C/D Paul McCartney Solo

"Pipes of Peace"
I don't really know it, and what I've heard hasn't really inspired me to pick it up.

"Press To Play"
Ah, the sleeper in his catalogue. The concept was simple: Paul McCartney does mid-80s synth rock a la Genesis and Phil Collins — a terrible idea that ultimately sold like crap. But clearly McCartney heard something symphonic in the production of those records, so he the man responsible for them, Hugh Padgham. Assembling a veritable who's who of the scene (including Collins, SNL saxman Lenny Pickett, Pete Townshend, as well as arrangers Tony Visconti and Art of Noise orchestrator Anne Dudley), writing a patch of tracks with 10cc's Eric Stewart, he set about making his Invisible Touch.

And in truth, unlike Tug of War, most of it works, though in a dated kind of way. "Good Times Comin'/Feel the Sun" bristles with energy and "Only Love Remains" is a solid McCartney piano ballad, while "Press" (about pleasuring his wife) and "Talk More Talk" show Paul excelling at pre-sequenced synth textures. Still, it's the tracks with Stewart that shine brightest; "Stranglehold" and "Footprints" are an ebbulient rocker and haunting atmospheric ballad respectively, but "However Absurd", with its helium bridge and pounding metallic piano, is stunning. There are misfires—the quasi-aboriginal "Pretty Little Head", the pointless "Angry"—but as genre exercises go, the record is fairly brilliant.

"Flowers In The Dirt"
Where Press To Play felt inspired, this feels a bit aimless, as if he didn't know what he wanted to do exactly. Apart from the brilliant Irish gospel of "That Day Is Done", the much-heralded Costello collaborations are overhyped, while those with Trevor Horn are outright disappointing. Plus, several tracks employ plodding arena rock productions that ruin the material. Still, there are moments where McCartney's songwriting shines through: the ebbulient "This One" has a sharp tune, "Put It There" is a charming ode to fatherhood, and "My Brave Face" almost transcends its overproduction. But it's all over the place, and not in a good way.

Beyond that, I don't really know any of his 90s records more than to say "Off the Ground" sounded fairly dreadful, "Flaming Pie" flat and "Driving Rain"...okay. I still haven't quite given up on him, though.

"However Absurd", with its helium bridge and pounding metallic piano, is stunning

This doesn't:

"Press" (about pleasuring his wife)

"Some say he was best with the Beatles" - classic

you maniac

Did he let her?

that one's a search, definitely

Must say, the song seems rather excellent, as if he really has upped his game. A more frenetic "Let 'Em In" for these times; typically McCartneyesque, yet with more intensity than he's had for decades. Fantastic ominous piano part... This is without question looks likely to be his finest album since "Tug of War".

I'd rather call it Badfinger-like powerpop. Which is a good thing.

Generally McCartney solo is at his best with a perfect and polished production, and at his worst when he overdoes his "do it yourself" aesthetic.

McCartney II [Columbia, 1980]
Paulie's 1970 DIY sounded homemade--its unfinished musings intimated an appealingly modest freedom. This one was recorded on a sixteen-track with an engineer in attendance. The instrumentals are doodles, the songs demos by a man who scores the occasional hit only to prove he's genius. Which he isn't. C

Matthew you omitted major non-album singles

1971-85 only:

Yes: "Hi Hi Hi," "Live and Let Die," "I Lie Around," "Country Dreamer," "Junior's Farm," "Mull of Kintyre," "Daytime Nighttime Suffering," "Coming Up (live at Glasgow)," "I'll Give You a Ring," "My Carnival."

Ehh: "Another Day," "Little Woman Love," "C Moon," "Sally G," "Girls School," "Goodnight Tonight," "Lunch Box/Odd Sox," "Rainclouds," "Spies Like Us."

Nae: "Mary Had a Little Lamb," "The Mess," "Zoo Gang."

Not me. I think he was at a low ebb compositionally on that album and the album before.

For the fan, his discography is rich with oddities, one-offs, half-baked experiments, overly self-conscious experiments, fully successful experiments, frankly brilliant fusions, unexpected detours, really expected detours, shockingly good rockers, embarassingly boneheaded rockers, sappy ballads, crappy ballads, convincing instant-classic ballads, odes to mooses that use Morse Code, and "The cat in the satin trousers said it's oily." The guy is a one-man landscape of gut pop instincts crossed with idiosyncratic overthought left turns. And if you're satisfied by swingin' tunes and enthusiasm there's so, so, so much to love.

Since his albums have been pretty well-discussed here, let me give a heads-up to a few of his many, MANY unreleased gems and uncollected b-sides. In the category of rockers (whether of the pop, stomp, or 'blooze' variety) there's "Oh Woman Oh Why," ("Oh Darling" done right) "Girls' School," "A Love For You" (tho it goes on too long), "Rode All Night" (ditto), "Daytime Nighttime Suffering," "I'll Give You A Ring," "Back on My Feet" (really dated but great), "Cage" (love the calliope!), "Soily"....etc, etc, etc.....

Ballads: "Suicide" (fragmentary though it is), "Lindiana" (don't mind the awful title), "Love Come Tumbling Down," "My Little Koala Bear," (!!!), "Tragedy" (I think this is a cover),

For weird experiments etc, go for "Boil Crisis," followed immediately by "Waterspout," then "Robber's Ball," then all the unused McCartney II stuff, especially "Secret Friend" and "Mr. H Atom." The unused dancey stuff from the mid-80s is mostly dire (eg "PS Love Me Do") but there are some interesting diversions - "Atlantic Ocean" and "Ou Est Le Soleil" for example. At this point we're starting to get into stuff that's enjoyable mainly for how it adds to the "the man's insane" portrait: "B-Side To Seaside," "Little Woman Love," "Big Boys Bickering," and on and on....

Paul McCartney: Tug Of War

TS: Paul McCartney's "Pipes of Peace" vs "Press to Play"