Paul McCartney - ChaosAnd Creation In TheBackyard

Thu 29th Sep, 2005 in Music Reviews

I should preface this review with a confession.  I don’t own, nor can I consciously remember hearing any of Sir Paul’s other solo albums. With the exception of hits such as Mull of Kintyre, Jet, Band on the Run and Live and Let Die his career for me is limited to the work of The Beatles. Which obviously means he is going to have his work cut out for him when he decides to release another solo album.

Chaos and Creation in the Backyard, McCartney’s twentieth album, doesn’t reach the heights of classic records like Revolver, Rubber Soul or Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.  But few albums ever will. What you will get is a perfectly adequate album that never sounds like anyone but Paul McCartney. With the man himself not only writing all the songs but also credited with most of the record’s instrumentation, there is plenty to like about this album, from the opener and first single Fine Line (an instant piano driven classic) to the upbeat Friends To Go and Judy Wren which sounds like a companion piece to Blackbird from 1967’s White Album. Elsewhere, ballads such as This Never Happened Before are pretty damn close to standing among McCartney’s best, slightly reminiscent of tracks like The Long And Winding Road.

If you want this album there’s a fair chance you’ve already bought it. If you’ve never been a fan of Paul McCartney this album won’t change that. But for anyone considering purchase, Chaos and Creation in the Backyard is an enjoyable and surprisingly relevant collection. Alongside albums already released this year from The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant, Sir Paul has done just enough to remind us that giants still walk among us.