Paul Mccartney - Chaos And Creation In The Backyard
List Price:
Our Price: $20.99
You Save: $7.99 (28%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $3.24 (click here)
Category: Music CD
See more new music releases
Buy this Music CD at online store in your country
Canadian Music Store
Canadian Music Store
Music CD Cover
Artist: Paul MccartneyEdition: Music CD
Format: Special Edition
CD Release Date: 2005-09-13
Music Label: Capitol
Soundtracks:
Music CD 1
- Fine Line
- How Kind of You
- Jenny Wren
- At the Mercy
- Friends to Go
- English Tea
- Too Much Rain
- A Certain Softness
- Riding to Vanity Fair
- Follow Me
- Promise to You Girl
- This Never Happened Before
- Anyway
- Documentary - Between Chaos and Creation (DVD)
- Studio Performance Video - Fine Line (DVD)
- Animated Piece - Line Art (DVD)
- Instrumental Tracks - Anyway, At the Mercy, Riding to Vanity Fair (DVD)
- Menu Piece - How Kind Of You (DVD)
Free Music Notes for Chaos And Creation In The Backyard
Free Music Review: Chaos & Creation not so much Chaotic, but very Creative
Hit: 5 Stars
"Chaos & Creation In The Backyard" - Paul McCartney - Capitol Records 2005
OK, after repeated listening (I've probably heard the entire album at least a dozen times by now) I feel qualified to render my own "homemade" review of Paul McCartney's "Chaos & Creation In The Backyard," produced by Nigel Godrich.
Like Paul's first solo album "McCartney" from 1970 he plays most all instruments and does all the vocals. In my opinion, the similarity ends there. "McCartney" is basically a rough home recording. "Chaos & Creation," while not over-produced, benefits from the same high level of production quality found on more recent McCartney releases, particularly "Flaming Pie." Instrumentally Paul seems to draw heavily on his strengths; Lady Madonna-esque piano and Yesterday-ish acoustic guitar seem to permeate most tracks. The drums are simple and solid, yet distinctly "Paul" as opposed to the more polished Ringo. The bass is pure McCartney on every single track. The vocals are simply flawless and recorded very pure without the masking of effects or doubling. If you suddenly found yourself stranded on a desert island with Paul McCartney, this is the musician/singer/songwriter you'd have captive for your private entertainment. "Chaos & Creation In The Backyard" is a pure, thoroughbred Paul McCartney performing quietly intense, melancholy songs defying categorization (with a few pleasant exceptions).
The album begins with "Fine Line." This is a straight-ahead McCartney piano tune combining the "potboiler" qualities of "Why Don't We Do It In The Road" with the melodic sensibility of "Hello Goodbye." It was probably chosen for the lead-off track because of its unique sound and its upbeat. It's one of the most up-tempo songs on an album filled with delicate tracks. Although I'm sure it'll be a single, I don't hear it was being the biggest hit on the album. Out of a possible five stars I'll grade it four (or for future reference, ****).
"How Kind Of You" has a dreamlike quality and utilizes eerie tape loops under Paul's piano and acoustic guitars. It may be the most obscure song on the album, although the lyrics and melody seem to draw me in every time. *** ½.
"Jenny Wren" takes the classic "Blackbird" guitar style to another level with twists and turns on the guitar that can only be categorized as pure musical genius. Working within the same chord structure as "Blackbird," McCartney turns the key of `G' on its head by using `passing' chords as key-changing primary chords. For those of you at home trying to learn this song on acoustic guitar, be warned that Paul uses his Epiphone Texan acoustic on this track which is normally tuned down a whole step for live performances of "Yesterday." The lowered tuning makes it much easier to sing. Speaking of vocals, Paul uses his soft falsetto voice previously found on gems like "So Bad". "Jenny Wren" is irresistible. *****
"At The Mercy" is a ballad that could have "classic" potential if it didn't convey such a dark side. Once again, it's unmistakably "Paul", making it an easy listen for serious McCartney fans. Still, every time Paul draws you in with the "hook-ish" parts of this song, he bums you out with a dreary/dark turn. ***
"Friends To Go" sounds like something from the "Tug Of War/ Pipes Of Peace" era without the weightiness of George Martin's huge production. On the DVD that accompanies the album Paul mentions he was thinking of George Harrison while he was recording this song. While I could hear the influence slightly from time to time, I'd still classify "Friends To Go" as an 80's-type McCartney tune. It's mid-tempo with a very catchy melody and great arrangement. ****
Had McCartney written "English Tea" during the Beatles era it would have been called "Granny Music" by John and George - a term they used to describe Paul's songs in the latter part of the 60's like "Martha My Dear" and "Honey Pie." Fortunately, hindsight has shown that Paul's "Granny Music" factors heavily into the art form we now revere as `Classic Beatles'. "English Tea" scores at the very top of this genre. Both lyrically and musically it brings to the table Paul's complete uniqueness in the music world. Nobody else could have written or performed this piece. As far as I'm concerned, it's a Beatles song in the tradition of "Martha My Dear" much the same way Paul's "C'mon People" (Off The Ground) is a Beatles song in the tradition of "Hey Jude." Once again....quite irresistible. Incidentally, the terribly corny lyrics were quite intentional. *****
"Too Much Rain" is a lovely acoustic song. It's only fault is that it's buried in the middle of an album already chock full of MORE lovely acoustic songs. Realizing this, I waited until I had some distance from the CD, then listened to it as the first track. Once done, it was immediately apparent to me how strong this piece is. Simply put, it's another finely crafted McCartney gem sure to be a favorite with his fans. ****
"A Certain Softness" is not my favorite track on the album. To me, it sounds more like one of Sting's psuedo-Euro outings than a Paul McCartney song. Ironically, it sounds a lot like the song Sting was nominated for at the Oscars along side Paul who was up for "Vanilla Sky" the same year. If not for the fact that Sting's song is a stronger piece of material, I'd have given this one a higher mark.***
"Riding To Vanity Fair" is a very dark, minor-ish song positioned in such a place on the album as to tempt the listener to remark "This is getting just plain dreary." To be sure, Paul sounds depressed on this track. On the positive side, Paul's electric blues guitar riffs bring a certain amount of life to an otherwise sleepy and depressing tune. I could easily live without this one. Sorry, Paul...a few good rockers between slow tracks would have made some of these darker tunes stand out much better. **
"Follow Me" reminds me of Paul's stuff during the Ram/Wildlife period. OK, so it's another slow song in an already long succession of laid-back stuff on this album. However, this one is simply a well-written song with inspiring lyrics and strong vocal performance. ****
"Promise To You Girl." We're back to "classic" status. The up-tempo portions of this song are Lady Madonna/Flaming Pie-ish. The harmony parts seem to have John and George singing along with Paul from `beyond'. I absolutely love this track. I particularly love the lyric "Looking through the backyard of my life, time to sweep the fallen leaves away." *****
"This Never Happened Before" is quite simply one of the best love songs Paul has ever written. The melody and chord structure are both surprising and dead-on target. I'll classify this one as the first GOOD song Paul has ever written for Heather. It's about time...the last few he wrote for her were borderline stinkers!(Heather, time to take "Your Loving Flame" off the CD player. You've finally been given your "My Love".) If Paul releases "This Never Happened Before" as a single, it'll make the top 10. Had this song been on 'Abbey Road' it would be considered a standard today. "This Never Happened Before" made the price of the entire CD worth it for me. Perfection. *****
"Anyway" also scores very high. What you have here is Paul using the basic chord progression to the southern gospel standard "People Get Ready" and making his own song out of it. Once again, McCartney's ability to take something familiar and write a completely original song around it stuns me. This is his pure genius - he's pulled yet another unwritten classic melody out of thin air and shared it with the world. *****
To conclude, "Chaos & Creation In The Backyard" is a delicate, worthwhile album by the most famous and accomplished musician in modern history, seemingly nearing the end of his long & winding road, yet still far enough away to sound in his prime. Its only fault is being plagued by slow songs while lacking any serious McCartney rock & roll. A naïve observer might accuse Paul of being incapable of "rocking" now that he's firmly in his 60's. Those folk only need to pop their heads in the door during Paul's new tour. One blast through 'Helter Skelter' should satisfy even the biggest skeptic. Apparently, "Chaos & Creation In The Backyard" reveals what Paul McCartney wants to say at this point in his long, illustrious career. For those in a melancholy mood, this one is decidedly personal and heartfelt, with little-to-no political overtones or serious messages. For those not completely taken with Paul's softer side, I'm afraid you might find this album boring. Listen in the right frame of mind and you might be very surprised at what you hear. Yes, he's the most successful songwriter in history...but even without his track record there are shades of magic and brilliance in many of the compositions on "Chaos & Creation In The Backyard."
As for me, I love this album because after listening to it I feel as if I've just finished hanging out with Paul in his studio, hearing McCartney songs nobody else knows about - some future public classics; others fiendishly private.
My overall rating: **** ½ (sorry about the 5 stars here on Amazon but they don't allow for 'half stars'! When it's Paul, you always ROUND-UP.)
Nice job, Paul & Nigel. I hope people give it a fair listen.
Vince S.
Canton, Ohio, USA
9/14/2005
Folk Music CDs
Music Genres
Top music charts in Folk Music CDs
Margie Adam - Another PlaceRelease date: 1994-07-26; Music CD
Best price: $16.99
Ann Reed - Road of the HeartRelease date: 1994-06-29; Music CD
Best price: $29.99
Ann Reed - Back & ForthRelease date: 1994-07-26; Music CD
Best price: $2.00
Price in other shops:
Kay Gardner - Rainbow PathRelease date: 1994-07-26; Music CD
Best price: $12.27
Price in other shops:
Joanne Rand - Grant Me EyesRelease date: 2001-08-02; Music CD
Best price: $9.96
Price in other shops:
Betty - Hello Betty!Release date: 1994-03-21; Music CD
Price in other shops:
Kay Gardner - AmazonRelease date: 1994-07-26; Music CD
Price in other shops:
Stage 2: Human HeartRelease date: 1997-04-11; Music CD
Best price: $14.95
Price in other shops:
Cyntia Smith, Ruth Barrett - Heart Is the Only NationRelease date: 1996-07-17; Music CD
Best price: $96.66
Giants! A Colossal Collection of Tales and Tunesby Jim Weiss
Greathall Productions, Inc.; Greathall Productions; Published: 1996-11-01; Audio CD; Book
Best price: $8.68
Price in other shops:
Top Rated Albums
George Harrison - Cloud NineRelease date: 2004-02-24; Music CD
Best price: $6.05
Price in other shops:
Paul McCartney, Wings - Band on the Run (Archive Collection)Release date: 2010-11-02; Music CD
Best price: $9.18
Price in other shops:
![Ringo 2012 [Amazon.com Exclusive CD+DVD Version] Image](/images/Ringo-2012-Amazon-com-Exclusive-CD-DVD-Version-B006OHJT5K-X.jpg)
Ringo Starr - Ringo 2012 [Amazon.com Exclusive CD+DVD Version]Release date: 2012-01-31; Music CD
Best price: $14.40
Paul McCartney - Driving RainRelease date: 2011-07-05; Music CD
Best price: $6.17
Price in other shops:
The Fireman and Youth Paul McCartney - Electric ArgumentsRelease date: 2008-11-25; Music CD
Best price: $9.47
Price in other shops:
Ocean's KingdomRelease date: 2011-10-04; Music CD
Best price: $10.69
Price in other shops:
Paul Mccartney - Flaming PieRelease date: 1997-05-27; Published: 1997; Music CD
Best price: $18.06
Paul McCartney - Memory Almost Full - CD/ DVD Deluxe EditionRelease date: 2007-11-06; Music CD
Best price: $7.95
Price in other shops:
![Good Evening New York City [2 CD + 1 DVD Combo] Image](/images/Good-Evening-New-York-City-2-CD-1-DVD-Combo-B002QH2NUA-X.jpg)
Paul McCartney - Good Evening New York City [2 CD + 1 DVD Combo]MLB; Release date: 2009-11-17; Music CD
Best price: $11.98
Price in other shops:
Paul McCartney - Kisses on the BottomRelease date: 2012-02-07; Music CD
Best price: $7.49
Price in other shops: