Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney's post-Beatle career usually gets dismissed. And this won't be any different. Paul had the talent and ability to become a first-class Rocker. Anyone who's heard The Beatles' "I'm Down" or the scream that kicks off the Rock version of "Revolution" knows McCartney could have been a contender. While showing brilliance here and there, his career had a safe pop sheen. Not that he had to suffer (other than slights from critics whose opinions didn't seem to bother him much -"Silly Love Songs" was his only rebuttal) for his decision.
His post-Beatles career was more successful than his former bandmates combined. And he was the only ex-Beatle to launch, not one, but several successful world tours. Having fought the hardest to keep The Beatles going, Paul founded the highly successful Wings. Yes, John Lennon had the short-lived Plastic Ono Band and Ringo Starr fronted his All-Starr Band (consisting of several 'name' performers) but despite the talent involved, neither was comparable to Wings - gold and platinum records and mega tours - the big leagues.
The group resulted from McCartney's desire to perform live again following the release of his first two solo albums "McCartney" ('70) and "Ram" ('71). Unlike The Beatles (a partnership of at least two creative equals) Wings was firmly under McCartney's control. That led the other band members to feel stifled creatively. McCartney tried to finesse this by allowing each member a lead vocal per album and shared songwriting credits. That really didn't do much good. A song here or there rarely assuaged a musician's ego and only rarely were these efforts comparable to what McCartney produced.
Having bitterly complained, along with George Harrison and Ringo, at Yoko Ono's constant presence during Beatles' recording sessions, Paul now installed his wife Linda (keyboards and vocals) as a band member. Former Moody Blues' guitarist Denny Laine and drummer Denny Seiwell were also added. The following year ('72) guitarist Henry McCullough joined.
After a series of low key, often unannounced concerts, Wings was ready to fly. With "Wings Wildlife" ('72) and "Red Rose Speedway" ('73) the group built a decent reputation but it was snatching victory from certain defeat that sealed Wings' reputation. Prior to the group's departure to record in Nigeria both Seiwell and McCullough quit. Paul, Linda and Laine decided to go on. The result was Wings' high water mark "Band On The Run" ('73). They continued the streak with "Venus and Mars" the following year. Capping a hugely successful U.S. tour the live "Wings Over America" was released. Soon though, the magic was gone as Wings began a slow, comfortable decline. Even with the addition of guitarist Laurence Juber and drummer Steve Holly, Wings could not rise above mediocrity as Paul dabbled in disco and other pop styles.
Wings splintered yet again. This time Paul (with Linda) finally gave up on the group concept and embarked on a solo career and unfortunate duets with Stevie Wonder (the horrible "Ebony & Ivory") and Michael Jackson (the passable "Say, Say, Say" and the truly wretched "The Girl Is Mine"). He did manage a good duet with Elvis Costello on "Veronica."
As one gets older in the public eye, accolades begin to come. McCartney was no different. In '96, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II becoming "Sir Paul."
Linda, Paul's soulmate, succumbed to cancer in '98. A year later Paul released his best album in ages "Run Devil Run" which contained Rock 'n' Roll classics and a couple appropriate (they fit in) originals. His performance was fresh and lively as he soared with the material.
In '02, Paul married former model Heather Mills. The much younger Mills had a prosthetic leg resulting from a motorcycle accident years earlier.
Continuing to tour, as a major draw at that, McCartney released "Chaos And Creation In Backyard" in '05.
For a fellow rolling through his sixth decade McCartney seemed to possess an uncanny way of getting press. First, he turned 64. Hardly exceptional unless you wrote and recorded a classic song about doing just that nearly four decades earlier. So there were all sorts of "When I'm 64" stories. But that was just the beginning. McCartney received the Wyler Award for his animal-rights activism at the Humane Society of the United States' 21st Genesis Awards in Beverly Hills. Back in the U.K., he was presented the Outstanding Contribution to Tourism prize at the 2007 Enjoy England Awards for Excellence. "It's great to think that in some small way I've done something to help tourism for the place of my birth, which I'm so proud of," said Sir Paul. Over the years, thousands of fans made the trek to dreary Liverpool to see The Beatles' old stomping grounds. And even The Sunday Times of London got into the act. According to their annual poll, McCartney was the third-wealthiest musical figure in the United Kingdom.
All that was a nice diversion from the horribly public and downright nasty divorce proceedings. The dust settled somewhat as Mills ventured to the U.S. on a grand self-promotion effort that included appearances on the reality TV show Dancing With The Stars. Of course everyone wondered whether her artificial limb would come flying off mid-number. It didn't. In the end, the controversy blew over like a summer squall.
Then there was the 40th anniversary of "Sgt. Peppers." Just as McCartney's self-titled solo debut had trumped "Let It Be" engendering great bitterness among his former bandmates, "Memory Almost Full" more or less took any steam out of the anniversary (since it was released only four days later).
"Memory Almost Full" was started in '03 but abandoned. Eventually, McCartney returned to the project and tried to fix what was wrong. Along the way, he parted with Capitol Records and signed with Starbucks' Hear Music label - their first artist. The move insured extensive play in the countless Starbucks coffee shops around the world. Oh, but the slickest marketing move was yet to come. McCartney used the Home Shopping Network to promote the album. A 30-minute special on "Memory Almost Full," premiered on HSN. There was in-studio footage as McCartney discussed recording the album. Of course, fans could buy it through the network. "It's a very personal record . . . drawing from memory, like memories from being a kid, from Liverpool and from summers gone," said McCartney of the 13-track collection.
The best Wings albums, which were recorded between '73 and '75, are "Band On The Run" and "Venus and Mars." They are clearly more pop than Rock but they have their moments. From "Band On The Run," both "Jet" and "Helen Wheels" are great guitar driven pop-Rockers. But the outstanding tracks are Laine's haunting "Time To Hide" and Paul's "Let Me Roll It," which is the best Lennon impersonation ever recorded. After all, McCartney worked with the guy for fifteen years.
"Venus and Mars" contains the title track along with the inventive "Rock Show" and the rollicking "Medicine Jar." McCartney's remaining output with both Wings and his eventual solo career features pop and MOR material.
A major exception is "Run Devil Run." Released in '99, the set covers Rock 'n' Roll tunes like Chuck Berry's "Brown Eyed Handsome Man" and Gene Vincent's "Blue Jean Bop." McCartney is totally engaged, giving knock out performances working material that hasn't been driven into the ground. It has a far friendlier and more upbeat feel than mainstream Rock 'n' Roll covers Lennon released in '75.
Anyone hoping that McCartney had rediscovered his Rock N' Roll roots were surely disappointed with "Chaos And Creation In The Backyard." It's sounds more like "Caution And Conformity On The Living Room Couch." "Fine Line," a passable opening track, has some energy and spunk ("whatever is more important to you is what you've got to do"). Aside from the upbeat "Friends To Go" and "Promise To You Girl," which sounds like a '66 Beatles' LP track (that's good), much of the album just lays there. "Jenny Wren" is an acoustic snooze while "English Tea" feels like a "White Album" reject (not good).
If McCartney has a weakness, aside from cloying ballads and syrupy sentimentality, it's an overriding desire to be liked. "Dance Tonight" opens "Memory Almost Full." With a mandolin and McCartney's disarming vocals the song could have easily fit on "McCartney." It's as if he's saying "look, it's just me an ordinary bloke." He's not and Folkish tunes don't really cut it. The next track, "Ever Present Past," is a more palatable and energetic take. Two of the album's better songs, "Vintage Clothes" and the 'career retrospective', "That Was Me" also delve into the past. "Uncle Albert" reappears in the form of "Mr. Bellamy" while Paul gets Bluesy, for the better, on "Gratitude." And here's the maddening part, the one time McCartney uncorks it, he delivers his best performance. The uptempo "Only Mama Knows" has a catchy guitar line as he sings about being "on the road to ruin." McCartney is not on the road to ruin, even if stuck in an airport, and never will be. After all, he's "Sir Paul" and extremely wealthy (even with Mills taking the petty cash and the money under the sofa cushions). But it's nice to know he still thinks he has a little of the wild, reckless Rocker left in him.
McCartney's legend looms largest not with Wings or as a solo artist. It is for taking the helm during The Beatles' final years as the group's de facto leader, songwriter and singer. Many songs from that period are fan favorites and serve as a linchpin for McCartney concerts. On "Back In The U.S.A." the backing band has enough drive and focus to keep up with their star attraction (which is an improvement over many other live efforts). It's no small achievement since McCartney is an "old school - let's give 'em a show" entertainment machine. He is charming not edgy. Daring and controversy is not his style.
Unlike Lennon who could wake up to controversy, McCartney really has to push. About the only thing that surfaced was the flipping of the songwriting credits on Beatles' songs. McCartney and Lennon? Why not? Many were largely his creations anyway. Isn't all this just ancient history? Who cares? Still, McCartney's attempt to re-write Beatles' history is a bit humorous. John and Paul agreed early on to split the songwriting credits the way they did. That's why Lennon's name appears on "Yesterday" and McCartney's on "Strawberry Fields." As Lennon once said "we had our fingers in each other's pie." The deal is done. Changing the arrangement seems a tad petty or insecure for a guy who is in the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame both with The Beatles and on his own and is, according to The Guinness Book Of World Records, the most successful songwriter in history. Let it be.
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