Review: Paul McCartney: Memory Almost Full
Artist: Paul McCartney
Title: Memory Almost Full
Label: Hear Music
Release Date: June 5, 2007
Rating: 3/5
Music Videos: Dance Tonight
There isn’t a great way to review this album without considering the thought process Sir McCartney went through to produce this album, the commercial for which I first saw in an iPod ad. Pretty cool, right? Slick suit, black converse, beautiful Apple design. Unfortunately, aside from this song and perhaps one or two others, this album leaves much to be desired.
One thing I must say about the album as a whole is that it is for the most part, excellently arranged. The part that gives it a score of 3 out of 5, in my most humble opinion, are the lyrics. I thought songs that contained the phrase “you make me feel fine” were only allowed in the 60s, because nowadays it’s OK for songs to more or less say “you give me a mad boner.”
Speaking of generational gaps, a lot of the songs swing easily back and forth between his own nostalgia and the current trends. Take, for instance, the song Vintage Clothes. First Sir Paul goes on about how it’s OK to be yourself, and not to get stuck in the past. Then he moves on to sing about how vintage clothes are coming back! Is that not a way to say the past is still haunting you? Bordering a liiiittle much on the “hey kids I’m still cool” direction.
To restate, one can’t listen to the album without thinking, “…wha?” And so, here is my interpretation of the living legend’s thought process for the album:
1.) Dance Tonight–Catchy song with simple lyrics. Must include dancing.
2.) Ever Present Past–Talk about me. May or may not be stuck in the past.
3.) See Your Sunshine–Talk about women who make me feel fine and hear imaginary things like I do.
4.) Only Mama Knows–Talk about running away in the past. Maybe include that time in the past I woke up in an airport lounge. May or may not be stuck in the past.
5.) You Tell Me–Talk ambiguously about the past to someone who might be imaginary. May or may not be stuck in the past.
6.) Mr. Bellamy–Talk about how awesome it is on my pedestal. Include cameos from the dark voices inside my head.
7.) Gratitude–Say the word “gratitude” a lot. Maybe no one will notice that I lost my thesaurus. May or may not be stuck in the past.
8.) Vintage Clothes–Talk about the time I got confused for a girl. Tell everyone it’s OK. Don’t get stuck in the past. May or may not be stuck in the past.
9.) That Was Me–Talk about me. May or may not be stuck in the past.
10.) Feet in the Clouds–Talk about me. Say “very” 6 times in a row. May or may not be stuck in the past.
11.) House of Wax–Don’t talk about me. Must include horses. Hey, women are like horses! Must call women “wild demented horses.”
12.) The End of the End–Talk about me and death. Pretend I don’t care. Demand an elaborate funeral. Whistle sometimes.
13.) Nod Your Head–Teach people how to nod their head.
My favorite tracks on this album are the simple, catchy Dance Tonight, Ever Present Past, and the dark Mr. Bellamy. As much as I poke fun at his lyrics, I am pretty impressed with McCartney’s ability to continue to have the drive and passion for music. Perhaps in the future, he’ll look to today’s rising stars and create some wonderful projects a la the Witch. Otherwise, I’d say this album is worth listening at least once if you’re a Wings/Beatles fan, or enjoy reminiscing about the past. It’s very very very very very very OK.
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