I began listening to Paul McCartney in early June 2022. Although the grades show that I enjoyed (at least slightly) all but two of the albums I reviewed, I was pretty disappointed with how his discography was going so I quit him earlier than I expected.
McCartney (1970): B
Paul and Linda McCartney: Ram (1971): B
Wings: Wild Life (1971): C-
Wings: Red Rose Speedway (1973): C
Wings: Band on the Run (1973): B+
Wings: Venus and Mars (1975): B-
McCartney (1970):
At a time when the false narrative that McCartney had broken up the Beatles was widely held among the media and public, this album was criticized for being not good enough for McCartney to justify going solo. With the record now straightened out, it's easy enough to enjoy the slightness of a record full of songs (minus "Maybe I'm Amazed") never good enough to leave his home studio and certainly never good enough to record with his former band. As you might expect, however, this album's second rate songs only go so far and the instrumentation is fairly shabby. B
Paul and Linda McCartney: Ram (1971):
I'm glad Paul is trudging out into the unknown and trying new things but this is a very weird record. I mean I admire it but how am I supposed to rock out to songs like "Monkberry Moon Delight" and mellow out to songs like "3 Legs"? B
Wings: Wild Life (1971):
I expected Paul's discography to be full of what Lennon coined as "granny music" and though that wouldn't have been ideal, it would have been infinitely better than the strange direction he's been following so far. Here, he produces the worst Beatles solo album I've ever heard and I'm at a loss of words as to how such a fall from grace happened. It lacks any direction, Paul's vocals are consistently abysmal, and better yet, there wasn't a worthwhile songwriting effort to enter the studio. If McCartney's feeble punch on the wretched title track ("there's a lot of political nonsense in the air") was another stab at Lennon, it's a hell of a lot convincing than the six minute disgrace that was meant for reconciliation with his old band mate: "Dear Friend." C-
Wings: Red Rose Speedway (1973):
Originally credited to Paul McCartney and Wings because the record company assumed the public didn't know this was McCartney's new band, Red Rose sounds nothing like the work of a band and a lot like a solo record. Because this is another failure, I feel sorry for the Wings that they were added to the marquee. This is easily McCartney's most melodic record thus far and coming off the heels of such a massive disaster, I'm trying my best to be at peace with the result. However, whenever I slightly queue into the aimless, cotton candy lyrics, even the best melodies become nauseating. Only exception: "Big Barn Bed" is pretty cute and because it comes first, I'm not yet dizzied by the whimsy. C
Wings: Band on the Run (1973):
Some believe that the other Beatles' lawsuits with former band manager Allen Klein had liberated McCartney enough for him to finally release a solo album that reflected his talents. Given his startling form only a few months after Red Rose, this seems a reasonable hypothesis. The opening two songs are easily his best since he went solo and the rest of the material is on par with what I'd expect from a former Beatle. Though the mini call-backs to the two first songs is more cheeky than enjoyable, this isn't thoroughly weird like Ram was, so I'm happy to take what I can get, which is a satisfying record. B+
Wings: Venus and Mars (1975):
Venus and Mars includes Paul's quota of silly lyrics but with a backbone of good tracks--the title track, "You Gave Me the Answer," "Medicine Jar," and "Call Me Back Again"--and strong instrumentation throughout, this is a decent project. Side one doesn't offer much (the two songs I listed only make up three minutes) but speed picks up on side two. B-
