Macca May Part Three: Lost and Found

In the mid-70s Paul McCartney climbed back on top of the pop world, finishing it all up with a massive tour and triple live album. Despite that apparent success, he soon found himself adrift, and then in a crisis that threatened his career. Somehow he managed to pull out of it to once again establish his relevance and ability to change with the times. McCartney would follow up his early 80s renaissance with a long stint in the wilderness, but that shouldn't detract from how well he navigated a really difficult midlife crisis.

London Town, 1978

This is officially a Wings record, but like Band on the Run, it's only with Linda and Denny Laine. As in the past, this small lineup actually results in a better album than what he normally does with a full band. After rocking out a bit with his recent Wings material, Paul opts here for yacht rock. In this case it's literal, as much of the album was recorded on a yacht in the Caribbean. That might seem a recipe for disaster, but I have always had a soft spot for this album. If I have learned anything about this series, it's that Paul is best as a solo artist when he works with fewer collaborators and tries to narrow his focus.

Not all of the songs work, but "London Town" is one of my favorite solo Paul tracks. It does a great job of giving the feel of London on a rainy day, and sounds like the Beach Boys if they had been from Southwark instead of Southern California. At other moments he gets cheeky and adventurous, as on "Famous Groupies." As with Band on the Run, he sounds like he's actually enjoying himself.

Rating: Four Pauls

Back to the Egg, 1979

On this album Paul goes back to a bigger Wings, and the results are quite lackluster. The songs just flat-out lack distinction. There's no great pop song here, and while the proggy flourishes are interesting, they aren't wedded to quality songs. I get the feeling that this was a rush job so that he could get back on tour. The best thing about it is the cover, which is some faint praise indeed. 

Just as Paul was hitting an artistic low, he slammed into a personal one, too. Wings came to Japan in January 1980 to tour, and a large amount of weed was found in Paul's luggage. He spent over a week in jail, and could in fact have spent several years there if the Japanese government wanted to throw the book at him. He didn't, but this meant the end of Wings. Perhaps it took a truly scary experience for Macca to find a new direction. 

Rating: Two and a half Pauls

McCartney II, 1980

This was all recorded before the arrest in Japan, showing that even before that setback Paul was wanting to get more adventurous again. It's a stripped down, one man band record like his first solo album, but one reflecting an interest in new wave, disco, and punk. After listening to his mediocre to pretty alright material after Band on the Run, this is a true revelation. Right off the bat, the funky groove of "Coming Up" sets a fantastic tone. He goes right from this to "Temporary Secretary," a weird experiment that has become a massive cult hit. While I am not a huge fan of the song, it represents why I like this album so much: Paul is experimenting again. His best work with the Beatles was all about pushing the envelope and doing new things, whether it was the string quartet of "Eleanor Rigby" the manic insanity of "Helter Skelter" or the song suite that closed out Abbey Road. 

He's also able to lean on his pop sensibilities. "Waterfalls" is a gorgeous love song with his new synth sounds woven in. A lot of the other songs are not as memorable, but this a vibes affair, a hang-out record. It's one I never tire of, and while writing this I decided to throw it on again. This album makes me wish he had spent the 70s continuing to pioneer lo-fi and bedroom pop rather than trying to make Wings a thing. That band could have worked as a side project for rocking out. A missed opportunity. 

Rating: Four and a half Pauls

Tug of War, 1982

Right here Paul took the independence and rejuvenation of McCartney II applied it to his incomparable pop music skills. Miraculously, the guy who seemed completely lost at the end of the 70s was back on the top of the pop charts in the early 80s. There is a confidence you can hear write from the opening title track, something missing from his more mediocre Wings albums of the prior decade. Yes, there is some real premium grade A cheese on the likes of "Ebony and Ivory," but the hooks are so damn good that I can forgive it. On other songs, like "Take It Away," he throws in unexpected flourishes just when you think he's getting too smooth. What I appreciate the most is that he is not just going back to his old sounds or aping the styles of the early 80s in ways that would sound dated now. "What's That You're Doing" may sound inescapably 80s, but is also sounds like a million bucks. More than that, there's real guts and heart here. If only McCartney had sustained that for the rest of the 80s.

Rating: Four and a half Pauls

Pipes of Peace, 1983

These songs were mostly recorded at the same sessions as Tug of War, and so have the feeling of warmed-over leftovers. The edge and adventure of Tug of War are mostly missing here except for "Say Say Say," a killer hit Macca did with Michael Jackson. (It's far far better than "The Girl is Mine.") "Say Say Say" is the first McCartney song I remember, and I did not yet even know the Beatles were a thing. My main takeaway was "I kinda like Michael Jackson's goofy friend." The title is song is likely a statement on the recently concluded Falkland Islands War. It is quite treacly, but for the past two days I have not been able to get the song out of my head. A lot of the songs have a theme of love on the rocks and apologizing, which gives things more of a somber note. It's not as strong as his last record, a harbinger of Paul's decade-long fall into the wilderness.

Non-Album Singles

"Mull of Kintyre" b/w "Girls School"

I read in a Rolling Stone magazine one time in high school that his had not only been his biggest hit in the UK, but the biggest selling single anybody had ever put out there. It's a good song to be sure, but not as distinguished as the likes of "Maybe I'm Amazed" or "Band on the Run." In any case, it's a lovely song about the area around his farm in Scotland. As someone who has adopted a place far from where he was born as his homeland, I like the sentiment. "Girls School" is a surprisingly fun rocker on the B side.

Rating: Fab

"Wonderful Christmastime" b/w "Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reggae"

I almost felt like fucking with you all and giving this a "fab" rating. Over the years, this wet fart of a song has had me in a Stockholm Syndrome situation. By any objective measure it is truly awful, a distillation of the wretchedness of so much Christmas season music. However, I kinda respect that it has become the Holy Grail of crappy Christmas songs. Paul understood the assignment. 

Rating: Ob-La-Di-Ob-La-Don't