ABSTRACT
Perhaps the most successful of the Beatles in his solo career, McCartney achieved great popular, if not critical, success through the 1990s. He recorded his first solo album, the self-titled McCartney (Apple #3363), in his home studio, overtracking all the parts; the simple production value was a direct response to the agony of trying to complete the Let It Be album with the Beatles. His first solo hit came with “Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey” (Apple #1837; 1971; #1), from his second solo album, Ram (Apple #3374). In 1971 McCartney formed the first version of the band Wings, with which he would perform through the balance of the decade. The band recorded prolifically and had many top 10 pop hits, including the 1973 number one hits “My Love” and “Live and Let Die” (Apple #1861 and #1863, respectively), 1974’s “Band on the Run”(Apple #1873), 1975’s “Listen to What the Man Said” (Capitol #4091), 1976’s “Silly Love Songs” (Capitol #4256), 1979’s “With a Little Luck” (Capitol #4559), and 1980’s “Coming Up” (Columbia #11263). Critics regard their album, Band on the Run (Apple #3415), as their best work.
