Paul McCartney's 10 Greatest Songs After The Beatles, Ranked
It's not at all easy to choose favorites, as there are just so many to choose from. What makes it a bit simpler would be the albums Band on the Run and Venus and Mars, which in this writer's opinion are McCartney's post-Beatles masterpieces. Material from those two records take up the majority of this list, but it's still difficult to pin down which of those tracks to put here. "Picasso's Last Words (Drink to Me)" is a lovely anthem that also serves as an intricate and unpredictable callback to "Jet" (which is great in itself). "Rock Show" is fun, but also has a terrific mini-jam at the end that's driven by a piano riff worthy of the gods. There are also more easy-going songs like "Listen to What the Man Said" and "Bluebird," but anyone can choose their favorites and not be wrong. Ranked by complexity, cohesion, and catchiness, here are McCartney's ten best post-Beatles songs.
10 "Mrs. Vanderbilt"
'Band on the Run' (1973)
The bassline in "Mrs. Vanderbilt" is just as exciting as the acoustic guitar; together they create an excellent foundation for a song that is relatively simple in structure and avoids being over-produced. McCartney's playfully hurried vocals in the first verse are the perfect start to the song. Interestingly, that unique delivery isn't repeated in any other part of the song, yet the transition to the normal melody doesn't feel jarring whatsoever.
9 "Spirits of Ancient Egypt"
'Venus and Mars' (1975)
Transitioning out of "Venus and Mars (Reprise)" is a song that proves you can fit a surprising amount of material into a tight three minutes. It's a little number called "Spirits of Ancient Egypt," and it's one of the best examples of this album rocking as hard as any other exemplary record of its time. The song begins softly, priming us for something that's going to get heavy soon. When the whole band picks things up, we know we're on for another fun ride.
This is another killer bassline, not to mention how Wings could have such memorable main vocals without them even being sung by McCartney. Though it's hard to describe why, it just feels like the right call to have Denny Laine sing lead in the verse. The former Beatle's voice does feature prominently in the chorus, however, which offers a nice brief suspension from the hustle and bustle of the verse. Venus and Mars is just one banger after another, and "Spirits of Ancient Egypt" ranks among the best of them.
Source: J.S. Gornael/collider.com
