Paul McCartney - The Boys of Dungeon Lane
by Kevin Wierzbicki
Maybe we're amazed that Paul McCartney is able not only to release an album of new material at his advanced age (turning 84 in June of 2026) but also that it is such a good record. Then again you would expect nothing less from Macca who has consistently proven his talent over the decades through his work with The Beatles, Wings and solo albums such as
The Boys of Dungeon Lane. Because of the word "dungeon" in the album title you might get the idea that there is some darkness here; to the contrary there is celebration as McCartney looks back at certain times in his life, including a nod to his youthful days in Liverpool where he had fun on Dungeon Lane, a street in his neighborhood. About half of the album is inspired by reminiscence but McCartney's superior way with words ensures that the material is never maudlin. Most obviously is "Days We Left Behind," a quietly-delivered look at how fleeting time is and how dear cherished moments are; in mentioning Dungeon Lane the song is essentially the album's title cut. Paul's voice is filled with awe on the cut as he sings about things like cheap guitars and smoky bars and nothing built to last, clearly a reference to early Beatles and pre-Beatles days when the future was indeed unwritten. "Home to Us" is an extremely catchy duet with Ringo Starr that's very upbeat and Beatles-esque, again tuning into the early days of the Fabs. Perhaps the most revealing of McCartney's look at the past here is "Salesman Saint," about his parents. Paul's father was a salesman and he equates his mother with saintliness here as he recounts the hard times the family faced during World War II and at its end. The song is as close to a tearjerker as you'll get from this album. Other cuts recognize the past less overtly; "Mountain Top," for example flashes back to the psychedelic era. Not exactly "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" but the song does give nods instrumentally to the psych era while also mentioning "magic mushrooms." But there are 14 songs here in total including "As You Lie There," a cut about unrequited (or completely unrecognized, really) love that sounds like Paul's early solo work, the rollicking, radio-ready rocker "Come Inside" and "Life Can Be Hard," a cut that, despite its title, reflects a love relationship in its prime. True to the idea of this being a solo album, McCartney plays virtually all of the instruments here. This one is built to reveal its charms upon repeated play and those charms are many.
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