FEATURE:
Second Spin
Paul McCartney – McCartney II
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WHEN it comes to albums that…
IN THIS PHOTO: Paul McCartney in 1980/PHOTO CREDIT: Hulton Archive, Getty Images
have divided people, not many have done it as extremely as Paul McCartney’s McCartney II. Some write the album off as experimental workings with only a few decent moments; too many weird songs that should not have been released. It was McCartney second solo studio album and, following the dissolvement of his band, Wings, he was keen to keep busy – Wings ended in 1981 and the recording of McCartney II occurred in 1979. Regardless, McCartney was reacting to the split of Wings in 1979 like he did with the split of The Beatles when he released the original McCartney in 1970. Released on 16th May, 1980, the album is much-underrated. Apart from Linda McCartney providing some backing vocals, Paul McCartney did everything himself, and the album was a radical departure from his work with Wings, or what we heard on his debut solo album – in fact, I don’t think McCartney put out anything as radical and unexpected since McCartney II! With some serious synthesiser work and experimentation, McCartney was taking from New Wave and Electronica and doing things his own way! I love how McCartney always reacts to what is happening in music and never really rests on his laurels. With little more than a 16-track recorder and some microphones, there is this delightful lo-fi sound to the album that very much differs to his work with The Beatles, and what was around in 1980 for that matter.
It is amazing to think about the story behind McCartney II, and what could have happened if events had worked out differently. Wings’ final album, Back to the Egg, of 1979 must have been quite emotional for McCartney, who must have known that the band were on their final legs. He went home to his farm in north Scotland, and he started working on some private recordings in July 1979. To him, there was no intention to release an album, but McCartney wanted to keep busy and was not quite sure what to do with himself. McCartney had up to twenty songs completed, and he then looked ahead to Wings’ U.K. tour of November and December. McCartney was allowed back into Japan after years of Visa issues, and this was his first trip to the country after performing with The Beatles there in 1966! When he arrived in Japan, customs searched him and found a massive amount of weed in his possession. McCartney was arrested and spent nine days in jail; Wings had to cancel the tour, and it was a major blow, as there was huge anticipation in the Japan for Wings’ arrival. Maybe Wings would have continued if the tour had gone well; McCartney might have had this new urge to write and record with them but, returning home, he pondered his future and this is where his shelved solo recordings came in.
It was inevitable McCartney would want to record and release an album after such a difficult period, and a new Wings album was not really on the cards. Some people wonder why McCartney did not rework the songs for McCartney II, as there are a few sketches that are not really complete or that appealing. I think a lot of contemporary reviews were very unfair, and critics wanted to attack McCartney or could not accept anything that wasn’t Beatle-esque. Yes, there are some songs that never resonate or sound that great – such as Frozen Jap, and Bogey Music -, but there is plenty to like in an album that, since 1980 has received greater positivity. I still think many critics are overly-harsh towards the album, but consider the fact that bands like Hot Chip are inspired by McCartney II; the album was forward-thinking and unlike anything around in 1980. With Coming Up, and Temporary Secretary opening the album, here are two great McCartney cuts – the former found a fan in his Beatles brother, John Lennon (who very rarely dished out compliments to McCartney, and was not that impressed by the rest of the album). Waterfalls, and Nobody Knows are great tracks, the first half is really eclectic and strong. I do love the weirdness and synth sounds on Temporary Secretary, and the sheer brilliance of Coming Up, and how he does naked and emotional with Waterfalls – even if the track does suffer a little from under-production.
On the second side, Front Parlour, and One of These Days provides gold, but there are a few weaker tracks that mean McCartney II is top-heavy/front-loaded. Tracks that did not feature on the album such as Blue Sway, and Check My Machine are excellent, and I think the album would have got more love if they replaced two of the inferior songs on the second side. The fact McCartney was so prolific and inventive should be commended. So many people have just taken a track or two from the album and dismissed the rest. As it has been forty years since McCartney II’s release, the musical landscape has changed, and I think one can look back and actually see how many people were influenced by that album! I think there is an argument to suggest that some songs would have been stronger without vocals – Darkroom, and Bogey Music are prime examples. Faults and all, I think McCartney II is a really interesting and strong album that boasts at least five or six truly awesome tracks. The fact McCartney released it all, put it all together by himself and merely plugged microphones into the back of a recorder and was not using a mixing desk is amazing – and I really do like the homemade feel of the album. AllMusic are one of the sites that have given it a retrospective review, and I disagree with their almost casual dismissal of McCartney II:
“Entitled McCartney II because its one-man band approach mirrors that of his first solo album, Paul McCartney's first record since the breakup of Wings was greeted upon its release as a return to form, especially since its synth-heavy arrangements seemed to represent his acceptance of new wave. In retrospect, the record is muddled and confused, nowhere more so than on the frazzled sequencing of "Temporary Secretary," where McCartney spits out ridiculous lyrics with a self-consciously atonal melody over gurgling synths.
Things rarely get worse than that, and occasionally, as in the effortless hooks of "Coming Up," the record is quite enjoyable. Nevertheless, the majority of McCartney II is forced, and its lack of memorable melodies is accentuated by the stiff electronics, which were not innovative at the time and are even more awkward in the present. At least McCartney II finds Paul in an adventurous state of mind, which is a relief after years of formulaic pop. In some ways, the fact that he was trying was more relevant than the fact that the experiments failed”.
This 2011 review from Pitchfork offers more positives I feel:
“Elsewhere on the album, McCartney remains similarly difficult to pigeonhole. If I told you the instrumental "Front Parlour", with its tinny drum machine and sunny keyboard melody, was a 2009 blog hit by a lo-fi synth act, you'd likely believe me. And then there's "Temporary Secretary", a frankly irritating but still interesting song that combines frenzied synth programming with a self-consciously bizarre vocal-- McCartney sings as nasally as possible on the refrain, and tweaks it to sound robotic. Other songs turn away from this type of maximalist approach. "Summer's Day Song" is pretty and sparse, featuring just McCartney and a few keyboards. TLC-presaging single "Waterfalls" is even more bare, only McCartney and an electric piano, with a tiny dollop of synth and acoustic guitar.
Two other songs stand out on McCartney II, and they're as distinct from each other as this record is from McCartney. Album closer "One of These Days" is simply great, benefiting from a rudimentary approach that strips away the synths and drum machines that dominate McCartney II. Bonus track "Secret Friend", included on the second disc of this reissue, is also pretty jaw-dropping-- a 10-minute, beat-driven synth opus that shares plenty in common aesthetically with dance music a decade its junior. Though relegated to the B-side of the "Temporary Secretary" single, "Secret Friend" is among the most forward-looking things McCartney has recorded in his post-Beatles career”.
I have a lot of love for McCartney II, but I can see why some people overlook it, as there are songs that seem half-finished, and others that would have benefited from more time and thought. The classics from the album – Coming Up, Temporary Secretary, and Waterfalls among them – show that one cannot call McCartney II bad. I think it deserves a second spin, and, forty years after its release, I feel critics might be a bit kinder to it. Like all of Paul McCartney’s albums, it is clear that one could…
NEVER predict what he’d do next