The Mac is Back: McCartney III

The old hack Mac is back with an 11-track crack at another self-produced album, McCartney III. This time, however, it's gone to number one - a feat Paul last achieved with a solo album over three decades ago.

Now, before we tuck into the music itself, I have a partiality to declare in case I'm hung drawn and quartered in the nearby town square by a rabble of rabid Beatles fans, for calling Paul an old hack. I am, actually, a Beatle-head, too, and like many of us, Paul's music has been a soundtrack to my life, ever since I can remember.

That ring-kiss aside, I think it makes sense to run a quick crash course in Paul's creative journey thus far, to get everyone up to speed. Then, we'll crescendo with a nice album review so everyone walks away feeling well-fed.

In the spirit of extending that laboured food metaphor, I think its safe to say Paul was the cheese to John's onion, in The Beatles. For the most part, Paul gave us many of the foot-stompers, the singalong choruses, and the jovial lyrics. John, meanwhile - particularly in later years - gave us the raw emotion, the authentic story, and the political commentary. Paul's song writing really began to mature, however, in the post-Rubber Soul era, with personal favourites including Got To Get You Into My Life, Fixing A Hole, and I Me Mine. 

After the Fab Four split in April 1970, Paul's career, like the rest of the group's (well, except Ringo's of course - bar the Thomas the Tank engine gig) remained colourful and electric . In April 1970, while The Beatles cadaver was still warm, our man Maccer dropped the first instalment in what would eventually become a trilogy of solo LPs - titled, "Mccartney". True to Paul's style, the debut punt was simple, quaint, and rather pretty. Hot on the heels of that release, while not part of the trilogy, came Ram, which opens with Too Many People - a potent stab at Lennon for, as Paul sees it, breaking up the band. Unfortunately for some, this attitude didn't stick around for the rest of the album, which received mixed reviews.

Throughout the 70s, Paul continued to be a prolific and successful musician, forming Wings, and bagging five consecutive number one albums, including the critically acclaimed Band on the Run in 1973, and Wings at the Speed of Sound in 1976.

By the 80s, Paul had released the second instalment of his solo trilogy, Mccartney II, which was a precursor for the disbandment of Wings, as well as, arguably, the pop sound of the 80s.

This brings us to present day, Mccartney III, which was recorded at Maccers' home studio in Sussex, during, as he puts it, COVID-19 "Rockdown".

This self-produced LP was a "house keeping" project for Paul - comprised of song fragments that had been knocking around in the locker for some time, before a decision was made to have a clean out, finish them, and whack them on a disc.

The record opens with a rather annoying jam, called Long Tailed Winter Bird, which sounds a bit like an angry captain hook playing a left handed guitar.

The second song, Find My Way, has a catchy melody and riff, with a satisfying sound, which is thick and grainy, like drinking a mug of boiling water with undissolved bisto. The only issue with that is, if you want to look cool or modern, don't go around knocking up mugs of bisto and water, dissolved or otherwise.

This seems to be a common thread on Mccartney III. It feels as though Paul is really trying to produce music that is young and hip, but in failing to do so, the album's authenticity is impacted. Listen to Lavatory Lil, Slidin' and Deep Down, and you'll see what I mean. A part of me wishes Paul would just embrace his age, his wisdom - like Dylan and Cohen do and did - and channel it into the sound.

Arguably, he does that very briefly on Kiss of Venus. This is my favourite moment on the LP, and was inspired by a book on the movement of the celestial bodies. It features a regal harpsichord, and showcases the mature, sophisticated and beautifully simplistic style of music that made me fall in love with Paul from the very start (not literally).

Around the midway point of the album, comes a track called Deep Deep Feeling, which while melodically vanilla, should be commended for its level of experimentation. An 8 minute song, deploying a Brenall 1/4" reel-to-reel to layer 40 guitar tracks for each chord, creating a guitar orchestra of sorts, should be respected for its chutzpah. This is as close to cool as Mccartney III gets.

Overall, the album is worth a listen. The sound Paul has achieved, at 78, on his own is impressive. Its rich, textured, and at times, experimental. However, don't dig too deep. There isn't much in the way of content. Think of it as a chocolate Easter egg - sweet on the outside, but lacking in substance all the way through. You'd be forgiven for wondering whether an album of this standard would reach number one under a breakthrough artist.

Either way, lets not forget we are honoured to still have minds like Paul's around. May he stick around for many albums to come, so we can put our feet up by the fire, tuck in to a steaming mug of hot water and bisto, and revel in how comforted it makes us feel.