Chaos shows that the pop music legend has not only grown in years. His musicality has taken on new nuances and his sensitivity is so much deeper then even during his Beatle days. The first thing I noticed though and the thing I like most about the album is the fact that McCartney has retained a remarkable sense of wonder over everything he sings about. The whole package is almost magical and can literally take your breath away. By the time you are able to catch it again, you have already asked yourself the inevitable question, "Didn’t they say that John Lennon was the greatest Beatle of all?"
Of course Lennon’s untimely death denied him the 35 years that McCartney has had since he first went solo in 1970 up to the release of Chaos. And I must say that he made excellent use of the time and opportunities bestowed on him. There were times when he soared to the challenges or emerged beaten in his efforts. But he never faltered and continued to nurture his music through failures and personal tragedies. Sure, this album, McCartney’s most Beatlesque to date, gets me wondering what Lennon could have done as an older artist. But it is Paul who is present and it is so kind of him to keep on making such beautiful music.
The production is sleek and glossy with McCartney’s trademark crisp sound coming across as effortless. Check Fine Line which opens the album. The poetry is charming and quaintly English most of the time. Let us now add Jenny Wren to Eleanor Rigby, Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey and other characters McCartney has created. The melodies are achingly sweet. Promise to You Girl and A Certain Softness. Best of all, while not blatantly radio-friendly, it seems to reveal more hooks with every listen. In truth, the whole album makes you feel like wanting to recapture moments you know very well will never happen again. Maybe that was also what Paul was trying to do.
Chaos and Creation in the Backyard was written and composed by McCartney who also played almost every instrument. Producer is Nigel Godrich who is best known for his work with Radiohead. The other cuts are How Kind of You, At the Mercy, Friends to Go, Too Much Rain, Riding to Vanity Fair, Follow Me, This Never Happened Before and Anyway.
Take note. The photo of the young Paul on the cover amidst the chaos in his own backyard was taken by his father Mike McCartney, a trumpet player, who introduced him to music. The picture is entitled Our Kid Through Mum’s Net Curtains and was taken in 1962. The Beatles then were the hot newcomers in British pop. Success in America and the whole world was merely a far-off dream, let alone a knighthood for the Liverpool boy.
The Top 10 albums are: All Jacked Up by Gretchen Wilson; Wildflower by Sheryl Crow; Most Known Unknown by Three 6 Mafia; Libra by Toni Braxton; Late Registration by Kanye West; The Naked Truth by Lil’ Kim; The Trinity by Sean Paul; Ten Thousand Fists by Disturbed; Have a Nice Day by Bon Jovi; and Monkey Business by The Black Eyed Peas.