There is a sinister sense following the breakup of The Beatles. A chance not to one-up their former bandmates but a realisation of what lay ahead. Paul McCartney, George Harrison, John Lennon and Ringo Starr all had the opportunity to lay claim to their audience, and grow it, with their first work. McCartney on first listen is so far removed from his spectacular work with The Beatles, that some may feel lost. But listen again. Once more. A fourth time, for good measure. Find yourself in the mix of McCartney, his first solo album, and the one that gave him the roughest time. It was beyond comprehension at the time that McCartney, the man who had written solid gold like Hey Jude or Help! could potter around with a lo-fi experience with light, short songs. But here it is. McCartney.
Understandable the reaction may be, the critical whole remains the same. McCartney sounds like tinkering. McCartney III confirmed this feeling. A bluesy That Would Be Something overtakes the short and twee opener, The Lovely Linda. The latter is short and inoffensive, the former an Elvis Presley vocal kick with an instrumental starting and ending with no thought beyond jamming. McCartney is more an experimentation, a jam album where McCartney feels the freedom of solo work for the first time. He is not being pulled in any direction by those who may have notes on his contribution. There are flickers of sound on Valentine Day which would feel their way, ever so slightly, into Mrs Vandebilt. There is plenty to enjoy within McCartney but they feel like unfinished fragments. Every Night is a neat bit of work and a light bit of fun, relying more on warm guitar work than anything.
Like most McCartney projects, this self-titled debut has a back-and-forth for the ears. Hot as Sun / Glasses toys with this most of all, however briefly. For the more dedicated followers, this will serve as a neat and early look into the creative process McCartney undertakes. An important document, most certainly, but to listen to it as a straight album is to miss the purpose. Melodies of folk and country can be heard in the likes of Man We Was Lonely, and the light joy of them, the surrendered emotional sway and tenderness of it all is overwhelming at points. Incredible work but only in the context of The Beatles’ break-up. Little bits and pieces like this feel nicer when your knowledge extends beyond the “what’s the point” notion of a first listen.
Ultimately this is a McCartney toy box. Little bits and pieces of melodic work and lo-fi appeal. McCartney is a neat listen for those wanting a breach of his mind, but it will do little without this additional context. Singalong Junk feels splendid as a precursor to Maybe I’m Amazed but it also works as a lovely groove. It feels like some peace has been achieved so soon after the bust-up of the Fab Four. Perhaps this is the point of McCartney. He worked best in groups. Wings would prove it a short while after the release of this. These unfinished bits are the reason it works so well. Collected pieces from a tumultuous time. McCartney received the brutal end of the critical eye on release of this for the secret recordings but over time it has grown, not into a great album, but a fascinating piece of music history.
