Standing Stone [Import]

I really love this CD. I listen to it all of the time, and I've never grown tired of it, and I've had it for years. It's got some really really nice music. It's modern classical, not rock, obviously. It is very much like a film score. I highly recommend it.

The problem that I find in many of the negative reviews that people are giving to this album is that people have certain expectations when they see the name Paul McCartney on the cover of the CD. What must be understood is that this is music from the same mind, but a different part of that mind. It is obvious that certain parts of music by The Beatles and by Paul McCartney and Wings contain elements that transcend rock and roll and pop genres. If it weren't for these elements nobody would distinguish the music of these groups from other performers and the Beatles wouldn't be considered one of the best, if not the best, band ever.
"Standing Stone" is the result of what comes from filtering this extra element from the music that Sir Paul has written in the past. This results in music that is the art of the Beatles minus the rock and r&b that make most people comfortable with it. This album, in short, is for a lover of pure music, not somebody who relies on a heavy beat or groove. You won't find music to move to or remakes of classics, this is wonderful, original, modern but not completely abstract collection of ideas that McCartney put together with great success. I recommend this album for lovers of ALL music, not lovers of Paul's past music.

STANDING STONE is not for the uninitiated. But that's no reason to avoid it or to call it bad anymore than one would automatically classify some of the world's great art as bad simply because one cannot see the woman, the horse or the dog in it.

No, with STANDING STONE you will not find snappy orchestral renditions of McCartney's most memorable Beatles tone poetry. No, you will not find his versions of would be attempts to sound like Mozart or even Copeland. No, you will not find anything here that would be necessarily adapted to a movie soundtrack like the music of John Williams or John Barry.

No apologies. STANDING STONE is modern abstract in its approach and that's as good as it gets. And it is, in my opinion, good--even great. There are tracks that are so expressive and nondescript that those not prepared will likely wonder whether Sir Paul has lost his mind. But only some.

What you will get, though, are some of the most stunningly beautiful tracks that you will ever hear anywhere. Buy it for tracks 16 through 19 alone and I promise you that you will not be disappointed.

Douglas McAllister