An above average post-1983 McCartney album. While working on the Beatles' Anthology series, McCartney was inspired by memories of his time with that group and wanted to get back to their early, no-nonsense way of making an album. In his words, "to have some fun and not sweat it." This album features work with Ringo Starr, George Martin, Jeff Lynne, Steve Miller, and longtime Beatles engineer Geoff Emerick. Bonus points for great liner notes. Besteveralbum.com's algorithms rate this as McCartney's third best post-Beatles album. That's close, but even if I didn't go quite that far, I'd still say its damn good, one of McCartney's most consistent albums, and certainly one of the best pop releases of the second half of the 1990's. I'm always amazed at how McCartney's songwriting is so good, yet seemingly effortless. You often see cover albums titled "The Lennon/McCartney Songbook;" albums named "The McCartney Songbook" are overdue. Long overdue.
Press of the time:
- New Musical Express (5 out of 10): "apparently content to finally admit his best work is behind him."
- Billboard: "melodically pleasant but ultimately lackluster"
- Rolling Stone (★★★): "more sparer than McCartney's recent efforts"
- Stereo Review (★★★): "a good, respectable record"
Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #2
Tracks: Many more hits than misses here. In fact, the only one of the 14 tracks worth skipping is Really Love You. My favorite track is the closer, Great Day.
Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None
Previously revisited for the blog:
Chaos And Creation In The Backyard (2005)
Unplugged: The Official Bootleg (1991)
All The Best! (1987)
Tug of War (1982)
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