Length 46:53 Release date 9 September 2005 Genre Rock music | Artist Paul McCartney Producer Nigel Godrich | |
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Released September 13, 2005 (2005-09-13) Recorded September 2003 – April 2005 at RAK Studios, London, Ocean Way Studios, Los Angeles and AIR Studios, London Label Parlophone (UK)
Capitol (US) Chaos and Creation in the Backyard
(2005) Never Stop Doing What You Love
(2005) Chaos and Creation in the Backyard
(2005) Memory Almost Full
(2007) Nominations Grammy Award for Album of the Year, Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album Similar Paul McCartney albums, Rock music albums | ||
Chaos and Creation in the Backyard is the thirteenth solo studio album by Paul McCartney (discounting his Wings-era discography, his classical works and his output as the Fireman), released in 2005. A long time in the making, the set was produced by Radiohead and Beck collaborator Nigel Godrich at George Martin's suggestion.
Contents
- Music and lyrics
- Production
- Recording
- Artwork
- Release
- Reception
- Track listing
- Other songs
- Personnel
- Session Information
- Songs
- References
McCartney plays almost all of the instruments, similar to his 1970 album McCartney and the 1980 McCartney II album. In addition, Chaos and Creation in the Backyard marks the first time since 1984's Give My Regards to Broad Street that McCartney was not involved in producing one of his studio albums.
Chaos and Creation in the Backyard was McCartney's last rock album release for longtime label EMI. He signed a deal with Hear Music, owned by Starbucks, in March 2007. He later returned to his old label Capitol Records in 2016.
Music and lyrics
McCartney said that the song "Friends to Go" is influenced by, and dedicated to George Harrison.
Production
Upon being asked to produce an album with McCartney, Godrich admitted:
"My initial reaction was one of terror, not only because it's a very important person, but I really wasn't sure how willing he would be to get his hands dirty."The two tentatively began a collaboration, recording the songs "This Never Happened Before" and "Follow Me" which was enough to convince both of them that they could develop an album. Godrich's participation was active: he inspired McCartney to write the song "At the Mercy", added piano loops on "How Kind of You" and worked with McCartney to slow the tempo of "Riding to Vanity Fair" which McCartney says "changed the mood completely". Although initially taken aback, McCartney appreciated Godrich's tenacity and honesty.
According to McCartney, Godrich was at times blunt in his appraisal of McCartney's songs-in-progress during the making of Chaos and Creation in the Backyard:
"Nigel... refused to allow me to sing songs that he didn't like, which was very cheeky of him."Recording
Recording sessions for the album were done over a long period of time, with many pauses. First sessions were held at RAK Studios, London in September 2003 by McCartney and his band. After a few takes, Godrich said to McCartney he wanted to work with him alone, not involving the band. After some months' break, sessions resumed at Ocean Way Studios, Los Angeles in April 2004, with more sessions in September. Final recordings took place at AIR Studios, London in April 2005.
Artwork
The cover for Chaos and Creation in the Backyard is from a photograph of McCartney strumming a guitar in his family's back yard in Liverpool, taken by brother Mike McCartney (aka Mike McGear) and originally entitled Paul Under Washing, before being retitled Our Kid Through Mum's Net Curtains.
Release
The first single, the upbeat "Fine Line", was released in late August 2005, ahead of the release of Chaos and Creation in the Backyard, and reached No. 20 in the UK. A second single, "Jenny Wren", reached No. 22 in the UK that November.
The 'US' Tour in 2005 helped to promote the album in the US and Canada.
There was also a promotional concert for the album held at Abbey Road Studios, called Chaos and Creation at Abbey Road.
Reception
At Metacritic, the album holds an average Metascore of 78 out of 100, based on 19 reviews, which indicates a generally favourable reception. Advance reviews for Chaos and Creation in the Backyard suggested that after delivering Flaming Pie, Run Devil Run, Driving Rain and this album – all in uninterrupted succession – McCartney was in a late-career creative peak. Many critics and longtime listeners also considered that the album was unusually reflective and intimate-sounding for McCartney. The sudden shift in direction was generally considered an unexpected and welcome surprise, and resulted in four Grammy nominations for the album, including the nomination for Album of the Year.
Reviewing for the BBC, Daryl Easlea described Chaos and Creation as "Very, very good", and added: "'Riding To Vanity Fair', 'Too Much Rain', 'Anyway' and 'How Kind Of You' are full of subtle nuances, killer hooks and sweet surprises. They really do rank among his very best work." In The New York Times, Jon Pareles wrote that McCartney's return to a multi-instrumentalist role "makes the songs more intimate and less conventional", while remarking of the project: "Sir Paul chose a producer who favored the experimental side: Nigel Godrich … Sir Paul also lined up his best backup band since the Beatles: himself."
In the United States, Chaos and Creation in the Backyard debuted at the number 6 on the Billboard 200 with sales of 91,545 copies. It stayed on chart for a total of 21 weeks, selling over 530,000 copies up to 2007. However, the album underperformed in the United Kingdom, peaking at the number 10 and spending only three weeks inside the top 200, with cumulative sales of around 45,000 units. It fared better in France, selling in excess of 100,000 copies during a 21-week chart run. According to the annual report published by EMI, Chaos and Creation in the Backyard had sold 1.3 million copies worldwide by the end of March 2006.
Track listing
All songs written by Paul McCartney.
- "Fine Line" – 3:05
- "How Kind of You" – 4:47
- "Jenny Wren" – 3:47
- "At the Mercy" – 2:38
- "Friends to Go" – 2:43
- "English Tea" – 2:12
- "Too Much Rain" – 3:24
- "A Certain Softness" – 2:42
- "Riding to Vanity Fair" – 5:07
- "Follow Me" – 2:31
- "Promise to You Girl" – 3:10
- "This Never Happened Before" – 3:24
- "Anyway" – 7:22
- "Anyway" contains a hidden track, "I've Only Got Two Hands", at 4:10 after a 20-second break.
Other songs
In addition to the above tracks, the Japanese release of the CD included the song "She Is So Beautiful". The song was also offered as a free download in Windows Media Audio format to US customers who purchased the CD at Target stores. Other bonus downloadable songs were made available to people who bought the CD at certain other stores, such as Best Buy and Wal-Mart. Also, "Fine Line" and "Jenny Wren" appeared on singles with their running time shortened.
There are six songs which were recorded during the sessions for Chaos, not included on the album but released as B-sides and on imports:
Personnel
Personnel per booklet.
Session Information
Personnel per booklet. And this site.
Songs
1Fine Line3:05
2How Kind of You4:47
3Jenny Wren3:47