Why Paul McCartney's Solo Career Is a Disappointment...

(or Why Paul McCartney's Solo Career Sucked (And continues to suck))

It's because he lost the ability to write complete great songs. He clearly had this talent during the years he was with the Beatles... but after Abbey Road was recorded it seems like he lost the passion/desire/ability to make every part of his songs good. I'm saying that during his solo career he'll sometimes come up with a great chorus for example but then the verse will pale in comparison. There's no bad section in 'Oh! Darling' or 'You Never Give Me Your Money.' So what happened? My guess is that at first he was reacting strongly against the Beatles' process of writing and recording. Bad move, stupid. He probably put more effort into the Beatles' material for a couple of reasons: it was always going to be judged very critically, he was competing with John Lennon to some degree, etc. When the Beatles split he experimented by not polishing the recordings as much, playing/recording everything himself, producing himself (this is especially key since he was able to have free reign over his music... something he didn't quite have before). Incidentally in 1997 the surviving Beatles reunited to work on the Anthology project. Taking this look back at the Beatles recalled to him the rigorous work that the four of them had put into their recordings. This inspired him to try and get back to that process... he released 'Flaming Pie.' But it was too late. The album is one of his better efforts after 1980 but by this point he had lost the magic.

Nevertheless! He still managed to pen a number of excellent songs.

Paul McCartney - Every Night (1970: McCartney (Remastered 2011))
 - Such a great pre-chorus/chorus... verses... not so great.... but the chorus definitely makes it worth listening to over and over.

Paul McCartney - Momma Miss America (1970: McCartney (Remastered 2011))
 - So awesome that he recorded this all by himself. I mean, he's a genius, I'm not denying it. Too bad the song kinda loses it's drive midway through.... still.

Paul McCartney - Ram On (1971: Ram (Remastered 1993))
 - Ok... so Ram is definitely his best album. Hands down. And this is one of the only songs of his that I really love all the way through. It's brilliant... Grizzly Bear would have killed to write this.

Paul McCartney - Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey (1971: Ram (Remastered 1993))
 - Goddamnit... He makes me wait two full minutes until the song gets good? Bullshit. He used to write songs that were great and OVER by the two minute mark. Whatever Paul... it's worth it because at 2:10 the songs gets incredibly great and stays that way.... so thanks, I guess.

Paul McCartney - Heart of the Country (1971: Ram (Remastered 1993))
 - Here's another that's good pretty much the whole way through. Not quite as interesting or original as 'Ram On' but still an awesome song.

Paul McCartney - Monkberry Moon Delight (1971/1993: Ram (Remastered 1993))
 - This song makes me wonder if I got the title of this post right. It's an amazing song, a powerhouse vocal performance... so good in fact, that Screamin' Jay Hawkins couldn't resist covering it. Awesome fucking lyrics too. Here's the 2012 mono version... I think I like it better than the stereo.

Wings - I Am Your Singer (1971: Wild Life (Remastered 2018))
 - "Who's Wings? ...They're only the band the Beatles could have been." Wild Life was their first album... and they recorded it super fast, most of the songs being recorded in one take. Not surprising that it didn't pan out too well for them. But this is a really nice track... mainly because Linda's beautifully clear and simple voice is featured.

Wings - Band on the Run (1973: Band on the Run (Remastered 1998))
 - This one's in the same category as Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey. He makes you wait pretty much the exact same amount of time before the song gets amazing.... what's with this guy?

Wings - Mull of Kintyre (1978: Wings Greatest)
 - Yet another uneven song... but it's got a nice melody. Again... I feel like if he just tried a little harder with this one it could have been great. And yea... I know the song's about Scotland... but those bagpipes sound like shite.

 Paul McCartney - Check My Machine (1980: McCartney II)
 - McCartney II was his third solo album. Wings had just broken up and these songs (again) were recorded quick and not taken seriously. It's a cool album though... it's got some good electronic instrumental tracks and is overall experimental, dancey and poppy. Nothing really good enough to post though... except for 'Check My Machine.' I really like this one though I may be the only one. This was the first thing he recorded for the album while he was quite literally checking his machine (recording equipment). The song didn't make the album proper... but was released as a bonus track later on. The only thing is that it goes on a bit too long (Thanks to N for inspiring me to listen to this album with fresh ears).

Paul McCartney - Little Willow (1997: Flaming Pie (Remastered 2020))
 - I'm really only including this song because I know it's hard to believe that he could go 30 years without writing a great song... well... believe it. This song is ok though.

So there you have it. I bet you agree with me now. If you have any favorites that aren't on this list I'd love to be convinced that I missed a good one... but it's not gonna be easy.

Also see: Why George Harrison's Solo Career Sucked