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DISCID=d40c0b10
DTITLE=McCartney, Paul / Memory Almost Full (Deluxe Edition)
DYEAR=2007
DGENRE=Pop/Rock
TTITLE0=Dance Tonight
TTITLE1=Ever Present Past
TTITLE2=See Your Sunshine
TTITLE3=Only Mama Knows
TTITLE4=You Tell Me
TTITLE5=Mr. Bellamy
TTITLE6=Gratitude
TTITLE7=Vintage Clothes
TTITLE8=That Was Me
TTITLE9=Feet In The Clouds
TTITLE10=House Of Wax
TTITLE11=The End Of The End
TTITLE12=Nod Your Head
TTITLE13=In Private
TTITLE14=Why So Blue
TTITLE15=222
EXTD=Memory Almost Full (CD+DVD Edition)\n 2007 Hear Music\n\nOrigina
EXTD=lly Released June 5, 2007\nLimited Bonus CD Edition Released June
EXTD= 5, 2007\nCD+DVD Special Edition Released November 6, 2007\n\nLim
EXTD=ited Bonus CD Edition Product Description\nThis beautifully-packa
EXTD=ged, deluxe limited edition also comes with a 2nd disc that conta
EXTD=ins 3 unreleased bonus tracks and audio commentary by Paul McCart
EXTD=ney describing the music, 6 foldout color postcard-sized photos, 
EXTD=and full lyrics.\n\nCD+DVD Special Edition Product Description\nT
EXTD=he CD/DVD Deluxe Edition features three bonus audio tracks on the
EXTD= CD: "In Private," "Why So Blue," and "222." In addition, the pac
EXTD=kage includes a DVD that features never-before-released footage f
EXTD=rom McCartney's "secret show" at the Electric Ballroom in London 
EXTD=in June, 2007. The video portion of the package includes live per
EXTD=formances of material from "Memory Almost Full" including "Dance 
EXTD=Tonight," "Nod Your Head," "House of Wax" and "Only Mama Knows," 
EXTD=as well as a live performance of "Drive My Car."\n\nAlso included
EXTD= in the package are the music videos for the singles "Ever Presen
EXTD=t Past," directed by Phil Griffin and "Dance Tonight," directed b
EXTD=y Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) and starr
EXTD=ing Natalie Portman. \n\n\nAMG EXPERT REVIEW:  Allusion to the di
EXTD=gital world though it may be, there's a sweet, elegiac undercurre
EXTD=nt to the title of Paul McCartney's Memory Almost Full, an acknow
EXTD=ledgement that it was written and recorded when McCartney was 64,
EXTD= the age he mythologized on Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
EXTD=, released almost exactly 40 years before Memory. Certainly, McCa
EXTD=rtney has mortality on the mind, but this isn't an entirely unusu
EXTD=al occurrence for him in this third act of his solo career. Ever 
EXTD=since his wife Linda's death from cancer in 1998, he's been danci
EXTD=ng around the subject, peppering Flaming Pie with longing looks b
EXTD=ack, grieving by throwing himself into the past on the covers alb
EXTD=um Run Devil Run, slowly coming to terms with his status as the o
EXTD=ld guard on the carefully ruminative Chaos and Creation in the Ba
EXTD=ckyard. But if that previous record was precise, bearing all the 
EXTD=hallmarks of meticulous producer Nigel Godrich, Memory Almost Ful
EXTD=l is startlingly bright and frequently lively, an album that embr
EXTD=aces McCartney's unerring gift for melody. Yet for as pop as it i
EXTD=s, this is not an album made with any illusion that Paul will soo
EXTD=n have a succession of hit singles: it's an art-pop album, not un
EXTD=like either of the McCartney albums. Sometimes this is reflected 
EXTD=in the construction --- the quick succession of short songs at th
EXTD=e end, uncannily (and quite deliberately) sounding like a suite -
EXTD=- sometimes in the lyrics, but the remarkable thing is that McCar
EXTD=tney never sounds self-consciously pretentious here, as if he's s
EXTD=triving to make a major statement. Rather, he's quietly taking st
EXTD=ock of his life and loves, his work and achievements. Unlike latt
EXTD=er-day efforts by Johnny Cash or the murky Daniel Lanois-produced
EXTD= albums by Bob Dylan, mortality haunts the album, but there's no 
EXTD=fetishization of death. Instead, McCartney marvels at his life --
EXTD= explicitly so in the disarmingly guileless "That Was Me," where 
EXTD=he enthuses about his role in a stage play in grammar school with
EXTD= the same vigor as he boasts about playing the Cavern Club with t
EXTD=he Beatles -- and realizes that when he reaches "The End of the E
EXTD=nd," he doesn't want anything more than the fond old stories of h
EXTD=is life to be told. \n\nThis matter-of-fact acknowledgement that 
EXTD=he's in the last act of his life hangs over this album, but his p
EXTD=enchant for nostalgia -- this is the man who wrote the sepia-tone
EXTD=d music hall shuffle "Your Mother Should Know" before he was 30, 
EXTD=after all -- has lost its rose-tinted streak. Where he once roman
EXTD=ticized days gone by, McCartney now admits that we're merely livi
EXTD=ng with "The Ever Present Past," just like how although we live i
EXTD=n the present, we still wear "Vintage Clothes." He's no longer pi
EXTD=ning for the past, since he knows where the present is heading, y
EXTD=et he seems disarmingly grateful for where his journey has taken 
EXTD=him and what it has meant for him, to the extent that he slings n
EXTD=o arrows at his second wife, Heather Mills, he only offers her "G
EXTD=ratitude." Given the nastiness of the coverage of his recent divo
EXTD=rce, Paul might be spinning his eternal optimism a bit hard on th
EXTD=is song, but it isn't forced or saccharine -- it fits alongside t
EXTD=he clear-eyed sentiment of the rest of Memory Almost Full. It rin
EXTD=gs true to the open-heartedness of his music, and the album deliv
EXTD=ers some of McCartney's best latter-day music. Memory Almost Full
EXTD= is so melodic and memorable, it's easy to take for granted his s
EXTD=kill as a craftsman, particularly here when it feels so natural a
EXTD=nd unforced, even when it takes left turns, which it thankfully d
EXTD=oes more than once. Best of all, this is the rare pop meditation 
EXTD=on mortality that doesn't present itself as a major statement, ye
EXTD=t it is thematically and musically coherent, slowly working its w
EXTD=ay under your skin and lodging its way into your cluttered memory
EXTD=. On the surface, it's bright and accessible, as easy to enjoy as
EXTD= the best of Paul's solo albums, but it lingers in the heart and 
EXTD=mind in a way uncommon to the rest of his work, and to many other
EXTD= latter-day albums from his peers as well. \n\n[The deluxe editio
EXTD=n of Memory Almost Full contains a live DVD, extra packaging, and
EXTD= bonus tracks, including an interview with McCartney about the al
EXTD=bum, plus three new songs: the pleasant-enough instrumental "In P
EXTD=rivate," the quite good, mildly brooding pop tune "Why So Blue," 
EXTD=and the amiably ambling throwaway instrumental "222."] -- Stephen
EXTD= Thomas Erlewine\n\nAmazon.com Editorial Review\n"Many years from
EXTD= now" must have seemed like an understatement to 16-year-old Paul
EXTD= McCartney, wondering if he'd still be needed or fed at the age o
EXTD=f 64. As it turned out, all doubt as to the latter had ceased by 
EXTD=his 22nd birthday (though few could have predicted he'd end up wa
EXTD=shing down those meals with the liquid pride of Seattle). As to t
EXTD=he former? Now that McCartney, as of the date of this album's rel
EXTD=ease, has reached that mythic age, his greatest work is 40 years 
EXTD=behind him, his solo peak over 30 years gone. Does the world need
EXTD= a new Paul McCartney album? The answer is yes, at least as much 
EXTD=as it needs anything else that passes for music these days. With 
EXTD=Memory Almost Full, Macca is back. No, it's not Ram or Band on th
EXTD=e Run. It might not even be Flowers in the Dirt--in 1989, he had 
EXTD=a full band, the support of Linda, and Elvis Costello as a collab
EXTD=orator. Here, he's on his own. Literally: on the majority of the 
EXTD=tracks, everything but the strings is multi-instrumentalist Paul.
EXTD= But the surprise is that it's one of his freest, loosest affairs
EXTD= in years, sonically reminiscent of the Tug of War/Pipes of Peace
EXTD= era with nods to Abbey Road in the album-closing medley, McCartn
EXTD=ey's gravelly tones on "Gratitude," and 2007's version of "Her Ma
EXTD=jesty," the palate-cleansing "Nod Your Head." It's a surprise bec
EXTD=ause of the album's inescapable sense of retrospection ("Ever Pre
EXTD=sent Past," "Vintage Clothes," "That Was Me") and even a bit of w
EXTD=eariness. The next-to-last song is "The End of the End," after al
EXTD=l, in which McCartney tells us about what he'd like to happen "on
EXTD= the day that I die." (He wants "songs that were sung/to be hung 
EXTD=out like blankets/that lovers have played on/and laid on while li
EXTD=stening to songs that were sung," and will likely get his wish.) 
EXTD=But it never gets overwhelming, for McCartney mostly resists his 
EXTD=tendency to get plodding and maudlin. In fact, Memory Almost Full
EXTD= must be the most sanguine album made during the dissolution of a
EXTD= marriage since...well, ever. "What went out is coming back," he 
EXTD=sings in "Vintage Clothes," and from the sound of things, that ma
EXTD=y not be just wishful thinking. What's past is prologue; if we're
EXTD= lucky, what to come may be McCartney's late renaissance. --Benja
EXTD=min Lukoff \n\nAmazon.com Product Description\nThe 13 new songs o
EXTD=n Memory Almost Full are performed entirely by Paul McCartney (ex
EXTD=cluding strings) and produced by Grammy Award-winner David Kahne 
EXTD=(The Strokes, Sublime, Bruce Springsteen and more).\n\n\nAMAZON.C
EXTD=OM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nMcCartney Gets Introspective...and Intriguing
EXTD=, June 9, 2007 \nBy  Thomas D. Ryan "American Hit Network" (New Y
EXTD=ork) \nAs a person, Paul McCartney has done an efficient job of k
EXTD=eeping his personal affairs outside of the public eye, and that j
EXTD=udicious sense of self-protection has always extended to his musi
EXTD=c. One reason his solo career has been so frustrating is because 
EXTD=we rarely catch a glimpse of what is really on his mind. His rece
EXTD=nt marital issues have been tabloid fodder for quite a while now,
EXTD= though, and I'd bet that many fans are secretly hoping that juic
EXTD=y tidbits concerning his divorce will be revealed in his newer ma
EXTD=terial. A nasty break-up song would be most scintillating, but tr
EXTD=ue fans already know that the odds of hearing anything so bluntly
EXTD= autobiographical from Sir Paul is virtually nonexistent. \n\nWel
EXTD=l, hold onto your hats. You still have to make presumptions, and 
EXTD=assume even more, but it's obvious that McCartney has a lot on hi
EXTD=s mind, and he's putting those thoughts into lyrics. Unlike previ
EXTD=ous tactics, where he often applied his observations to third par
EXTD=ties, "Memory Almost Full" displays McCartney singing mostly in t
EXTD=he first person. He still keeps his cards fairly close to his ves
EXTD=t, but you can't help but sense that he's really trying to convey
EXTD= something disarmingly honest about himself. Virtually every song
EXTD= on the album includes the word 'I'. Of course, these songs could
EXTD= be characterizations, too, but I doubt it. There's such a strong
EXTD= underlying theme of mortality running through this collection of
EXTD= songs that it would nearly impossible to fake anything so heavy 
EXTD=and earnest. \n\n"Memory Almost Full" overflows with intense rumi
EXTD=nations on time passing and the finality of death, and yet McCart
EXTD=ney still maintains a whimsical tone throughout most of the disk.
EXTD= - How Paul McCartney-like is that? Who else could sing about imp
EXTD=ending death and make it sound like a Sunday drive? "Ever Present
EXTD= Past" has him dwelling on "times that have gone too fast" with a
EXTD= carefree shrug. "You Tell Me" is more inscrutable and poetic, bu
EXTD=t it catches McCartney questioning his own power of recall, singi
EXTD=ng, "Were we there? Was it real? Is it truly how I feel? Maybe. Y
EXTD=ou tell me." Mr. Bellamy is certainly a classic McCartney charact
EXTD=erization of a man contemplating suicide, or at least escaping hi
EXTD=s oppressors. The deeper you go into the disk, the more impressiv
EXTD=e (and impending) it becomes. "Vintage Clothes" is a clever allus
EXTD=ion to growing old and watching your wardrobe turn into 'vintage 
EXTD=clothes'. "That Was Me" flashes images of a life, while observing
EXTD=, "when I think that all this stuff makes a life, it's pretty har
EXTD=d to take it in." \n\nAs you'd expect from a collection of McCart
EXTD=ney songs, there's plenty of melody, and many sound oddly familia
EXTD=r, suggesting classic Wings tunes. "Only Mama Knows" hints at "Ju
EXTD=nior's Farm" and "Ever Present Past" lifts some of its melody fro
EXTD=m "Wonderful Christmastime," while "You Tell Me" and "House of Wa
EXTD=x" both suggest bits of "Dear Friend." Many of these songs even f
EXTD=eature Linda-esque harmonies, which is somehow simultaneously com
EXTD=forting and creepy. The sense of finality reaches its poetic clim
EXTD=ax on the aptly named "End of the End," wherein McCartney faces h
EXTD=is own death as though the Grim Reaper was hovering over him. It 
EXTD=is a stunningly beautiful moment that justifies the entire disk; 
EXTD=indeed, it justifies his entire career. This would be the logical
EXTD= ending for "Memory Almost Full," but "Nod Your Head" provides a 
EXTD=most unusual coda for such a well-adjusted album. Over a sea of n
EXTD=oisy atonality, McCartney lets loose with some unbridled anger, a
EXTD=imed at a not quite estranged partner. Could this be that most ra
EXTD=re moment when McCartney finally releases unbridled and mostly un
EXTD=disguised anger at someone who has deceived him? It's thoroughly 
EXTD=incongruous with the rest of the disk and 100% unexpected, and es
EXTD=pecially unsettling coming at the end of an entire album's worth 
EXTD=of songs that sum up a life well spent. A- Tom Ryan \n\n\nAMAZON.
EXTD=COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nMcCartney continues to produce stellar music
EXTD= 40 years AFTER Sgt. Pepper, June 23, 2007 \nBy  My Science Ficti
EXTD=on Twin "If at first the idea... (My Little Blue Window, USA) \nJ
EXTD=ust who does this guy think he is? He seems to think he was a mem
EXTD=ber of The Beatles or something. He was a Beatle for roughly 10 y
EXTD=ears (the band appeared as The Beatles for the first time in 1960
EXTD= 2 years before they recorded their first EMI single) and has bee
EXTD=n a solo artist (with a detour fronting Wings from 1972-1980) for
EXTD= 29 years. McCartney rediscovers his roots creating one of his fi
EXTD=nest solo albums in the last 20 years and that's saying something
EXTD= considering the last four albums he's released. \n\nOpening with
EXTD= the off-handed, charming and folksy "Dance Tonight" with McCartn
EXTD=ey strumming a mandolin (the song was inspired by McCartney buyin
EXTD=g a left handed mandolin and trying to learn to play it) the albu
EXTD=m digs musically into McCartney's "Ever Present Past" (to quote t
EXTD=he title of the second song) boldly presenting some of his best c
EXTD=rafted songs. That second song we mentioned--it's a classic song 
EXTD=that demonstrates that McCartney hasn't lost his touch. "See Your
EXTD= Sunshine" which recalls the best qualities that McCartney brough
EXTD=t to his strongest material for Wings and "Only Mama Knows" (whic
EXTD=h opens to the sound of a string quartet before blasting into a r
EXTD=ock 'n' roll tune) continues the winning streak. The only song th
EXTD=at truly isn't that strong is "Nod Your Head" which with its aton
EXTD=al melody and scrapping guitar solo would have been much better i
EXTD=f it had stronger lyrics. It does, however, recall off-handed gem
EXTD=s like "Why Don't We Do It in the Road" which had even simpler ly
EXTD=rics than this song. \n\nThe deluxe version comes with a second C
EXTD=D of three other songs and an interview with McCartney discussing
EXTD= the making of the album (the sticker on the DVD sized case for t
EXTD=he special edition features hyperbole proclaiming that the second
EXTD= CD "features 3 previously unreleased tracks"...well guys the ent
EXTD=ire CD had been unreleased before this). All three are pretty str
EXTD=ong contenders for the album with the instrumental "In Private" s
EXTD=ounding almost like an outtake for a modern version of "McCartney
EXTD=". The ballad "Why So Blue" is balanced out by the jazz inflected
EXTD= "222" with nice playing by McCartney adopting all the instrument
EXTD=s much as he did on his albums "McCartney" and "McCartney II". \n
EXTD=\nThe deluxe edition comes as mentioned with the second disc as w
EXTD=ell as lyrics for the album (the lyrics for the regular edition c
EXTD=an be accessed online) in a nicely designed package the size of a
EXTD= DVD case. Audiophiles take note-the only criticism I can make is
EXTD= the recording/mix approach which results is an album that has li
EXTD=ttle to no dynamic range and sounds like a series of MP3 tracks w
EXTD=here everything is loud and at the same level in the recording. T
EXTD=he mastering isn't the problem--evidently McCartney wanted it to 
EXTD=sound this way and it was delivered to Bob Ludwig with the intent
EXTD=ion of sounding like a series of mp3's)and, perhaps, some of this
EXTD= was McCartney's decision or producer David Kahne. \n\nIf you dis
EXTD=agree write a review. Remember, these reviews are designed to hel
EXTD=p people make a decision about purchasing an item and the helpful
EXTD=/not helpful votes are designed NOT to agree or disagree with but
EXTD= to register whether or not the review helped you make a decision
EXTD= about buying the item. Some people confuse opinion with dogma re
EXTD=member it's only someone else's opinion. \n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOME
EXTD=R REVIEW\nNow that he's 64, June 9, 2007 \nBy  Tim Brough "author
EXTD= and music buff" (Springfield, PA United States) \nPaul McCartney
EXTD= has suddenly hit a hot streak. The introspective "Chaos and Crea
EXTD=tion in the Backyard" was a minor masterpiece, completely making 
EXTD=up for (what I considered, anyway) the lackluster "Flaming Pie" a
EXTD=nd "Driving Rain." When I heard David Kahne - who produced "Drivi
EXTD=ng Rain" - was on board for "Memory Almost Full," I cringed. Woul
EXTD=d Paul revert back to making records that didn't really challenge
EXTD= himself or his listeners or would the inspiration that appeared 
EXTD=on "Chaos" carry on to the new album? \n\nFortunately for us, it 
EXTD=did. While "Memory Almost Full" is not the revelation "Chaos" was
EXTD=, the second half of "Memory" is up there with the best work Paul
EXTD= has ever done. It seems odd that this album leads off with anoth
EXTD=er "Silly Love Song," as the insipid lyric to "Dance Tonight" lur
EXTD=es you in with the usual sugar-sweet McCartney melody, then "Ever
EXTD= Present Past" tunefully kids us about the deceptiveness of time 
EXTD=just before the darker themes creep up. "The things I did, I did 
EXTD=I did I did, the things I think I did when I was a kid." This is 
EXTD=almost an album that Paul himself answers if we will need each ot
EXTD=her when we're 64. Paul also rocks a little more than on "Chaos."
EXTD= "Only Mama Knows" kicks up some dust, but the album closer, "Nod
EXTD= Your Head," is all sorts of discord. The Rolling Stone review ev
EXTD=en postulates that "Nod Your Head" is a song to an elderly bed-ri
EXTD=dden patient. "If you really love me, baby, better than staying i
EXTD=n bed, nod your head." Pretty bleak from that point of view. \n\n
EXTD=Which is the trajectory perspective of "Memory Almost Full." The 
EXTD=starting point is lightness, the final point is dark...and the so
EXTD=ngs seem to get more introspective as they progress. "You Tell Me
EXTD=" is sad and bittersweet, almost seeming to be about both the los
EXTD=s of Linda and his acrimonious divorce from Heather Mills. The ch
EXTD=aracter study of "Mr Bellamy" follows a man whose life is in coll
EXTD=apse. There is a lot of looking back on "Memory Almost Full," bot
EXTD=h in nostalgia ("Vintage Clothes" "That Was Me" and "Ever Present
EXTD= Past") and not so much so. \n\nYet even I was struck when "The E
EXTD=nd Of The End" came on. It doesn't look back at all; it is McCart
EXTD=ney's personal instructions on how he wants us to recall him upon
EXTD= the occasion of his death. Perhaps reckoning with the loss of Jo
EXTD=hn Lennon, George Harrison and Linda led up to this song, but it 
EXTD=really is simple, touching and enough to make my eyes well up. "T
EXTD=he End Of The End" may be the most sentimentally beautiful song h
EXTD=e's written since "Here Today" from "Tug Of War." \n\n"On the day
EXTD= that I die \nI'd like bells to be rung \nand songs that were sun
EXTD=g \nto be hung out like blankets \nthat lovers have played on \na
EXTD=nd laid on while listening \nto songs that were sung." \n\nFrankl
EXTD=y, had he ended the album at this point, I might have considered 
EXTD=a fifth star. But the jarring "Nod Your Head" shatters the mood. 
EXTD=I also have to admit that having to pay extra for lyrics, a large
EXTD=r package and some pictures feels like a gyp. It's not like he's 
EXTD=struggling to save money, and those Starbucks drinks ain't cheap.
EXTD= The four bonus selections are three extra songs (none of which a
EXTD=re all that interesting) and Paul talking about the album. These 
EXTD=minor quibbles aside, "Memory Almost Full" is vintage Paul McCart
EXTD=ney, melodic, memorable and emotionally poignant. For a man that 
EXTD=is a few months from retirement age, that says a lot. \n\n\nAMAZO
EXTD=N.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nWelcome addition to McCartney's renaissanc
EXTD=e, July 11, 2007 \nBy  Robert Hughes (Ohio State University, U.S.
EXTD=A.)\nAs you can gather from the other reviews here, Memory Almost
EXTD= Full is a fine album from the inimitable, irrepressible Mr McCar
EXTD=tney. All the elements are in order here: songwriting, singing, p
EXTD=erformance, production, and recording. I am happy to give the alb
EXTD=um five stars (it's a very strong collection), but I'm not sure i
EXTD=t ranks with Paul's very best. Why not? I guess for my tastes, I 
EXTD=find Paul's best work happens when all the elements are in order 
EXTD=*and* the album also sustains a tight emotional focus. This was t
EXTD=he case on Tug of War (1980) and, especially, Chaos and Creation 
EXTD=in the Backyard (2005). Memory Almost Full, by contrast, seems to
EXTD= me just an outstanding collection of songs, the way Flowers in t
EXTD=he Dirt (1989) was an outstanding collection of songs. It's enjoy
EXTD=able and (as always) fascinating to see McCartney working through
EXTD= his various and surprising musical ideas, and it's again a remin
EXTD=der of what a genius this guy has been for so many years, but I d
EXTD=on't think it will inspire "awe" (Bob Dylan's word) the way Chaos
EXTD= and Creation did a couple years ago. Still, one must be grateful
EXTD= for what one gets, and that I certainly am: Memory Almost Full i
EXTD=s a very strong, very enjoyable album. I hope you buy the album a
EXTD=nd enjoy it as much as I have. The three bonus tracks continue Mc
EXTD=Cartney's long tradition of putting out weird gems for his B-side
EXTD=s. \n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nFine album, but oh, the sele
EXTD=ctive memory!, June 19, 2007 \nBy  Leggo Ami (Richmond, VA USA)\n
EXTD=One of the selling points for this fine album has been that McCar
EXTD=tney, for the first time since Abbey Road, has composed and/or as
EXTD=sembled a "suite" of songs. By stating this, the implications are
EXTD= that the so-called suite is somehow "like" the one on Abbey Road
EXTD=, and that McCartney doesn't routinely think in terms of "collect
EXTD=ions" of song fragments. \n\nNeither is true. \n\nFor starters, i
EXTD=t's not the first time since Abbey Road. There's a series of conn
EXTD=ected tunes on Red Rose Speedway, clearly identified as a medley.
EXTD= The major themes of the Band on the Run lp are repeated at the e
EXTD=nd of that lp's final track. A number of McCartney's post-Beatles
EXTD= songs are crammed together fragments; for instance, the excellen
EXTD=t, "The Mess," the b-side of "My Love." In fact, some of his best
EXTD= known compositions are simply bits that are artfully crammed tog
EXTD=ether: "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey," and "Band on the Run," to n
EXTD=ame but two. McCartney has visited this technique again and again
EXTD=. He's quite good at it, in fact. Why pretend that it is somethin
EXTD=g unusual for him? \n\nGeorge Harrison often accused McCartney of
EXTD= selective memory to suit his needs. Maybe this is yet another in
EXTD=stance. \n\nThe suite itself is in no way reminiscent of McCartne
EXTD=y's earlier efforts with this compositional form, however. These 
EXTD=are complete stand-alone songs that slightly overlap in their end
EXTD= and beginning points. This is accomplished without the clever cr
EXTD=ossfading, cool sound effects, and other ideas employed on Abbey 
EXTD=Road. In that regard, the suite is disappointing. Had it not been
EXTD= built up as "son-of-Abbey Road" it wouldn't be. \n\nSo, is the a
EXTD=lbum any good? \n\nOf course. \n\nIt glories in McCartney's curre
EXTD=nt sonic strengths: glorious, soulful singing, lots of Wings era 
EXTD=electric guitar using period effects, strong backing vocals, and 
EXTD=like his previous two albums this one continues an increasing rel
EXTD=iance on his excellent falsetto and...believe it or not...whistli
EXTD=ng. Among his still living contemporaries his voice is simply wit
EXTD=hout peer. \n\nStandout songs include: "Only Momma Knows" a power
EXTD= pop blowout you won't believe, and, though the fake string quart
EXTD=et intro leaves me cold, "You Tell Me" is a great guitar ballad t
EXTD=hat includes a tasty electric guitar solo, nice vocal backing and
EXTD= the previously alluded to seventies guitar effects. The album's 
EXTD=strangest composition, "Mr. Bellamy," which would be at home on a
EXTD= 10cc record, is a character song in classic McCartney mode. Funn
EXTD=y stuff indeed. \n\nThough the tuneful "Dance Tonight" is the fir
EXTD=st single, to my ears the best song is "See Your Sunshine" a gorg
EXTD=eous bit of r&b-inflected pop, which begins with a breath-taking 
EXTD=vocal cluster I can't get out of my head. \n\nAs reviewers usuall
EXTD=y end up saying about deluxe editions by just about any artist, I
EXTD='m not sure it was really worth springing for it. The foldout pac
EXTD=kaging is pretty cool and the photos of Paul are tasteful black a
EXTD=nd white, revealing his best haircut in years. Liner notes, lyric
EXTD=s and photos are on glossy paper that folds up like a set of post
EXTD=cards (but without the perforations). \n\nThe extra cuts on disc 
EXTD=two? Er, well, not exactly essential. The instrumental "In Privat
EXTD=e" mixes harpsichord (eventually) with electric guitar. "Why So B
EXTD=lue" is a vocal number good enough to have been included on the m
EXTD=ain disc. "222," curiously, features Paul in 7/4, the time signat
EXTD=ure usually associated with Stereolab these days, possibly a firs
EXTD=t for the McCartney songbook. This one is clearly a kind of write
EXTD=r's sketch, Paul's brief vocalizing is tentative, but many of the
EXTD= other parts are fleshed out nicely. The 26-minute audio intervie
EXTD=w with Paul about the writing of these songs manages to be both i
EXTD=nformative and revealing, and tedious at times. \n\nThe album sit
EXTD=s nicely with his two most recent studio efforts, Driving Rain an
EXTD=d Chaos and Creation in the Backyard. McCartney's decision to wor
EXTD=k with producers other than himself has been a rewarding one, lea
EXTD=ding to new sounds, different arrangements, and recording and edi
EXTD=ting techniques that are not typical of his established sound. In
EXTD= other words, like so few of his contemporaries, in his sixties, 
EXTD=he is brave enough to challenge himself as an artist. That it wor
EXTD=ks so well is the astounding thing. \n\n(added comment about amaz
EXTD=on's description: McCartney does NOT play every instrument. He is
EXTD= joined by others on six songs) \n\n\nHalf.com Details \nProducer
EXTD=: David Kahne \n\nAlbum Notes\nPersonnel: Rusty Anderson (guitar)
EXTD=; Paul 'Wix' Wickens (keyboards); Brian Ray (bass guitar); Abe La
EXTD=boriel Jnr. (drums).\n\nThe first release from the Starbucks-back
EXTD=ed Hear Music label, 2007's MEMORY ALMOST FULL, is a significant 
EXTD=point in Paul McCartney's long and legendary career. Not only doe
EXTD=s it mark the end of his decades-long relationship with Capitol R
EXTD=ecords, MEMORY is easily one of McCartney's most Beatlesque solo 
EXTD=outings, a notion particularly reinforced by the album's ABBEY RO
EXTD=AD-styled closing suite.\n\nEven before that dynamic medley, howe
EXTD=ver, McCartney offers up some of his most vibrant songs in years-
EXTD=-most notably the jangly opener, "Dance Tonight," and "Ever Prese
EXTD=nt Past," a wonderfully catchy ode to memory--and these tracks co
EXTD=ntrast well with the largely subdued numbers on CHAOS AND CREATIO
EXTD=N IN THE BACKYARD. As with that preceding pop-oriented outing, Ma
EXTD=cca plays almost all instruments himself, although instead of wor
EXTD=king with producer Nigel Godrich again, he goes back to working w
EXTD=ith David Kahne for a more muscular, straight-ahead sound. By the
EXTD= time the upbeat "That Was Me" signals the record's closing seque
EXTD=nce, it is abundantly clear that this is top-shelf McCartney, and
EXTD= listeners can almost hear a hearty round of applause as "Nod You
EXTD=r Head" brings MEMORY to its majestic end.
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