The B List: Underrated Macca

1. In 1982, McCartney turned to old collaborators George Martin and Ringo Starr to record Tug of War. My favorite tune off that album is the uptempo rocker Take It Away:

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2. After putting out Press, a disaster of an album, McCartney went back to the drawing board when it came time to record a new album in 1989. Paul decided to collaborate with the legendary Elvis Costello on a batch of new tunes. My Brave Face is the best of the batch, and it’s aged well:

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3. Macca took a swipe at large corporations with the release of Big Boys Bickering in 1993. The tune didn’t make Off The Ground and was originally released as the B-side of Hope of Deliverance. The BBC banned the tune because of the lyric “fucking it up for everyone,” one of the boldest sentences the usually lily-white McCartney ever wrote:

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4. Paul’s first solo album is among my favorites, as each track is a classic. One of the best tunes on the album is Every Night:

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5. Paul McCartney has written some snappy basslines, but the line in Goodnight Tonight is up there with the best of them. Check out the video for the late Linda McCartney’s incredible femme-mullet:

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6. McCartney eulogized his friend John Lennon in 1982 with the tune Here Today off of Tug of War. Macca sings about both the good and bad moments of their friendship, and the extreme sadness he felt when Lennon was murdered:

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7. Old Siam Sir starts with a Kinks-esque guitar riff before McCartney inserts some oriental sounds into the mix:

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8. That Would Be Something is my favorite tune from McCartney’s first solo album. Paul played all of the instruments on the track, just as he did with ever other tune on McCartney:

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9. One of the slowest and sappiest of all McCartney’s love songs is Beautiful Night from 1997’s Flaming Pie. Cheesy lyrics aside, Beautiful Night is a masterfully composed song featuring a string section and Ringo Starr on drums. The tune starts off slow before building into a full out rocker with the help of a horn section:

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10. Rough Ride starts off with an intro that sounds like it’s lifted from Pink Floyd. The tune is another gem from 1989’s Flowers In The Dirt. Throughout the song there are many different grooves, and if Paul McCartney ever wanted to jam a song out Rough Ride is ripe for fits of improvisation.

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• Previously on HT:  Agent 0-0-64: Another Secret McCartney Show and The B List: 10 Best Beatles Album Covers