Too Many People - A great opener. Love Paul's vocal on this one, and Linda complements him well. A feisty polemic with a barbed if oblique sideswipe at John & Yoko, it rolls along to a great country beat. Less impressed by the messy, unravelling guitar work but the overall feel is very encouraging.
3 Legs - A bluesy plodder which I'm not so fond of to be honest. I like the reverb and the change of tempo at 2:14 redeems it from becoming one dimensional and over repetitive, gives it an extra layer which is nice. Must have caused embarrassment if it ever came on the radio whilst Paul and Heather were snuggling up together on the sofa.
Ram On - A bit of filler to be honest, but superior grade filler all the same. I like the nod to Paul's Hamburg stage name. The sort of fragment which wouldn't have sounded out of place on "McCartney" yet more attention was clearly taken here - the big difference between "Ram" and its predecessor. Nice little linking track.
Dear Boy - A real grower... I used to dismiss this one out of hand but it gradually got a hold of me. Nice melody, smooth vocals and a charming piano accompaniment. The lilting backing harmonies really embellish this soothing little gem.
Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey - Classic McCartney. The kind of breathtakingly well crafted mini suite that few but Paul could carry off with such panache (remember "You Never Give Me Your Money"?). From the lullaby opening, via that carefully placed cloudburst and the ringing trimphone, on through the clipped military voice down the telephone and into that wonderfully infectious "Hands across the water" recurring anthemic chorus which weaves in and around "Admiral Halsey" and the cheeky bit of scouse "butter pie" bickering en route to the foot-tapping "Live a little be a gypsy get around" catchy break, the whole thing is brilliantly and lovingly woven into little short of a minor masterpiece. Fantastic concoction and an impressive testament to Paul's amazing talent and versatility.
Smile Away - Hate the cross fade from the previous track, but once this one immediately gets into its stride (thanks to an addictively catchy backing vocal) Paul leads us through a bouncy bopper with daft lyrics and an irresistible tune. Drums and guitar dovetail into a jaunty rocker and it's fun to hear Paul loosen up. Surely impossible to dislike.
Heart Of The Country - The sort of track which some find cloying and twee, but which I find happy and uplifting. A sweet little number with Paul nearing the top of his register to deliver a happy, homely little song.
Monkberry Moon Delight - An abrupt 180 degree turn from the previous song, with its nonsense lyrics (should that bother us? The Walrus was Paul remember!) and driving rhythm, Paul now showcases a by turns rasping, raucous, wailing and at times even screeching vocal which just occasionally strains the ears, accompanied by a strangely compelling (to me at least) backing vocal from Linda. Love the music throughout and whilst I agree it overruns a little, I really relish this barnstormer.
Eat At Home - My guilty pleasure in a way... don't ask me why, but this could almost be my favourite track on the whole album. There's just something magnetic about it, the chugging rhythm, the funky guitar, the elastic bass, the drum breaks, the irresistibly catchy vocals. Paul and Linda sound like they're having a ball and I guess the enjoyment just overflows and takes me under. Great track which I can never play just once, always have to immediately repeat it.
Long Haired Lady - It would be unrealistic to expect the momentum to keep going I suppose, and whilst it doesn't exactly hit the buffers, "Ram" takes a bit of a dip here for me. It's not a bad song by any means, in fact if you listen to it it has a strong George Harrison flavour about it, both melodically and lyrically. Dare I say George might have made a better fist of this one than Paul does... Macca never gets fully into his vocal stride and for the first time on the album Linda's backing is truly awful. OK, but the track I'd be most tempted to skip if I'm honest.
Ram On (Reprise) - The mini reprise was a beloved device of Paul's, whether it be "Sgt Pepper", "You Never Give Me Your Money" or "Junk". Here he goes again, although whereas the previous examples added something in each case and skilfully wove a gently underpinning motif into the fabric of those earlier albums, this just sounds awkwardly superfluous. A pointless bit of padding in my opinion.
The Backseat Of My Car - OK, I know I raved about "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey". I know I raved about "Monkberry Moon Delight". I know I raved about the hidden gem that is "Eat At Home". But "The Back Seat Of My Car" is a truly stupendous slab of McCartney genius. It's truly fantastic. Paul's vocal is absolutely superb. The backing is great. The orchestral input, piano, drums and guitar are perfectly balanced. If anyone ever tells you Paul wasted his solo talent, play them this. For me it shreds "Maybe I'm Amazed" to ribbons. Love the snappy little coda tagged on at the finish.
Well there we are. A marvellous album. Bafflingly derided by some (what on EARTH were Roy Carr and Tony Tyler thinking about in their "Illustrated Record"??) but increasingly recognised as the years go by as a true milestone and a jewel in Paul's solo canon of work. It dwarfs the McCartney offerings either side of it.