CHAOS AND CREATION IN THE BACKYARD
 

For those that haven't heard Paul McCartney's new CHAOS AND CREATION IN THE BACKYARD, it may be that you've been less than impressed with the bulk of McCartney's albums for the past 25 years or so. Sure, there are high spots on each, but somehow, you've either gotten out of the habit of buying his records or you never got into that habit in the first place.

Well, C&C is a solid recording from start to finish. Good songs, sung well, not overproduced and played mainly by McCartney himself, C&C is probably his best overall effort since 1973's BAND ON THE RUN. It lacks the high points of BOTR--there are no rockers like "Helen Wheels" (from the American edition) or great story songs like "Band On The Run"-- but the whole thing is a joy to listen to.

Bottomline: if you've felt burned by McCartney in the past, C&C is a balm for the singe.

I like it, but it seems quite depressing.

Don't get me wrong, the writing is his best yet, but it does lack the rockers as the previous post mentioned.

Bottomline: buy it, you'll like it.

I read an interview with McCartney in which he said Nigel (the producer) would tell him when a line in a song was "crap" or needed more work. Paul said that he doesn't have that too often--he recognizes that people tend to say "yes" to him to please him--and it shows in the songs. I listened to DRIVING RAIN again this weekend and in just about every song, there are lines that made me wince, if not cringe. There just aren't any of those on C&C--nothing more than a smirk at "take it on the chin" or "nanny bakes fairy cakes" lines that could MAYBE have been improved.

It's freakin incredible. It's spacy and fragile and so emotive, I love it. Jenny Wren has been a staple in my daily listening regiment since I got the album.