Driving Rain vs. Chaos and Creation

Originally Posted by ABCKO

Another song that I might have liked is ''Jenny Wren'', but like ''A fine line'', it reminds me too much of ''Blackbird''... which is not a bad thing per say but in such cases, I tend to prefer the ''original'' song... but the string arrangement on it is very lovely though.

I don't have that. They are both different songs with a different feel, sure they are both acoustic, but they are not the same in a way that you can refer to "Blackbird" as the original.

Originally Posted by Rellevart

I like C&C better but I'm not sure I ever gave DR a chance. I listened to it a couple times, went "Eh..." and played "Band on the Run" or something and never returned to it. I've heard over and over how C&C is an album that grows on you with repeated listening, so I've been doing that and it's true! I quite like all but two tracks and maybe they'll grow on me later. Maybe I need to go back and give DR a re-listen and see if it'll do the same. Also, I think the lyrics on C&C are MUCH stronger, they're some of his better lyrics and DR had some of his worst.

Since I had to listen to C&C several times to let it grow on me, which it did, I took out DR again to see if it would work like that. I think when I got DR, I listened to it twice and never played it again. I have played it all week and have decided it's pretty good. Listening to it a few more times has changed my mind. I think I like C&C just a little better, but they are about even.

I actually admire Paul very much as a solo artist and performer, but did think that Driving Rain was a huge misstep in his carrer.

When I bought the album my attention was caught in four or five tracks that I considered "good"; and there was always "Heather" which is the song that saves the album from being a complete disaster. But then, after repeated listens, the things that I wasn't hearing in the first place started to raise up...

First of all there was an undeniable negligence in writing a big part of the lyrics in the album. Come to think about the stupid story he tries to tell on "She's Giving Up Talking", the weakness of the overall thoughts disposed on that torture that "Back In The Sunshine Again" is, or the pointless repetitions of "Spinning On An Axis", or the unbearable silliness of "Your Way" (which has a great melody and is one of my favorites on the CD); to name but four: I won't go on analyzing lyrical crimes such as the lyrics for "Freedom" (OK we got the message, now stop singing that!) or "Riding Into Jaipur" ("riding with my baby/oh what a delight"? And someone says these types of lyrics were part of a tribute song to George Harrison, who just would never even dream of searching so much forced rhymes in his spiritual-inspired songs), but you get the point.

Second, the melodies aren't strong at all. When he tries to develop a mature love ballad he ends up delivering "Your Loving Flame" which has always had an 'unfinished' air to these ears... "Lonely Road", while being one of the 'good' songs in here, also suffers from inadequate arrangements in the melody; and I won't mention again the "Axis"/"Sunshine" songs again because they do suffer from the same...

Third and biggest problem of all, the production. This album, trust me, will be REMEMBERED to have been released in 2001, and that is not a good thing, because at that time the world was dominated by those annoying synthesiser machines, electronic drums, samplers from electronic "music", and all... and you get all of that in this record.

"Heather", "About You", "Your Way" to a lesser extent, "From A Lover To A Friend" despite the electronically overdubbed piano licks, are songs that I would care about listening again, but the rest of it, not really.

I don't think I'll like Chaos And Creation better than my favorite McCartney albums ever... But at least it holds my attention, I find more work in the lyrics, stronger melodies, and the production serving as a bridge between the artist and the public. It's also more honest, and at the same time a little more experimental without falling onto the edges of bad taste. And at least has six or seven songs that I personally consider to be 'great'.

So Chaos it is.

I'd have to think about Chaos vs. Off The Ground, because I'm one of the few people who like most songs on Off The Ground...

I haven't heard the whole album (it hasn't arrived around here yet), so I'll post my comments later

Originally Posted by Legs

I don't have that. They are both different songs with a different feel, sure they are both acoustic, but they are not the same in a way that you can refer to "Blackbird" as the original.

Paul himself says that the song was inspired by ''Blackbird'' and that he just changed the chords arround a bit... and didn't he even say something that Jenny was Blackbird's ''sister'', or something like that ?

Anyhow, they do sound quite similar to me... even among Paul's many such accoustic numbers...