"Band On The Run" by Paul McCartney & Wings (1973)
By far the most enjoyable and fully created album that I have heard from McCartney so far.
Apparently it took him four solo studio albums (and those were very hit-and-miss affairs that nobody else would be allowed) to reach this point when everything finally fell into place and result is not just a vanity project but actually consistent collection that is joy to hear. Every single song is great, production finally professional and McCartney sounds inspired - I don't believe in "Wings" for a second, because this is all about singer himself and all the attention is focused on him. The overall sound of the album is pleasant, melodic early 1970s pop and even though she dips his toes into rock, we know he is just pretending - from a point of view of a radio DJ this must have been gift from Heaven because each and every song is extremely memorable (even with occasional slight lyrics).
This is one of the very few albums that I enjoy listening from start to finish. Some say this is just McCartney showing off mastery of the craft but I have no problem with it - I don't expect pop music to be life-affirming and there is a beauty and power in intentional simplicity.
"Venus And Mars" by Paul McCartney & Wings (1975)
Big seller for McCartney and his fictional band - I say "fictional" because it was all about him anyway - but it all honesty, I a not convinced either though I gave it repeated listening just to finally came to conclusion that production and cellophane shines more than material itself. Just like on "Red Rose Speedway" I found it is all a storm in a teapot - lots of ideas, lots of snippets and finally I don't remember a single thing. McCartney knows his way around melodies and is eager to prove himself, but when it comes down to it, it just doesn't make coherent statement or collection of memorable songs. If pressed to chose something from this album, only "Listen To What The Man Said" has a completely finished frame, the rest is unfortunately weak and lifeless.
"Wings At The Speed Of Sound" by Paul McCartney & Wings (1976)
Golden period for McCartney though I have my doubts when it comes to his solo work - the more I listen, the more I am prone to conclusion that he lived off old fame and had just occasional spark of inspiration spread very thinly over his solo discography. This is double album full of his usual tricks & gimmicks (instrumental "Walking In The Park With Eloise" could have been something from "The Muppet Show") and while McCartney roams everywhere from country to blues to rock and back, I can only hear a musician who clearly lacks the focus and simply hits every direction in hope one of them will pay off. The worst offender is "Cook Of The House" wasted on Linda McCartney's vocals and though melody is fine, she simply had no audible personality whatsoever - husband's backing vocals are far superior to her lead. "Silly Love Songs" kind of encapsulates his whole worldview - basically, he is sunny, goofy family guy pretending to be a rock star.
Paul McCartney and his fictional band at the top of the world - and in a unexpectedly sentimental way I feel good for him, since he obviously followed his muse and deserved this success. It is perhaps a overlong live album and it does not bring too many surprises or different versions of already familiar music - what you hear here is basically what he had already recorded except that live versions are more bombastic, louder and don't have so many little details like on official albums. Still, it is fun and it has contagious energy + McCartney playfully looks back on some songs he composed in 1960s ("Lady Madonna", "The Long And Winding Road", "Blackbird", "Yesterday") which apparently was a sacrilege back than but to me sounds completely natural because he wrote them, after all, and had all the rights in the world to sing them. I am surprised how many of these songs I know by heart already so even though all this live bravado seemed a bit pointless initially, I see it now as a loving "thank you" to fans.
"London Town" (1978)
Critics sneered as usual because music is so pretty but I found it darn irresistible.
Its McCartney going folk and its conscious step towards simple melodies, acoustic sound and memorable refrains. Denny Laine gets more space and even two solo spots (where we immediately miss Paul), there are literary hundreds of sweet, dreamy hooks and for the first time synthesizers creeps in but it doesn't bother me because McCartney comes as so natural and relaxed that final result is kind of warm and fuzzy feeling. At this point he had long left other three ex-colleagues far behind in the dust and he was by far the most successful of them all. At the same time McCartney released that single which in fact fits quite nicely with the rest of this folk-pop album. Ah yes, the finale "Morse Moose And The Grey Goose" is a brilliant madness, kind of disco-rock.
Either I am going mad or this is actually one of his best albums.
Not as half as bad as critics claimed back than, it signals arrival of two new band members and their presence prompted now veteran singer to keep up with younger musicians in a sense of trying to sound current. Because he is one of the best pop composers in the business, he can easily throw something like punk-rock "Spin It On" out of his hat but even with all that bravado, you get a sense he is perhaps trying too much. As usual there are tons of ideas in there somewhere and only rarely they come up as finished ("Arrow Through Me"), there is also a well-publicized all-star instrumental ("Rockestra Theme") that today sound like a TV serial theme, a pretty jazzy ballad "Baby's Request" and quite a lot of filler. Not one of his best works and it does feel unfocused.
"Thrillington" (1971)
Eccentric and weird in a typical British way (kind of Monthy Python parody, really) this is all-instrumental, easy-listening version of "Ram" album and it truly sounds as McCartney wanted to please his father and relatives with orchestrated variations of his pop/rock music. You really must be a passionate fan or at least very familiar with original studio album to enjoy this - I listen with fascination, not because its great or enlightening but because it shows what McCartney could have been if he only decided to go that route. (Come to think of it, Ringo Starr went in that easy-listening direction and his solo career effectively ended.) Its really a vanity project that luckily never saw a sequels and I am honestly not sure to what audience this was supposed to appeal, except to a occasional weirdo like me who might listen this seriously. A novelty.
"McCartney II" (1980)
Remember that cute little solo debut from ten years ago, where McCartney played all instruments and went to top of the charts on the strength of basically charm & half-baked ideas? Well, this is very much the same, except that this time around McCartney had discovered synthesizers - again he tops the charts, again he plays all the instruments and serves more filler than finished ideas. Surely he could write hit songs in his sleep but it seems this time around he was more interested in experimenting with different distorted sounds synthesizers can do - it must have been horror for record company executives who would prefer another "Mull of Kintyre" but you don't tell McCartney what to do and frankly, he shows genuine joy while fiddling with his new toys, cooking some funny sounds, witty instrumentals and generally making weird noise all around. Besides funky "Coming up" and humorous "Temporary Secretary" there is also a quite beautiful ballad "Waterfalls" - either you accept this eccentric artistic statement or you not, and I find it extremely interesting and refreshing that artist of such stature still shows enough curiosity to play around with new ideas instead of repeating himself. Once you wrap your head around the idea that this is not a chart-busting mega-seller but a playful DIY synthesizers half-instrumental album, it is actually fascinating.
"Tug Of War" (1982)
No more Wings and this is full-fledged McCartney solo album. I actually really liked his previous, charmingly weird synthesizers-album because it was so unexpected and funny, but here he returns to standard pop formula and is instantly awarded with multi-million sales, great reviews and claims that this is "return to form". Which just shows that guy knew exactly what he wanted - I almost wish he stuck to experimental sound, but he is in the business of selling records and this time he came with carefully crafted, highly polished pop product. It might be one of his best works, actually - hard to find a fault here, one dreamy melody follows another, George Martin adds sophisticated touch here and there, we have surprise guests appearing and "Ebony and Ivory" for all its simplicity and sentimentality was a world-wide smash. Carefully tucked among dance songs in a tender "Here Today" and it does sound truly heartfelt.
"Pipes Of Peace" (1983)
Another multi-platinum album worldwide. I am aware of reviews back than and criticisms of McCartney alleged sugary sentimentality but honestly, I had listened this album forever (it was my very first Paul McCartney album, yes I was 1980s child) and hear nothing unusual or strange here: it was a perfectly produced (for its time), highly polished pop album, graced with one if the biggest hits of the decade ("Say Say Say") and if you think McCartney is sentimental, well, he always was. If there's one thing about this album is that it closely resembles "Tug Of War" and its not coincidence because most of the material was recorded simultaneously. Now why would "Tug Of War" be celebrated as wonderful return to form and this one criticized as dull and uninspired is beyond me - I find it happy, charming, witty, full of ridiculously pretty melodies and I can sing along to it forever. After all these years I still love and know every word of "The Other Me", "Keep Undercover", "Average Person" and almost everything except appearances of Michael Jackson whom I never liked and who was obviously a gimmick to bust the sales. McCartney got himself a star duet but Jackson returned home with interesting idea to invest into song rights.
"Give My Regards To Broadstreet" (1984)
Soundtrack to apparently very unsuccessful movie that cooled McCartney from movie ambitions once for all. Music sold very well (album was nr.1 in UK) and it was all re-recordings of his famous work up to that point - from every corner, going back to 1960s Beatles music, 1970s Wings and recent 1980s solo hits - with few new songs thrown in. It has charm, specially if you want to hear McCartney singing "Yesterday" or "Here, There and Everywhere" in a new, spare arrangement. George Martin is on hand with his recognizable classical touch, giving sophistication to what is basically empty, vanity project. Tucked away at the very end of soundtrack is interesting 1940s style orchestrated instrumental (kind of Glenn Miller) which was meant to be ironic, but in fact is quite beautiful.
"Press To Play" (1986)
Is this a total commercial disaster or a misunderstood adventurous stretch from an artist who wanted to expand? Though it does surprise at first, upon repeated listening you get sense that McCartney wanted to consciously move away from "silly pop songs" and his recent work. If anything, it has more in common with experimental album "McCartney II" but apparently this is not what mainstream music wanted or expected from him - it is very interesting and accomplished from point of a view of a musician (dialogue bits, excellent playing and list of special star appearances) unfortunately it did non translate into chart success and it kind of damaged his status a bit. I wouldn't go so far to claim his muse deserted him - its just a little harder to crack the appeal of this one, where previously his melodies were instantly likable, this sounds a bit strained and labored.
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