McCartney (album)

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McCartney
Paul McCartney's studio album

Publication
(s)

April 17, 1970

Label (s) Apple / EMI / Universal Music

Format (s)

LP , MC , CD , download , app

Genre (s)

Rock music

Title (number)

13

running time

35 min 3 s

occupation

production

Paul McCartney

Studio (s)

chronology
The Family Way
(1967) 		McCartney Ram
(1971)

McCartney is the first solo album by Paul McCartney . It was released on April 17, 1970. McCartney recorded the album single-handedly and played every instrument himself. The first 100 copies of the album were accompanied by a press release written by McCartney in which he gave detailed information on the creation of the LP and on the other declared his exit from the Beatles . This made McCartney's release date the official date of the Beatles' separation.

The making of the album

In the interview with Paul McCartney in the 2011 McCartney - Deluxe Edition book , Paul McCartney mentions that the Beatles broke up during the making of the McCartney album and that he wanted to continue the musical idea of ​​the Let-It-Be album by adding Wanted to record songs with simple musical means. Paul McCartney did not originally plan to create an album. Paul McCartney described the period of differences with the other Beatles and Allen Klein as a nightmare, but found starting his family with his wife Linda as a way out, as he realized that there was a life outside the Beatles for him.

Paul McCartney had started work on his solo album around Christmas 1969. At that time he had acquired a four-track recorder from the Studer brand . The device did not have a vu meter , so McCartney had to check the correct level by listening to each recording. In the self-written press release, McCartney describes his recording equipment:

“Studer four-track machine. I only had, however, one mike, and I worked without VU meters or a mixer, which meant that everything had to be listened to first for distortion, etc, then recorded. So the answer - Studer, one mike, and nerve. "

“Studer four-track tape recorder. However, I only had one microphone and worked without a vu meter or mixer, which meant that I had to listen to everything before each recording to avoid distortion etc. So the answer is - Studer, a microphone and the courage to dare. "

- Paul McCartney, 1970

The recorder was in the corner of Paul McCartney's living room, so it was very easy to record at first. McCartney sang and played all the instruments - according to the press release, these were bass, drums, guitar, piano, mellotron, xylophone, bow and arrow - on the album. Linda McCartney sang the harmonies on some tracks in the background.

The first track McCartney recorded at his home in St. John's Wood to test his recorder was a tribute to his wife, titled The Lovely Linda . This was followed by That Would Be Something , Valentine Day (instrumental song) and Momma Miss America (instrumental song), Glasses (instrumental song) and Suicide .

The songs Teddy Boy , Oo You , Junk and Singalong Junk (instrumental song ) were started at home and finished in Morgan Studios, in nearby Willesden . Between February 10 and 12, 1970, the Morgan Studios - where McCartney used the professional eight-track recorders - continued to create the instrumentals Hot as Sun and Kreen-Akrore . McCartney also dubbed his four-track recordings on the eight-track recorders, added overdubs and made the first stereo mixes.

The final work on the songs took place in February 1970 in Studio 2 of Abbey Road Studios . On February 22nd, 1970 he recorded the two songs that would later be considered the most musically mature songs on the album: Every Night and Maybe I'm Amazed . On February 25, 1970, the last recording for the album, the song Man We Was Lonely, was made . McCartney had booked Studio 3 on Abbey Road on March 23, 1970 to do the final mixing of his album. After four hours the work was finished and the master version was ready for the press shop.

The preparations and the recordings for the album were kept secret, so Paul McCartney booked the studios under the pseudonym "Billy Martin". On March 30, 1970, BBC Radio 1 aired the program The Beatles Today , in which George Harrison mentioned in an interview that Paul McCartney was working on a solo album; from then on it was known to the public.

The song Don't Cry Baby , an instrumental version of Oo You , was mixed at Abbey Road Studios on February 24, 1970, but not used for the album. Four days after the album was released, on April 21, 1970, it was revised again in Abbey Road Studios. Only part of the song by Suicide was used for the album in which it was appended to the song Glasses. Suicide wasn't finally mixed at Hog Hill Mill Studios until May 3, 2010. Both songs were released in 2011.

Cover design

The LP appeared in a pop-up cover . All photos were from Linda McCartney . Cherries and a bowl can be seen on the front. Possibly an allusion to the English saying "Life is just a bowl of cherries" ( German : 'Life is like a bowl full of cherries'), which is supposed to express that life is beautiful. The spilled fruit would therefore be an indication that McCartney was not all that rosy at the moment.

The reverse shows a photo of Paul McCartney with his newly born daughter Mary. If you open the cover, you will find a collection of color photos, most of which show Paul McCartney in different situations.

Dispute about the release date

Paul McCartney had planned April 17, 1970 as the release date, but met with resistance from his band colleagues. On the one hand, Ringo Starr had also recorded his solo album Sentimental Journey , on the other hand, the long- running Beatles album Let It Be was finally finished under the direction of Phil Spector and should be released in April according to the will of John Lennon , George Harrison and Ringo Starr. The dispute over the release date shows how disheveled the relationship among the Beatles has become - McCartney in particular has often stood against the other three group members since he rejected their decision to appoint Allen Klein as manager of the Beatles. McCartney felt cornered and saw himself as a victim in this situation. Ringo Starr tried to mediate but was sent away by an angry McCartney.

Ringo Starr later recalled the incident like this:

“It was just two guys pouting and being silly. We had our solo albums to bring out and I said 'Mine's ready and I want to bring it out.' Paul wasn't quite ready - but he had a calendar with the date (I've forgotten the day now) marked in yellow saying, 'That's my day - I'm bringing my record out then.' ”

“We were just two guys who pouted and acted childishly. We wanted to release our solo albums and I said, 'Mine is done and I want to release it'. Paul wasn't quite ready - but he had a calendar with the date (I forgot which day it was exactly) and it was marked in yellow, 'This is my day - I'll put my album on that day Market."

- Ringo Starr, The Beatles Anthology, p. 351

In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine , McCartney commented on the quarrels in 1974:

“There was some hassle at the time. We were arguing over who had mentioned a release date first. It was all a bit petty. I'd pegged a release date, and then Let It Be was scheduled near it. I saw it as victimization, but now I'm sure it wasn't. "

“There was some argument at the time. We argued over who came up with its release date first. It was all a bit narrow-minded. I had set a date and then Let It Be was scheduled very close to my date. I felt that was a chicane, but today I'm sure it wasn't. "

- Paul McCartney, 1974

Ultimately, Paul McCartney got his way. In a hurry, Ringo Starr's album was released on March 27, 1970, and the release date for Let It Be was postponed to May 8, 1970.

Track list

page 1
  1. The Lovely Linda - 0:44
  2. That Would Be Something - 2:39
  3. Valentine Day - 1:40
  4. Every Night - 2:32
  5. Hot as Sun / Glasses - 2:07
  6. Junk - 1:55
  7. Man We Was Lonely - 2:57
Page 2
  1. Oo You - 2:49
  2. Momma Miss America - 4:05
  3. Teddy Boy - 2:23
  4. Singalong Junk - 2:35
  5. Maybe I'm Amazed - 3:51
  6. Kreen-Akrore - 4:15

Information on individual songs

  • The Lovely Linda is the first recording for the album to test the equipment, made around Christmas 1969.
  • Valentine Day is an instrumental piece.
  • Every Night was recorded for the first time in January 1969 during the Get-Back sessions with the Beatles, still unfinished, the song was composed while on vacation in Greece in 1969 and revised for the solo album, recorded on February 22, 1970 in the Abbey Road Studios.
  • Hot as Sun is one of McCartney's earliest compositions, written in 1959 during his time with the Quarrymen . The song Hot as Sun / Glasses ends with an excerpt from the song Suicide , which was only released in full in June 2011. Hot as Sun and Suicide were also recorded for the first time during the Get-Back sessions in January 1969 with the Beatles, still unfinished. When Frank Sinatra asked him for a McCartney composition, Paul McCartney suggested the piece Suicide , which Sinatra didn't like.
  • Junk was 1,968, while the Beatles in India were to there Transcendental Meditation to study. A demo version was recorded in May 1968 in the run-up to work on the album The BEATLES in George Harrison's house in Esher. This version was published on Anthology 3 . Further recordings were made in January 1969 during the Get-Back sessions with the Beatles.
  • Man We Was Lonely was the last track McCartney recorded for his album on February 25, 1970.
  • The original title of the song Momma Miss America was Rock 'n' Roll Springtime , which explains McCartney's announcement at the beginning of the piece. The song was used in the 1996 film Jerry Maguire, Game of Life .
  • Even Teddy Boy was created in 1968 during the stay in India. McCartney first presented the song to the other Beatles on January 24, 1969 during the filming of Let It Be . Three recordings were made, two incomplete and one complete run that lasted 5:42 minutes. The piece was recorded again on January 29, 1969. Glyn Johns originally intended to use the song for the Get Back album, but this was not done. The Beatles version of Teddy Boy was only released on the 1996 album Anthology 3 .
  • Singalong Junk is an instrumental version of Junk that made use of a mellotron.
  • Maybe I'm Amazed is considered the most popular and the most musically mature piece on the album.
  • For the instrumental piece Kreen-Akrore , McCartney was inspired by a television documentary about the indigenous people of the Kreen-Akrore .

Re-releases

  • The first publication in CD format took place in April 1987 without bonus tracks. The CD is accompanied by an eight-page illustrated booklet.
  • The album was released in October 1992 remastered by Steve Hoffmann in the DCC Compact Classics Edition as a 24-carat gold-plated CD. The CD comes with a four-page sheet and a sheet with the original LP label.
  • In April 1993 the CD was released in a version remastered by Peter Mew, also without a bonus track. The CD is accompanied by an eight-page illustrated booklet.
  • In May 2007 the album was released in download format.
  • In June 2011, McCartney , remastered for the third time, was released by the Hear Music / Concord Music Group label as part of The Paul McCartney Archive Collection . The remastering was done by Guy Massey and Steve Rooke at Abbey Road Studios. Allan Rouse was in charge of the project. The CD album has a cardboard cover that can be opened and a 22-page illustrated booklet is enclosed, which contains information about the album and the lyrics. The design comes from the company YES.

The album was released in June 2011 in various formats:

  • Standard Edition The original 13-track album
  • Special Edition Two CDs: The original 13-track album with a bonus CD that contains the following previously unreleased songs:
  1. Suicide (Outtake) (part of the song was heard at the end of Hot as Sun / Glasses ) - 2:48
  2. Maybe I'm Amazed (from the One Hand Clapping video ; captured in 1974) - 4:53
  3. Every Night (Live at Glasgow; recorded December 17, 1979) - 4:30
  4. Hot as Sun (Live at Glasgow; recorded December 17, 1979) - 2:27
  5. Maybe I'm Amazed (Live at Glasgow; recorded December 17, 1979) - 5:11
  6. Don't Cry Baby (instrumental version of Oo You ) - 3:07
  7. Women Kind (demo version) (mono) - 2:09
  • Deluxe Edition The original 13-track album with the bonus CD mentioned above, a 128-page bound book and a DVD with the following content:
  1. The album story
  2. The Beach
  3. Maybe I'm Amazed (Music Video)
  4. Suicide ( captured from the video One Hand Clapping , 1974)
  5. Every Night ( Live at the Concert for the People of Kampuchea , recorded December 29, 1979)
  6. Hot as Sun ( Live at the Concert for the People of Kampuchea , recorded December 29, 1979)
  7. Junk ( MTV Unplugged concert, recorded January 25, 1991)
  8. That Would Be Something ( MTV Unplugged concert, recorded January 25, 1991)
  • The album was also released as a vinyl version as a double LP (newly remastered) including the seven bonus tracks.
  • On July 14, 2014, an iTunes app was released with the following content: 13 songs, eight music videos and an interview with Paul McCartney as well as photos.
  • On November 17, 2017, the vinyl album was released by Capitol Records , pressed on 180 grams of red vinyl.

Single releases

Paul McCartney declined the request of his record company to release the song Maybe I'm Amazed as a single. Of Maybe I'm Amazed , however, a music video was made.

  • The following 7 "vinyl promotional single was made in Mexico in 1970: Man We Was Lonely / Maybe I'm Amazed .
  • It wasn't until February 1977 that Maybe I'm Amazed was released as a live version of the album Wings over America as a single.
  • In December 1980 the studio version of Maybe I'm Amazed first appeared in the USA by Columbia Records in a series of re-releases.
  • In January 2001, Maybe I'm Amazed / Band on the Run was released as a jukebox single on orange vinyl, with an introduction spoken by McCartney .

Chart placements

year album Chart placements annotation
DE AT CH UK US
1970 McCartney 15th - - 2 1 The album also reached the top ten in the Dutch, French and Norwegian charts.
2011 McCartney (re-release) - - - 88 -

Sales figures and awards

Country / Region Award Sales
Awards for music sales
(country / region, Award, Sales)
Canada (MC) Canada (MC) Platinum record icon.svg platinum 100,000
United States (RIAA) United States (RIAA) Platinum record icon.svg 2 × platinum 2,000,000
All in all Platinum record icon.svg 3 × platinum
 2,100,000

Main article: Paul McCartney / Music Sales Awards

criticism

The album was rejected by a large number of critics because it seemed amateurish and immature compared to the perfectly produced Beatles albums such as Abbey Road . Nonetheless, McCartney sold better than the solo projects of his band colleagues and accordingly achieved good positions in the charts. In the USA, the LP was awarded a gold record after just three weeks .

The end of the Beatles and the end of the Lennon / McCartney partnership

Although John Lennon announced on September 20, 1969 during a meeting with the other members of the Beatles that he wanted a divorce from the Beatles, the press release for the McCartney album is considered the de facto end of the Beatles. Paul McCartney said, “George, Ringo, and I would call each other for three or four months and say, 'How's it going? Is it really over? ' It wasn't like our record company kicked us out. The question of whether we would get back together was still in the room. Nobody knew for sure whether this wasn't one of John's little extra tours again. We clung to that hope for a few months, but eventually we realized, 'Oh dear, the band no longer exists. That's it It's over for good. '"

Paul McCartney used the self-written question-and-answer game to announce his departure from the group. In particular, he clearly ruled out a future compositional collaboration with Lennon.

Question: Are you planning a new album or single with the Beatles?
McCartney: No.
Question: Is this album a rest away from the Beatles or the start of a solo career?
McCartney: Time will tell. Being a solo means it's 'the start of a solo career…' and not being done with the Beatles means it's just a rest. So it's both really.
Question: Is your break with the Beatles temporary or permanent, due to personal differences or musical ones?
McCartney: Personal differences, business differences, musical differences, but most of all because I have a better time with my family. Temporary or permanent? I don't really know.
Question: Do you foresee a time when Lennon / McCartney becomes an active songwriting partnership again?
McCartney: No.

Translation:

Question: Are you planning a new album or single with the Beatles?
McCartney: No.
Question: Is this album a break from the Beatles or the beginning of a solo career?
McCartney: The future has to show that. Since I did it on my own, it's probably 'the beginning of a solo career' and producing it without the Beatles means it's just a break. So it's actually both.
Question: Is the separation from the Beatles temporary or permanent, and are personal or musical differences the reason for the separation?
McCartney: Personal differences, business differences, musical differences, but mostly because I'm happier with my family. Temporary or permanent? No idea.
Question: Do you see a future in which Lennon / McCartney are actively working together as songwriters again?
McCartney: No.

Source: 1970 press release

The break with the Beatles was also evident in the indication of the author of the pieces. McCartney consequently refrained from ascribing his compositions to Lennon / McCartney . The press release contains the following passage:

Question: Are all songs by McCartney alone?
McCartney: Yes sir.
Question: Who will them be attributed to? To McCartney?
McCartney: It would be a bit absurd to attribute them to Lennon-McCartney, so they'll be McCartney's.

Translation:

Question: Were all the songs written by McCartney alone?
McCartney: Yeah.
Question: Who is named as the author? McCartney?
McCartney: It would be a little absurd to attribute them to Lennon-McCartney, so they're all McCartneys.

Source: 1970 press release

literature

  • The Beatles: The Beatles Anthology . ISBN 3-550-07132-9 .
  • Martin A. Grove: Paul McCartney: Beatle with Wings . ISBN 0-532-17191-8 .
  • Mark Lewisohn: The Complete Beatles Chronicle . ISBN 0-600-61001-2 .
  • Mark Lewisohn: The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions: The Official Story of the Abbey Road Years . ISBN 0-600-61207-4 .
  • Hans Rombeck, Wolfgang Neumann, Rainer Moers: The Beatles. Their career, their music, their successes. ISBN 3-404-61015-6 .
  • Rolling Stone: Issue 153, January 31, 1974: Interview by Francesco Scavullo with Paul and Linda McCartney .
  • Chip Madinger and Mark Easter: Eight Arms To Hold You - The Solo Compendium 44.1 Productions 2000, ISBN 0-615-11724-4 , pp. 154-156.
  • McCartney-Deluxe Edition Book, HRM-32799-00 (2011).

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ McCartney - Deluxe Edition Book, p. 9.
  2. ^ McCartney - Deluxe Edition Book, p. 10.
  3. ↑ Press release on the occasion of the album's release, quoted from Martin A. Grove, 1978
  4. ^ Mark Lewisohn: The Complete Beatles Chronicle , p. 345 f.
  5. ↑ Martin A. Grove, 1978, p. 26
  6. ^ The Beatles Anthology, p. 351.
  7. ^ Rolling Stone , Issue 153, Jan. 31, 1974.
  8. ↑ Press release on the occasion of the album's release, quoted from Martin A. Grove, 1978
  9. ^ McCartney - Deluxe Edition Book, p. 22
  10. ^ Mark Lewisohn: The Complete Beatles Chronicle , pp. 283 f.
  11. ^ Lewisohn: The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions , p. 166
  12. ↑ Mexican promotional single: Man We Was Lonely / Maybe I'm Amazed
  13. ↑ Single: Maybe I'm Amazed (Live)
  14. ↑ Single: Maybe I'm Amazed (Studio)
  15. ↑ Single: Maybe I'm Amazed (Jukebox single)
  16. ↑ Hans Rombeck, Wolfgang Neumann, Rainer Moers: The Beatles. Their career, their music, their successes , p. 223 f.
  17. ^ The Beatles: The Beatles Anthology . ISBN 3-550-07132-9 , p. 349.
  18. ↑ Press release on the occasion of the album's release, quoted from Martin A. Grove, 1978
  19. ↑ Press release on the occasion of the album's release, quoted from Martin A. Grove, 1978