McCartney II Monroe NC

McCartney II

Paul McCartney

Capitol, 1980

REVIEW BY: Jeff Clutterbuck

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 07/13/2007

Listening to McCartney II is akin to being a 2007 Phoenix Suns fan; sure, it was entertaining, but given the second round exit was it really worth it?

After a short jail stay in Japan due to a marijuana bust, Paul McCartney essentially went back to square one. His former touring band Wings was, for all intents and purposes, disbanded. His commercial fortunes, while far from being bleak, were not up to Macca’s previous standards. So, with nothing but time on his hands, the former Beatle set about recording McCartney II.

Performance-wise, both of the McCartneys are quite similar. Both feature Paul practically playing all the instruments and having written all the songs. Unfortunately, the similarities also extend to the quality of the music itself.

Sometimes I really have to wonder what could have happened had McCartney actually taken some time between albums and put some genuine thought into what he was creating. Interesting moments occur frequently throughout McCartney II, but nothing approaches the complexity of a “Maybe I’m Amazed” or “Band On The Run.”