"As You Lie There," the first track on Paul McCartney's new album "The Boys Of Dungeon Lane" is one of the greatest pieces of record making I've heard in a very long time. It could only come out of the mind of Paul. Or, was it out of the mind of producer Andrew Watt?
I'm bettting on the exacta.
"As You Lie There" sounds like nothing Paul has done before, and we're talking about a career that is pushing 70 years. It's a stunning piece of work.
I was prepared to call this album the greatest of Paul's career based on this one song. But of course, I snapped out of the reverie by track two, "Lost Horizon," which is more like what we've been hearing on recent Macca records, and that's not a bad thing. It's a nifty little pop tune that any songwriter would kill to have written.
This album evokes a number of different Macca eras. "Ripples In A Pond" and "Never Know" both hit the spot. Either could have been placed comfortably on "Tug Of War." "Down South" and "We Two" have simple, uncrowded production not unlike "Chaos & Creation In The Backyard," which is a late career masterpiece, my third favorite McCartney album and is now shockingly 20 something years old.
Paul is looking back. In his words, "Maybe it's because of the point in my life." He said he enjoys looking back. He actually started looking back in a not so subtle way in 2013, with songs like "Early Days," "Queenie Eye" and "On My Way To Work," all from the "New" album. He never says "Beatles," but those songs couldn't be about anyone else. Many of the songs on "Dungeon Lane" feel the same way. There is even an appearance by Ringo on the first ever Ringo/Paul duet, "Home For Us," which is pure joy.
McCartney's voice is weathered. He is 84. But don't let the word "weathered" fool you. You don't need to be in good voice to be a great singer. His singing is better than most of his peers and these songs pair up wonderfully with the quality of his voice.
There are so many gems on this record, even the songs I thought were weak at first, "Mountain Top" with its unexpected coda, or "Come Inside," which sounds like a rewrite of "If You Wanna" from "Flaming Pie," or maybe "Save Me" from the aforementioned "New," I havent figured it out yet, have moments that made me smile.
"Dungeon Lane" finishes strong with some true beauty. Both "Salesman Saint" and "Momma Gets By" hit harder, at least from a musical POV, than anything I've heard from McCartney in a very long time. The arrangements are bold and pack a wallop. And "First Star Of The Night" is simply gorgeous.
"The Boys Of Dungeon Lane" has been getting rave reviews, at least those are the reviews I've seen so far. It's easy to understand. It's great music from one of the greatest living songwriters that isn't Diane Warren. The man is a treasure. (Did you see him play trumpet on Colbert's last show? WTF? Trumpet!)
You can resist if you want. Be that guy who can't stop mentioning "My Love," even though it was a major hit and has one of the greatest guitar solos ever committed to tape, courtesy of Henry McCullough. You can cite the lyrics to "Silly Love Songs" as insipid and well, silly, even though the bass playing would make you want to sell your Hofner and the horn arrangement is worthy of its own documentary. You can, and you will, trash most of McCartney's work since...what..."Band On The Run?" That is certainly what it feels like sometimes. It's fashionable. Dimiss ""Flowers In The Dirt," "Flaming Pie," "Driving Rain," and "Memory Almost Full," if that's what you're feeling. But at least pass a lightning round of "What about this song?" Dollars to donuts, you wouldn't win the Quoizel lamps.
Resisting is boring. Get in on it.
NO ONE has been this consistent. Or smart. Or daring. Or charming. NO ONE.
I hope Andrew Watt and Sir Paul cut twice as many songs, the way the Rolling Stones did during the "Hackney Diamonds" sessions. I'd love one more Macca/Watt album while we are still all around to hear it.
And I love this.
20 comments:
How about Richard Thompson for consistency.
Okay I will give "The Boys of Dungeon Lane" a deep dive!
Captain Al
I’ll skip this till the hype passes, which will do and then will check with a more relaxed mindset. We all are in the 5 minute Macca attention span of the week. Next week will be something else. Sad to see a Macca record treated the same way than a Taylor Swift or Sabrina Carpenter. And no, not from this blog which is a blessing for us all but from all the media clowns.
R
I agree that it is a very good record from Paul. Nostalgia is hardly a new theme for him, and there are a bunch of great ones here. It makes my Top Five Macca records. I don't dismiss "Flowers In The Dirt," "Flaming Pie," "Driving Rain," and "Memory Almost Full", but they aren't this one or Chaos and Creation (Memory Almost Full comes close.) Your McCartney love has driven me back to listen to all the ones I had dismissed, and I still think the 80s and 90s were mostly weak records with a few good songs, so maybe not consistent, but smart, daring, and charming sure. I used to think there were two good ones, so I've come around a long way.
Okay, a few things before this unravels.
Maybe "consistent" was a bad choice. How about "constant?"
Since "Please Please Me" in 1963, Paul hasn't stopped. He didn't take 5 years off to live with his wife's assistant. He didn't have a problem with alcohol, or try his hand at acting. And thankfully, he didn't becone terminally ill. That's just The Beatles.
He's been looking forward and making music, mostly solid music, for 63 years. Has everything been great? No. But there are NO terrible Paul records. Dylan, the Stones, Joni, NEIL "F**KING YOUNG--have made absolutely terrible records. Even what I consider Paul's worst-- "Pipes Of Peace, "Press To Play," and "Off The Ground" have at least 5 excellent songs. Five excellent songs are most artists careers!
As for Richard Thompson, he is one of my favorite artists. Love him to death. NO really bad records. BUT...even the most loyal RT fans would agree, his records are made from a template. That's not a criticism. It's a fact. You know what you're getting. Paul's records have always had surprises. Not all good---Kanye, Rihanna, "Fuh You," "Biker Like An Icon." I always say, I'd rather Paul stay in his comfort zone, like RT, but my feeling is, he'd still get trashed.
So, my bad using "consistent."
One more thing, which has admittedly fired me up-
An old friend and long time industry guy posted about how he loves "Dungeon Lane" on Facebook. But he followed it up with "best thing since "Tug Of War."
Really?
Then, another more famous industry guy said something like "Ok, I guess I'll play...uh...stream it."
PUH-leeze!
These guys are like Statler & Waldorf on The Muppet Show.
So, I chimed in, respectfully, with pretty much what I said here.
Two of the best replies-
"I don't like the Costello influence on Flowers In The Dirt."
(That albums sounds NOTHING like Costello.)
"Chaos doesn't sound like Paul 'The Artist.'"
(WTF does that even mean?)
When I went to reply, I was blocked!!
My friend of 35 years blocked me because I asked, "When was the last time you listened to "Chaos & Creation" and "Memory Almost Full?"
Yes, I am an ardent supporter of all things Macca. He deserves it. And as you know, "I stopped listening after..." is a major trigger for me.
Hard for me to see how anyone could dislike this record. What's not to like? Great songs and arrangements. Yes, the voice is not the same as it was, but to me the voice suits these songs beautifully. He's changed and matured. All for the better, in my opinion.
Have to say, based on your headline (It's boring) I was prepared for the worst. Will def check this out
Is the headline unclear? I'm saying "resisting" is "unbecoming" and "boring," not the album.
Thompson,Rollins(Sonny) and McCartney=Consistent-acting in a dependable manner Sunset Park,Brooklyn
Agreed about "As You Lie There."
There are so many little sonic surprises scattered across this album. The whole thing is delightful, and "First Star.."... jeebus, amazing. His voice is evocative and changes throughout, and the times he sounds oldest lend an appropriate vulnerability to the song. I love this album
I already made my feelings about the lp in the now playing section (recap - I think its amazing and the 2nd best post Beatles lp he has done). I was somewhat concerned about how his voice would sound since recent live tapes had him sounding raspy to the point of almost being unlistenable. Not sure if that would be better than the dreaded autotune, but I approached the lp with some trepidation. After about 6 listens, it just keeps getting better to me, and while his voice is obviously showing the signs of age, its still the Paul we all know and hopefully still love.
Seeing Paul on SNL a few weeks ago, i was saddened by how frail he sounded. After all he's one of the great vocalists of R&R. I felt heartened by his appearance on Colbert doing "Hello Goodbye". It wasn't 1967 Paul but it was good enough for me.
I'd been reading all the great reviews of the new album but I still approached it with a bit of trepidation. Starting with the first track he showed that he still had it. A great opener that found him in great voice. I've had time to listen to "Days We Left Behind" and what I first thought of as frailty I now see as honest emotion. It works beautifully. I've just listened once so far but as of now I agree with the critics. This one's a winner. There is some filler but Paul's filler is better than most artists' main course. After so many years how does he keep coming up with new ideas? Hasn't he written every chord progression imaginable? The standouts for me so far are "As You Lie There", "Days ...", "Mountain Top", "Home to Us" and the last 3 cuts on the album, the topper being "Momma Gets By" which is simply beautiful. I can't wait to dig into seconds.
I love this album. There is simply no one like Paul McCartney. We are very blessed. And Sal, according to the NY Times, Paul said: "When we were doing the album, we separated things into three categories...One were the red songs, and these were songs that we were going to use, and those are pretty much the ones that made the album. Then the blue songs, which are ones that could have made the album, but just got pushed aside. And then there's the green ones, and that is these ones that are experimental. I've got complete freedom, and I end up really liking those songs."
I'm savouring this new album but can't wait to hear the blue and green songs sometime later down the road.
You threw me with the headline. "Does he really think this album is unbecoming and boring?" Luckily I read the whole thing.
I very much liked McCartney III and still do, just as I can't stand Egypt Station and found half of New to be forgettable. As you said, each of these new songs has a hook that elevates it right when you think it might be subpar. And "Home To Us" is so charming I can't stand myself. I'm looking forward to spending more time with this album, and not just so I can write up my review.
There were a couple of bonus tunes from Egypt Station that I really liked, " Nothing for Free" and "Get Enough", which are both excellent tunes but have production elements that would be considered 'experimental' for McCartney aficionados. I would love to have some more of that stuff. I hope that the blue and green stuff sees the light of day as well.
Okay, I'll ask again. Do you really need to read the whole review to find out the record isn't unbecoming and boring? The title of the post has the album title in quotes. The next line is demanding "Do not resist. It's unbecoming and boring." I mean, it seems clear to me.
Dylan, Stones, and Neil Young (especially Neil) have made a bunch of crap. It's a matter of opinion that Paul hasn't made any terrible records. It depends on where your terrible bar is. I admit that Richard Thompson is pretty consistent. Consistently boring. Great guitar though.
Maybe too high brow for the net.
"Richard Thompson is pretty consistent. Consistently boring."
Now we've got a ballgame!
" You don't need to be in good voice to be a great singer." Perfectly put. I'm loving the album.
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