Paul McCartney

From indieshins 05/09/2023 06:43

Been listening to a lot of Macca's solo/Wings stuff lately and honestly, I feel I've underrated him in the past - not in general; he's obviously a legend - but in relation to the rest of the Beatles. John was always my favourite, due to his edgy, dark and cerebral songwriting, and I've really been digging George of late - mostly outside of the Beatles as that was when he was allowed to fully flourish. George may be overtaking John now that I feel overall a lot happier with life and more spiritually inclined. But Paul - the guy just makes it seem so easy, as if melodies and chord progressions just fall from the sky and all he has to do is bend down and pick them up. He's no slouch as a lyricist, but it seems that they matter less to him, and that's okay, because when Macca is on form, it's easy to see why he's arguably the greatest popular songwriter of the last 60-odd years and why he's had the most successful solo career of all the Beatles. A McCartney hit is pure pop joy that is utterly unrivaled even to this day.

Funny how one can get tired of an artist after too much familiarity. Not the case for me with this wonderful musician. One of a kind, and a huge influence on my life and, obviously, my own music-making. And not just for his glorious past, but also for whatever he will come up with next.

Aunque lo mejor de él se quedó con los Beatles, maravilloso.

From Squonk007 02/12/2021 12:40

A superb songwriter, one of the very best.

Undeniable genius in every sense of the word. Madonna once said: "Talent like this only comes along once in a century". This man has the best melodic sense as anyone in the history of recorded music and he never stops. I have been a fan since I was a child (born in 1970) and heard the song "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey". My mother told me that I would dance, jump and laugh every time I heard the song. I still to this day love it. I don't know if I could name his best songs (including beatles' tunes) because he has so many but I will give it a try.

Best songs:
"Yesterday"
"Let It Be'
"Eleanor Rigby"
"Blackbird"
"Here There and Everywhere"

Best records:
"Hey Jude"
"Let It Be"
"Band on the Run"
"The Long and Winding Road" (movie take)
"Silly Love Songs"


but as soon I write this, I start thinking of others.

I always maintained that Lennon had the knack of wordplay and McCartney had the knack of melodic songcraft. I very much believe that they were equals to each other , but equal to no one else. They were the yen and the yang of pop music. McCartney challenged and was challenged by the likes of Brian Wilson, whereas Lennon would be challenging and challenged by the likes of Bob Dylan.

It's really hard to disect "Lennon/McCartney". My brain has been doing this ever since I first heard "The Beatles" aka "White Album". After listening to that album many, many, many, times, I have concluded that Lennon acknowledged that McCartney won through nothing more than determination, but McCartney didn't know there was competition. He was trying to learn and grow from the best.
As silly as this may sound (drinking vodka) I believe that the movie "Rocky" was based on Paul McCartney, ("He doesn't think it's a damn show; He thinks it's a damn fight"). There is even a picture (refererred to in movie context as "the gun on the wall") of the beatles just behind Sly Stallone when he is sitting on the couch begging Adrian to come sit next to him in his apartment.

As Beatle he is a 100/100 but as solo artist for me a 90/100

Decades of making music, some of the best songs of all time, influenced thousands of musicians, never stops making good music , LEGEND

Like all the Beatles with no exception, amazingly strong as a solo artist/ band leader. But even more so than the other three given the circumstances: John dead at 40, George pursuing other interests beside music (and now deceased too) and Ringo being more of a musician per se than a creator/ songwriter(good records too though).

From Fischman 01/03/2019 04:09

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From Nowhereman1965 09/24/2018 15:40

A huge talent. His contribution to The Beatles has sealed his place in history. His solo output is variable, but there are some fantastic songs that don't quite get the attention they deserve. A British icon.

From RoundTheBend 11/25/2017 05:58

I think I kind of said it well before, like 90% agree with what I said before, but will say as a solo artist (which this page technically is of), I wouldn't put him in my top 10 solo artists.

Having said that, as a bassist and a musician, and singer (dude has one of the best voices in rock, imo... he does that early rock n' roll howl so well, but then has this very british chillness to him as well), he is pretty fantastic. Solo work is good, but not as good as Beatles, and not as good as my favorite solo artists. I think that synergy he had in the Beatles did him well, even if at the end it was a negative one.