Fair Sex: McCartney's album is full of love for his native places and people

Childhood memories, a fashionable producer as co—authors and Ringo Starr behind the drums - these are the components of Paul McCartney's album The Boys of Dungeon Lane. Six years after the release of McCartney III, the legendary ex-beatle is back with a new record. And perhaps the only thing that betrays his age here (and he will turn 84 in June) is his constant nostalgia for the past. Which does not negate the musical qualities of the work at all. Izvestia listened to the revelations of the legend.

Songs of veterans

Sir Paul McCartney has long been perceived not just as a musician, but as a true symbol, a national (and in fact, an international) asset. A man for whom the word "legend" does not look like a pretentious exaggeration. Therefore, each of his new recordings inevitably finds itself in the spotlight, regardless of its advantages and disadvantages. But there is also a flip side to the coin: to do something that will not repeat what has been done and at the same time will not disappoint old fans is an almost impossible mission.

And yet, time after time, McCartney gets down to business. Maybe because he just likes composing and singing. And also — to meet in the studio with both old comrades and young talents, who are just able to help him make his sound more relevant.

Last year, Paul participated in the recording of The Rolling Stones' "Hackney Diamonds" record, laughing at long-standing conversations about the irreconcilable rivalry between Jagger and his comrades and the Beatles. That album was produced by Andrew Watt, who is old enough to be their grandson, who previously worked with Elton John, Lady Gaga, Ed Sheeran, Ozzy Osbourne and more. And in many ways, the triumphant success of Hackney Diamonds is due to the young man. But the most interesting thing is that Watt was recommended to the Rolling Stones by McCartney, who had been working with him on songs for The Boys of Dungeon Lane since 2021.

Childhood of the Beatles

Now we can evaluate the results of Sir Paul's own work with the fashionable producer. Watt co-wrote five of the 14 songs. Among them is Home to Us, a duet with Ringo Starr. Meeting two ex-Beatles in the studio is not exactly uncommon: Starr has repeatedly invited McCartney to his albums as a guest instrumentalist. But the full-fledged vocal duet of Paul and Ringo, who also played drums on two tracks, is an event.

What are they singing about? The fact that the place where they lived was so-so, and the world around them was imperfect, but it was their home. Perhaps, it is Home to Us that becomes the semantic key to the entire record. "The Boys from Dungeon Lane" (this is how the name of the disc translates) — young Paul and his friends, the future great Beatles, who hung out in poor Liverpool neighborhoods and dreamed of conquering the world. And now, in their nineties, they look back with bright nostalgia on their childhood and growing up.

In Lost Horizon, Paul admits that he still remembers the sound of a train horn (his parents' house was located near the railroad), the roar of car engines at the nearest traffic light and laughter on the playground. In Down South, he tells how he traveled with friends on a ride. And in Days We Left Behind, he philosophically concludes: everything passes, but nothing can erase the days we left behind.

The final track becomes the apotheosis: Momma Gets By. Paul complains that everything was not well in the family, his mother worked hard, and his father sometimes idled. And yet she loved him with all her soul. "That was her philosophy of life," McCartney concludes. That's his recipe, too: just love. And remember those happy days that are gone forever, but will forever remain in your memories.

Sounds and the past

However, no touching lyrics would have made the album such a strong statement if not for the musical material. Andrew Watt's hand is really felt here, in the sense that the arrangements are very diverse and inventive. The record is simply interesting to listen to. The fully acoustic Days We Left Behind (another McCartney melodic gem) is juxtaposed with the rock alternative Ripples in a Pond, where Sir Paul's voice is delicately processed with all kinds of filters. In Mountain Top, the harpsichord is completely integrated into the sound, paradoxically combined with electric guitar notes.

There are almost three dozen tools alone. And most of them were played by McCartney and Watt. But here's the paradox: the feeling of eclecticism and pretentiousness does not remain. The whimsical production is offset by the ingenious simplicity and naturalness of Sir Paul's melodies and harmonies. The variety of arrangements is held together by instantly recognizable vocals, which do not seem to have changed at all over the last quarter of a century (or even half a century). No matter what filters you put on it, you can't confuse it with anyone else.

Although Paul sometimes experiments here, for example, switching almost to recitation in the penultimate Salesman Saint (which, by the way, is also about parents: "My dad was a merchant, and my mom was a saint"). But in all this, there is not a desire to surprise, but a wise and mature mastery of the entire arsenal of artistic means that the musician has accumulated during his incredible career. Watt only helped him to properly manage this wealth.

Yes, perhaps The Boys of Dungeon Lane won't add immortal hits to McCartney's repertoire. However, he has composed so many of them in his life that now, in his nineties, he can afford to be not the great author of the imperishable, not Sir Paul, but just Paul, the same boy from Liverpool, playing music with friends for pleasure and drifting his thoughts into the distance. Not into the future, but into the past.