Paul McCartney promised he’d have a new album this year, and it was released May 29th.
The album is The Boys Of Dungeon Lane. The title refers to a road near Liverpool where McCartney grew up.
The first single from the album is “Days We Left Behind”.
Here’s the audio:
The first single is a good song, and definitely nostalgic. Paul says the album includes a lot of memories of his life in Liverpool. You can hear Paul’s voice is showing his 83 years of living, and nearly 70 years of performing.
The album track “Home To Us” features Ringo Starr drumming and trading vocal lines with Paul. Having Paul & Ringo’s voices together makes it the most Beatles-sounding track on the album. It was released as a single on May 8th. Here it is:
Here are the two sides of the album’s inner sleeve filled with historic photos (as shown on McCartney’s official site).
Most of the reviews of the album have been very positive. Having listened to the entire album, my first impression is that you need to be a McCartney fan, and understand an 83-year-old simply can’t sing the way he used to. The songs are good overall, but Paul’s voice is now thin. McCartney plays almost all of the instruments himself, and he’s still an impressive musician. The album is definitely worth checking out. I’ll add some more specifics after I’ve had time for repeated listening.
Update: Getting to know the album has improved my appreciation for McCartney’s latest work. For my own playlist, I put together the best songs that fit the nostalgia portion of the album. “Lost Horizon” would be a perfect album opener since it salutes both the old and the new. It includes the lyrics… “Take me back to the lost horizon, where every memory we shared brought us closer together.” Then in historic chronological order: “Salesman Saint” is about Paul’s father and mother, as they worked through World War II to survive and provide for their family. It has a cool horn arrangement that recalls the Big Band music of the time. “Days We Left Behind” recalls the early days of the Liverpool lads, including John Lennon. Paul’s aging voice actually enhances the effect of the song. “Down South” is a straight-forward acoustic guitar song about Paul and George Harrison getting to know each other as they hitchhiked in the south of England. And, we end the five nostalgic songs with “Home To Us”, which is Paul & Ringo Starr singing about their youth in Liverpool.
Another line from “Lost Horizon” provides a link to the rest of the album… “Make every moment count. You’ve got to live for now, along the lost horizon.” The best of the “now” songs are “We Two”, “Ripples In A Pond”, “Life Can Be Hard”, “Mountain Top”, and “Come Inside (My Mind)”. There are good songs on Paul’s previous two albums, McCartney III and Egypt Station, but The Boys Of Dungeon Lane is better than both of those albums.