Paul McCartney has mastered just about every genre he has touched. From the rock and roll revolution with The Beatles to solo works that challenged and conformed in equal measure to the pop structure of the times, the ex-Wings frontman has done it all. But musical collaborator Linda McCartney believes he had a soft touch for one genre that he didn’t engage with as much as he should have.
While McCartney would produce a handful of composition efforts after Linda’s passing in 1995, his late wife had hoped to hear more from him in this genre. Speaking to Playboy in 1984, Linda shared that the Let It Be hitmaker had a “soul for writing” compositions. McCartney would release a total of five composition albums, but only one while Linda McCartney was alive.
His first composition release came out in 1991: the Carl Davis-featuring Paul McCartney’s Liverpool Oratorio. Speaking back in 1984, Linda McCartney said: “I’d love for Paul to compose more. All these business problems taking up his time! If he were only left to write great songs and play with good musicians! I think he has such soul for writing and is such a great singer. I don’t think people realise what a great musician Paul is.”
While the interviewer challenged Linda on whether people perceived Paul as a serious musician, the perception of the ex-Beatles member seemed relatively clear in Linda’s mind. She said: “I think they feel he’s just a cute face. He’s so good that I would really like to see him expand musically. That’s what I see. It’s this business stuff… I hate business. Give me a lump of bread and a bit of lettuce in the garden, and forget the rest.”
McCartney would release five compositions in total, with his most recent released in 2011. The veteran songwriter would follow up Paul McCartney’s Liverpool Oratorio with Standing Stone in 1997, followed by Working Classical in 1999, Ecce Cor Meum in 2006, and Ocean’s Kingdom in 2011.
While Linda McCartney may have wanted more compositions from McCartney, his latest effort fell somewhat short of inspired material. Ocean’s Kingdom received a three-star review from Cult Following, which reads: “Instead, prepare for a tame but telling time with his latest composition to date. It’s basically an oratorio with the inevitable good against evil, the depths of the ocean and its history plundered for the sake of a few strong instrumental moments.
“McCartney has had a decades-long flirtation with compositions, and while none of them is going to be on par with his greatest hits, there is a lot to like about them. He has a knack for instrumental mood, as should be expected from the veteran rocker, but he does seem to enjoy projects like Ocean’s Kingdom. For that reason alone, it’ll be worth a listen to the McCartney faithful.”
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