Got a ticket to Sir Paul's second Montreal show the other day, and am really surprised how much I'm already looking forward to it. For one thing, and I'm ashamed to say this, it'll be the first time that I've ever seen a Beatle in concert. I know. I can't believe it myself. How could this have happened? I guess living in either Montreal or Edmonton my entire life didn't help, but on the other hand, there are planes, boats, cars, trains in existence - so that argument isn't very good. In any event, I'm going to really enjoy not only the concert itself but also the build-up to it. What do I mean by that, you wonder? For one thing, I'm going to prepare for it by re-listening to all the McCartney I can - be it Beatles, solo, Wings, or Fireman - and I hope to write a few posts about it along the way as well.

Speaking of McCartney solo work, I'm going to mention an album that I think is just amazing, even though I've written about it in the past, the tragically under-appreciated Chaos and Creation in the Backyard from 2005. Produced by Nigel Godrich (of Radiohead fame), who may be the best producer he's had since George Martin, it's one of my favourite McCartney recordings (and I include the second side of Abbey Road in that assessment). Here's the wonderful "Jenny Wren": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9GvXFphCFc. The description under the video (i.e. the "Show More" thing) is worth checking out, too.

Seeing Nowhere Boy and re-listening to some of Lennon's work with the Beatles has gotten me wanting to check out some of his solo work again, as well. So I'll be writing about some of it in the days ahead. I'm also going to give another spin to the solo stuff of the other three chaps. Today, I'll recommend McCartney's Chaos and Creation in the Backyard from 2005, which coincidentally features a cover photo called Our Kid through Mom's Net Curtains that was taken at roughly the same time as the events portrayed in the movie mentioned above. Virtually all of the instrumental work was done by McCartney, and it's impressive. It was produced by Nigel Godrich, sometimes referred to as the sixth member of Radiohead for his work with them. The album is rich and resonant in sound, beautifully sung and played by an astonishing musician capable of matching his very best work right into his sixties. Here's a link for "English Tea": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sa3D1OrZZpo