Paul McCartney's NEW Album

[Niko]

I've listened through it 5 times, and I really like the album.

Standout songs to me are:
Save Us
Queenie Eye
New
Hosanna
I Can Bet
Struggle
Scared


I'm very happy the album turned out so well!

[bluesno1fann]

I haven't heard it yet, but would you say that it would be worth getting, and this could possibly be his best album in a long time?

[Vegetable Man]

I haven't heard a lot from the album yet, but my local classic rock station premiered "Queenie Eye" the other day, and it sounded pretty good. Nice use of the Mellotron. The title track is alright, not my favorite, but still good. The rest I've only heard samples for, and so far, they all sound fine. I really do like the juxtaposition of the old and new sounds, which from what I can gather is a constant throughout the album.  Overall, I think "New" should be a pretty good new album.

[Niko]

Yeah, I like it a lot. The fact that 4 different producers worked on different songs within the album means there is a pretty interesting contrast between songs.

I wasn't a big fan of Memory Almost Full, or any Macca LP since the 70's It's always been a mix of greatness and rubbish.
But this one works as an LP!

[EgoHanger1966]

Love the title track. Severely disappointed when I heard everything else!

[seltaeb1012002]

Love Paul. Love all the appearances he's been doing lately. Fallon was hilarious. And I love the past few albums he's put out.

But let's just say, he chose the best songs from the "New" album to play live. The only other one that's caught me is "Looking At Her".

I was hoping for a more classic Paul sound. The synths sound a little too 90's to me, and they seem to be all over the album. Hoping it's a grower.

Edit - LOVE "Save Us". Reminds me of Back To The Egg. Just learned that Paul Epworth basically forced the song out of Paul!

[Freddie French-Pounce]

I'm definite fan on the LP, but how does one acquire 'struggle'? I got scared as a hidden track on the deluxe CD but not struggle..

[alf wiedersehen]

I'm definite fan on the LP, but how does one acquire 'struggle'? I got scared as a hidden track on the deluxe CD but not struggle..

"Struggle" is a Japanese bonus track, you can find it on Youtube.

I like the album.. kinda. I'm really split on it.

I liked the first few songs, up to "New" (other than "Early Days.") Then, the album gets kinda iffy to me.
Of that second half, I really liked "Hosanna." I also really liked "Scared."

[hypehat]

It's... nice.

Macca needs to start acting his age. His old voice sounds ok by itself, like on Early Days, but he should try and stop trying to be 'Macca' for want of a better term. He seems to still trying to make records like he did when his voice was in better shape, and I think his weaker voice doubletracked does the songs a disservice. The harmonies on something like Queenie Eye or New (the song) sound weak.

I almost thought that something like Kisses On The Bottom showed that Macca was ready to embrace his voice as it stood as a 70 year old. I guess, in a perversely admirable way, he still thinks he can make records like it's 1974. The results aren't quite there, but it's kinda great he's maintaining some heavy touring/recording ethic. Why change?

[Summertime Blooz]

Paul's knack for a good melody seems to be strangely absent from much of this album. There's MAYBE a half album's worth of decent tunes here, but I'm very disappointed with this. A lot of it is just plain boring. This would be a sad swan song if it turned out to be his last album.

[Rocky Raccoon]

I love it.

[Loaf]

Pitchfork like it:

http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/18634-paul-mccartney-new/

[Seaside Woman]

The well has finally run dry and so has the voice. Bally awful from tip to toe.

[Niko]

There seem to be quite a lot of differing opinions on the album. I'd just like to share my thoughts on the album and why I like it.


Save Us: Kicks the album off very well. It has a lot of energy and a lot of moving parts.

Alligator: Has a very slick feeling. This song reminds me of the theme song for Wanted. Fits together well with Save Us, but this has more synth, as well as a harpsichord backing.

On My Way To Work: I did NOT like this one on my first couple listens...the melody bothered me. But on repeated listens, it made more sense. It's a very satisfying song.

Queenie Eye: Similar to Save Us, it has a lot of energy and a great flow from verse to chorus.

Early Days: This is a personal song. One of the most remarkable things about the album, and this song in particular, is the lack of sugarcoating on Paul's voice. He sounds old and exposed here, which lends itself to the personal and nostalgic nature of the subject matter very well. It's the first break into acoustic in the album, and right after 4 electric guitar laden pop songs, it works. It's like Paul stopping the pop song train to quietly sit and sing.

New: BAM right back into pop songs. I'm sure everyone has heard this already. It's got a great melody, reminds me of Revolver. The acapella outro is totally a nod to God Only Knows.

Appreciate: This is where things get different...drum machine loops and soundscape backing parts. It's a very modern techno song, but with a good Paul melody. It's a solid song, and adds to the varied feeling of the album.

Everybody Out There: Anthemic and a good pop song, kicked off by some eastern sounding guitar. I can see this added to part of the live setlist. It's something the crowd can chant. Good chorus.

Hosanna: Slow and acoustic, with some synth white noise in the background. Again, it follows the previous song well, while being quite different.

I Can Bet: My personal favorite, it's very disco. Like the other upbeat songs, it's got a great energy to it. Good guitar work.

Looking At Her: Soft and techno tinged, nice melody and good guitar parts...and also the bass drop thing. It takes you guard, and is only 2 bars long.

Road: Least interesting song on the album imo...it's not bad and has some interesting instrumental parts, but I would have replaced this one with Struggle.

Turned Out: This is a great Paul melody.

Get Me Out Of Here: eh. not good not bad. I'd like it more if the length were cut in half, it kinda drags.

Struggle: This is great song! Only on the Japanese release though, which is just weird. Listen to this one.

Scared: The album closer...despite the emphasis on new sounds in the rest of the album, this is just Paul and the piano. His frail and aging voice singing this song is wonderful. It concludes things in a very satisfying way.

[pixletwin]

I liked it but (and this may sound strange) it sounded like a Ringo album to me.

[Niko]

The genius pulling the strings behind McCartney's career...Ringo!

I've listened to two Ringo LP's (the good ones) and that would have never crossed my mind  

What in particular makes it sound Starry to you?

[pixletwin]

The genius pulling the strings behind McCartney's career...Ringo!

I've listened to two Ringo LP's (the good ones) and that would have never crossed my mind  

What in particular makes it sound Starry to you?

Beatley production without the catchy tunes... I am thinking of Ringo's most recent 2 outings.

[FatherOfTheMan Sr101]

Alligator is amazing. The first half is awesome and the second is okay

[beatnickle]

 Yawn.........The song writing is much weaker on this album than Memory A F.        VERY DISAPPOINTED   
 Very pedestrian outing for Paul ( except for a couple of the tunes )

[seltaeb1012002]

Okay, so I gave the album another chance. This time I walked around New York City as it played on my S3.

And as I suspected, it's a grower. I now think it's a great album. It's got a different vibe from his last few albums, and I dig it. The man still wants to explore new sounds. Gotta love it.

Every song is quality. The only thing I'd say as a negative, is that I wish there were more screaming McCartney vocals. I know he can still do it, as he proved at the 12 12 12 concert. Who knows, maybe it's something he'll never lose and we'll hear more of it on his next album.  The plus as far as the vocals go: I never once said "damn he sounds old." Pretty much, his voice doesn't distract from his records (yet lol). His musical personality is still there. One or two more rockers would've made me happy, but again, this isn't Chaos or MAF. And as I look at it as it's own beast, get to know it a little bit, I'm definitely starting to appreciate this new body of work in a big way.

[Wirestone]

Quality stuff. Some really nice tunes. A touch generic in spots, but that's Macca for you.

[pixletwin]

Yup. Gave it a second listen today and I am liking it better.

[rogerlancelot]

5 stars. I love it all. That is to say that I had a copy about 2 weeks before the release date so it has had time to grow on me. "Queenie Eye" was an instant classic the first time I heard it. Now my favorite album of 2013 despite David Bowie's release earlier this year.

[musicismylife101]

It's definitely a grower. Some good tracks and some weak tracks. Overall it's not a bad album.

[rogerlancelot]

Let's all vote for our least favorite McCartney albums. My top 5:

1) Press To Play
2) Flowers In The Dirt
3) London Town
4) Give My Regards To Broad Street
5) Run Devil Run

But even then I can find at LEAST one great song on all of those. But it was so hard to be a teenage McCartney fan when Press To Play and "Spies Like Us" came out. I remember really forcing myself to like the movie (Broad Street) and that just should not be. I am happy he has redeemed himself and his image since then (starting with Flaming Pie).

Also I will take a Ringo Starr album over a Mike Love/Adrian Baker album any day. (Sorry, Adrian, you probably meant well!)