"Memory Almost Full" first sessions

Let’s talk about some of the Paul records you play on, starting with Memory Almost Full. What stands out in your mind about making that? What songs?

“Only Mama Knows” was cool. That was a fun song. That one had a medley. It was fun to put it together. David Kahne was producing. We were at Abbey Road. Geoff Emerick was engineering. That was the first time I had worked with Geoff. It was tricky since I was trying to get a guitar sound, but I had to play really quietly. At a certain point, we put the drums out. Studios have isolation rooms. At Abbey Road, they used to pull up soundproofed walls to minimize bleed-through.

There was still too much bleed, so we put the drums between the outer door and the inner door, creating this little space. Having space between two rooms soundproofs them. Abbey Road is in a residential/business area. That helped. I could now take my guitars and really get the amp to drive and sound great.

There was a lot of stuff like that, figuring out harmony parts. Paul would be like, “I want you to sing background on this.” And then we’d double it maybe. It was a really fun process.

Rusty Anderson – Interview with Rolling Stone – October 11, 2023

Session activities

1. Only Mama Knows

   Written by Paul McCartney

   Recording

2. You Tell Me

   Written by Paul McCartney

   Recording

3. Vintage Clothes

   Written by Paul McCartney

   Recording

4. That Was Me

   Written by Paul McCartney

   Recording

5. Feet in the Clouds

   Written by Paul McCartney

   Recording

6. House Of Wax

   Written by Paul McCartney

   Recording

7. The End of the End

   Written by Paul McCartney

   Recording

Going further

Paul McCartney: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs (Vol. 2) 1990-2012

This new book by Luca Perasi traces Paul McCartney's post-Beatles output from 1990 to 2012 in the form of 250 song entries, filled with details about the recordings, stories behind the sessions and musical analysis. His pop albums, his forays into classical and avant-garde music, his penchant for covering old standards: a complete book to discover how these languages cross-pollinate and influence each other.The second volume in a series that has established itself as a unique guide to take the reader on a journey into the astonishing creativity of Paul McCartney.Read our exclusive interview with Luca Perasi

Buy on Amazon