Paul McCartney named his first solo album, one where he wrote all the songs and played all the instruments, simply McCartney when released in 1970 on the heels of The Beatles breakup. When he next recorded an album in that truly solo fashion 10 years later, he naturally named it McCartney II.
Videos by American Songwriter
While the first McCartney record was very much a back-to-basics, pastoral record, McCartney II found the former Beatle trying out new recording techniques and experimental ideas. Let’s look back at McCartney II, which left some folks scratching their heads upon its release, but has only seen its reputation rise in the years since.
From Wings Over America to Just Plain Over
Even though McCartney started recording McCartney II not long after the sessions for what would turn out to be the last Wings album Back to the Egg (1979), it did not officially represent the end of that band. McCartney had intended to go back to Wings following the solo album release. But after the band went through some lackluster sessions for their next intended record, McCartney decided to move forward without them.
But even before all that, Macca had been feeling stressed out about the pressure of churning out Wings product. He decided to retire to one of his farmhouses in England to start recording on his own. A 16-track recorder was delivered to the location so he could make this happen.
For the most part, McCartney built the tracks from scratch, with only a few minimal song ideas in his pocket when he began. He toyed with various synthesizers and sequencers, enjoying the freedom of the new approach. Although he churned out enough material for a double album, he ultimately decided to shave it down to a leaner 12 tracks and a single disc.
A Big Hit Leads the Way
It’s very possible McCartney II would have been a massive commercial flop if not for two contingencies taken out by the artist. First, McCartney put his all into promoting the record through a series of interviews. (He was also trying to buff up his reputation after a drug arrest in Japan in the beginning of 1980.)
Even more important, he made sure he’d introduce this new phase with a killer single. Even with one man playing all the instruments, “Coming Up” delivered an irresistible groove and a buoyant message and melody. Allegedly, when John Lennon heard the song, it helped light a fire inside him to record again for the first time in years.
McCartney also made sure to temper some of the more out-there moments with some of his tried-and-true songwriting tendencies. For example, the bizarrely robotic and frenetically entertaining “Temporary Secretary” is followed up by the after-hours blues of “On the Way.” Yes, there are a few instrumentals and near-instrumentals that cleanse the audio palette. But then Macca drops back in with lusciously melodic ballads like “Waterfalls” and “One of These Days.” McCartney II manages to smoothly traverse the distance between the exotic and the familiar, thanks to its creator’s steady hand.
Another Sequel
With Wings officially kaput via a 1981 announcement, McCartney decided that starting up another band, with all its attendant headaches, wouldn’t be in his best interests. Even though it wasn’t meant to do so, McCartney II became the jump-starter for his solo career, even though he wouldn’t return to its one-man-army approach for a long while. His next album, Tug of War (1982), set him on a path of recording albums with different instrumentalists, producers, and even occasionally songwriters, with each new release.
But McCartney wasn’t quite done with the McCartney album series, as it turned out. In 2020, he released McCartney III, which somehow combined the bucolic instincts of his first DIY record with the experimental tendencies of the second. Taken as a group, these albums represent a kind of fearless mindset to solo recording occasionally taken by Paul McCartney, a mindset which has produced some revelatory results.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Photo by David Redfern/Redferns
