Some “rock legends” know how to edge. Neil Young has made records for 30 years and still manages to sound fresh each time. I don’t quite know how folks like Bob Dylan or Aretha Franklin do it, but each time they put out a record, good or bad, it’s bound to be interesting. Two of the biggest of the “rock legends,” Paul McCartney and Mick Jagger, have less consistency. Even though they still manage to turn out something that reminds us of their greatness (Paul’s The World Tonight or Run Devil Run album, the last Rolling Stones album), they seem too often to be coasting on the masterpieces they once created, glomming off the “Hey Jude” or “Satisfaction” of the past.
Thankfully, their new albums, McCartney’s Driving Rain and Jagger’s Goddess In The Doorway, represent these two artists attempting to stay fresh. While they don’t totally succeed, there is enough here to suggest that these two old dogs may still have a few new tricks in them.
Even though most of the songs on Driving Rain sound like they were created in the studio the day of the recording (and, judging from the brief period of recording done on the album, they were), they are filled with the little pop treasures that consistently separated Paul McCartney from most of the rest of the pack. As trite as his lyrics can be–and songs like “Spinning On Its Axis” or “Tiny Bubble” continue that trend–there are innumerable joys as small as a memorable chorus or intricately beautiful instrumental section.
A fine example of this is “Heather,” McCartney’s paean to his fianc?e. Apart from being one of the few songs that lacks the hard, somewhat bitter edge that has imbued his work since the death of his wife Linda, it features only one verse of sappy, junior-high lyrical tripe, but that verse of junior-high tack comes after a three-minute instrumental introduction during which Macca’s pop genius is fully on display. His best creations are often very simple, and this is no exception.
McCartney also hasn’t written a song as good as “From A Lover To A Friend” since the mid-80s, when he joined Elvis Costello to pen the pop gems that became Flowers In The Dirt. His voice, which quavers with a just-barely-submerged ache that it has rarely possessed before, is working overtime for him here, soaring and whispering, turning even the slightest pop trifle into a memorable addition to one of the more impressive pop canons.
The one awful song on this record is “Freedom,” the tacked-on song that Paul wrote post-Sept. 11. Musically, it’s a run-of-the-mill bore, and the lyrics are trite and somewhat disturbing; “I will fight for the right to live in freedom” sounds a little strange coming from the same man who said that “all you need is love.” While I don’t doubt his intentions, I can’t believe that the songwriter who can write something as brilliant as “Things We Said Today” or “I’m Down” can only muster up this clich? mistake.
If Paul McCartney’s new album seems spontaneous and off-the-cuff, Mick Jagger’s new creation is the exact opposite; it is as if he’s been planning this “comeback” since his last forgettable solo album. Luckily for the listening public, though, Ol’ Big Lips has come out swinging, with a series of songs that plays upon his two best talents: 1) versatile and enthusiastic singer, and 2) masterful pop-music magpie. Even though the big “event” songs, like the duet with Bono, the collaboration with Rob Thomas or the tracks produced by Wyclef Jean and Lenny Kravitz, seem awfully contrived, there is no denying the talent present behind the rushing “Vision of Paradise” or the surprisingly soulful “Hideaway.” “Vision of Paradise,” which has both the blessing and the curse of being the first and best track on the album, is easily the least annoying thing that Rob Thomas has yet come up with.
The same can be said for Lenny Kravitz’s “God Gave Me Everything,” on which Jagger manages to rock hard, sound modern, and not come off as ridiculous in the process. It does say something that the Kravitz, Thomas and Wyclef songs are far better than “Joy,” the anticlimactic collaboration between Jagger, Bono and The Who’s Pete Townshend. Even though it’s nowhere near as good as either solo record from Mick’s better half, Keith Richards, and even though it’s just as likely to inspire disgust from a Rolling Stones fan as anything, Mick Jagger has finally made a solo record that doesn’t embarrass him. It will still likely end up as unimportant and quaint as any of his other efforts, but at least it’s unlikely that anybody will make too many jokes about Goddess In The Doorway.
It’s unlikely that anyone will attempt to make the case that Paul McCartney and Mick Jagger remain incredibly vital and relevant artists, but it’s nice to know that these two “legends” are still trying, pumping out records that demonstrate a restless unwillingness to feed off their status. While neither Driving Rain nor Goddess In The Doorway is a classic (despite what Jann Wenner and Rolling Stone magazine say), they are both solid records from guys who have contributed enough great music to justify an album that is just good. Perhaps the best thing about these two albums is that they should make the listener want to hear more from these two gentlemen; God knows, that’s probably good for everybody.