Review Summary: Macca recorded and released songs he used to sing in the bathroom.
Story goes something like this: Beatles were beset by arguing, tensions, competitions, ego clashes, and McCartney tried to save them. He was going: "We had to do something, we are the Beatles". He was not content with other members' "I don't give a f*ck" thing.
That's why he recorded his solo. And that's why I expected more from the man who did the most of "Abbey Road". "McCartney" is a pleasant lightweight record. I expected bigger drive, bigger competitive effort, at least more "I'm better than John" kind of thing, but these ingredients are (mostly but luckily?) absent. These songs can be heard anywhere, no one would complain about them, but also they'd hardly win any attention. Harrison and Lennon produced more dangerous debut albums, Lennon spitting anger all over and singing about isolation, Harrison celebrated Hare Krishna (which could make some controversies in conservative audience) and recording a triple album, in my opinion provocatively sounded like Beatles in all but in the name, like a student who learnt all the lections from his teachers and now is about to surpass them.
That is main problem with McCartney: album lacks the ambition. I can't help myself; some songs are recorded and released just to be recorded and released, I see no other motivation, no other personal reason why he did it. I have some doubts about "Plastic Ono Band", but I see clearly Lennon had to do that, he had some demons inside him, no matter that some songs on POB are strange, to be polite.
It is OK to be laid back, and to sing some unnpretensions songs, but McCartney in my opinion crossed line between "take it easy" attitude and boredom. I can't understand "Kreeen Akrore", the closing track, what is this doing on the album? A couple of minutes of boredom, I suppose. And "Lovely Linda": I see this: Paul thinks: "John sings about Yoko all the time, but I have a girl, too, and I am going to show it, motherf*cker." "Momma Miss America", Macca Mister Filler.
I'm not kind of guy who will be delighted by the fact that McCartney played most of instruments on this album. So what? Paul, you are rich enough, get some good session men. They could help you.
Okay, the album has some classics. The best of all, the album's pinnacle, "Maybe I'm Amazed". Then, "Every Night", "That Would Be Something", "Man We Was Lonely", "Teddy Boy" - these songs are album's spine. That's why all I said before in this review should be taken not so granted, that's why it's okay to give this album a chance.
Maybe it is not fair of me to expect all the time everything new and everything bombastic and extremely brilliant from the man capable of all these things. Maybe McCartney just needed to have fun, good time, to write some songs, record them, enjoy all over the process and then record some great albums. This record shows he wasn't perfect but for proofs of greatness, look for "Flaming Pie" or "Band On The Run".
