Paul McCartney...and...the Boss

The newest album by Sir Paul arrived today, in a special edition, looking almost like a DVD package. But unfold it and amidst all the folds sits two discs, and some typical B&W photos of a smug multi-millionaire sitting on (or is it perched on) a big old chair. Story goes he was working on this album before he put it aside to do Chaos & Creation. Memory Almost Full seems like a continuation of that album in some ways. It's mainly a solo record. The touring band shows up on a couple of songs (and you can hear the difference when they do). It's all produced by David Kahne, and it sounds lush, with snappy and bright acoustic guitars, and Paul's amazing self-harmonies. The guy can still sing. Otherwise...it's quite simply another Paul McCartney album, without a really memorable song. I'll listen to it for a couple of weeks and then file it with the rest of his stuff. Abbey Road will be played much more regularly!
I also picked up Bruce Springsteen's multi-disc Live in Dublin. Two CDs and a DVD of a live show (drawn from 3 consecutive nights in Ireland at The Point in November 2006) all packaged in a digipack. It's a bit hard to get the DVD out of the centre panel, and the picture book seems a bit thin but I really like all these old songs from the Seeger Sessions. Bruce mixes in some classic originals that haven't been played on stage, and it's pretty enthusiastically delivered. Next week...the re-release of The Traveling Wilburys! Can't wait!