New | Page 27 | Fab Forum | The Beatles Bible

No idea if I posted here before, but if so I’m posting again. I like NEW quite a bit, it’s probably his best since Memory Almost Full , but some may argue that isn’t saying much.

Anyway, I’ll just go through my opinions of each track, like I did for Ram .

Save Us – A pretty good rocker, with a nice riff. Not particularly heavy the way it’s produced, unfortunately, but it’s still possibly the heaviest track on the album. Despite the use of the word “unfortunately” previously, I really like this track. A good opener overall.

Alligator – One of my favorites. Some nice acoustic strumming and an interesting synth effect going throughout the song that is quite catchy. Some rather edgy lyrics in here, but don’t expect this to be the only song with ’em…

On My Way To Work – Another really good track. Lyrics about…. going to work (surprise!), sort of similar to his part in ADITL. More edgy lyrics here as he describes… well, I’ll let you hear it for yourself.

Queenie Eye  – One of the singles from the album, a piano and fuzzy guitar (bass?)-led rocker. It’s got a very catchy chorus and seems like a natural pick for a single. There are some pretty cheesy bits in it, but they don’t detract from the song that much.

Early Days  – See if you can guess what this one’s about. Yup, it’s about the early days of the Beatles. A very folky tune that makes some statements. Another favorite of mine. 

New – In a few years, this will be classic McCartney. It’s no wonder this is the title track: it’s killer. With bouncing harpsichord and extremely catchy vocals, this is probably the peak of the album.

Appreciate – Sorry parlance… I don’t like it. In general, I hate electronic music, so I naturally wouldn’t call this my favorite. I will give it this though: the chorus is REALLY catchy, and there are some interesting sounds in there. I’ll also say the guitar solo at the end is pretty nifty, so as electronic music goes it’s far from the worst I’ve heard.

Everybody Out There – Very catchy tune, some nice guitar pop. I like this one, and there’s are a couple bits obviously meant to be sung along with at concert – I’m sure people do.

Hosanna – A slow-burning psychedelic folk song that is very sorely underrated. It has backwards guitar, and I always like that.Quite a nice melody, actually; it’s a wonder it’s so ignored generally. Even I disliked it at first.

I Can Bet – Not a bad song, but one of my least favorites still. It’s too long considering how repetitive it is, at least for me. At least it’s catchy.

Looking At Her – If “I Can Bet” is one of my least favorites, then this one is my least favorite. I hate the fake beat – come Paul, you’ve got a drummer! You don’t need that! This one isn’t even that catchy except for one or two parts. It does have a nice little guitar interlude about 2/3 in, but that doesn’t stop it from being my least favorite on NEW. 

Road – NOW we’re talking, Paul! I love this track. Nice drumming, but for some reason it’s muffled. Eh. Anyway, this one has mellow verses with that nice drumming, and then a catchy chorus with some equally catchy piano during it and following it. An excellent closer of the “main” album.

Bonus + hidden tracks:

Turned Out – A jaunty pop-rocker with slide guitar! As you’d expect, it’s very catchy, and it’s a really great song.

Get Me Out of Here – A somewhat mellow blues-folk song, another great one. A bit downbeat compared to much of the album, but I really like it.

Scared – This does NOT deserve to be a hidden track. This song is amazing. Very raw compared to most of the main album, and it’s kind of refreshing. A beautiful song, with a sweet melody and lyrics. This one is definitely an album highlight, despite its relegation to a hidden track.

I’m leaving out Struggle because it’s a Japan-only bonus track, and I seriously don’t remember how it goes. 

So that’s my review of the songs on NEW. Overall it’s a great album, I’d give it a 4/5. With the bonus tracks, probably more of a 4.5/5. Paul’s still got it.

^ I’ll check out Struggle again.

By electronic, I don’t mean necessarily like dubstep (which is the worst of the worst), if that’s what you would think of. I just feel the general atmosphere is like that, with the electronic drumbeat and the interesting vocal effect, the shouting in the background and “appreciate, appreciate”s. It’s definitely more pleasing to the ears than most music like it due to the melody, though. In fact, it’s actually grown on me a bit already. Still not a favorite, but it’s alright.