Fans of the legendary songwriter Paul McCartney believe his follow-up to the 1980 classic, McCartney II, released long before 2020.
Though The Beatles and Wings member would release McCartney III in December 2020, fans believe there is another album that is spiritually a follow-up to the Temporary Secretary-featuring classic. In a now-deleted post to the r/PaulMcCartney subreddit, fans discussed whether The Fireman project is as close as McCartney could get to producing a McCartney III-like project at the time of its release. One album in particular, 2008’s Electric Arguments, was singled out by fans as not only a McCartney II follow-up but one of “his best records” to date.
One fan wrote: “Electric Arguments is essentially McCartney III before the official McCartney III came out. It’s also one of his best records ever.” Another added: “Huge fan of Electric Arguments, Top 5 Paul album for me. It’s melodic, transcendent, powerful, anthemic, atmospheric, uplifting, and euphoric.
“The production is exceptional – every track is exquisitely intricate and brilliantly executed. His drum feel on this album is sublime. Bass and guitars are stellar! And crazy vocal diversity! Not a big fan of the other Fireman albums, just not my genre jam. It’s incredible that this is the same guy who just wrote two Oratorios.”
A third shared: “Electric Arguments is my favourite album that Paul has made, even more than his classic solo stuff. Youth tends to be able to bring out his more creative and psychedelic side which I love. I like that they decided to mix the production of The Fireman with Paul actually singing. The first album is really a compilation of different mixes of the same song but I love it, it’s kind a good vibe to get lost in, and Rushes is pretty enjoyable as an ambient piece.
“Also there is Paul’s Liverpool Sound Collage, which is a really far out trippy record that is a mix of Paul, Super Furry Animals and Youth along with snippets of Beatles recordings and chats and Paul walking around Liverpool asking people questions. It’s super cool if you’re into the weirder stuff.”
Some have suggested that Electric Arguments is more a collection of songs rather than a full-blown thematically charged album. A fan wrote: “Electric Arguments is essentially a regular McCartney LP, with Paul on instruments like he was on McCartney and McCartney II, only collaborating with Youth directly as a producer. It’s a collection of songs and not an entire piece to be consumed as a single unit. Sing the Changes is definitely a highlight. I’d recommend it as a middling album for those who have the bigger LPs across the spectrum.”
In a four-star review of Electric Arguments, we praised Youth for producing an album that challenged McCartney’s consistent musical themes. The review reads: “Rich sounds and honest instrumental spectacle are at the core of Electric Arguments. Dig into some of McCartney’s very best writings this century. Songs like Is This Love?, don’t just challenge his perception of domesticity, a constant of his songs since Ram, but evolve the meaning, they have a firmer grasp because Youth dares to nudge McCartney in a new direction. Godrich did the same.
“McCartney can get too comfortable in the studio. It’s what made his output in the 1980s so underwhelming. But give the Let It Be hitmaker an opposing force in the studio, be it John Lennon or Elvis Costello, and the best of his work comes through. Electric Arguments is a magnificent turnaround from the first Youth remix album. From a measly remixing of Off the Ground to a defiant subversion of all those classic McCartney sounds. The Fireman project ends with a monumental third album. An instrumentally rich powerhouse.”
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