Milestones: Classic Albums Revisited - The Cultute of Pop, DVD, Movie, TV, Pop Culture Review

Milestones: Classic Albums Revisited

Posted: Sat, 4 Jun 2011 3:12:10 PDT

McCartney-Apple Records

Some 40 summers ago, one of the first albums I purchased with my allowance was the solo debut from my favorite ex-Beatle. In the midst of business and personal tensions with his old mates that eventually drove them apart, Paul McCartney opted to mostly chuck the familiar confines of the legendary Abbey Road studios he called home for the previous 8 years and record his first album entirely on his own.

Save for a few sessions there and at Morgan Studios, McCartney was produced almost exclusively on a four track (!) recorder he had hauled to his London home (those things were huge in size back in the day, kids). Playing everything from wine glasses to a toy xylophone along with his impeccable skills on both bass and guitar, Macca (along with beloved wife Linda McCartney on harmonies) created a simple yet charmingly effective set of songs that ranged from genteel (Every Night, Junk) to rockin' (Ooh You, and the classic Maybe I'm Amazed, recently revived by American Idol Season 10 favorite James Durbin).

Roundly dismissed by critics at the time of its 1970 release, McCartney has gone past cult status to bonafide classic, especially after Oscar winning director Cameron Crowe featured two of its cuts on the soundtrack to Jerry Maguire (Momma Miss America, Singalong Junk). But what makes this album still a keeper for me, is the variety of styles it incorporates, a trademark that made The Beatles the legendary band they were, and McCartney was a driving force in that aspect; they never made same record twice, and that same philosophy permeates his first as a solo act.

From country inspired pop (Man We Was Lonely, covered by McCartney hero Johnny Cash) to folk (Teddy Boy, an undeserved reject from the Let It Be sessons) to experimental (the African flavored Kreen-Akore) and surrounded by the aforementioned tunes previous, McCartney is the sonic equivalent of comfort food for all tastes....and unlike a tub of birthday cake flavored ice cream, it's not bad for you.

Devotees already know its charms, but for the uninitiated, McCartney is a hidden gem just waiting to be rediscovered by a new generation. Despite the polish of later classic McCartney albums like Band On The Run, its heart more than lives up to the standards of “an act you've known for all these years".

McCartney re-appears as a special two CD reissue this Tuesday, June 7th from Concord Music/Hear Records:

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