Label: EMI

Producer: Nigel Godrich

Release Date: October 2005

© 2005 MPL Communications

For his most recent return to the studio, Paul McCartney chose Nigel Godrich (of Radiohead production fame) to produce this exceptional album upon George Martin's advice... I mean what a recommendation! The very positive and symbiotic relationship between artist and producer in this case was one of mutual and magnetic attraction that ensured that loyal McCartney fans as well as newly acquired recruits would be truly delighted with. This is, without a doubt, one of Paul's finest albums to date and an absolute honour and pleasure for me to review.

We have to accept that Paul McCartney is a great bass player, if not one of the greatest of all time, and his songwriting and composing career have been rather stunningly successful to say the least, but rather than grow tired and weary of the writing and recording world he has learned to master, I still think his approach to writing and recording is very much the same as it was when he was a kid, when he was a Beatle, and when he was a Wingsman. The studio seems to keep him as wide eyed and in awe just as much as it always did in his former years. That's why Paul McCartney grows with each release and why each release grows on you.

The 'Special Edition' of Chaos and Creation in the Backyard includes a DVD featuring a fascinating 'making of the album' documentary as well as some instrumental tracks to support the line art included in the inner sleeve/booklet.

Fine Line opens the album with a bright mid tempo blend of piano and superb vocals over a richly melodic arrangement. Watch out for the string inserts that are mildly reminiscent of George Martin's indubitably brilliant production and arrangement style. It amazes me how Paul can still get that unique vocal of his to send you flying... the one that hasn't really changed that much since the sixties! How Kind of You is a lovely title for a lovely appreciation song that takes us back to the craft of songwriting at it's best. There are some very clever production thingyos going on here and Nigel must have felt very pleased with himself when this track was 'in the can'. You should also keep an eye on those dutifully masterful bass lines McCartney has used here.. nice and expressive when most other artists would have left them pretty dry and still come up with a great bass track. McCartney's 'thing' is to make that bass sing!

Jenny Wren, I swear, is so close to the magic of 'Blackbird' that Paul had to have thought 'oh go on then...' after many many years of us all begging for more of the same. Paul has obliged to the point that Jenny Wren is played with real care on the acoustic and he has managed to get the vocals to be rather enchanting too. Lyrically, the song reflect upon Blackbird too and if anyone has that liberty it's gotta be Paul... I'm just glad it was him and not Oasis!

At the Mercy is Paul in first gear going all the way up to fifth in the fraction of the time it takes for a Lamborgini to move off from a stop light. There are some really nice guitar bits here that are very colourful against the dimly themed lyrics, but again it's Paul's inimitable vocal prowess that stands firm. Friends to Go meanwhile, had Paul thinking about his mate George Harrison while the song was being conceived and recorded and I think George would have been 'made up!'

English Tea is absolutely brilliant and something I think Paul was always destined to write. It's very English, very Paul, and a very very good indication of what I meant earlier when I said Paul grows with each album and each album grows on you. I find it very difficult to get this song out of my head especially as I am 'English' pretty much through and through and so it's very easy for me to relate to. I'd love to have been there when this song was being recorded... even if it had been to stir a cuppa for the man.

Too Much Rain is another classic example of Paul's complete and utterly masterful songwriting ability. I love his piano work as much as I love his melodic bass playing and both instruments are played magnificently.. to the point.. and within the remits of the song's acceptable production boundaries. It's a really nice compassionate song is this! Of course, no Paul McCartney album would be complete without the likes of A Certain Softness. Here we have Paul's more romantic side reaching out to everything his girl desires and I'm pretty sure Heather was absolutely delighted with the beauty in the lyrics as well as the truly beautiful arrangement and production. Magnetism!

Vanity Fair seems to have been sprung from a kind of unexpected betrayal. Now who in there right mind would even conceive of performing an act of betrayal on our Paul? Whether real or imagined, the lyrics are actually rather diplomatic but defining in the deep hurt that betrayal can often bring. What's surprising here, is the actual pace of the song with it's downbeat rhythms and heavily caressed piano chords. Most of us would have used the same lyrics in a much more aggressive and harsher arrangement but this is the measure of the composer and the man.

Follow Me is for me, a slight reflection on the kind of songwriting and arrangement Paul approached for Wings' London Town album back in 1978. The strings, performed magnificently by the Millenia Ensemble, are incredibly right for this son g... and it's another track I would have loved to have seen recorded! Promise to You Girl is the closest you will ever get to a Paul McCartney/Brian Wilson/Beatles/Wings production with the solo Paul vocal echoing the White Album and Paul harmonies echoing Pet Sounds. I love that line 'Looking through the backyard of my life' and one can imagine Paul's life backyard being very like the largest gallery of goodies ever exhibited!

This Never Happened Before has a lovely piano piece holding things together before the melodic bass and string sections appear. It's a beautiful song that Paul and Nigel must have had loads of fun putting together. I go back to what I said earlier in referring to the timelessness of this artist's work in his approach to writing and recording. He's still very much the kid from Liverpool who did good and I love the harmonies and vocal ranges that remind me of what was so magnificently accomplished on RAM in 1971. Lovely!

The last track on the album is the indubitably superb Anyway.. which would have felt perfectly at home on the Press to Play album that Paul and his late wife Linda gave to the world back in the eighties like an eclipse for the hearts of millions. I like the way Paul does that thing with his vocals that takes you back over so many musical distances... through so many backyards in our lives. Stand back in amazement for the finale bits.. Ultimately, Chaos and Creation in the Backyard is a fantastic album from a fantastic artist and as I say, if you go for the Special Edition, I promise you won't be the slightest bit concerned about the slightly elevated price compared to the price you'd pay for the standard release.

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