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In 1975 and 1976 Paul McCartney and Wings undertook the epic "Wings over the World" tour, the largest scale tour they would ever undertake as a band. From this tour came both the legendary "Wings Over America" triple live album and the concert film "Rockshow," which are both now available restored and remastered. Learn more |
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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
"Many years from now" must have seemed like an understatement to 16-year-old Paul McCartney, wondering if he'd still be needed or fed at the age of 64. As it turned out, all doubt as to the latter had ceased by his 22nd birthday (though few could have predicted he'd end up washing down those meals with the liquid pride of Seattle). As to the former? Now that McCartney, as of the date of this album's release, has reached that mythic age, his greatest work is 40 years behind him, his solo peak over 30 years gone. Does the world need a new Paul McCartney album? The answer is yes, at least as much as it needs anything else that passes for music these days. With Memory Almost Full, Macca is back. No, it's not Ram or Band on the Run. It might not even be Flowers in the Dirt--in 1989, he had a full band, the support of Linda, and Elvis Costello as a collaborator. Here, he's on his own. Literally: on the majority of the tracks, everything but the strings is multi-instrumentalist Paul. But the surprise is that it's one of his freest, loosest affairs in years, sonically reminiscent of the Tug of War/Pipes of Peace era with nods to Abbey Road in the album-closing medley, McCartney's gravelly tones on "Gratitude," and 2007's version of "Her Majesty," the palate-cleansing "Nod Your Head." It's a surprise because of the album's inescapable sense of retrospection ("Ever Present Past," "Vintage Clothes," "That Was Me") and even a bit of weariness. The next-to-last song is "The End of the End," after all, in which McCartney tells us about what he'd like to happen "on the day that I die." (He wants "songs that were sung/to be hung out like blankets/that lovers have played on/and laid on while listening to songs that were sung," and will likely get his wish.) But it never gets overwhelming, for McCartney mostly resists his tendency to get plodding and maudlin. In fact, Memory Almost Full must be the most sanguine album made during the dissolution of a marriage since...well, ever. "What went out is coming back," he sings in "Vintage Clothes," and from the sound of things, that may not be just wishful thinking. What's past is prologue; if we're lucky, what to come may be McCartney's late renaissance. --Benjamin Lukoff
Product Description
2007 album from the former Beatle, his first release for the recently-established Hear Music label. The album was recorded between 2003 and 2006 and was performed entirely by Macca and produced by David Kahne. 13 tracks including the first single 'Dance Tonight'. The perfect album to enjoy with a Tall Espresso Roast because both are smooth and balanced with a slightly sweet finish.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
78 of 86 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
"Searching for the Time That Went By So Fast...The Time I Thought Would Last..."
June 5, 2007
Format:Audio CD
It was 40 years ago today (at least, this week) Paul McCartney asked, "Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I'm 64?" It was among his most beloved compositions on "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," the Beatles LP defining 1967 (and, for many, the classic rock era) without unanimously being considered rock's (or the group's) finest album.
In "Vintage Clothes," among highlights on his vibrant new CD, "Memory Almost Full," the knighted grandfather warns, "Don't live in the past/Don't hold on to something that's changing fast." It's an odd sentiment from history's most successful living songwriter from its most famous band who, before turning 30, wrote backward glancing music hall classics like "Yesterday," "Honey Pie," and "Your Mother Should Know."
But announcing his intents early allows McCartney musical and lyrical space to examine his "ever present past" (to quote his zippy first single) with warmth if not bitterness. (This is sensible, as it's Macca's first release with Starbucks Coffee's new music label.) He knows each new song refers you to a Beatles or Wings classic. "House of Wax"'s guitar solo recalls 1968's White Album's distorted rock. "Dance Tonight," a deceptively simple melody over strummed, country stomp, echoes McCartney's first, homegrown solo records. Sir Paul sings his childhood scrapbook over "That Was Me"'s jazzy backbeat, from young Paul's appearing in scout camp and school plays to signing his first contract. He then concludes, "When I think that all this stuff could make a life/it's pretty hard to take it in."
"Only Mama Knows," "Memory's" most memorable song, at first recalls mid-70s chuggers like "Jet" and "Junior's Farm." But its pensive string arrangement wrapped around the song's center, McCartney's angry, resigned lyrics ("Only Mama knows/why she laid me down in this God-forsaken town/She was running too.") and impassioned vocals make it his strongest rocker since 1989's "My Brave Face."
Those thinking McCartney retired to concertos and frivolous "smoochy ballads" (the odd "Gratitude" notwithstanding) will be pleasantly surprised by this album's aggressive rock. Producer David Kahne, whose worked with everyone from 80s jangle rockers the Bangles and Matthew Sweet to crooner Tony Bennett, pushes McCartney's still-strong voice higher in the mix, while drummer Abe Laboriel establishes himself MVP of McCartney's crack traveling band.
"The End of the End," where McCartney asks for jokes and stories instead of tears at his funeral, is his gentler, solitary update of "Abbey Road"'s frenzied final moments (themselves an era's end.) While "Memory Almost Full" shows Paul McCartney acting and understanding his age, it also shows him returning rock fans' love and respect for him by trying some fresh musical and even marketing ideas, and sharing more of his history amid the hits. A key CD in his long, remarkable career, and highly recommended.
In "Vintage Clothes," among highlights on his vibrant new CD, "Memory Almost Full," the knighted grandfather warns, "Don't live in the past/Don't hold on to something that's changing fast." It's an odd sentiment from history's most successful living songwriter from its most famous band who, before turning 30, wrote backward glancing music hall classics like "Yesterday," "Honey Pie," and "Your Mother Should Know."
But announcing his intents early allows McCartney musical and lyrical space to examine his "ever present past" (to quote his zippy first single) with warmth if not bitterness. (This is sensible, as it's Macca's first release with Starbucks Coffee's new music label.) He knows each new song refers you to a Beatles or Wings classic. "House of Wax"'s guitar solo recalls 1968's White Album's distorted rock. "Dance Tonight," a deceptively simple melody over strummed, country stomp, echoes McCartney's first, homegrown solo records. Sir Paul sings his childhood scrapbook over "That Was Me"'s jazzy backbeat, from young Paul's appearing in scout camp and school plays to signing his first contract. He then concludes, "When I think that all this stuff could make a life/it's pretty hard to take it in."
"Only Mama Knows," "Memory's" most memorable song, at first recalls mid-70s chuggers like "Jet" and "Junior's Farm." But its pensive string arrangement wrapped around the song's center, McCartney's angry, resigned lyrics ("Only Mama knows/why she laid me down in this God-forsaken town/She was running too.") and impassioned vocals make it his strongest rocker since 1989's "My Brave Face."
Those thinking McCartney retired to concertos and frivolous "smoochy ballads" (the odd "Gratitude" notwithstanding) will be pleasantly surprised by this album's aggressive rock. Producer David Kahne, whose worked with everyone from 80s jangle rockers the Bangles and Matthew Sweet to crooner Tony Bennett, pushes McCartney's still-strong voice higher in the mix, while drummer Abe Laboriel establishes himself MVP of McCartney's crack traveling band.
"The End of the End," where McCartney asks for jokes and stories instead of tears at his funeral, is his gentler, solitary update of "Abbey Road"'s frenzied final moments (themselves an era's end.) While "Memory Almost Full" shows Paul McCartney acting and understanding his age, it also shows him returning rock fans' love and respect for him by trying some fresh musical and even marketing ideas, and sharing more of his history amid the hits. A key CD in his long, remarkable career, and highly recommended.
32 of 37 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
As a person, Paul McCartney has done an efficient job of keeping his personal affairs outside of the public eye, and that judicious sense of self-protection has always extended to his music. One reason his solo career has been so frustrating is because we rarely catch a glimpse of what is really on his mind. His recent marital issues have been tabloid fodder for quite a while now, though, and I'd bet that many fans are secretly hoping that juicy tidbits concerning his divorce will be revealed in his newer material. A nasty break-up song would be most scintillating, but true fans already know that the odds of hearing anything so bluntly autobiographical from Sir Paul is virtually nonexistent.
Well, hold onto your hats. You still have to make presumptions, and assume even more, but it's obvious that McCartney has a lot on his mind, and he's putting those thoughts into lyrics. Unlike previous tactics, where he often applied his observations to third parties, "Memory Almost Full" displays McCartney singing mostly in the first person. He still keeps his cards fairly close to his vest, but you can't help but sense that he's really trying to convey something disarmingly honest about himself. Virtually every song on the album includes the word `I'. Of course, these songs could be characterizations, too, but I doubt it. There's such a strong underlying theme of mortality running through this collection of songs that it would nearly impossible to fake anything so heavy and earnest.
"Memory Almost Full" overflows with intense ruminations on time passing and the finality of death, and yet McCartney still maintains a whimsical tone throughout most of the disk. - How Paul McCartney-like is that? Who else could sing about impending death and make it sound like a Sunday drive? "Ever Present Past" has him dwelling on "times that have gone too fast" with a carefree shrug. "You Tell Me" is more inscrutable and poetic, but it catches McCartney questioning his own power of recall, singing, "Were we there? Was it real? Is it truly how I feel? Maybe. You tell me." Mr. Bellamy is certainly a classic McCartney characterization of a man contemplating suicide, or at least escaping his oppressors. The deeper you go into the disk, the more impressive (and impending) it becomes. "Vintage Clothes" is a clever allusion to growing old and watching your wardrobe turn into `vintage clothes'. "That Was Me" flashes images of a life, while observing, "when I think that all this stuff makes a life, it's pretty hard to take it in."
As you'd expect from a collection of McCartney songs, there's plenty of melody, and many sound oddly familiar, suggesting classic Wings tunes. "Only Mama Knows" hints at "Junior's Farm" and "Ever Present Past" lifts some of its melody from "Wonderful Christmastime," while "You Tell Me" and "House of Wax" both suggest bits of "Dear Friend." Many of these songs even feature Linda-esque harmonies, which is somehow simultaneously comforting and creepy. The sense of finality reaches its poetic climax on the aptly named "End of the End," wherein McCartney faces his own death as though the Grim Reaper was hovering over him. It is a stunningly beautiful moment that justifies the entire disk; indeed, it justifies his entire career. This would be the logical ending for "Memory Almost Full," but "Nod Your Head" provides a most unusual coda for such a well-adjusted album. Over a sea of noisy atonality, McCartney lets loose with some unbridled anger, aimed at a not quite estranged partner. Could this be that most rare moment when McCartney finally releases unbridled and mostly undisguised anger at someone who has deceived him? It's thoroughly incongruous with the rest of the disk and 100% unexpected, and especially unsettling coming at the end of an entire album's worth of songs that sum up a life well spent. A- Tom Ryan
Well, hold onto your hats. You still have to make presumptions, and assume even more, but it's obvious that McCartney has a lot on his mind, and he's putting those thoughts into lyrics. Unlike previous tactics, where he often applied his observations to third parties, "Memory Almost Full" displays McCartney singing mostly in the first person. He still keeps his cards fairly close to his vest, but you can't help but sense that he's really trying to convey something disarmingly honest about himself. Virtually every song on the album includes the word `I'. Of course, these songs could be characterizations, too, but I doubt it. There's such a strong underlying theme of mortality running through this collection of songs that it would nearly impossible to fake anything so heavy and earnest.
"Memory Almost Full" overflows with intense ruminations on time passing and the finality of death, and yet McCartney still maintains a whimsical tone throughout most of the disk. - How Paul McCartney-like is that? Who else could sing about impending death and make it sound like a Sunday drive? "Ever Present Past" has him dwelling on "times that have gone too fast" with a carefree shrug. "You Tell Me" is more inscrutable and poetic, but it catches McCartney questioning his own power of recall, singing, "Were we there? Was it real? Is it truly how I feel? Maybe. You tell me." Mr. Bellamy is certainly a classic McCartney characterization of a man contemplating suicide, or at least escaping his oppressors. The deeper you go into the disk, the more impressive (and impending) it becomes. "Vintage Clothes" is a clever allusion to growing old and watching your wardrobe turn into `vintage clothes'. "That Was Me" flashes images of a life, while observing, "when I think that all this stuff makes a life, it's pretty hard to take it in."
As you'd expect from a collection of McCartney songs, there's plenty of melody, and many sound oddly familiar, suggesting classic Wings tunes. "Only Mama Knows" hints at "Junior's Farm" and "Ever Present Past" lifts some of its melody from "Wonderful Christmastime," while "You Tell Me" and "House of Wax" both suggest bits of "Dear Friend." Many of these songs even feature Linda-esque harmonies, which is somehow simultaneously comforting and creepy. The sense of finality reaches its poetic climax on the aptly named "End of the End," wherein McCartney faces his own death as though the Grim Reaper was hovering over him. It is a stunningly beautiful moment that justifies the entire disk; indeed, it justifies his entire career. This would be the logical ending for "Memory Almost Full," but "Nod Your Head" provides a most unusual coda for such a well-adjusted album. Over a sea of noisy atonality, McCartney lets loose with some unbridled anger, aimed at a not quite estranged partner. Could this be that most rare moment when McCartney finally releases unbridled and mostly undisguised anger at someone who has deceived him? It's thoroughly incongruous with the rest of the disk and 100% unexpected, and especially unsettling coming at the end of an entire album's worth of songs that sum up a life well spent. A- Tom Ryan
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Paul McCartney's "Memory Almost Full" is an excellent addition to his body of work. While I couldn't get the lyric section on his website to pull up for my computer, some of his lyrics are incredibly intriguing, as I hear them. "House of Wax" is a very interesting track with a great orchestral build and some of Paul's most expressive singing on the disc with blistering electric guitar, "Lightning hits the house of wax, women scream, "another round" to dance upon the battleground..." "You Tell Me" has Paul singing wistfully in his upper register with a stately melody. It evokes a flood of memories with each lyrical snapshot, "When was that summer when it never rained? The air was buzzing with the sweet old honey bee, let's see, you tell me." "Only Mama Knows" starts & concludes with a string orchestration. Then Paul breaks out into rock track, "On my hand was a plastic back with a picture of my face; I was crying, left to die in this God-forsaken place." What an exquisite track! "See Your Sunshine" bubbles with joy and puts a smile on my face like "Silly Love Songs." Other tracks like "Mr. Bellamy," "Vintage Clothes" & "Feet in the Clouds" are delights. This is an excellent outing from Paul McCartney, one that should be received joyfully by most of his fans. Bravo!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
mccartney
my husband loves paul mccartney. what more can i say? now I have to figure our how to fill this minimum word requirement.
Published 5 months ago by ruth braden
3.0 out of 5 stars
Memory Almost Full, sounds unfinished in ways
Memory Almost Full is an ok album. Not his best in all the years of recording. See Your Sunshine is a classic McCartney style song. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Pete Darling
4.0 out of 5 stars
Colourful, smart, rocking, loving Macca
Not a concept album but at least a group of songs with an aim: REFLECTION PLUS MELODY. Here are the 5 star tunes: Dance Tonight, Mr. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Mauricio Vargas B
5.0 out of 5 stars
Memory Almost Full. Excellent album!!!
This album is amazing. In my opinion, it's Paul McCartney's most consistent album since Flaming Pie in 1997. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Manic Nirvana
5.0 out of 5 stars
Do I need to explain 5 stars for McCartney?
It's one of my favorite MACCA albums -- original, new and a bit of a poignant look at a man whose career continues to span generation after generation. Read more
Published 21 months ago by beatlebabe11
2.0 out of 5 stars
Disappointing
The first track is decent, though not great - in "Dance Tonight" Paul sounds like he's relaxed and having fun, he seems to be intentionally chanelling American hillbilly music. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Andrew Furst
4.0 out of 5 stars
Enjoyable
I must say, I don't know what veryone wants, this is a very enjoyable album. No, it is not going to ever come close to make the list of best albums ever, but it is enjoyable.
Published on March 21, 2011 by Vincent Palazzo III
4.0 out of 5 stars
Some excellent songs
Like often with McCartney, the music on this album is filled with great melodies, hooks and playfulness. Read more
Published on November 6, 2010 by Mark
4.0 out of 5 stars
Another Good One
McCartney is the consummate song-writer and performer, giving a strong effort on every try. The first 8-9 songs are all polished, melodius creations, starting with the... Read more
Published on February 17, 2010 by Vance
5.0 out of 5 stars
Paul touches Greatness
I love this album! I can't believe how negative some of the reviews are on here. These songs find Paul in the Twilight of his years. Read more
Published on July 22, 2009 by M. Skwiat
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