Paul McCartney 1969, credit: Linda McCartney
Could Paul McCartney have launched a successful career in 1969? All signs point to ‘yes’. The Beatles were right on the edge of breaking up in January 1969. They probably put off breaking up because they didn’t know what else to do. They certainly didn’t stay together after January 31, 1969 because they loved being in the group. However, what if George’s exit in January had been permanent? Or what if John simply went off with Yoko as I’m sure he would have preferred? Or what if Paul had grown tired of being the only one who cared?
Paul McCartney’s eventual solo career got off to a slightly shaky start. The McCartney album was good, and contained at least one career highlight, “Maybe I’m Amazed”. The other songs were Beatles leftovers, instrumentals, and half-finished ditties. Nice, but not impressive.
The fact is, by late 1969 and early 1970, when most of McCartney was recorded, Paul had used up all of his great songs from the previous year. Most of Paul’s best recent songs were already included on Abbey Road, and then Let It Be. The timing of the breakup (when John unofficially left in September 1969) was such that Paul didn’t have a big backlog of unused songs, even if there were still some gems in the making such as “The Back Seat Of My Car”.
Had the group fallen apart prior to Abbey Road, what are the chances that they would have done anything to push Let It Be along? Paul could very well have had all of those songs available to launch a solo career in 1969. Consider the contrast of the relatively informal McCartney album with an album containing “Let It Be”, “You Never Give Me Your Money”, “Two Of Us”, and “The Long And Winding Road”? Perhaps Paul would have foundered after that first album, similar to George’s “diarrhea” on All Things Must Pass. But he would have gotten an amazing start.
Try this playlist for fun and games:
- Come And Get It
- Two Of Us
- Oh Darling
- Let It Be
- Every Night
- You Never Give Me Your Money
- The Long And Winding Road
- Maxwell’s Silver Hammer
- Junk
- Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight
This is my playlist of McCartney´s hypothetical 1969 solo record. I think yours is a bit short.
Side A
1. I´ve Got a Feeling (without the John´s bit, Paul´s part it is a complete song)
2. Two Of Us
3. Oh Darling
4. Junk
5. You Never Give me Your Money
6. Maybe Im Amazed
7. Come and Get it
Side 2
1. Get Back
2. Let it Be
3. The Long and Winding Road
4. Every Night
5. She Came in Through the Bathroom Window
6. Golden Slumbers/ Carry That Weight/ The End
I didn’t include songs that were written after the breakup, so no “Maybe I’m Amazed” I should probably add it to my comp just to make it better. “She Came In Through The Bathroom Window” was an oversight. Re. “I’ve Got A Feeling”, could I really edit out “Everybody’s Had A Hard Year”? I probably could. Seems like sacrilege so I better try it.
Where McCartney is concerned, you never really know when he has a song he wrote when he was 12 hanging around. lol I think he had Love Remains hanging around for years as well as many songs which eventually became album tracks.
We all know Lennon could be a prick and he always wanted to look better than Paul. He certainly could have waited until he knew Paul had spent all his energy writing songs for Donovan, Mary Hopkin, Badfinger, Ringo etc. and other Apple artists and of course The Beatles AND McCartney I. Besides spending his energy, he’d then be depressed and Paul’s idea of being down is writing, I’m Down, not really a downer of a song. lol Paul did spend some time figuring out what he was going to do before he got going again.
Now, if Paul had to go solo after Sgt. Pepper, he’d still have made Magical Mystery Tour or at least recorded the great songs he wrote for it AND the white album. Paul was the hit writer. John could write hits, but it was Paul who wrote those memorable hooks and weaved a melody that infects you. He already recorded a demo for The Long and Winding Road during the white album sessions which is on Anthology. So, who knows what’s up his sleeve from the last 60+ years?
I just wish he’d put the b-sides/outtakes/alternates/demos etc onto those deluxe boxes since I have bought his music so many times over I am really just collecting a few tracks at high prices at this point. That’s the only reason I am buying the deluxe boxes – to have something of more value than just yet another remaster. So a full CD in the set of extra tracks would be nice instead of just 8 tracks that barely fill half a disc.
What he keeps in his cupboard/shelf is probably astonishing. He seems to be making his Archive series mostly about the original albums themselves. Adding any extra material is probably just so people like us will buy those albums again. Presumably, boxes of unreleased songs and demos are on the horizon. Hopefully, we’ll all be around for those releases.
First, I hope Paul has realized that his HP website idea of charging $$$ for rare tracks isn’t going to work for the best of fans. We want value for the money when we buy a box set. Hence, I hope that’s why the change in his website approach.
Second, I have read interview after interview and heard him sing songs live etc when he mentions that C’mon People was a song he wrote in Rishikesh, India back in 68. That has happened a ton!
I mentioned that Beatles Anthology has his 68 demo of Long and Winding Road, but it doesn’t. He did record a copy but he took it home with him. That’s not anywhere yet. But he has so many ideas, he can’t tell one from another. lol
I just wish he’d release those boxes sooner than later.