Paul McCartney (holding his Beatles-era Rickenbacker 4001S bass) performs with Wings in 1976. That's guitarist Denny Laine (formerly of the Moody Blues) in the lower left-hand corner. "When I'm...
Paul McCartney (holding his Beatles-era Rickenbacker 4001S bass) performs with Wings in 1976. That's guitarist Denny Laine (formerly of the Moody Blues) in the lower left-hand corner.
"When I'm Sixty-Four"? Not quite! Paul McCartney soared past that meta milestone more than a decade ago. In fact, the former Beatle turns 76 on June 18. As a result, in the next few days, you'll probably scroll past one or two social media posts that pay tribute to the man's longevity, limitless achievements and best-loved compositions.
But while the hordes will most likely praise "Band on the Run," "Let It Be," "Maybe I'm Amazed," "Live and Let Die," "Hey Jude" and "Silly Love Songs" (well, maybe not "Silly Love Songs"), I'd like to draw attention to 15 tracks from McCartney's solo career—a career that started 48 years ago—that just don't get the love and attention they deserve in 2018.
The criteria is simple: These songs were not "hits," they're not "classic rock staples" and/or they've simply flown under the radar of casual music fans who utter things like, "Yeah, man, McCartney is the bomb" at dinner parties. The songs are presented in chronological order based on their official release dates. Enjoy!
"Oh Woman, Oh Why"
B-side of "Another Day" (Paul McCartney, 1971)
In February 1971, McCartney released "Another Day," his first single as a solo artist (although he had released the completely unrelated McCartney album in 1970). It was a mostly acoustic, observational, "Eleanor Rigby"-style affair—just light and fluffy enough for John Lennon to mock in "How Do You Sleep?," a standout track from his own 1971 album, Imagine. On its flip-side, however, was "Oh Woman, Oh Why," a fun yet lonely-sounding bluesy rocker in A.
McCartney's gritty, screaming vocal, which is right up there with his work on