. Only about a month separates their release of 40 (can you believe it?) years exactly. Comparisons should be drawn- but this is Paul all grown up. No more silly love songs- he's finally comfy enough in his own skin to tell it like it is. We're all the better for it. Alligator- A great example of what some work on the production will do. How about the little stuff that happens after he sings "someone letting them be". I can't believe how much nuance is here- just in this song! The guitar riff recalls something from DR- don't wanna go back to find out. More honest lyrics- from the guy who invented cool sounds. On My Way To Work- It seems this is a song about his teen years- on his way to a job, creatively told and I just love his nice harmony. What was the one dream that didn't come true? This is another track that got attention paid to it. Queenie Eye- A traditional Liverpool street game- like "keep away"? Whatever its lyrical origin, there's no doubt this was inspired by the ex. This has many layers and textures. What great sounding chords to open it! I wonder if O-U-T spells out is part of the game and maybe that's where Ringo's xmas line came from? We'll have to learn more about the origins. I also hope there's some detailed interviews with the four producers! Early Days- It starts so pure and clean and Paul has that vulnerable, yet old and wise voice going here. We must embrace this style- the older Paul- it's quite endearing really. There's been a resurgence of this kind of acoustic, organic music- Mumford etc. Paul is reminding everyone that he had this base covered long ago and far away. New- I loved this track from the get-go and it's much better than Fine Line or other singles of recent releases. Hooks galore- which is a Paul trademark. Appreciate- Based on going from minor to major- first done long ago on I'll Be Back. Percussion reminded me of Prince- another oldster who broke much ground and doesn't get enough credit for it. Lyrically, again, I wonder if this talks about some of the reality of marriage imperfection? "She says it's all show- no go"? Everybody Out There- Another one we got to hear live before studio (Off the Ground was a cool way of hearing the LP live from Ed's theater) and this has some great hooks and a wonderful chorus. So many of these songs just feature Paul's gift of harmonizing with his own melodies. Hosanna- It doesn't get good until the harmony and great bass and still is my least fave. This was the first title we heard about. It gets better as it goes- more hooks and ear candy. I Can Bet- This is Paul as a musical Hugh Hefner??? A septuagenarian version of groovy sex and experimentation, good on him! Healthy eating keeps all your organs working properly. ;-} Looking At Her- Is this a song about Nancy being shy and her not liking all the attention? Not a great track but good. Again, Paul has such tasty harmonies- he's always had a knack for it, like no other. Remember John just gushing about what cool harmony Paul had come up with for George's Think for Yourself? Musicality- a lost art in many ways these past 30+ years. Road- A very unique track- co-written with Paul Epworth. This is a good ending of the LP- that's what's tough about bonus tracks- they often fit better within the LP. Here's been all this harmony track after track and these verses are sung in octaves! Cool background vox. Turned Out- A song about Paul doing LSD and other drugs, and stepping out- taking some chances? Why was this left off the official? Great lil guitar riff too- and Paul's patented 'ooo-ooo's' soaring over it. Get Me Out of Here- Another gem and a bit out of the McNorm. This could be a Stones song, or an old blues number by Charlie Patton. Great little riff and Paul brings some blues to the scene. Let's face it, this should've been a 15 song LP as I'm betting there are a few more recorded that maybe did belong as a non-LP track. Scared- Definitely belongs on the LP- I do like it right after Everybody Out There. This is another lyrical gem- Paul is revealing his emotions like never before. I can't believe how good and well-produced each track is. It's hard to compare this with earlier work- except Chaos, for me. But if side-by-side comparisons to Chaos with Kahne produced crap didn't convince you that Kahne was wrong for the job, play a weakly produced song like Only Mama Knows, then play Queenie Eye. Dance Tonight compared to Early Days. NEW simply glistens in great sound and top-notch production. I look forward to reading other reviews now! I just read RS' last night- it was a 4 star, but didn't get featured. Instead it was a 31/2 star Pearl Jam that got the nod. RS best put him on the cover and do another interview if they're smart- which has been mixed over the decades. So McFans, keep us in the loop for groovy magazines and interviews. There's a new Mojo out now, right? Sure hope Macca does something like Chaos at EMI. That Lewisohn book sounds GREAT (10/29)- giving us a detailed look at the formative years. Looks like the end of '13 will be a fab one- at least musically! Appreciate the day, Tom Satriano
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welcome Tom Satriano
thank you for sharing your review! interesting would be good for you to share it here on the dedicated thread for that also http://maccaboard.paulmccartney.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=87470 -
Hi Tom! Welcome to the message board!
Please feel free to share your review of New with others discussing the various attributes of Paul's album here in our Not Such a Bad Boy forum: http://maccaboard.paulmccartney.com/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=33 As simplyrahil has suggested, this thread in particular may be of special interest to you: New - Track-by-track thoughts http://maccaboard.paulmccartney.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=87470 THANK YOU, (((((PAUL)))))!!! WE LOVE YOU!!!
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Hey Tom! Welcome. Great review.
