By Eleni P. Austin
“One thing that’s always been a major difference between the performing arts and being a painter, you know. A painter does a painting and that’s it. He’s had the joy of creating it, and it hangs on some wall. Somebody buys it, somebody buys it again, or maybe nobody buys it and it sits up in a loft somewhere until he dies. But nobody ever said to Van Gogh, ‘Paint a “Starry Night” again, man.’ He painted it, and that was it.”
Joni Mitchell said that about 40 years ago, rather extemporaneously, in the middle of one of her concerts. Someone who might agree with this wry observation is Paul McCartney.
Imagine how it must feel to have created a body of work the first ten years of your career that defines what you do for the rest of your life. McCartney has been making post-Beatle music for over 40 years now, but the Fab Four cast a long shadow.
Throughout the ‘70s, John Lennon was lionized and Paul McCartney, (solo and with his band Wings), was marginalized. It was an unfair comparison. Sure, Lennon was seen as a profound visionary, but he was also the guy walking around the Troubadour with a Kotex plastered to his forehead.
Paul McCartney was head down, writing and recording. The “Cute One” wrote some baddass rockers back then… “Helen Wheels,” “Jet,” “Live And Let Die.” He also wrote thoughtful ballads like “Bluebird” and “Maybe I’m Amazed.” He could also be pretty crap-tastic, (“No More Lonely Nights” was pretty abysmal.)
Without too much fanfare, McCartney has enjoyed a creative renaissance the last few years. There were glimmers back in the late ‘80s when McCartney teamed with Elvis Costello to write songs. The caustic Costello was the perfect choice to reign in McCartney’s penchant for sugary love songs. Their collaborations were the best things on Flowers InThe Dirt, (1989) and Off Of The Ground (1993).
Since the turn of the century, McCartney served up some stellar albums. Driving Rain, released in 2001 was layered and ambitious. Chaos And Creation In the Backyard arrived in 2005. Produced by Nigel Goodrich, (Beck, Radiohead), the music was moody, meditative and melancholy. Two years later McCartney returned with Memory Almost Full a collection of melodic rockers.
He briefly veered off course last year, recording an album of gooey Pop standards. (What is it with old Hippies revisiting the Great American songbook? Is there a petition circulating to make it stop?) But Sir Paul regained some Rocker cred by collaborating with Youth (ex-Killing Joke) and the surviving members of Nirvana, Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic.
Now, at age 71, McCartney has released his 24th album, New.
The first six tracks offer a master class in song craft. “Save Us” opens the album with a shot of musical Viagra. An urgent rocker powered by grungy guitars and a whipcrack beat, the lyrics are an insistent plea for unconditional love.
“Alligator” offers up irresistible hooks and a jumbled collision of guitars and synths with hints of glockenspiel and celeste, cushioned by a see-saw rhythm. The lyrics are a playful paean to domestic bliss… “I want someone who can save me, when I come home from the zoo/ I need somebody who’s a sweet communicator that I can give my alligator too.”
“On My Way To Work” is a wistful slice of life rich in detail. McCartney inhabits the skin of a regular bloke waxing philosophical en route to work.
“Queenie Eye” is a piano-driven rocker that recalls “Lady Madonna.” McCartney reveals some cynicism in these biting couplets… “Life’s a game, rags from riches dogs and bitches hunt for game/ Difficult to know which way to turn, lay the blame on the snitches wicked witches fan the flame.”
The action slows on “Early Days” a poignant recollection of Lennon & McCartney’s Quarrymen days. The instrumentation is pastoral, chiming acoustic guitars, dulcimer and harmonium. The mood is warm and familiar, as though McCartney is sharing a treasured memory… “Dressed in black from head to toe, two guitars across our backs.”
Finally, the title track weds English Music Hall whimsy to the tight vocal harmonics of “SMiLE –era Beach Boys. Aside from his vocals, McCartney provides bass, harpsichord, piano, mellotron, Wurlitzer, conga drums, maracas and bouzouki!
Four songs pay homage to McCartney’s wife, Nancy. “Hosanna” is earthy and Folk-flavored. “Looking At Her” blends serpentine guitars and a robotic beat. The tune pivots from gentle verses to a fractious chorus.
Anchored by chunky guitar riffs and supple Hammond organ, “I Can Bet” is a frisky ode to horizontal activity. On the flipside, McCartney summons heartfelt emotions on “Turned Out.” Examining the failure of a past relationship and congratulating himself for taking the leap again… “I took a walk into the fire when I heard you calling me/I took a chance and what a good thing it turned out to be.”
Other interesting tracks include the spooky Samba, “Road” and “Everybody Out There.” The latter is a jaunty rocker that echoes Venus And Mars era Wings.
The album closes with “Get Me Out Of Here.” A bluesy, back porch ramble, it wouldn’t seem out of place on a Led Zeppelin record. McCartney is loose and playful, displaying some of that droll MopTop humor that endeared him to us 50 years ago. (There’s also a final hidden track, the subdued and reflective piano ballad, “Scared.”)
In an unusual step, McCartney enlisted four producers to bring New to fruition. Paul Epworth (Adele, Maximo Park), Ethan Johns (Laura Marling, Kings Of Leon), Mark Ronson (Amy Winehouse, Black Lips, Bruno Mars) and Giles Martin. Martin has produced artists like Kate Bush and Kim Richey, but he is probably best known as the son of famed Beatle producer George Martin. He has collaborated with his dad on Beatles projects like Anthology and Love.
The result is a remarkably cohesive record. Most of all “New” is a fun listen. It reminds us why we fell under the spell of John, Paul, George and Ringo all those years ago.
