THE Guinness Book Of Records recently announced that Sir Paul McCartney had become the world's most successful songwriter. The former Beatle has written or co-written 188 charted records (although Guinness doesn't specify which chart), of which 91 reached the Top 10 and 33 made it to number one.
That's not bad for someone who's been so equally loved and reviled by the public.
As much as he is many people's favourite Beatle, he's also equally as often their least favourite.
Paul is not the ``cool'' Beatle to like. After all, many argue, this is the man who unleashed such sappy schmaltz as Maxwell's Silver Hammer, Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da, Martha My Dear, and Honey Pie.
These people tend to forget Sir Paul was responsible for such edgy Beatles numbers as Helter Skelter, Back In The USSR, Get Back, and She Came In Through The Bathroom Window.
But then there's the problem of post-Beatles work. Whereas Lennon and Harrison mostly sang about making the world a better place and Ringo just hammed it up, Sir Paul filled the world with silly love songs (and what's wrong with that, I'd like to know?).
So, your honour, in defence of Sir Paul's post-Beatles career with Wings and as a solo artist, here are five great moments to remind you to let Paul be.
Maybe I'm Amazed (1970)
THERE'S something special about this beautiful ballad, but it's hard to work out exactly what it is. There's the gorgeous verse melody, the Little Richard-style chorus, the simple arrangement and those little pauses where the song seemingly takes a breath in between pouring out its little heart. The outro is pretty killer too, but somehow this is a song that is even greater than the sum of its parts. It's that magical quality that contributed to it achieving number 338 in Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time list - the only post-Fab Four McCartney song on the list.
Live And Let Die (1973)
BEST. Bond. Theme. Ever. By reteaming with long-time Beatles producer George Martin, who also arranged the orchestral parts, McCartney created a Sgt Pepper's-meets-007 rocker that married bombastic strings with killer riffs. This style of Bond theme was unheard of at the time but has been replicated a few times since, most recently by Jack White (mind you, no one else has been game to follow McCartney's lead and chuck in an eight-bar reggae break). Guns 'n' Roses' incredibly faithful version is pretty cool too, as is the Bond film of the same name.
Band On The Run (1974)
EVEN John Lennon said this was a great song on a great album and he wasn't always McCartney's biggest supporter. Band On The Run is the best of the Wings albums and among the best of any of the Fab Four's post-Beatles output. The title track recalls the cut and paste of such Beatles numbers as A Day In The Life and the second half of Abbey Road. McCartney took three unfinished songs, put them together and created the album's magnum opus. The most visual McCartney tune since Penny Lane, it captures it's themes both lyrically and musically, opening with a forlorn prisoner in a cell, the plans to escape, and then a symphonic blast as the band goes on the run.
Coming Up (1980)
RELEASED originally on his third solo album, the confusingly titled McCartney II, Coming Up was put out as a single. Rather than play the album version, DJs began flipping the record and playing the live Wings version on the b-side, which turned it into a hit. A spritely and funky tune, it was a much-needed upbeat hit for McCartney who hadn't had a chart-topper since the critically reviled Mull Of Kintyre in 1977. The film clip, which used some now-antique video trickery, remains a favourite and featured 10 Pauls and two Linda McCartneys playing the song in a suitably fun way.
Fine Line (2005)
MUSIC critics over-use the term ``return to form'' but it was perhaps fitting in the case of McCartney's Nigel Godrich-produced album Chaos And Creation In The Backyard. It's the opening track that really yells ``I'm back!''. With it's jaunty chords and pile of catchy melodies, Fine Line is the kind of timeless piano-pop that McCartney does so well. It sounds like an unlucky leftover from Revolver. It even gave McCartney his first British top 20 in almost a decade - not bad for a 63-year-old.
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