| | Paul McCartney Chaos And Creation In The Backyard CD Paul McCartney Discography of CDs
 (11 Customer Reviews)
That 2005's CHAOS & CREATION IN THE BACKYARD arrived as a dramatic return to form for Paul McCartney is something of an oversimplification. The fact is, dodgy orchestral and electronic side projects aside, solo Macca's only true fallow period was the mid-'80s, and the three albums prior to CHAOS were all solid, not un-Beatlesque affairs. That said, it's impossible to deny that this is one of Paul's finest post-Wings releases. He mines Fabs-friendly melodies and arrangements unabashedly (occasionally with tongue firmly in cheek), and who better to do so?
Part of the reason for the album's resonance is the presence of Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich, the first man since George Martin with the gall to make McCartney work for his money. (Paul's basically a one-man band throughout, for the first time since McCARTNEY II.) A deeper reason lies in the obvious emotional depths McCartney plumbs, leaving his trademark happy-face/Silly Love Songs persona far behind and betraying an unprecedented level of melancholy and introspection. Revisionists who claim the spirit of the Beatles died with Mark David Chapman's bullet in 1980 should only wish that, had John Lennon lived, he'd still be making music as aesthetically relevant as this 25 years down the line.
Photographer: Bill Bernstein.
Arrangers: David Campbell ; Joby Talbot.
Personnel: Paul McCartney (vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, 12-string guitar, classical guitar, autoharp, cello, melodica, recorder, flugelhorn, grand piano, spinet, electric piano, harmonium, Moog synthesizer, bass guitar, drums, cymbals, maracas, shaker, tambourine, triangle, tubular bells, percussion); Paul McCartney (piano, Wurlitzer piano, glockenspiel); Nigel Godrich (acoustic guitar, piano, loops); Abe Laboriel, Jr. (tambourine, wood block, percussion); Rusty Anderson, Brian Ray (acoustic guitar); Jason Falkner (electric guitar, classical guitar); Millenia Ensemble (strings, brass); Los Angeles Music Players (strings); Pedro Eustache (duduk); James Gadson (drums); Joey Waronker (bass drum, bongos, shaker).
Recording information: Air Studios, London, England; Ocean Way Recording, LA; Rak Studios, London, England.
Rolling Stone (No. 983, p.101) - 4 out of 5 stars - "...[T]he freshest-sounding McCartney album in years...."
Entertainment Weekly (No. 840, p.84) - "...[W]hat we're hearing is an artist honestly following his muse..." - Grade: B
Uncut (p.94) - 4 stars out of 5 - "[With] richly layered song patterns that meander with deceptively aimless purpose from beginning to end, often sounding as though they're coalescing on the spot..."
Mojo (Publisher) (p.98) - 3 stars out of 5 - "'How Kind Of You' and 'Vanity Fair' cleverly pit Macca's perma-optimistic lilt against mournful, downbeat tapestries." Chaos And Creation In The Backyard Music | List Price | $18.98 (You save $3.53) | | Category | Rock/Pop Albums, Pop CDs, Rock | | Label | Capitol / EMI | | Orig Year | 2005 | | All Time Sales Rank |  10967  | | CD Universe Part number | 6936007 | | Catalog number | 38299 | | Discs | 1 | | Release Date | Sep 13, 2005 | | Studio/Live | Studio | | Mono/Stereo | Stereo | | Producer | Nigel Godrich; Nigel Godrich; Paul Godrich | | Engineer | Darrell Thorp; Darrell Thorp | | Personnel | Paul McCartney - vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, 12-string guitar, classical guitar, autoharp, cello, melodica, recorder, flugelhorn, grand piano, spinet, electric piano, harmonium, Moog synthesizer, bass guitar, drums, cymbals, maracas, shaker, tambourine, tria
Joey Waronker - bass drum, bongos, shaker
James Gadson - drums
Abe Laboriel Jr. - tambourine, wood block, percussion
Rusty Anderson
Jason Falkner - electric guitar, classical guitar
Pedro Eustache - duduk
Brian Ray - acoustic guitar
Nigel Godrich - acoustic guitar, piano, loops
Los Angeles Music Players - strings
Millenia Ensemble - strings, brass
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Paul McCartney Chaos And Creation In The Backyard Songs | 1. | Fine Line | |
| 2. | How Kind of You | |
| 3. | Jenny Wren | |
| 4. | At the Mercy | |
| 5. | Friends to Go | |
| 6. | English Tea | |
| 7. | Too Much Rain | |
| 8. | Certain Softness, A | |
| 9. | Riding to Vanity Fair | |
| 10. | Follow Me | |
| 11. | Promise to You Girl | |
| 12. | This Never Happened Before | |
| 13. | Anyway | |
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Chaos And Creation In The Backyard Music Review Average Rating: (4 out of 5 stars)   List All Reviews Finally!!
This new work by Sir Paul is his best work in 20 years plus! His voice is still remarkable and man he can even hit those famous highs. The music is complex and simple at the same time. The only weak track is the title track. Highly Recommended!
Submitted by Marty "GE" McD. (Toronto, ON. Canada) 
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No  A Must-Have for McCartney Fans
There are few out there who love the Beatles more than me, but I must admit I've become somewhat disenchanted with some of PM's work over the past decade (what an incredible career to span 5 decades by now). But in anticipation of finally getting to see him live, I decided to give his latest CD a try....and it's a beauty. Excellent production by Nigel Godrich. Very "Beatlesque" in many ways. Take the first McCartney solo album (where he played all the instruments), give him 30 years of additional experience at playing and singing (as if he needed it), throw in 30 years of improvements in the technology of recording, and there you have it. Without a doubt his best (studio) work in years.
Submitted by mealer (mid-California)
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Well Written Songs
very nicely crafted album, songs are well written and album is well produced. this is one of those the you like more and more on repeated listens. in particular jenny wren and no more rain stay in your head
nice job sir paul
Submitted by gconner4 (peoria arizona USA)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No  Finally, McCartney's making music that he WANTS to make!
Here, on this album, we see that Paul McCartney is making the kind of music that he probably wants to make: introspective, layered, and unabashed pop. And boy, does he deliver. Of course, at Paul's age, who wouldn't be thinking about one's life and what they did with it (let's not count Mick Jagger)? This was the emotional background to the brilliant album "Memory Almost Full", which Paul was actually working on before "Chaos and Creation in the Backyard" was started. And, it is some of Paul's tightest playing in years. The over-experimentation (in my opinion) of "Driving Rain" and the free-wheeling "Flaming Pie" and the oldies-flavored "Run Devil Run" had places where they subtly unraveled, where some part would be out of place, or a song didn't exactly work, or what-have-you. People have expected this before on McCartney's albums, but here there is none of that. All of it is deliberate, and beautifully unforced. You would never recognized Paul if you listened to this album, especially if you listened to some of his other albums. Definitely, a unique album by an artist whom people had thought pegged down to a specific genre. Well, so much for the McCartney stereotype! Take a listen and see for yourself.
Submitted by Galen (Anchorage, AK, USA)
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Still Great!
This is a top notch collection of songs. Paul is still out there challenging himself. He makes solid "adult music". Any fan will appreciate this cd. It is time to give him his due.
Submitted by Pete (Matawan, NJ USA)
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