Paul McCartney might be best known as The Beatles’ bassist and one-half of its principal songwriting duo. However, he also penned and performed quite a few excellent guitar tracks during his time with the Fab Four. George Harrison will always be known as the guitarist who elevated The Beatles’ work, but McCartney was no guitarist to sneeze at. And while his guitar abilities really shone in his work with Wings, he did put out a few electrifying guitar tracks on The Beatles’ songs. Let’s look at just a few examples, shall we?
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“Drive My Car” (1965)
Remember this R&B-leaning jam from Rubber Soul? George Harrison, the band’s guitarist, played lead guitar on this one, as he usually did. However, Paul McCartney takes on the slide guitar on this one. And the whole of “Drive My Car” works gorgeously with those two guitar elements. McCartney told Harrison what to play on lead, which wasn’t very different from what McCartney would be playing on the bass. Honestly, McCartney really took over the song this time, but the result just can’t be hated. “Drive My Car” is an excellent rock song with killer solos that can’t be beat.
“Helter Skelter” (1968)
This song from the White Album has unfortunately been tainted by the Manson Murders, and that’s an enormous shame. This is a genuinely good song, and often considered by music historians to be one of the first heavy metal songs ever made. And we can thank Paul McCartney for much of that, as his guitar track, duelling almost violently against Harrison’s, is an absolutely trip from beginning to end. Even the rhythm section of the song boasts a feral McCartney, going at the guitar like a man crazed, ready to break some strings.
“Good Morning Good Morning” (1967)
This somewhat underrated gem from Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band was written by John Lennon. However, it was Paul McCartney’s guitar solo on that Fender Esquire that really made the song so good. Honestly, his solo is so explosive and psychedelic that it almost overpowers the rest of the song. This might just be the hardest Beatles song to cover on guitar, as McCartney’s wild abandon on that guitar track really can’t be replicated. Lennon might have written this lovely piece, but McCartney’s guitar work on it is what pulls it all together.
Photo by G Greenwell and A MacDonald /Daily Mirror/Mirrorpix via Getty Images
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