Paul McCartney - Chaos And Creation In The Backyard (CD 2005)

I'd been looking for the CD since it was released, but ebay gave me the spur to get a copy and I am delighted I chose this route. Ironically the tracks betray the pre-split emotions of Paul's second marriage, perhaps the reason I had not seen or heard it in the press or noticed it prominent in the shops. Nonetheless, I have derived much pleasure in listening to the master lyricist.

A new Paul McCartney album is usually approached with certain amount of trepidation, especially with Sir Paul's tendency to lean towards all things cheesy, and sometimes of the extra mature, vintage farmhouse type. But what's going on here? Is this really the McCartney we all know and love/hate?? Once you recover from the shock and give it another listen (preferably with decent speakers or headphones) you should discover subtle, and often beguiling elements in both the songs and the overall production. Nigel Godrich certainly has a lot to be thanked for in his shaping of the album by not letting Paul get things entirely his own way, and exercising a greater sense of quality control on the material than usually observed on previous albums. And as he did with Beck on his 'Mutations' album, he has tempted McCartney out of his usual comfort zone.
'Fine Line' is the only song that really has single written all over it, one of the few genuinely upbeat numbers along with 'Promise to You Girl', both piano-driven rockers. 'How Kind of You' betrays Nigel Godrich's touch more obviously than the rest and almost sounds like it could be Coldplay. The standout tracks for me are 'Jenny Wren' (an acoustic classic complete with unusal wind instrument), 'Too Much Rain', 'Riding to Vanity Fair' and 'At the Mercy', maybe because these explore an oft-neglected territory for McCartney, a deeper emotional statement than his usual head-in-the-clouds optimism, with no really 'big' choruses, but little twists and turns (like the unsettling chord change at the beginning of 'This Never Happened Before', slightly reminiscent of 'Yesterday' where he departs from the home key almost immediately) that will soon be nagging at your brain and demanding another listen.
'Follow Me' is one of the weaker tracks on the album, that's not to say it's a bad song, it's a solid album track, but the lyrics are slightly contrived and even Paul doesn't sound convinced when he sings them. I'm not sure if I'll ever really warm that much to 'English Tea', (have a word, Nigel!), and the freeform 'jam' which constitues the hidden track ruins any atmosphere created by the heartfelt ballad 'Anyway'. But who knows, maybe after a few more listens (I'm currently on my 4th) I will discover other layers that I didn't hear before, such is the nature of the production.
So, can we expect more from this McCartney/Godrich team before Paul starts collecting his pension? I hope so.

Some vintage McCartney with Jenny Wren which I love but sadly the whole album doesn't live upto that track, that said I'd buy the album for that track alone.

after all these years...such a fresh sound, such good melodies, such pearls! If Sir McCartney has become what and who he is, that's not by chance and this album just shows it, though there was no need of further evidence.
Well done, Sir.
He's a genius!
VIVA PAUL!

This album contains some of the best songs that Paul McCartney has written for many years. I was very suprised by the quality of songwriting.

After listening to this collection of songs for the second time,i began to realize that Paul Mc Cartney can still produce some fine work.Probably his best album since Venus And Mars.Having followed his carreer since the Beatles years i believe he is one of the finest songwriters around.I have most of Paul,s albums on vinyl and have recently started to collect them again on cd format.My two grandaughters have also been found listening to songs from my collection of both Beatles,and McCartney albums and when they hear them on the radio they seem to know most if not all of the lyrics.This cannot be said of many artists these days.M.R.Browning.

I was watching an old film (I can't remeber what it was called) and a piece from the album was in it. Fell in love the the piece and looked it up on google and then e-bay. The cd was only £3.00 and I had excellent service. I am thrilled with my purchase and enjoy the whole cd not just the piece a heard.
Thank you.

A couple of years ago, I caught an interview with Paul on the radio. He spoke of how he came to write the song English Tea. He had an elderly aquaintance who was very particular about her use of the English language. I liked the story, and found I kept singing the song. I did think about buying the CD but £15 is a lot to pay for one song - who knew if I would like the rest of the CD?
I ended up buying 2 on ebay - having lost one at the last minute, I had bid on two others to be sure of at least buying one. I don't regret it at all. One stays in the car, and the other follows me about the house, whether I am ironing, cleaning or relaxing. This is a terrific album with no duff tracks.

Disappointing. No really memorable tunes. I like most Beatles and Paul McCartney creations, having followed them for some 40 years, but this left a distinctly lukewarm feeling. Nothing particularly objectionable though.

i bought this item for my partner who assures me that this is an excellent album of paul mccartneys more unknown works. i must say i enjoyed it when i listened to it... although i had never heard of it before my partner mentioned it to me, but he is a big fan!! worth getting for any macca fan!