Paul McCartney - Chaos and Creation in the Backyard

Message Bookmarked
Bookmark Removed
Comes out next month. There are three songs and a video up now on the official album website. Wow! This could really be something.

Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Tuesday, 23 August 2005 18:02 (twenty years ago)

Oops, here's a link to the album web site.

Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Tuesday, 23 August 2005 18:03 (twenty years ago)

"Jenny Wren" is the best thing he's done in quite a while.

darin (darin), Tuesday, 23 August 2005 18:40 (twenty years ago)

The other song (the third one on there) with the ELO-like bits is awesome, too.

Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Tuesday, 23 August 2005 20:06 (twenty years ago)

GREAT album title. Sheesh.

David R. (popshots75`), Tuesday, 23 August 2005 20:11 (twenty years ago)

Wow. Wow. This is nice stuff! Who'd a thunk?

Jay Vee (Manon_70), Tuesday, 23 August 2005 20:14 (twenty years ago)

So, best album since Blood on the Tracks?

joseph cotten (joseph cotten), Tuesday, 23 August 2005 20:55 (twenty years ago)

YES. A RETURN TO FORM.

But seriously, "Jenny Wren" could easily fit on a best of Wings comp. The rockers I don't respond to as well - he sounds fatigued when he does his Little Richard these days.

darin (darin), Tuesday, 23 August 2005 22:00 (twenty years ago)

What's interesing, is that Paul, arguably the most prolific
songwriter in the histroy of mankind, is also one
of the most prolific consumers of Cannabis in
history...

...just like the one of the most prolific guitar virtuosos in
history, Paco de Lucia.

medic, Wednesday, 24 August 2005 02:31 (twenty years ago)

I apologize for misspelling "history".

(2 outta 3 aint bad !)

:-)

medic, Wednesday, 24 August 2005 02:33 (twenty years ago)

Ooooh, are there any mp3s of the files that someone can ysi?

Johann (johann), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 04:35 (twenty years ago)

Woah, This is really good stuff.

Usually I'd download it if it leaked but I'm going to wait this one out 'til it comes out. I'm actually excited about getting this one. I can't wait, but I will.

Jenny Wren could've been a "McCartney" era song he forgot about.

Voodoo Child, Wednesday, 24 August 2005 04:55 (twenty years ago)

downloaded every track off this masterpiece
chaos and creation 8/10
driving rain 6/10
flaming pie 5/10
off the ground 7/10
flowers in the dirt 9/10

maul pccartney, Wednesday, 24 August 2005 05:56 (twenty years ago)

maul, where did you dl it?

Johann (johann), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 06:15 (twenty years ago)

TOP SHOP

I AM PAUL MCARTNEY, Wednesday, 24 August 2005 06:25 (twenty years ago)

good answer...

mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 07:48 (twenty years ago)

Oh, I enjoyed "Twin Freaks", recommended.

mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 07:49 (twenty years ago)

two weeks pass...
Revive, because never could I have imagined to like a new Mc Cartney's album like I do with this one.

snowballing (snowballing), Thursday, 8 September 2005 16:34 (twenty years ago)

it's good, at least as good as Driving Rain and the good songs off of Flaming Pie (both of which I rate highly). It's a very middle-aged sounding album which isn't bad considering he's a bona fide senior citizen now (and he's been writing middle aged songs since he was 25 anyway).

kyle (akmonday), Monday, 12 September 2005 14:33 (twenty years ago)

Apart from the second track, I like every track off this one. I'm usually really critical of Macca's solo efforts (waaaay to saccharine) but I think Nigel Godrich was able to weed (pun intended) out a lot of the "God day sunshine bullshit" and bring in some awesome production.

Really dig this record

Erock LAzron, Monday, 12 September 2005 17:33 (twenty years ago)

yeah the production is good. I don't care for the tea/twee song, or the single, but this is really strong

kyle (akmonday), Monday, 12 September 2005 17:54 (twenty years ago)

it's a fantastic album. macca hasn't put together melodies like this in decades. not a slam to macca but i'm guessing there's some co-writing going on here (credited or not) at least on a few of the tracks.

ZionTrain (ZionTrain), Tuesday, 13 September 2005 00:29 (twenty years ago)

two weeks pass...
Christgau sticks it in the "Dud" column (which includes no commentary). Bit of a backhanded slap, really.

Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Wednesday, 28 September 2005 21:43 (twenty years ago)

Jason Faulkner does, in fact, play on this record (on a few songs anyway).

kyle (akmonday), Wednesday, 28 September 2005 21:46 (twenty years ago)

like anyone cares what that ancient derelict christgau has to say about anything.

Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Thursday, 29 September 2005 05:23 (twenty years ago)

This is a damn good record! At first hearing "Jenny Wren" and "Riding to Vanity Fair" seem to be standouts.

Masked Gazza, Thursday, 29 September 2005 05:27 (twenty years ago)

maul, where did you dl it?
-- Johann (idealordea...), August 24th, 2005.
sorry it's gone.
it was on win mx but it lasted a few hours.
keep searching win mx or emule.
never pay for a download.

maul pccartney, Thursday, 29 September 2005 05:40 (twenty years ago)

Riding To Vanity Fair could have come off the Divine Comedy's Regeneration. Same producer and string arranger (Joby Talbot) and you can really tell.

mms (mms), Thursday, 29 September 2005 07:22 (twenty years ago)

xgau elaborates in his Blender review:

http://www.blender.com/guide/reviews.aspx?id=3583

Sang Freud (jeff_s), Thursday, 29 September 2005 10:28 (twenty years ago)

Rough...

Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Thursday, 29 September 2005 10:38 (twenty years ago)

...but unfair.

Masked Gazza, Thursday, 29 September 2005 10:41 (twenty years ago)

What Marcello said.

Jay Vee (Manon_70), Thursday, 29 September 2005 11:57 (twenty years ago)

Christgau writes better songs now than Macca.

Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Thursday, 29 September 2005 13:26 (twenty years ago)

That review can basically be boiled down to these criticisms:

* it's "rather straight"
* lacks charm
* lacks wisdom

And what in the world is that bit about "the latest synthesizer technology?" There isn't a single synthesizer part on the album.

Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Thursday, 29 September 2005 16:53 (twenty years ago)

Anyone notice how the word "garden" in the "Miles and miles of English gardens" line in "English Tea" has that same drop of a major third that the same word has in "Sitting in an English garden" in "I Am the Walrus?"

Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Thursday, 29 September 2005 20:19 (twenty years ago)

so this record's kinda bombed huh?

j blount (papa la bas), Thursday, 29 September 2005 20:23 (twenty years ago)

No:

80
All Music Guide
The quiet nature of Chaos and Creation may mean that some listeners will pass it over quickly, since it's a grower, but spend some time with the record and becomes clear that McCartney is far from spent as either a songwriter or record-maker.

80
The Guardian
For all the nods to the past, not a note of Chaos and Creation in the Back Yard comes close to Beatle standards: it's an intriguing diversion rather than a major addition to the canon. What it has is a sense of purpose, lovely tunes in abundance, and charm.

80
The New York Times
Sir Paul has always been an instinctive songwriter, and he sounds as surprised by these songs as his listeners may be. [12 Sep 2005]
80
Rolling Stone
Chaos and Creation in the Backyard is the freshest-sounding McCartney album in years.

75
Entertainment Weekly
There's no question that in places, it's a tad too twee. But what we're hearing is an artist honestly following his muse--always a compelling event. [16 Sep 2005, p.84]
75
Los Angeles Times
This is the intimate McCartney in the vein of his 1970 solo debut or "London Town," and the comfort allowed him to be as unguarded as he's ever been. [4 Sep 2005]
70
Billboard
McCartney continues to surprise, opening this set with four of his best songs in ages. [17 Sep 2005]
70
Dot Music
No one was expecting Godrich to turn this noble British pop institution into Radiohead, of course. But the glimpses of greatness are enough to leave you wishing that bottle had prevailed and more in the vein of "Too Much Rain" had resulted.

67
E! Online
Even though he didn't use Godrich's elegant landscaping to its full advantage, we'll still listen to what this man has to say.

60
New Musical Express
By teaming up with Godrich, McCartney has come out of his safety zone and challenged himself in a way not seen since his first solo album way back in 1970. But the feeling remains that the one person who could really inspire him to write one final classic record was tragically murdered in 1980.

40
Blender
It's rather straight where [his 1970 debut] was eccentric and charming. [Oct 2005, p.139]

Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Thursday, 29 September 2005 20:29 (twenty years ago)

those are all kind of cautiously good reviews though. I think it's much better than they say. and I'm honestly not a Macca apologist.

kyle (akmonday), Thursday, 29 September 2005 20:45 (twenty years ago)

it debuted in the top ten of the u.s. charts, that's hardly a bomb for ol' sir paul

The Obligatory Sourpuss (Begs2Differ), Thursday, 29 September 2005 20:46 (twenty years ago)

o so it's doing nearly as well critically and saleswise as any of his other albums over the past ten years (only: less airplay. and strike 'saleswise' actually)? i guess i was wrong then!

j blount (papa la bas), Thursday, 29 September 2005 21:05 (twenty years ago)

actually those reviews quoted above aren't quite up to what flaming pie or driving rain got so maybe strike 'critically' too but i understand some critic somewhere liked it quite a bit maybe. thought it was his best since the 80s maybe.

j blount (papa la bas), Thursday, 29 September 2005 21:07 (twenty years ago)

Is this so? Less sales? Critical reception only nearly as good? Where are you getting this? (Those are only quotes from the reviews and don't represent the scope of the reviews.)

Didn't have any airplay with song from the last x number of albums either.

Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Thursday, 29 September 2005 21:09 (twenty years ago)

Someone posted the DeCurtis review from RS in another thread.

Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Thursday, 29 September 2005 21:10 (twenty years ago)

Metacritic average from Driving Rain is 74. Average so far for Chaos and Creation is 72, but that score was driven down by a score of 40 from a review by a certain someone.

Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Thursday, 29 September 2005 21:13 (twenty years ago)

haha decurtis! well i do stand corrected! and what's the hit from this? even using the lowered chart expectations recent (= post-reagan's first term) mccartney sized hits - what's getting the airplay of "young boy" or "the world tonight" or "my brave face" or "hope of deliverance" or whatever the hell the single from driving rain was that had him in the convertible which at least got serious vh1 rotation. i'm not blaming mccartney or the record (which i'm genuinely curious to hear, albeit probably becuz you actually have to seek it out to hear since it's profile is nonexistent)(i mean i did hear enough of the driving rain single and "young boy" and "the world tonight" etc etc to get an idea of what those records sounded like), the marketplace has as much to do with a record bombing as anything, and mccartney hasn't had a place as a figure releasing new music into it for awhile, like his peers new records exist as an excuse for touring. this doesn't mean that they're bad records, just that any expectations that they're gonna be big or grammy nominated (beyond the cursory nods in cats like 'best rock male vocal' etc.)(no luther or ray or bob situation here) are ridiculous. in terms of impact it's just another paul mccartney record, despite predictions otherwise.

j blount (papa la bas), Thursday, 29 September 2005 21:26 (twenty years ago)

Uh, DeCurtis' review is one of four in the 80 range above. And you might want to read his review before you dismiss it. And you'd have to show me the numbers about how it's selling. And the Grammy nominations ain't out yet.

Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Thursday, 29 September 2005 21:30 (twenty years ago)

I mean, it sure as fuck is better than Christgau's review.

Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Thursday, 29 September 2005 21:31 (twenty years ago)

"And what in the world is that bit about "the latest synthesizer technology?" There isn't a single synthesizer part on the album."

OK, there's actually a bit of Moog on two songs, but really now ...

Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Friday, 30 September 2005 02:44 (twenty years ago)

two months pass...
Finally bought it and loved it. McCartney is just diabolical.
And if some critics don't get it, well, tant pis pour eux!

Marco Damiani (Marco D.), Monday, 12 December 2005 11:52 (twenty years ago)

don't people like "driving rain", "flaming pie"," off the ground"or flowers in the dirt "?
these are good to great.

retrogurl, Monday, 12 December 2005 12:26 (twenty years ago)

top 3
flowers in the dirt
off the ground
press to play

retroboy, Saturday, 31 December 2005 04:28 (twenty years ago)

Well, the obvious choice from Chaos and Creation would be "Jenny Wren", which is a good Macca acoustic ballad. I also like "This Never Happened Before" b/c it sounds so uniquely McCartney...

Driving Rain is sludgy and fairly tuneless by comparison, but has "From a Lover to a Friend", which is most certainly great.

Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Saturday, 31 December 2005 15:41 (twenty years ago)

"Riding To Vanity Fair" is perhaps more typical of that album than of any other McCartney album (the only track that has obvious signs of Nigel Godrich producing). Add "This Never Happened Before", which is also very great, but a way more typical Macca effort.

Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Saturday, 31 December 2005 22:08 (twenty years ago)

What you people seem to be forgetting is that ver Dean didn't like Band On The Run either, giving it a C or something like that.

Redd Harvest (Ken L), Saturday, 31 December 2005 22:52 (twenty years ago)

If you read over his list of McCartney reviews, you can see his opinion shift with Ram and never really swing back at all. (He had sort of liked McCartney.)

Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Saturday, 31 December 2005 23:13 (twenty years ago)

don't people like "driving rain", "flaming pie"," off the ground"or flowers in the dirt "?
these are good to great.

"Flowers In The Dirt" is. The others are decent, but McCartney spent the 90s in some kind of blind alley where he wanted to be more "rock" than what fit him.

Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Sunday, 1 January 2006 03:08 (twenty years ago)

Wait, he didn't like Ram? I never got around to listening to the whole album, but the well-known songs from it are good enough that it seems like it can't be that bad.

Redd Harvest (Ken L), Sunday, 1 January 2006 03:31 (twenty years ago)

http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist2.php?id=1054

Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Sunday, 1 January 2006 03:47 (twenty years ago)

Hey, he gave Run Devil Run an A- !

Redd Harvest (Ken L), Sunday, 1 January 2006 03:51 (twenty years ago)

good shit

corey c (shock of daylight), Sunday, 1 January 2006 09:12 (twenty years ago)

One can also appreciate how he describes, if memory serves, Red Rose Speedway as the laziest effort ever by a top-notch "rocker" not named Crosby (he's talking about David's If I Could Only Remember My Name, which is also very good and very loathed by The Dean).

Actually, I've thought a lot about his Macca hate, and I think you can chalk most of it up to the fact that McCartney's whimsical fantasies sort of betrayed Xgau's (very firm) idea of what a rock n' roll artist "ought" to be.

Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Sunday, 1 January 2006 16:18 (twenty years ago)

And a lot of Paul's '70s songs just, well, sucked donkey cock.

Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Sunday, 1 January 2006 16:20 (twenty years ago)

XGau does at least appreciate McCartney's best moment, which was the "Tug Of War" album. Shows he hasn't missed the boat completely.

Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Sunday, 1 January 2006 16:56 (twenty years ago)

english tea?

jenny wren?

rubbish

RJG (RJG), Sunday, 1 January 2006 18:50 (twenty years ago)

Jenny Wren in particular is a good song. I know it is kinda a Beatles rip off but who better to rip them off?

Jim Reckling (Jim Reckling), Sunday, 1 January 2006 19:41 (twenty years ago)

I like "English Tea" even more.

Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Sunday, 1 January 2006 19:47 (twenty years ago)

Geir will go to his grave praising Tug Of War to the skies. He will also be wrong.

Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Sunday, 1 January 2006 21:08 (twenty years ago)

"Jenny Wren" drives me up a wall with its triteness, but I think "English Tea" is one of the best McCartney moments of the last twenty years or so. I could see where it might seem treacley or whatever, but I think it works, because it's so clearly honest - in fact, in general, where Chaos... succeeds it's because you don't get the sense that McCartney's singing in "character" or hiding behind nonsensical lyrics. "English Tea" is him being unshyly old-fashioned, English, middle-aged; and gently offering to share all this with his new love. Off the top of my head, it's the only time he's used his "old-timey" musical muse to the aid of the song rather than just as a dressing for the sake of "well, the album already has too many guitar numbers on it." Clever in an admirable way, I think.

Doctor Casino, Sunday, 1 January 2006 21:12 (twenty years ago)

Anyone who has discovered that 10cc used to be brilliant in the 70s will also know that "Tug Of War" is a brilliant album. Whoever has NOT discovered the greatness of 10cc has no idea about good music anyway.

Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Monday, 2 January 2006 00:57 (twenty years ago)

Jenny Wren in particular is a good song. I know it is kinda a Beatles rip off but who better to rip them off?

The best Beatles ripoff by an ex-Beatles still remains George's "When We Was Fab" though.

Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Monday, 2 January 2006 00:58 (twenty years ago)

Really do not like the production on "When We Was Fab." Clutter. "Jenny Wren" wins.

Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Monday, 2 January 2006 01:26 (twenty years ago)

"When We Was Fab" was produced by a huge Beatles fan.

McCartney's best ever Beatles pastiche was "Here Today" btw.

Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Monday, 2 January 2006 01:28 (twenty years ago)

So what? It certainly doesn't sound a Beatles record. Keyboard chords just continually hover over everything like a raincloud on a sunny day.

Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Monday, 2 January 2006 01:33 (twenty years ago)

"When We Was Fab" was produced by a huge Beatles fan.
McCartney's best ever Beatles pastiche was "Here Today" btw.


-- Geir Hongro (geirhon...), January 2nd, 2006.
"when we was fab" is the greatest solo beatle song.
"here today" reminds me of "my love"

retrogurl, Monday, 2 January 2006 01:56 (twenty years ago)

It certainly doesn't sound a Beatles record.

It sounds like what The Beatles might have sounded like had they still been together in 1987.

Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Monday, 2 January 2006 02:27 (twenty years ago)

"might have" - Why would you say this more about Cloud Nine than about Double Fantasy or Stop and Smell the Roses or Gone Troppo or Tug of War?

Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Monday, 2 January 2006 02:30 (twenty years ago)

I would first and foremost say it about that particular single song.

Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Monday, 2 January 2006 02:32 (twenty years ago)

So you're saying that if the Beatles had been together in 1987, they would have been making lots of psychedelic pastiches w/ Jeff Lynne producing? I see.

Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Monday, 2 January 2006 02:33 (twenty years ago)

It strikes me as being like saying that Klaatu were like what the Beatles would have sounded like if they had been together in 1976, Geir.

Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Monday, 2 January 2006 02:37 (twenty years ago)

Anyone who has discovered that 10cc used to be brilliant in the 70s will also know that "Tug Of War" is a brilliant album. Whoever has NOT discovered the greatness of 10cc has no idea about good music anyway.

Yes, and Macca's 10cc album is the fantastic Press To Play, not the decent-but-middling Tug of War, "The Pound Is Sinking" notwithstanding.

And "Here Today" is borderline-crap precisely b/c it's as if McCartney had been commissioned to write a song for John.

Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Monday, 2 January 2006 06:13 (twenty years ago)

"The Pound Is Sinking" is indeed great.

Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Monday, 2 January 2006 07:01 (twenty years ago)

wanderlust is good too. but ballroom dancing and ebony and ivory and dress me up as a robber eradicate most of my goodwill for this record

kyle (akmonday), Monday, 2 January 2006 09:09 (twenty years ago)

I heard the R2 programme repeated the other day! It was nice.

the bellefox, Monday, 2 January 2006 15:07 (twenty years ago)

Chaos is great, but where's the love for the wonderful, underrated 'Pipes of Peace' people?

the man, Monday, 2 January 2006 18:32 (twenty years ago)

actually, When We Was Fab strikes me as an better ELO rip than a Beatles one

Dominique (dleone), Monday, 2 January 2006 18:49 (twenty years ago)

Good call.

Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Monday, 2 January 2006 18:52 (twenty years ago)

one year passes...
This is really great, but I think will go down as too tentative for the state of the art ca. 2006. Godrich's production goes a certain ways toward a postmodern radicalism, but I think it's still rooted in '90s tentativeness. Don't want gloss like Geir advocates for Macca, but radicalism. Like something like Ys is radical. What if there had been strings on "How Kind of You," for example - radical, bold "classical" strings. Like the Beatles were radical.

Tim Ellison, Saturday, 21 April 2007 16:57 (nineteen years ago)

"Friends to Go" could have had a radical '50s style rockabilly arrangement.

Tim Ellison, Saturday, 21 April 2007 17:00 (nineteen years ago)

Paul McCartney has never been particularly musically radical. It was John Lennon (and somewhat George Harrison) that brought the musical radicalism in the music of The Beatles. McCartney is all about songcraft and other musical craft. He is first and foremost a craftsman, and together with another craftsman (Godrich) he created something great here.

Geir Hongro, Saturday, 21 April 2007 17:26 (nineteen years ago)

The Beatles were extremely radical from the get-go and remained that way all the way through the White Album. Paul was just a big a factor in that as John. Geir, have you read Barry Miles' book?

Tim Ellison, Saturday, 21 April 2007 17:34 (nineteen years ago)

In the 60s, what would be seen as reaction today was considered radical. What I mean is Paul McCartney would bring in a string quartet, a symphony orchestra and elements from music hall, Vaudeville, Tin Pan Alley or plain easy listening and it was seen as radical because no "rock" act had ever done something like that before. Today it would be seen as a reaction (and, btw, today's music is in a need of that kind of reaction a lot more than 60s music was)

Geir Hongro, Saturday, 21 April 2007 17:40 (nineteen years ago)

I'm not sure how you mean "reaction" there.

Tim Ellison, Saturday, 21 April 2007 18:59 (nineteen years ago)

Paul McCartney has never been particularly musically radical.

Paul constructed all the tape loops for 'Tomorrow Never Knows' himself at home, Lennon just wrote the tune

Milton Parker, Saturday, 21 April 2007 20:11 (nineteen years ago)

two years pass...

Listening to this on spotify. Going to need to give it proper attention. Thanks to that site I'm finally really getting the measure of the whole Macca bacca catta log, from disappointing to outstanding.

'Jenny Wren' as good as any quick acoustic solo number he's done I think; probably above 'Put It There' which I also like

the pinefox, Saturday, 11 July 2009 12:58 (sixteen years ago)

easily in mccartney's top five albums

akm, Saturday, 11 July 2009 14:48 (sixteen years ago)

seven years pass...

"friends to go" is a dope farewell song

reggie (qualmsley), Monday, 18 July 2016 17:40 (nine years ago)

still love this album. I like the other two originals since but feel like this is his late career highlight.

akm, Monday, 18 July 2016 17:44 (nine years ago)

I agree. The b-sides for this album are pretty spectacular as well.

Acid Hose (Capitaine Jay Vee), Monday, 18 July 2016 21:34 (nine years ago)

I haven't listened to this album (or any McCartney, really) for a while, but I definitely agree that it's a late career highlight. Having said that, while I think Godrich was great in helping with song selection, as time goes on I'm increasingly less taken with his style of production.

the hair - it's lost its energy (Turrican), Monday, 18 July 2016 23:01 (nine years ago)

Some good stuff in this interview with Jason Falkner about his time with Paul recording Chaos and Creation:

https://transatlanticmodern.com/2013/03/11/interview-jason-falkner/

Naive Teen Idol, Tuesday, 19 July 2016 04:16 (nine years ago)


You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.