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Ricketay
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Re: Celine Thinks She's Equal To Beatle Paul?
The Ramblings: Part Two
Paul seems to be in a more adventurous mood on Memory Almost Full. It's not as wistful, or melacholy as Chaos. And he seems to be drawing inspiration from more diverse sources. It definitely seems more outwardly focused. It has exhultant, exuberant qualities that he gives free reign to.
"Dance Tonight" - It doesn't get any simpler than this. Any attempt to take this song seriously enough to critcize it, may result in blood shooting out of one's eyes. I didn't care for it when I first heard it - but I like it alright, now. Go figure. It doesn't sound enough like "Her Majesty" to bother me. But why, in the name of all that is musically wise, would you lead off the album with it?!? Maybe the thinking was to start off with something simple, then work up to the more serious sounding stuff. I dunno. (Wisely, it was kept under 3:00.)
"Ever Present Past" - Not one of the strongest cuts on the album - and, yet, I can never bring myself to skip it. Like "Dance Tonight", I always think I like it less than I actually do when it's playing (Damn your poppy infectiousness, Paul McCartney!). Once again, though, the song was wisely kept under 3:00.
"See Your Sunshine" - Upbeat, happy, infectious. Cool, classic McCartney bass work. Not groundreaking, but I think it works really well (for some infuriating reason). Did I mention the bass playing?
"Only Mama Knows" - Fun. Rockin'. Urgent. I love the energy. The orchestrated intro/outro are cool. It kind of has a Wings vibe. The lyrics have an enigmatic, gritty quality to them that only adds to the song's appeal.
"You Tell Me" - There's a vulnerable quality to this song. The lyrics are fairly simple, but without being cliche. I think it would've fit comfortably on Chaos.
"Mr. Bellamy" - A delightfully twisted little tale. Darkly abstract. A pleasantly demented surprise - especially coming from Paul. (Does Mr. Bellamy have bats in his belfry? Or is he one of the bats in Paul's belfry??)
"Gratitude" - A gospel flavored little slice of sarcasm. Kind of the flip side to "Anyway" (off of [iChaos). I like it. Nice to hear Paul use that voice.
"Vintage Clothes" - What goes around, comes around. There's nothing new the under the sun. Paul's getting a chuckle out of how familiar a lot of what's hip today looks. Cool arrangement. Good fun - jubilant, even.
"That Was Me" - Celebratory astonishment. Sometimes even Paul can't believe the life he's had. More fun, jubilant stuff. Cool arrangement (even the scatting).
"Feet In The Clouds" - Deceptively simple tune. Happy-go- lucky sounding lyrics (but there is a shadow of doubt lurking just on the periphery). The arrangement is also more interesting than it first appears. This song kind of acts as the calm before...
"House Of Wax" - Another surprisingly dark and heavy song - both lyrically and musically. This one has an apocalyptic vibe to it. Brooding and forboding. I don't recall Paul ever doing one like this before. Great stuff.
"The End Of The End" - Paul considers his own mortality (again, something kind of unusual for him). It's simple, without being trite. It has a stateliness to it (I think that's why he whistles in the middle, to keep it from getting too solemn - kind of like whistling past a cemetary). Would have been a great way to end the album, but...
"Nod Your Head" - I don't dislike this song, per se - I just think that (once again) Paul chickened out on how to properly end the album. The song is fun, kind of like "Smile Away" is fun (I didn't say, "as good"), but it isn't the right song to end an album (especially this album). I like the horns; I like the bombastic sense of fun; I like the fact that he was smart enough to keep it short (it's under 2:00 long). It's just in the wrong place!
"In Private" [bonus track] - I really like this instrumental track. I don't know why a place couldn't be found for it on the album. It's better than a couple of the songs that were included. Go figure.
"222" [bonus track] - Another cool one. Interesting stuff going on musically. Simple, very minimal but effective, lyrics. It should have been on the album (who's making these decisions?).
"Why So Blue" [bonus track] - And here: the biggest mystery of all. This song didn't make the album because...??? Evocative lyrics, cool arrangement... I just don't get it.
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7/29/2008, 5:58 pm
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Ricketay
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Re: Celine Thinks She's Equal To Beatle Paul?
The Rablings: Epilogue
Chaos and Creation In The Back Yard and Memory Almost Full kind of seem like flip sides of the same coin to me. Chaos is more introspective - whereas Memory is more extrospective. Chaos seems to be aimed more at the heart (most of the lyrics don't invite close scrutiny) - while Memory seems to be aimed a little more at the head (as many of the lyrics are intriguing enough to invite closer scrutiny). [That, obviously, doesn't mean the division is absolute.]
I think Chaos is deceptively understated enough that some (many?) people might miss what's really going on there. It's often lyrically light/but musically rich offerings can be too easily missed by the casual listen. That's a shame.
On the other hand, I think Memory is deceptively loud, and some (many?) people may miss what's really going on there. I don't think it's as bombastic as you seem to (but that's just a matter of personal taste). Granted, it's not as subtle as Chaos, but there is a lot of cool and creative stuff going on in there.
I've listened to both albums a lot, lately - through headphones and speakers - and find both to be thoroughly enjoyable (although I still like Memory best, of the two).
It's funny that we agree about Ram and Flaming Pie, but disagree so strongly about Memory Almost Full. But hey, that's what makes these discussions so interesting.
Last edited by Ricketay, 8/9/2008, 2:08 am
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7/29/2008, 6:07 pm
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Ricketay
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Re: Celine Thinks She's Equal To Beatle Paul?
quote:
Ratmannnn wrote:
Rene Angelil is prettier than Celine and I don't mean that in a Hot Corey way!
What other way can you mean it? Rene is bald, hairy, and has a penis!
At least Celine isn't bald and hairy.
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7/29/2008, 6:16 pm
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drwaldo
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Re: Celine Thinks She's Equal To Beatle Paul?
 I do like Memory Almost Full.
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7/29/2008, 9:16 pm
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Ricketay
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Re: Celine Thinks She's Equal To Beatle Paul?
quote:
drwaldo wrote:
I do like Memory Almost Full.
See?!? I knew my wife and I weren't crazy.
Wait...a...minute... Exactly what kind of doctor are you??? (Besides one with superior taste in music, that is.)
Is this a trap?
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7/30/2008, 2:59 am
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tkitna
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Re: Celine Thinks She's Equal To Beatle Paul?
quote:
Ricketay wrote:
The Rablings: Epilogue
Chaos and Creation In The Back Yard and Memory Almost Full kind of seem like flip sides of the same coin to me. Chaos is more introspective - whereas Memory is more extrospective. Chaos seems to be aimed more at the heart (most of the lyrics don't invite close scrutiny) - while Chaos seems to be aimed a little more at the head (as many of the lyrics are intriguing enough to invite closer scrutiny). [That, obviously, doesn't mean the division is absolute.]
I think Chaos is deceptively understated enough that some (many?) people might miss what's really going on there. It's often lyrically light/but musically rich offerings can be too easily missed by the casual listen. That's a shame.
On the other hand, I think Memory is deceptively loud, and some (many?) people may miss what's really going on there. I don't think it's as bombastic as you seem to (but that's just a matter of personal taste). Granted, it's not as subtle as Chaos, but there is a lot of cool and creative stuff going on in there.
I've listened to both albums a lot, lately - through headphones and speakers - and find both to be thoroughly enjoyable (although I still like Memory best, of the two).
It's funny that we agree about Ram and Flaming Pie, but disagree so strongly about Memory Almost Full. But hey, that's what makes these discussions so interesting.
Thanks for the reviews on both albums Ricketay. I dont know. I just feel that 'Driving Rain' and 'Memeory Almost Full' could almost be twins. They both offer a few decent tunes with a lot of filler in my opinion. 'Chaos' almost demands the listener to pay attention. I feel the music to be a little more compact and concentrated than the other two offerings.
Hey its all good. What fun would it be if we all had the same taste?
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7/30/2008, 8:56 pm
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flux
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Re: Celine Thinks She's Equal To Beatle Paul?
yeah, what he just said...right on bro. Cheech and Chong have reunited. Man
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7/30/2008, 10:55 pm
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Steve A
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Re: Celine Thinks She's Equal To Beatle Paul?
good stuff Ricketay.
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7/31/2008, 12:48 am
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flux
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Re: Celine Thinks She's Equal To Beatle Paul?
man
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7/31/2008, 9:40 am
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