4 Must-Have Albums To Start Your Paul McCartney Vinyl Collection

Paul McCartney recently released The Boys Of Dungeon Lane, his 27th studio album since leaving The Beatles. That includes his time leading Wings and those records released only under his own name.

That’s quite a lot of vinyl from which you can choose to build your Macca collection. We think you should start with these four. They’re all classics. And they touch on almost every era in his career to give you an excellent overview of his amazing catalog.

‘Band On The Run’

It’s a fascinating hypothetical to wonder if Band On The Run would have turned out the way it did if Paul McCartney hadn’t faced all kinds of adversity (departing band members, poor recording conditions, working tapes lost in a mugging) before and while making it. With his back against the wall and critics sniping at him in all directions, Macca, with help from wife Linda and Denny Laine, delivered a stone-cold masterpiece. You can almost hear the triumph in his voice on songs like the title track, “Jet”, and “Nineteen Hundred And Eighty Five”. It’s like he knew he had the goods. The rest of the world would soon confirm it. The LP stands as Wings’ undeniable high point.

‘Tug Of War’

This was another point where McCartney stepped up when he needed it most. He had scuttled Wings when early sessions for Tug Of War didn’t go as he’d hoped. And he chose George Martin to produce. Martin kept McCartney’s feet to the fire in terms of the quality of the writing, like other producers wouldn’t have been able to do. Considering this was Paul’s first release since the death of John Lennon, scrutiny of it was extra intense. From the opening strains of the mournful title track, you can tell McCartney is on top of his game. The hits are there. But Tug Of War really soars when you get into the deeper cuts, such as the stirring ballad “Wanderlust” and “Here Today”, his moving tribute to Lennon.

‘Flaming Pie’

McCartney released the middling Off The Ground in 1993. He then took several years off from his solo stuff while he concentrated on The Beatles Anthology. As such, the 90s could have been a bit of a lost decade for him were it not for Flaming Pie. The time looking back at the work of the Fab Four seems to have inspired him in a songwriting sense. Tracks like the title cut and “The World Tonight” effortlessly recall that era. A-list producers Jeff Lynne, George Martin, and McCartney himself add just the right touches throughout. Even the special guests, like Steve Miller on “Used To Be Bad” and Ringo Starr on “Beautiful Tonight”, are expertly deployed. Even with the lengthier running time due to the CD era, this one doesn’t falter.

‘Chaos And Creation In The Backyard’

It must be tough for any producer to walk in and tell Paul McCartney what, and whatnot, to do. But Nigel Godrich, known for his work with acts like Beck and Radiohead, did just that as he helmed Chaos And Creation In The Backyard. Friction flared up between the two because of it. But the end results suggest it was worth the spats. Godrich’s suggestion that McCartney handle most of the instrumentation himself meant that the arrangements were richer and more surprising than what a full band might have produced. Meanwhile, McCartney wrote songs that could stand on a par with his best work. Even when he went dark and gloomy on standouts like “Jenny Wren” and “Riding To Vanity Fair”, the album shone.

(Photo by Kaye/Daily Herald/Mirrorpix via Getty Images)