Paul McCartney - Memory Almost Full

Review by Sean Lynch  

If theres one person in the world who can get away with 'Ripping off The Beatles', it's Paul McCartney. And luckily for him - after several albums which skewed from his infamous sound - McCartney gets back to what he does best with "Memory Almost Full".

From the opening plucks of the mandolin on first single Dance Tonight (the clip for which is a star studded affair - with Natlaie Portman, Mackenzie Crook appearing, and Michel Gondry as director), you know exactly what you're in for with Paul McCartney's first album on the newly established Star Bucks (yep, the coffee place!) label.

While his last album on the EMI label ("Chaos and Creation in the Backyard") was a critical return to form for the man who has been plauged by the shadow of The Beatles, "Memory" is a commerical return to the world.

Debuting at #3 in the States (with just over 160,000 copies sold), and countless more sold over the counter at the coffee giant's stores across the USA, this one just might pay off the legal bills owing to the money grubbing Heather Mills.

But the music itself? Well, it's pretty damn catchy. For a guy chugging along at the age of 65, "Memory Almost Full" still possess some powerfully captivating melodies, and some sweet tunes.

The aforementioned Dance Tonight is easily one of the most catchy and blatently Beatles-esque ditties on the album, while Ever Present Past (the albums US first single) possess a great deal more substance. It sets a precedent for the albums lyrics, which is somewhat a introspective post-life crisis, we see a man dealing with the ravages of age, looking back on the Beatles days:

I couldn't understand a word they were saying
But I still hung around and took it all in anyway....
It went by in a flash

And love lost:

Don't have time to be a decent lover
I hope its never too late
Searching for the time that has gone so fast
The time that I thought would last
My ever present past

However, it's not an album of the regret and sorrow of a man past his prime - it's an album of rejoicing  life lessons. Oh, and the tunes are pretty catchy as well. That Was Me, Vintage Clothes and Mr. Bellamy see McCartney at his best - with End of the End epically sweet and sincere. It's actually one of "Memory Almost Full"'s biggest drawcards.

However, all the good work seems to come undone with the oddly positioned Nod Your Head. After the perfect nature of End of the End, Nod acts as a gatecrasher and completely spoils the mood of the party. Don't get me wrong, it's a fine song, but would be much better suited lodged between Only Mama Knows and You Tell Me. A tiny glitch, but a glitch none the less.

All in all, "Memory Almost Full" proves that while his best years may have past him by - there is still plenty more in the McCartney tank...and that while one-legged Gold Diggers may be able to drain his bank account, nothing can rob McCartney of his undeniable musical gift.

Give this a spin.

RATING: 3.5 out of 5