McCartney 2014
I was looking at Rolling Stone's list of top albums for last year and sitting in the number 4 spot was "New" by Paul McCartney. Easily the highest-ranked album by an artist from my generation.
For this record, McCartney decided he wanted a more upbeat and younger sound. To get that he used four different producers. They include Giles Martin, son of legendary producer, George Martin. He comes with his own track record producing for Jeff Beck and Elvis Costello. Another producer, Mark Ronson was the DJ at Paul's wedding. There's some thinking outside the box.
A lot of the songs, including the title track, talk about how much he's in love with his new wife, Nancy. McCartney said about her, "This is a happy period in my life, with a new woman. So you get new songs when you get a new woman."
If you tire of hearing love songs about his wife, there's "Early Days", about his relationship with John Lennon.
One other tune "Everybody Out There", he wrote as an audience sing-along song for his concerts.....like he needs another one of those. If you've been to a McCartney concert, and I've been to four, you know they're all sing-along songs. It's the music we grew up with...you just can't help yourself.
So coming off this huge and surprising hit album, both critically and in sales, what's next for Sir Paul? We don't know yet! He's been touring for the last couple of years but no dates have been announced for 2014.
February brings the 50th anniversary of The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show. There's talk that Paul and Ringo will reunite for a night on The Late Show with David Letterman, which is taped in the same building as the Sullivan show. Nothing confirmed yet. The Grammy's will also be honoring The Beatles. Will Paul be there? I'm guessing yes but nothing definite as of now. One thing seems certain. at an age where most people are slowing down, his engine seems to be revving up.
Paul's active, happy and in love. He's letting us know it. As he said more than forty years ago...The love you make is equal to the love you take.