The Fireman

The Fireman - Electric Arguments

You'd think with the celebrity status of someone like Paul McCartney it would be more difficult to produce music without attracting the attention of every music writer on the planet. And yet, Sir Paul himself has apparently been collaborating on ambient/club/synth music with someone called Youth since 1993. They call themselves The Fireman. From allmusic.com:

What would seem to be one of the oddest examples of electronica crossover was the Fireman, an ambient project concerning producer and occasional Orb-collaborator Youth plus the dean of British rock, Sir Paul McCartney. In truth however, McCartney had been involved in London's electronic and avant/garde music scene during the mid-'60s — he even prepared the tape loops and effects for the Beatles' famed "Tomorrow Never Knows," probably the most famous use of musique concrète in history.

Here's one of the tracks I can recommend to people with ears. It's "hard" and supposedly about Heather Mills.

	Paul McCartney (The Fireman) - Nothing Too Much Just Out Of Sight
	Found at skreemr.com

Memory Almost Full

Paul McCartney - Memory Almost Full

Sir Paul is not my favorite Beatle, but every time a modern rock/pop artist is interviewed in a magazine and the question is posed "What artist from the past would you most like to work with" or "who is your biggest influence?" I secretly want the answer to be "Paul McCartney" every time, regardless of how little I've enjoyed some of his work. That's because every musician, pop or otherwise, can stand to learn a lesson in songwriting from him. This may not apply to his lyric writing necessarily, but he's a legend, a legend who had nine number one singles and seven number one albums AFTER the Beatles.

It's hard for someone to have been in the greatest band the world has ever known and not come off as pretentious sometimes, and Paul is certainly not an exception. On Memory is Almost Full, though, you never get that pretentiousness or that mailed-in, "hey I'm getting old" schtick that is sometimes popular amongst legends late in their career. The album instead feels like a genuine look back and reflection on McCartney's accomplishments and defeats. It's poppy enough to keep even the most casual fan listening throughout, but it's molded as art-pop rather than a collection of broader, more radio-friendly singles. More than anything else each track grabs hold of your attention and demands that you listen to the words of this legend who's been around the block. He's got something to say and there are lessons to be learned in his wisdom, regardless of your relationship with his past work. Having gotten to listen to this again at my own leisure rather than against the hum of a treadmill, I have to give it a B+. It's worth anyone's listen.

Let not the following track's appearance in iTunes commercials and Starbucks locations worldwide affect your judgement on the album as a whole:

	Paul McCartney - Dance Tonight
	Found at skreemr.com