Songwriter and music veteran Sir Paul McCartney has shared his three favourite albums of all time.
The Beatles and Wings member confirmed there were three albums in particular that he kept returning to, as they reminded him of certain times in his life. One album, from the late musician Brian Wilson, has been frequently praised by McCartney, 83, who was once left in tears after performing the song with The Beach Boys member. Asked a question about the albums and songs that have “soundtracked our lives,” McCartney was asked if there were any pieces of music from his own life which he continually returned to. An interview posted to his website, under the You Gave Me the Answer series, has had the Let it Be songwriter share those powerful albums from his life.
The veteran musician confirmed The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds was one of the three all-time greats he continually returned to. McCartney paid tribute to God Only Knows mastermind Brian Wilson, who died earlier this month at the age of 82. Both Neil Young and The Band were also mentioned by McCartney, who confirmed the two other albums he would always have a soft spot for.
The fan question for this month, shared to McCartney’s website, reads: “My partner and I have recently been discussing the albums and songs that have soundtracked our lives.
“Are there any albums that take you back to certain periods in your life? And does performing your own music evoke similar memories?” McCartney has since replied to the question, naming three albums in particular.
He said: “Yeah, definitely. My favourite albums by other people tend to be: Music from Big Pink by The Band, Pet Sounds by the Beach Boys, and Harvest by Neil Young.
“They are the three classics that I love to listen to, and they all remind me of certain times in my life. When I perform my own songs, the great thing is that they often bring back memories of recording them. That can often entail memories of John and George in the studio – sweet memories!”
McCartney has been very open with the impact Pet Sounds had on him as both a professional musician and person. During an interview with BBC Radio 1 back in 2007, McCartney confirmed God Only Knows is one of the few songs which has reduced him to tears.
He said: “God Only Knows is one of the few songs that reduces me to tears every time I hear it. It’s really just a love song, but it’s brilliantly done. It shows the genius of Brian. I’ve actually performed it with him and I’m afraid to say that during the sound check I broke down.”
In a separate chat with The Faces and The Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood, McCartney called Wilson an “amazing composer” whose work was among McCartney’s favourites. He said: “Wilson proved himself to be a really amazing composer and I was into chords and harmonies and stuff at that time and we ended up, it was kind of like a rivalry.
“We’d put a song out, Brian would hear it, and then he would do one, which is nice. It’s like me and John [Lennon]. You try and top each other all the time.”
During an appearance with Rick Rubin on the McCartney 3, 2, 1 documentary, the Live and Let Die hitmaker once again shared his appreciation for Wilson’s work. The Beach Boys I think was a big influence on the harmony. There was a little intercontinental rivalry.
“Mainly Brian. His writing, I think he’d heard one of our albums and thought ‘I’ve got to do better’ and that was Pet Sounds which I loved. It’s still one of my big albums. It was so atmospheric and different and yet it was The Beach Boys still and we heard Pet Sounds and thought ‘right, we’ve got to do something better than that,’ so we did Sgt. Pepper’.“
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