The 8 best Paul McCartney solo albums ahead of The Boys of Dungeon Lane release

Paul McCartney will release The Boys of Dungeon Lane, his first studio album in five years, on May 29.

But what marks the best-ever McCartney solo album? If you remove his credible hits with Wings and the all-time greats from The Beatles‘ discography, what does that leave you with? Even more essentials. McCartney has worked on some of the very best songs of all time, and there are more than a few essential listens in his discography, from the indie-pop founding on Ram to the charming, disarming work heard on Chaos and Creation in the Backyard. Band on the Run isn’t in the running here, that’s a Wings album, despite the McCartney name drop on the album. McCartney has a discography like no other, and even then, there are hidden gems and deep cuts worth seeking out in time to contextualise the reflective notes heard so far on The Boys of Dungeon Lane, an album which may prove to be his last.

RAM

McCartney at his very best right here. There is always a risk of the catherine wheel spinning off and out of control. The Beatles provided some ballast to his out-there ideas and, free of the other Fab Four members, he must become his own censor. He manages to do so, keeping Ram balanced between respectable artistic brilliance and flickers of restraint. Every song is a classic. The lower octaves and booming, bold work on Monkberry Moon Delight to the charms of Long Haired Lady are pure McCartney. He gives Harrison a run for his money on the best post-Beatles albums. It is hard to look at Ram through any lens that does not consider the post-Beatles carnage, but Ram sounds equally liberated of consequence and trouble, even while making clear reference to those hardships.  

You can read our full review of Ram here.

McCARTNEY II

Charmed instrumentals soon follow with The Magic Roundabout-like Front Parlour more just an example of what a synthesizer could do at the time. McCartney finds his footing with a new tool to play with and the results are expectedly fun and relatively light. All we can do is trod through old pockets of history and hear the potential for new material to spawn here. It is more about pushing the technology of the time to its limit than anything else, and McCartney II gives it a needed workout ahead of using it in future projects. The rest of the album is a test of instrumental quality. A few standout pieces but it blurs together in a similar style to the ends of Abbey Road. Not as influential, but just as fun. A light-hearted ride through an artist of great stature coming to terms with a future sound.  

You can read our full review of McCartney II here.

FLOWERS IN THE DIRT

Songs of regret form the latter half. Figure of Eight and This One are astonishing examples of what McCartney can do when pulled into a rarer, raw sound. His instrumentals are the usual, showy, pop lightness, but they’re a Trojan horse for the darker tone. Messy instrumentals on How Many People feels like a softer moment from McCartney but it’s brought together by the follow-up song, Motor of Love. A quality album closer which has the soft essentials of McCartney’s pop-friendly voice, but also the agony of a broken heart which would bring about a lyrical depth he had not managed to provide since the start of the decade. Flowers in the Dirt is a superb opportunity to hear McCartney react to dwindling interest in his work. An essential listen, because this is where the former Beatles member begins considering what should be next for his music.  

You can read our full review of Flowers in the Dirt here.

OFF THE GROUND

McCartney finds beauty in the macroscopic detail, he always has done, but here it takes the form of eggshell colouring and encounters backed by acoustic whimsy. They are the strongest and oddest moments of Off the Ground. The Lovers that Never Were is a heartbreaker. His old-school rock and roll sound is hit with a helping of modernity, with McCartney more than capable of making the big band feel of Get Out of My Way feel contemporary. No perfect moment, but the appeal of the album comes from its feel. A gruffer-sounding McCartney wades through the waters in search of love. Closing songs Winedark Open Sea and C’mon People are filled with the crowd-pleasing optimism which marked McCartney as one of pop music’s biggest names. But within that is a belief in his writing, a shade of his very best works. Off the Ground is the best McCartney album since Back to the Egg.

You can read our review of Off the Ground here.

FLAMING PIE

A folksy tone is taken on by McCartney here as he interprets some moments from his life, which, while broad, are a rare bit of direct writing from the Fab Four member. The World Tonight has him running and hiding from paparazzi, while his love for Linda McCartney is made clear on Somedays. Martin and Lynne’s production flourishes can be heard, with the pair working well together as they draft in this acoustic tone; the string sections backing McCartney here are delightful. Domesticity is somewhat absent on this one from McCartney, but what remains clear is that love is the language which keeps him alive. He is happiest when seeking the positive side to life, as he does on Young Boy. The follow-up, Calico Skies, is one of the very best from McCartney. A standout of the 1990s, but also a song which can hold up when compared to his writings from previous decades. 

You can read our review of Flaming Pie here.

CHAOS AND CREATION IN THE BACKYARD

Chaos and Creation in the Backyard is as sincere as it gets for McCartney. He briefly slips into that cloth-eared sincerity and nostalgia on Give Ireland Back to the Irish, though it’s only one rough moment in a flow of calm waters and quality songwriting. Too Much Rain has that too, but it’s held together by that beautiful blur of acoustic guitar and piano. Much of Chaos and Creation in the Backyard depends on McCartney’s writing, and with some brilliant direction from Godrich, the Wings frontman brings about a career-best offering. It’s the final three songs of this album that cement its brilliance, though. Promise to Your Girl, This Never Happened Before, and Anyway are nothing short of the very best songs McCartney has written. It’s a career high he has never managed to better in the decades to follow, and it would only be fair if he never did.  

You can read our review of Chaos and Creation in the Backyard here.

MEMORY ALMOST FULL

McCartney’s writing across Memory Almost Full is startling. He reflects as much as he can not because there is an urgency but because there is a fear he will forget those times, be it his youth or experiences elsewhere. Really strong from McCartney here, and not only that, but it stands up over a decade later. He would soon find himself collaborating with everyone from Kanye West to The Fireman project once more, but the latter was a welcome surprise, and the Rihanna-featuring single scratched the pop itch McCartney gets in a completely harmless way. It’s a golden age from McCartney here and the strength of Memory Almost Full acts as a brilliant core.  

You can read our review of Memory Almost Full here.

EGYPT STATION

Usually charming moments from McCartney, like Confidante, fall flat here. They’re nice enough, floaty little ditties about how trust and love are what gets him through the twilight years, but there’s an inherent lack of spirit and charm to it now. Songs like People Want Peace are so on the nose it hurts, but then McCartney dusts himself down and delivers an outstanding song like Do It Now or Despite Repeated Warnings. Two of his very best there, and that doesn’t even consider the album’s closing song, Hunt You Down / Naked / C-Link. Ambitious moments from McCartney in the final stages of a brilliant album. Egypt Station suffers from a bit of an imbalance but, ultimately, there’s enough here to make for a charming and worthy listen. McCartney sounds great, the instrumentals linger on that fine balance of Beatles and Wings influence with the steadier, modern sound the veteran songwriter has realised works for him. Hand in Hand and Dominoes highlight that, and they’re the calm before the storm of a very strong end to Egypt Station.  

You can read our review of Egypt Station here.

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