See, I think just the opposite. I think Paul (as he so often does) was trying to stay hip and up with the times with 'McCartney 2'. The 80's were in full swing and I feel he thought to himself that he'd better conform with the times. Trying to please the public when he had no business dabbling in that crap. It obviously showed.
What?
How can you possibly consider McCartney II to be remotely 'hip' or commercial, or to be 'conforming with the times'? Where in fantasyland is this true? The album was recorded in 1979. Let's see.
Here is a list of the twenty best selling singles of 1979:
# "My Sharona" - The Knack (Highest position: #1)
# "Le Freak" - Chic (#1)
# "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?" - Rod Stewart (#1)
# "Bad Girls" - Donna Summer (#1)
# "YMCA" - Village People (#2)
# "Reunited" - Peaches & Herb (#1)
# "Ring My Bell" - Anita Ward (#1)
# "I Will Survive" - Gloria Gaynor (#1)
# "Too Much Heaven" - Bee Gees (#1)
# "Hot Stuff" - Donna Summer (#1)
# "Sad Eyes" - Robert John (#1)
# "What A Fool Believes" - The Doobie Brothers (#1)
# "Heart Of Glass" - Blondie (#1)
# "Fire" - Pointer Sisters (#2)
# "Good Times" - Chic (#1)
# "Tragedy" - Bee Gees (#1)
# "A Little More Love" - Olivia Newton-John (#3)
# "Knock On Wood" - Amii Stewart (#1)
# "Babe" - Styx (#1)
# "Shake Your Body" - The Jacksons (#1)
Now please tell me, in this list of mostly upbeat Disco and New Wave songs, that pretty much represents the popular trends of the time, where exactly does 'On The Way' or 'Bogey Music' fit? What exactly makes them 'hip'?
Answer: The album was as non-commercial and out-of-touch as it possibly could be. Even the record company saw that, and insisted the live version of 'Coming Up' be released as a single, and included as a bonus with the the LP. You think he was "Trying to please the public" with this crap? What public? I think you've put no thought into it at all, and you're just regurgitating catch phrases.