I've never been a big fan of this album but there are positive points. Brevity for a start - the whole set only runs to about 35 minutes so it never gets stuck in a boring groove for too long. And there are undoubtedly some nice harmonies on there. But as I said on another thread, there is "DIY" and then there's "Amateur" and this album always strays too close to the latter for my liking. I can appreciate why nimrod likes it, him being a fan of "Let It Be"... in my opinion the same scrappy, unfinished, half hearted sort of bittiness is what lets both albums down - a kind of doodling mess around with warm ups and outtakes. The only time this works is when such jottings are invisibly stitched together and lovingly polished (e.g. side two of "Abbey Road"). Left in this sort of disjointed state the whole thing just sounds down home lazy to me.
The Lovely Linda is a prime example of an engaging little ditty that goes nowhere then fizzles out. I think it's laughter at the end. It would have been nice if this had been fleshed out into a more meaty number (sorry Paul & Linda - couldn't resist that
) instead it sets the dilettantish tone for the rest of the album.
That Would Be Something - monotonous, repetitive - Paul locked in his own little groove. Inoffensive but rather boring.
Valentine Day - please bear in mind that I am NOT a musician, so wouldn't dream of trying to dissect or criticise the technical aspects of musicianship. You will understand then, that for an instrumental to do anything for me it has to grab my ears with a catchy riff or an appealing sound. This doesn't. self indulgent, forgettable doodling is all I hear I'm afraid. Could be "good" for all I know? Sorry - boresville.
Every Night Aahh - now we're talking - a proper song at last! and not half bad either. Good melody and the lyrics give some insight as to the way Paul feels rather lost and rudderless without his three fellow fabs beside him. What's the point? Linda, that's what! A nice track - I would have liked more of the album to follow in this vein.
Hot As Sun / Glasses - more pointless instrumentation.... pure filler, though the abominable racket that is "Glasses" actually makes the very pedestrian "Hot As Sun" sound half decent.
Junk - possibly the album's highlight for me. A truly beautiful melody and Paul's delicate vocal is superb. Sadly it suffers from the mood which prevails throughout "McCartney" by dwindling away to a half hearted, improvised conclusion. But a lovely meandering little song.
Man We Was Lonely was nominated by no less a giant than the mighty Johnny Cash as just about the most "country" thing he'd ever heard. It's not a bad number to be fair, notwithstanding Linda's dodgy backing vocal and Paul adopting one of those slightly irksome singing voices ( a la "She's A Woman") from his own vocal repertoire. Still it encapsulates the stompalong hoe-down mood of the album and I must confess to rather liking that sloppy steel guitar sound which fits right in with the C&W theme.
Oo You more improvised jamming. Not bad (I like the guitar and Paul's vocal is OK) but once again, not properly thought through with an abrupt ending as though he'd got bored and abandoned the track on a whim.
Momma Miss America like "McCartney II", "McCartney" is cursed with too many instrumentals. Forgiveable to some extent - Paul wanted to indulge himself and fiddle around trying out his studio amongst the hay bales and the sheep sh*t. Did he have to drag us along for the tractor ride though? Forgettable straw padding which I could comfortably do without.
Teddy Boy I don't mind this one although I can see why John reportedly vetoed it as a Beatles release. Twee, lightweight, almost timid. But quite catchy and appealing in its own way and I think tkitna summed it up perfectly. A guilty pleasure for me too and undoubtedly elevated by Linda's backing vocal.
Singalong Junk as I said earlier, it really is a beautiful melody. But the extra clout this (yet again instrumental) version carries is outweighed by Paul's sublime freewheeling butterfly vocal on "Junk" which therefore eclipses this as the better version for me.
Maybe I'm Amazed - yes, the most "complete" fully-formed song on the album, and it therefore stands out amidst most of the tracks rubbing shoulders with it. But if it had surfaced on "Ram" I still say it would have been no more than average. As it is, it's a nice song - good vocals and lyrics and I like the guitar though I've never cared for that ominously escalating piano which I nevertheless appreciate is part of its magic to some people. A dear friend of mine, a Beatles fan who particularly loves Macca, cites this as her all time favourite song by anyone, ever. To me it's another "Yesterday" - one of the most overrated songs Paul ever gave us. That's not to say I dislike it, it's a nice number.
Kreen Akrore by contrast is absolutely terrible. Dreadful. Garbage.... or perhaps "Absolute Junk" which would have made a better title
Overall, I cut Paul a bit of slack seeing as how he was at a vulnerable low ebb and, seen (wrongly) by the public as the man who walked out on his three bandmates and with the other ex-Beatles seemingly aligned against him, was very much on the defensive back in 1970.
But he was and is capable of so much better.