Paul McCartney has been around for ages.
And this year he's back -- Back in the U.S, that is. Har, har, right? And no, I did not forget an extra "S" and an "R" in my fully intended pun. That's the name of his new double album of all live tracks.
He's caught the all-too-common patriotic bug, too. The album is decked out with the familiar red and white stripes on the first CD and white stars on blue on the second. And with this sort of excess I question what this world-renowned, very talented and very political Brit feels he needs to prove?
In fact, the CD seems to sit on the other end of the political spectrum when compared to the latest George Harrison album, Brainwashed, which is chock full of commentary about propaganda.
Anyhow, Paul and the new gang featuring Paul 'Wix' Wickens, Rusty Anderson, Abe Laboriel Jr. and Brian Ray, have been hard at work traveling from sea to shinning sea on a grand tour, and have recently produced this extensive double CD in an effort to recreate McCartney's youth.
Which is not to say this effort is fruitless, this man has endless amounts of energy for touring.
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"You get a feedback; when there's enough people bopping and enjoying themselves and there's a bunch of lights flashing around, and music. The combination of that is quite thrilling," McCartney said in a press release.
The discs are made up of all McCartney's solo projects, Beatles classics and hits.
The album features a huge variety of songs from the past and is sure to take you on a ride through the times when Paul himself and his politics were hot stuff. He has reached back into the old archives and pulled out songs like "Getting Better" which he hadn't played since it was recorded for Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band in the '60s.
Others include "Blackbird," "Carry That Weight," "Band On The Run" and "Eleanor Rigby."
The only problem with the modern day Paul McCartney performance is that his voice just isn't what it used to be. He does get creative with "Something," which was a George Harrison song and was most likely played in his memory by using a ukulele, an instrument used frequently by Harrison. Still, the vocals seem forced and a bit out of breath.
Back in the U.S. is a good effort for McCartney and I believe it will do well, in America especially. This album has many good features that'll get your toes tapping and will definitely send you on a nice walk down memory lane.
