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Rating: After buying it and listening to it a couple of times, you get the feeling of having a small, great jewel in your hands.
Paul McCartney is the greatest living songwriter. His "sense of song" is incredible, perhaps only comparable to the great American songwriters of the twentieth century.
Is this album full of compositional masterpieces? Probably not: this album is full of beautiful songs, excellently written both harmonically/musically and lyrically (let's never forget Macca's stature as a lyricist, often close to pure poetry and almost always underrated due to the greatness of the musician and performer).
At this point, one might ask what distinguishes this album by the ex-Beatle from the rest of his recent solo production. Many things. First of all, it had been many years since Paul wrote and played everything himself, as in the very first solo album after the breakup of the most famous band in the so-called light music history.
Then, and in my opinion, this is an absolute novelty, Nigel Godrich's impeccable production gives the whole album a melancholic/autumnal atmosphere that is perfect not only with the approaching season but with the concept of "mature song." Indeed, McCartney is no longer a kid. You can hear it in his voice, in the overall tone of the compositions, and in the array of sensations that, broadly speaking, the album conveys.
An album that might risk being perceived as sad if the definition weren't simplistic and fundamentally stupid.
Certain additional elements are definitely interesting and mark its distance from the (though excellent) products of the recent past: these are almost always compositions performed, and probably written, entirely on the piano (with the exception of a couple of tracks), where guitars, drums, and the inevitable bass serve as a backdrop to a picture that would already be nearly perfect for piano and voice alone.
Examining the individual tracks is certainly an activity to leave to those who will buy and listen to the album. Personally, I can point out "How Kind Of You" and "Riding To Vanity Fair," but we are in the realm of pure subjectivity, as the compositions are all equivalent, and all can undoubtedly be classified as the finest craftsmanship in modern songwriting.
Exciting, then, is the very Beatles-like start of "Fine Line." But it's the only track that could come out of an unreleased session by the Fab Four. The prevailing - misleading as ever - criticism describes it as a Beatle album. Nothing could be further from the truth. It's the pure singer-songwriter album of a great author who happens (not by chance...) to be one of the inventors, if not the inventor, of pop songs in the latter half of the twentieth century.
In the overall perfection of the work, the cover photo also deserves a mention, previously unseen, or at least unknown to me, taken by Macca's father when he was very young, in the backyard, strumming a guitar that then - a nice contrast - will be felt relatively little in this album.
The last point, entirely personal, is the appreciation for an album of only a wonderful 47 minutes. Like in the old days.
In this time, you can say everything that needs to be said. And Paul McCartney, despite over forty years of career, still seems to have a lot to say.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
03 Jenny Wren (03:46)
Like so many girls, Jenny Wren could sing
But a broken heart took her soul away
Like the other girls, Jenny Wren took wing
She could see the world, and its foolish ways
How, we, spend our days, casting, love aside
Losing sight of life, day by day
She saw poverty breaking all the home
Wounded warriors took her song away
But the day will come, Jenny Wren will sing
When this broken world, mends its foolish ways
Then we'll spend our days, catching, up on life
All because of you, Jenny Wren
You saw who we are Jenny Wren
04 At the Mercy (02:37)
At the mercy, at the mercy
At the mercy of a busy road,
Who can handle such a heavy load?
At the mercy, At the mercy
At the mercy of a busy day,
We can think of nothing more to say
If you show me love, I won't refuse
I know you'd never make me choose
Between the love I've got and the love I'd lose
Sometimes I'd rather run and hide,
Then stay and face the fear inside
At the mercy, at the mercy
At the mercy of a busy day,
Who can bear to turn their head away?
At the mercy, at the mercy
At the mercy of a busy road
We can watch the universe explode
If you take me up, I won't say no
I guess you'd rather see me grow
Into a better man than the one you know
Sometimes my head is hanging low
It's time to get on with the show
At the mercy, at the mercy
At the mercy of a busy day
I can think of nothing more to say
06 English Tea (02:12)
Would you care to sit with me
For a cup of English tea?
Very twee, very me
Any sunny morning
What a pleasure it would be
Chatting so delightfully
Nanny bakes, fairy cakes
Every Sunday morning
Miles of miles of English garden stretching past the willow tree
Lines of hollyhocks and roses listen most attentively
Do you know the game croquet
Peradventure we might play
Very gay, hip hooray
Any sunny morning
[Solo]
Miles of miles of English garden stretching past the willow tree
Lines of hollyhocks and roses listen most attentively
As a rule the church bells chime
When it's almost supper time
Nanny bakes, fairy cakes
Every Sunday morning
08 A Certain Softness (02:41)
A certain softness in her eyes fascinates me
More than I ever thought it would (a certain softnesss)
More than I ever thought it could
A certain softness in her eyes
Got me hooked
Got me hooked
A kind of sadness in her smile captivates me
Surer than anything that's sure (a kind of sadness)
Surer than anything before
A kind of sadness in her smile
Got me hooked
Got me hooked
Got me hooked
If even can even find the words to tell
I wouldn't want to anyway
Cause that would only break the spell
And you know very well I couldn't betray her
The touch of wildness in her style haunts my memory
More than I ever thought it would (a touch of wildness)
More than I ever though
A touch of wind in her style
Got me hooked
Got me hooked
Got me hooked
A certain softness in her eyes fascinates me
More than I ever thought it would (a certain softnesss)
More than I ever thought it could
A certain softness in her eyes
Got me hooked
Got me hooked
10 Follow Me (02:31)
You lift up my spirits you shine on my soul
Whenever I'm empty you make me feel whole
I can rely on you to guide me through any situation
You hold up a sign that reads follow me.
You give me direction you show me the way
You give me a reason to face every day
I can depend on you to send me to any destination
You hold up a sign that reads follow me, follow me.
Down the track of loneliness down the path of love
Through the words of heartache to the end
On the shores of sorrow where the waves of hope crash in
The perfect place for me to find a friend (ahh yeah yeah yeah, oh)
You lead to places that I've never been
Uncovering secrets that I've never seen
I can rely on you to guide me through any situation
You hold up a sign that reads follow me, follow me,
Follow me, follow me,
Follow me, follow me
13 Anyway (07:22)
If you love me, won't you call me
I've been waiting, waiting to long
In my soul is, constant yearning
Always singing, singing this song
Only love is strong enough, to take it on the chin
When did I begin, to fall
Anyway, Anyway, you can make, that call
You feel free, to make yourself, at home - woh-oh, ahhhhhh, ohhhhh
If we could be, closer longer
That would help me, help me so much
We can cure each other's sorrow
Won't you please, please, please get in touch
If our love is strong enough, it may never end
Why would I pretend, to fall, woo-ew
Anyway, Anyway, you can make, that call
You feel free, to make yourself, at home - woh-oh, ahhhhhh
Anyway, Anyway, Anyway, at all
Anyway, you can make that call
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Other reviews
By Torre Ste
"Fine Line" genuinely sounds like a new Beatles song in both duration and rhythm.
The Ghost Track best mixes Blues, Rock, and Songwriting with a crescendo finale, leaving you suspended in the cold air that characterizes these early autumn days.
By The Punisher
A flow of more or less pleasant songs, neither good nor bad, which most of the specialized press has praised as yet another masterpiece.
Much to the chagrin of those waiting for Lennon/McCartney-like tunes, unaware that that era has been dead, buried, and decrepit for ages.
By sonic80
This album is amazing.
Chaos And Creation In The Backyard is a fresh, inspired, and enjoyable album from the first to the last note.
