When I think of all the successful musicians who died an early death, I understand that yes, it is a terrible shame they didn’t live longer but on the other side, at least they didn’t live long enough to record maudlin major label adult contemporary albums.

What the hell happened to Paul and Ringo? I know Paul has always been known for his light-hearted, playful bubblegum songs, but his 2007 album, Memory Almost Full, is a record you have to be over 50 to appreciate. Same with Ringo! He released his latest album, Liverpool 8, last week to the nostalgic delight of (only) his dedicated baby-booming audience.

That is all well and good but my biggest problems with these records are:
#1. The name dropping references (Ringo, everyone knows you were a Beatle)
#2. The wistful recollections of days-gone-by (Paul, if you have grown as a person stop dressing like a frat boy)
and #3. The slick, modern production techniques that reek of older musicians toying with Pro Tools.

Try and watch Ringo’s video for “Liverpool 8″ through to the end. I couldn’t.

Paul’s “Ever Present Past,” isn’t as bad as Ringo’s single, but if you listen to the rest of this album you will wonder why he didn’t just sell most of the songs to Justin Timberlake or Usher. At least if they were to record them, it wouldn’t suggest such a desperate attempt to maintain one’s relevance in today’s popular culture.