Paul Rock Amoeba!
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Saturday, June 30, 2007
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People who would like this are legion. Not only is this is a solid, above average album on its' own right, you have tons of Beatle fans who are going to want to listen to this, and rightly so as it's well worth their money. Then, you have those who just like solidly made pop music. They're going to be happy as well, because even though McCartney's work is not up to Beatle status, very few artists' work meets that criteria. Don't go into this expecting a milestone. Check out this album because it's a good album made by an artist who knows how to make good albums.
www.paulmccartney.com
Friday, June 15, 2007
Seeing a rock legend at a venue that holds only a few hundred people is an experience that music fans are likely to remember for the rest of their lives and that's exactly what happened at the Highline Ballroom in New York City on Wednesday night, where Paul McCartney played a secret show. ABC reports that Paul McCartney did the special show for fans to promote his new Starbucks produced hit CD, Memory Almost Full, and that he played a 90-minute show that included tracks from his new recording, Beatles classics, solo favorites, and even some surprises.
Memory Almost Full by Paul McCartney debuted at number three on the Billboard charts this week, proving that the new marketing strategy that tied the former Beatle with the popular coffee chain has worked well. The chart position was the highest for Paul McCartney in a decade, since Flaming Pie debuted at number two in 1997. Paul McCartney even mentioned the success after performing the single from the new CD, "Dance Tonight," at the Highline Ballroom.
Fans serenaded Paul McCartney with an impromptu performance of "Happy Birthday" because the music superstar turns 65 on Monday. ABC reports that most of the set performed by Paul McCartney last night was upbeat and actually had the crowd dancing. They note that one of the few quiet, poignant moments came when Paul McCartney dedicated "Here Today" to "our fallen heroes, John, George and Linda." After the moving performance, which drew a length applause, McCartney told the crowd, "It's nice to do this song in New York because it's where John lived and Linda was born."
The mood wasn't somber for long at the Paul McCartney show, as the former Beatle shifted from "Here Today" right into a rousing version of "Back in the USSR." ABC also reports that Paul McCartney seemed like he was in a playful mood, repeating the end of "I'll Follow the Sun" four times before actually ending it and stomping his foot to a cover of Carl Perkins' "Matchbox." Paul McCartney closed out the intimate et with "I Saw Her Standing There" and told the very lucky audience assembled, "I hope you had a good time."
Source:http://www.actressarchives.com/news.php?id=6179
Paul McCartney performing at the Highline Ballroom.
By BEN RATLIFF
Published: June 15, 2007
“I love you, Paul,” someone shouted, halfway through Paul McCartney’s “secret” set at the Highline Ballroom on Wednesday night. Well, more than one: A lot of people were shouting that. They couldn’t help themselves. He was right in front of them.
Michael Falco for the New York Times Paul McCartney performing at the Highline Ballroom.
Michael Falco for the New York Times
Mr. McCartney struck a formal facsimile of intimacy: 90 minutes on stage in a 700-capacity room full of reporters, assorted V.I.P.s, contest winners and stand-in-line-for-a-long-timers who heard about the show only a day or two before.
“I love you, too,” Mr. McCartney answered, but almost as a defensive block: he put on a Tony Soprano accent, and he kept a straight face. “It’s the beauty of these intimate shows, you know,” he followed, dryly. “You get to have intimate conversations with the audience. ‘How ya doin’?’ ‘You’re the man!’ ‘Naw, you’re the man!’ “
Cheery, but essentially trying to get his work done, Mr. McCartney struck a formal facsimile of intimacy: 90 minutes on stage in a 700-capacity room full of reporters, assorted V.I.P.s, contest winners and stand-in-line-for-a-long-timers who heard about the show only a day or two before.
The gig was a promotion for his new album, “Memory Almost Full” (Hear Music), and he put on the same show at the Electric Ballroom, a slightly larger club in London, last week. (He has not announced plans for a proper tour.)
It’s not unusual these days for big acts to play a promotional show at a club they’ve outgrown. The same night in New York, Franz Ferdinand played a “secret” gig at the Bowery Ballroom, and likewise with Interpol last week.
For Mr. McCartney, however, who can sell out stadiums at hundreds of dollars a ticket, this was unusual. He used no pyrotechnics or video backdrop, and the audience stood close enough to its hero that it could hold non-conversations with him. He played beautifully, in tight control of his voice (even in high range) and his musicianship, through a clutch of new songs and some of the oldest Beatles repertory.
But much of what was special about hearing someone like Mr. McCartney in a place like this was counteracted by the glibness of his touring band, almost the same crew that backed him on his stadium tour last year. These musicians—two guitarists, a keyboards and drums — were accurate, reliable, in the pocket and kind of flavorless.
Mr. McCartney is a fascinating alloy of raw and slick, eccentricity and efficiency. When you hear the tracks on “Memory Almost Full” in which he plays all the instruments — his drumming one step ahead of primitive, his bass lines so melodically inventive they’re almost evil — you wish he could just multiply himself for performances.
When the band replicated old parts, touching on the tiniest details of Beatles songs like “Back in the U.S.S.R.,” “Lady Madonna,” and “Hey Jude,” the show felt something like an homage to composition and production, rather than the great thing that performances can be: two-way rituals between band and audience.
But something about the joy and simplicity of the new songs made the set more special. There were five of them, including “Dance Tonight,” a naively sweet call for fun, with Mr. McCartney’s mandolin-strumming as the through-line; “Nod Your Head,” a slow, chugging rock song; and “That Was Me,” full of spry astonishment at looking back on a strange and notable life. (It went over big in the V.I.P. section, where people may be prone to similar thoughts.)
The onlooker’s stupid reflex, after decades of Beatlesology and Paul-versus-John studies, is to scrutinize Mr. McCartney for honesty, whatever that is. But all he had to do was play a few songs alone with guitar—”Blackbird” and “I’ll Follow the Sun”— and he seemed as guileless as the next guy. Later, alone at the piano, he sang “Here Today,” an elegiac song he wrote after John Lennon’s death, and dedicated it to “our fallen heroes: John, George and Linda.”
When he finished, he stopped the flow of his own efficiency, and thought out loud. “It’s good to play that song in the town John loved,” he said. “And where Linda was born in. And where we played the Ed Sullivan show.”
Source:
Correction: June 19, 2007
A music review in Weekend on Friday about Paul McCartney, at the Highline Ballroom in Manhattan, misidentified the instrument he played when he sang “Here Today.” It was an acoustic guitar, not a piano.
Saturday, June 9, 2007
Sir Paul still rocks!
June 9, 2007
LONDON -- A man who's reached Paul McCartney's stage in life - a certain age, a gilded stature - could be forgiven for taking it a little bit easy. He could, for example, show up on stage, mumble a few hellos and sing a few hits, safe in the knowledge that everyone would go home thrilled just to have been in the same room.
It's clear, after spending a couple of hours in Sir Paul's company in a club in north London, that he's not that kind of guy. He is a guy who still wants to rock, and seduce his audience, and behave like the fizzy kid who turned the world on 45 years ago.
"Hey Camden," he sang with the enthusiasm of a first-time pub rocker as he arrived on stage: "We're going to rock 'n' roll tonight, we're going to have some fun, it'll be all right!" Then he launched into Drive My Car with the gusto of a man who hasn't played in Britain in two years, and who - we've all read about his disastrous divorce - perhaps needed to blow off some steam.
He certainly seemed in the mood to prove himself to the 1,000 people packed into Camden's Electric Ballroom - celebrities upstairs, granted access via black wristbands, and a collection of music-industry folk and contest-winners below. Actor Pierce Brosnan was allegedly there, and David Gilmour of Pink Floyd, but I couldn't say. I can tell you that Kate Moss and Stella McCartney sang Viva Las Vegas while putting on their makeup in the ladies' room.
It was the Beatles songs, unsurprisingly, that made the crowd wild. "I'm a massive, massive fan," the guy beside me said before the show, "even if the solo stuff is a bit dobbins." Dobbins? I had no idea what he was talking about, although I could guess from the context.
I begged to differ: A bunch of the songs on the new record are quite rocking, and worthy of inclusion in the McCartney songbook. He played a few of them with the same devotion (and in some cases tenderness) that he gave to the more celebrated material.
It was the more familiar chords of Hey Jude that got the audience swaying, as McCartney led a singalong of increasing power. How is it possible to maintain such enthusiasm for a song you've performed countless times?
After the show, two tourists from Saskatchewan stood inside the club, dazed at their good fortune. Heidi St. Amand and Kristi Law had been shopping in the Camden area earlier in the day, saw the crowd outside the club, joined the lineup, and were given tickets to the show. They are just 20, but they're Beatles-crazed. Two days earlier, they'd been on a Beatles walking tour.
"This is the most amazing thing ever," said St. Amand, who is studying psychology but says the piano is her real passion. Her friend agreed: "He's definitely the best monument we've seen in London."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6733313.stm
Sir Paul stages intimate concert
 |   |
Some 1,000 fans were treated to Beatles classics like Drive My Car and Hey Jude as well as tracks from Memory Almost Full, which was released on Monday.
The gig, at Camden's Electric Ballroom, was only announced on Thursday morning, but the free tickets were all snapped up in just 13 minutes.
Among the audience were Pierce Brosnan, Kate Moss and Stella McCartney.
Actress Emma Thompson, guitar legend Jeff Beck and Pink Floyd star David Gilmour also made the journey to north London for the concert.
"He seemed really and honestly happy to be there and on great from," said fan Nick Sargeant, from London.
"The stuff from the new album was excellent. All in all it was pretty amazing."
Sir Paul, 64, kicked off the show with Drive My Car and ended with Hey Jude before returning for an encore of Let It Be, Lady Madonna and I Saw Her Standing There.
He also sang Here Today, from the 1982 album Tug Of War, for his former bandmates in the Beatles and first wife Linda McCartney.
"This one was written for John," Sir Paul told the audience. "I would like to dedicate this song to all our fallen heroes - John, George, Linda and all the lovely people."
'Exciting'
The star, whose last pop concert in the UK was 2005's Live 8, is more used to playing arenas and stadiums than small clubs. 
Sir Paul is the first artist to release an original album through Starbucks
"It's a little while since I played a gig like this," he told the audience to huge cheers.
Before the concert, he said the show would be "even more exciting because you see the whites of their eyes".
Fans, too, were impressed at how close they could get to the music legend.
"After all these years he still connects with audiences like no one else," said Michael Kinraid from London.
"My favourite moment was Blackbird - so simple and beautiful," said Susanne Essen. "It will take a long time to beat that."
Sir Paul's latest album, Memory Almost Full, has been released on a label run by coffee house chain Starbucks.
Fans have spotted that title is an anagram of For My Soulmate LLM - the initials of his late wife, Linda Louise McCartney.
The singer, who is in the process of divorcing his second wife, Heather Mills McCartney, has not commented on the title.
It was a great gig, I was only few feet away from the front of the stage. Time just flew by and had to check the setlist online to remind myself of just how many songs he did. Great to see him in a small venue without the big stage show. He seemed very at ease and looks a lot more like he's getting back to his old self.
Colin Cooper, London
Macca was in blazing form - and the boys in the band were clearly enjoying the intimate venue as well. The Man may be 64 but watching him playing his heart out on stage made ME feel 64 - he has so much energy! After all these years he still connects with audiences like no one else.
Michael Kinraid, London
Were you lucky enough to be at the gig? What was the atmosphere like? What was your favourite moment? Send us your comments by filling in the form below.
If you have any pictures you can send them to yourpics@bbc.co.uk. For terms and conditions please see: www.bbc.co.uk/yourpics
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Tuesday, June 5, 2007
PAUL McCARTNEY’S
Memory Almost Full released on Hear Music
Tuesday, June 5th 2007
BY PAUL McCARTNEY
I started this album, Memory Almost Full, before my last album Chaos And Creation In The Backyard (released September 2005). The first recording session was back in the autumn of 2003 at Abbey Road with my touring band and producer David Kahne. I was right in the middle of it when I began talking with Nigel Godrich about a brand new project (which became Chaos And Creation In The Backyard).
After the Grammy nomination when everything concerning Chaos was finished I returned to making this album. I was wondering if I would enjoy it, but actually I really loved it. In places it’s a very personal record and a lot of it is retrospective, drawing from memories of being a kid from Liverpool and summers gone. The album is evocative, emotional, rocking, but I can’t really sum it up in one sentence.
There is a medley of 5 songs towards the end and that was purposefully retrospective. I thought this might be because I’m at this point in my life, but then I think about the times I was writing with John and a lot of that was also looking back. It’s like me with ‘Penny Lane’ and ‘Eleanor Rigby’ - I’m still up to the same tricks!
I know people are going to look at some of the songs and interpret them in different ways but this has always been the case. The thing is that I love writing songs, so I just write and write. I never really get to a point where I start thinking I’m going to write about specific subjects. Inevitably though, what I am thinking finds its way into what I’m writing.
The opening track of the album is ‘Dance Tonight’. I recently got myself a mandolin and I was just playing about with it and came up with the basis of this track. A couple of weeks ago we made the video, which was great fun. It’s directed by Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind) and stars Natalie Portman and Mackenzie Crook. We had a good time doing it.
The album title came after I had finished everything. For me, that’s when they normally come, with the exception of maybe Sgt. Peppers, otherwise I don’t think I have ever made an album with The Beatles, Wings or solo where I have thought of a title and a concept first. I was looking for something that would sum the whole thing up and ‘Memory Almost Full’ came to mind. It’s a phrase that seemed to embrace modern life; in modern life our brains can get a bit overloaded. I realised I had also seen it come up on my phone a few times. When I started bouncing the idea round with some friends they nearly all got different meanings out of it, but they all said they loved it. So the feedback helped solidify the title.
-more-
McCARTNEY/MEMORYALMOSTFULL/2
After completing the album I then started thinking about the album artwork and how I’d want it to look. I really wanted to make the CD a desirable object. Something that I know I’d want to pick up from the shelf, something that would make people curious. The album sleeve itself includes an etching by a friend of mine, Humphrey Ocean.
I really enjoyed making this album with David Kahne and I’m proud of all the songs. We had a great time. I hope that the fun we had will communicate itself to the people who are going to listen to it.
All the best,
Paul McCartney, April 2007
Full Track Listing
1. Dance Tonight
2. Ever Present Past
3. See Your Sunshine
4. Only Mama Knows
5. You Tell Me
6. Mister Bellamy
7. Gratitude
8. Vintage Clothes
9. That Was Me
10. Feet In The Clouds
11. House Of Wax
12. End of the End
13. Nod Your Head
Check out www.paulmccartney.com for the latest new and information.
McCARTNEY/MEMORYALMOSTFULL/3
FULL ALBUM CREDITS AND NOTES TO THE EDITOR
All tracks written and composed by Paul McCartney
Produced and programmed by David Kahne
Paul McCartney played all instruments except:
Paul 'Wix' Wickens - keyboards; Rusty Anderson - guitar; Brian Ray - bass guitar and Abe Laboriel Jr. - drums; played on Only Mamma Knows, You Tell Me, Vintage Clothes, That Was Me, Feet In The Clouds, and House of Wax
Recorded at Hog Hill Mill Studios, Abbey Road Studios, Henson Recording Studios, Air Studios, RAK Studios
Mastered by: Bob Ludwig at Gateway Mastering
Memory Almost Full will be released on Tuesday, June 5th in The United States, June 4th in the UK and June 6th in Japan.
This release will be the first ever Paul McCartney album available digitally
Memory Almost Full is Paul McCartney’s 21st solo album
Recording sessions started in October 2003 – The mixing was completed in February 2007
Memory Almost Full is the first release on new Hear Music label (the label formed by Starbucks Entertainment and Concord Music Group)
Hear Music seeks to provide a new platform for reaching music fans and introducing them to both emerging and established artists with inspired vision and a keen sense of purpose
Memory Almost Full will be available at Starbucks locations and traditional music retail outlets internationally.
Check out www.paulmccartney.com for all the latest information.
Thank you Mike@cybersmusic.com
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