McCartney, Apple. Released 4/20/70.
Rating: Three stars out of five.

    As one of the driving forces behind rock and roll's greatest and most influential band, Paul McCartney was expected to release a significant album after the Beatles broke up. Lennon did it with "Plastic Ono Band" and even George made his mark with the sprawling three-record set, "All Things Must Pass." In comparison, "McCartney" sounds like a half-baked, trivial album full of demos and throw-away songs.

    The problem is that "McCartney" is just not a substantial record and Paul has paid a price for this for the remainder of his career. Playing all of the instruments himself, he produced a sparse collection of mainly acoustic songs that had very little to say and often contained few memorable melodies. Unfortunately this reinforced several myths in the minds of rock fans for decades to come, such as Paul's inability to rock and roll, his obsession with silly love songs and his lack of talent and vision without the help of John Lennon.

 
    This is not to say that "McCartney" is bad. In fact, for the avid McCartney fan like myself, it's an enjoyable, laid-back album that features a few excellent songs ("Maybe I'm Amazed," "Junk" and "Every Night") alongside some moderately interesting experiments ("Hot As Sun," "Ooo You" and "Momma Miss America.") This is a pleasant album that he should have released years later after he developed himself as a solo artist.

Ram, Apple. Released 5/17/71.
Rating: Four stars out of five.

    After the backlash of negative reviews for "McCartney," Paul seemed determined to redeem himself. On "Ram," he pulled out all the stops and as a result, many have called the album "overproduced." I disagree. The album contains some of Paul's most inventive arrangements, like the amazing single "Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey," the creamy orchestration of "Back Seat of my Car" and the swirling coda of "Long Haired Lady."

    However, there is something lacking from many of the songs. Some of them suffer from the same disease as the tracks on his first album: they just aren't that good. Only this time, Paul spent a lot more time arranging and producing some of his second-rate songs like "Smile Away," "Monkberry Moon Delight" and "3 Legs."

    The rest of the album is quite good, but not exceptional. Songs like "Dear Boy," "Ram On" and "Heart of the Country" are pleasant but always leave me wanting more. My favorite review of "Ram" appeared in the the classic 1970s book, "The Beatles Forever." Nicholas Shaffner compared the album to a chocolate egg. It's sweet and sugary on the outside, but crumbles when you take a bite, because there's nothing of substance on the inside.

    However, most McCartney fans have generally accepted the fact that his lyrics are rarely as substantial as Lennon's. If you're in it for the melody and inventive pop production, Paul doesn't disappoint on "Ram."

Wild Life, Apple. Released 12/7/71.
Rating: Two stars out of five.

    Missing the community spirit of working in a band, Paul formed Wings in 1971 with his wife, former Moody Blues guitarist Denny Laine and drummer Denny Seiwell. For their first album, Wings recorded a handful of quickly rehearsed songs in about a week, leaving behind most of the production techniques employed on "Ram." Unfortunately, the scaled down production was paired with a collection of Paul's least memorable and most mediocre songs.

    The homespun atmosphere adds a groovy feel to a couple of tracks like the wonderful "Tomorrow" and a nifty cover of "Love Is Strange." The rest of the albums ranges from the annoying ("Wild Life") to the utterly banal ("Bip Bop.") What makes this album even more disappointing is the absence of better songs from the band's live show at the time, like "Best Friend," "The Mess," "Little Woman Love" and the singles "Mary Had A Little Lamb" and "Give Ireland Back to the Irish." Only true McCartney freaks need to be bothered with this album.

Red Rose Speedway, Apple. Released 4/30/73.
Rating: Two stars out of five.

    "Red Rose Speedway" starts off with the promising "Big Barn Bed," that features a grooving beat, a great melody and thick production. The rest of this album finds Paul falling prey to his greatest vices. Too many of these tracks sound like half-completed ideas and the lyrics are painfully cute. The number one single "My Love" gets old after repeating listening and even the best of the remaining tracks ("Get On The Right Thing" and "Little Lamb Dragonfly") are mediocre in comparison to Paul's best work.

    "When The Night" and "Single Pigeon" are painfully boring. "Loop The First Indian on the Moon" would be interesting if it was a thirty second interlude between songs, but after three minutes, it wears out its welcome. Finally the closing tracks, four insipid songs tied together in an overblown medley, leave one wondering where this man's great talent went. Thankfully he found for before his next album.

Band On The Run, Apple. Released 12/5/73.
Rating: Five stars out of five.

    Shortly before Wings were scheduled to record a new album in Lagos, lead guitarist Henry McCoullogh and drummer Denny Seiwell called it quits. Paul, Linda and Denny continued on to Africa as a trio and recorded a masterpiece on their own. Paul handled most of the drumming and shared guitar duties with Denny. Linda put forth some competent keyboard parts as well as some of her best harmonies.

    Perhaps inspired by the foreign setting or the loss of his band mates, Paul laid down his most realized and compelling tracks since the breakup of the Beatles.  "Band on the Run" helped to define 70s pop radio with it's immaculate, creative production and unforgettable melodies. "Band on the Run," "Jet" and "Helen Wheels" are classic McCartney singles and perhaps his finest moments as a solo artist.

    And happily, unlike his previous solo albums, the album has substance past it's singles. There are many great songs here like the beautiful "Bluebird," the quirky "Mrs. Vanderbilt" and the breathtaking rocker "Let Me Roll It." "Mamonia" is one of Paul's finest acoustic songs and "No Words," a song writing collaboration with Denny, features one of the album's most haunting melodies.

    "Band on the Run" is one of the finest pop albums of the 1970s. Unfortunately, this album has been unfairly criticized by rock journalists, perhaps because of the four weaker albums that preceded it. This album rarely gets the recognition it deserves and as a result many people blatantly ignore the influence that Wings' finer records had on pop artists that came after them like XTC, Sloan, Jason Falkner and Jellyfish.

Venus and Mars, Capitol. Released 5/27/75.
Rating: Four stars out of five.

    "Venus and Mars" is a great album that stands as the best studio album Wings recorded as a complete band. It introduced the band's new lineup and served as a launching pad for their world tour later that year. The title track and "Rock Show" provided the perfect opening for the band's concerts. The album is quite solid, featuring a number of classic McCartney tunes such as the singles "Listen to What the Man Said" and "Letting Go." Other highlights include a unique rocker based on Paul's interest in Marvel Comics, "Magneto and Titanium Man"  and the pretty "Love In Song."

    Ultimately what holds this album back is Paul's desire to create a democracy within Wings. The lead vocal from Jimmy McCollough on "Medicine Jar" is mediocre at best and the song itself seems slightly out of place on the LP. The same can be said for Denny's number, "Spirits Of Ancient Egypt," a strange McCartney composition that makes one wonder how much marijuana he was really smoking. This song foreshadows some of the confounding and bizarre material Paul would include on later albums like "London Town" and "Back to the Egg."

Wings at the Speed of Sound, Capitol. Released 3/25/76.
Rating: Three stars out of five.

    Recorded in a hurry during the 1976 world tour, "Wings at the Speed of Sound" continued the democratic focus of "Venus and Mars." Denny actually contributed a great vocal to Paul's "The Note You Never Wrote" and a wonderful composition with "Time To Hide." Jimmy's "Wino Junko" is decent and fits well into the feel of the record. Even drummer Joe English puts in a nice vocal performance on "Must Do Something About It." Although most fans can probably do without Linda's "Cook of the House."

    This album's strength is the tight arrangements performed by the most cohesive Wings lineup. So much time on the road brought these five musicians together as a real band. Even a silly track like "She's My Baby" is elevated by the band's competent arrangement and laid back groove. Two classic Wings singles ("Silly Love Songs" and "Let 'Em In") and the rocking "Beware My Love" are the main highlights of the album, all of which tend to sound a bit repetitive over time.

    "Wings at the Speed of Sound" is a good Wings album, but the band peaked with "Venus and Mars," and it went downhill from there.

Wings Over America, Capitol. Released 12/10/76.
Rating: Four out of five stars.

    This three record set is a great overview of the Wings World tour and contains nearly every song the band performed live. Here more than ever, one can sense that Wings had pulled together as a real band, and not just acting as Paul McCartney's sidemen. And they were good. Compared to the rather sterile CDs from his tours in 1990s, "Wings Over America" stands as Paul's best and most energetic live album. Highlights include "Soily," a standard in the Wings live set since 1972 and a nice selection of Beatles numbers like "I've Just Seen a Face" and "Blackbird."

London Town, Capitol. Released 3/31/78
Rating: Two and half starts out of five.

    "London Town," a disappointing Wings album, marked the end of the band's best lineup, as Jimmy McCollough and Joe English left shortly before its release. It also kicked off a troublesome period in McCartney's career. Paul began to frequently rely on cliches, nauseatingly cute love songs and heavy handed genre experiments to express himself musically. Perhaps this was an effort to remain fresh in the changing landscape of popular music; however, more often than not, Paul appeared more like a dinosaur sticking his head in places where it shouldn't be.

    The first side of "London Town" is pleasant but not exceptional. The title track is a rather beautiful melody that again demonstrates Paul's talent for writing simple pop songs. The bizarre "Cafe on the Left Bank," "Backwards Traveller" and "Cuff Link" are neat, but hint at the eccentric inaccessibility that Paul would perfect on "Back to the Egg." "I'm Carrying" and "Girlfriend" showcase Paul's perfection of the sickly sweet and "I've Had Enough" is a fun, but rather half-assed attempt to rock out.

    The second side starts with the pedestrian and obviously commercial single "With A Little Luck" and then quickly succumbs to McCartney's bad habits. "Famous Groupies" is utterly ridiculous, "Deliver Your Children" and "Don't Let It Bring You Down" attempt to emulate folk with poor results and "Morse Moose and the Grey Goose" is drivel that Paul probably thought was "experimental." The end of this album made it painfully apparent that Wings had passed their prime.

Wings Greatest, Capitol. Released 11/27/78.
Rating: Four stars out of five.

The greatest hits package is worth noting because it collects several singles that weren't previously available on a album ("Junior's Farm," "Mull of Kintyre," "Another Day," "Live and Let Die" and "Hi Hi Hi.") However, there are several strange omissions from this disc, like the live version of "Maybe I'm Amazed," which hit the top ten in 1977 and the number one hit "Listen to What the Man Said." At any rate, this is an acceptable record for a brief overview of McCartney's 1970s output.

Back to the Egg, Columbia. Released 6/11/79.
Rating: Two out of five stars.

    Paul continues his descent into depths of trivial pop music on "Back to the Egg." Adding two new members to Wings in 1979 didn't seem to help his songwriting any. "We're Open Tonight" and "Spin It On" sound like fragments that passed through his head while sitting on the toilet. It's astounding that he would even bother to record proper versions of these songs. "Old Siam Sir" has an interesting rock guitar riff that quickly becomes too repetitive and annoying. "To You" is a mediocre throwaway and "Winter Rose / Love Awake" further explores Paul's overly cute tendencies.

    There are some brighter points on the album. "Arrow Through Me" is a breath of fresh air and one of his more unique singles of the late 1970s. "Getting Closer" is a passable single and the Rockestra tracks, featuring an all-star cast of rock musicians, are interesting. The instrumental is enjoyable and "So Glad To See You Here" is a fair McCartney songwriting effort. Denny Laine actually puts forth the album's best song with "Again and Again and Again."

    This is perhaps the weakest of Paul's 1970s albums. Like some of his records from the early part of the decade, the songwriting is generally weak. What makes matters worse here are the irritating rock arrangements that just don't work on most of the tracks. The album has little of the warmth or personality that made the band's weaker moments on previous albums bearable. Unfortunately, Wings' last flight was a failure.

McCartney II, Columbia. Released 5/26/80.
Rating: One star out of five.

    The worst album of Paul's career? It's a toss-up between this one and "Press to Play," an electronic-based collection of crap from 1986. More on that one later. In the end, I think "McCartney II" takes the cake.

    After the breakup of Wings early in the 1980, Paul retreated to his home studio to record on his own, just as he had ten years earlier. The result was a similar effort to his first solo album, although this time he had even fewer good song ideas and he added some annoying synthesizers to the arrangements just for good measure.

    There really isn't a song on this album that's worth listening to more than once. "Coming Up" is a nifty single but the live version far surpasses the stiff, drum machine driven version here. "Waterfalls" is a pleasant song that wears out it's welcome when it extends past four minutes. "On The Way," "Nobody Knows," "Dark Room" and "Bogey Music" are four of the lamest songs Paul ever wrote, each of which features thin, amateurish production. It would be hard to believe that this man even wrote this garbage if he hadn't foreshadowed it with some of the junk on his last album. "Temporary Secretary" is just plain irritating and the instrumentals "Frozen Jap" and "Front Palour" are nice but hardly engaging.

    This album was essentially a waste of time for Paul and his fans. We all wish we could just forget about "McCartney II" when we try to defend this man's solo career.

Tug Of War, Columbia. Released 4/26/82.
Rating: Five stars out of five.

    In 1982 Paul turned around from the disaster of his previous album and released his most focused collection of songs since "Band on the Run." "Tug of War" is a triumph, featuring strong melodies, wonderful production by Paul and George Martin and some enjoyable duets with Stevie Wonder and Carl Perkins.

    The title track sets the tone for the album with it's striking melody and orchestration. This segues into "Take It Away," a heavily produced, fantastic single featuring dueling drum work from Steve Gadd and Ringo Starr and a memorable coda. "What's That You're Doing" finally brings Paul's experiments with synthesizers into focus with fine results, perhaps due to the help of Mr. Wonder. Even the quirky songs on "Tug of War" that recall Paul's penchant for nonsensical lyrical themes like "The Pound Is Sinking" and "Dress You Up Like A Robber" are well executed here.

    There are several great songs on the rest of the album, the likes of which we had not heard from Paul for some years. "Wanderlust," "Ballroom Dancing" and "Get It" are all top notch tracks. While many find the blockbuster single "Ebony and Ivory" sappy, I feel it's one of Paul's greatest duets and rather moving lyrically. And "Here Today" is a beautifully touching tribute to John Lennon.

    Paul wouldn't match the critical success of "Tug of War" again in his career, and we're still waiting for another album this good.

Pipes of Peace, Columbia. Released, 10/31/83
Rating: Four out of five stars.

    "Pipes of Peace" feels quite like "Tug of War," with some weaker moments. Critics and McCartney fans alike roundly dismiss the album as one of his worst, but I have some strange fascination with this record. Perhaps because its release coincided with a period during my childhood when I was particularly fascinated by Paul's work. While I do find the collaboration with Michael Jackson, "Say Say Say," utterly nauseating, there are some great tracks on this album.

    The title track sets a light mood for the first side, "The Other Me" is a wonderful mid-tempo track, "Keep Under Cover" is another one of Paul's strange tracks that actually works quite well and "So Bad" is a sappy but sweet ballad. Although less captivating, the second side features a much better McCartney / Jackson duet ("The Man,") a neat acoustic ditty ("Sweetest Little Show") and some typical, but pleasant McCartney songs ("Average Person" and "Through Our Love.")

    While "Pipes of Peace" album marked the beginning of another slump in McCartney's career, it contained more good tracks on one album than fans would see for quite some time.

Give My Regards To Broad Street, Columbia. Released 10/22/84.
Rating: Two out of five stars.

    The soundtrack to Paul's ill-fated 1984 movie "Give My Regards to Broad Street" contained only three new tracks. The new single "No More Lonely Nights," an appealing McCartney ballad,  features great guitar work from Pink Floyd's David Gilmour. "Not Such a Bad Boy" and "No Values" are adequate rockers that stand above the rest of the album's mediocrity.

    For the purposes of the film, Paul re-recorded several Beatles and Wings classics. Unfortunately these new versions really don't add anything of value to the compositions, and in some cases, bastardize them with cheesy 1980s styled arrangements. I recommend this one only for McCartney fanatics who need to have the three worthwhile tracks in their collections.

Press To Play, Capitol. Released 8/21/86
Rating: One out of five stars.

    Paul hit a new low in the mid-80s with the release of "Press To Play." In an attempt to keep up with the changing sound of pop radio, he tried his hand at synthesized-based songs with sampled rhythms like "Talk More Talk," "Pretty Little Head" and the bland single "Press." The results were more than disappointing, making Paul appear like a has-been trying desperately to develop more hits with the high-tech sound of the decade.

    He employed a more traditional approach on other tracks but the songs sound forced and uninspired. "Angry" is a lame attempt at punk that hardly lives up to its title, "Footprints" is a noodling acoustic ballad that goes nowhere, "Only Love Remains" sounds like "My Love - Part Sixteen" and "However Absurd" just plain sucks.

    The album is redeemed only by "Stranglehold," a pleasant upbeat number with tight production and "Move Over Busker," a dumb and marginally enjoyable traditional rock number. "Press To Play" is by far the low point of this decade for Paul and one of the lowest in his career. Don't waste your time with this one.

Flowers in the Dirt, Capitol. Released 6/6/89.
Rating: Four out of five stars.

    Thankfully Paul abandoned the overblown experiments of "Press To Play" and returned to what he does best on "Flowers in the Dirt." With a huge world tour in mind, he assembled a group of musicians in the studio that included Hamish Stuart from the Average White Band and Robbie McIntosh from the Pretenders. A more traditional production approach paired with stronger songs results in a fairly consistent album of good tracks. The collaborations with Elvis Costello are the real highlights of the record; "You Want Her Too" recalls the chemistry between Paul and his old partner from years past, "My Brave Face" is his best single in years and "That Day Is Done" adds a new dimension to his songwriting we hadn't heard before.

 
    The production is clean, technical and at times impersonal. This has a negative effect on some tracks like the distant ballad "Distractions" and techno-rocking "Rough Ride." But a number of good songs shine through. "Figure of Eight" features a grooving guitar lick, "This One" is pure McCartney pop, "Put it There" is a sweet, typical acoustic offering and "Motor Of Love" has an interesting keyboard-heavy feel that recalls 10cc records of the 1970s. Although it's not a perfect album, "Flowers in the Dirt" is a definite return to form. 

Unplugged, the Official Bootleg. Released 6/4/91.
Rating: Four out of five stars.

    After this MTV program became a huge hit, everyone and their brother eventually released a disc from the series. Paul's was one of the first "Unplugged" albums released and a limited edition pressing increased demand and probably boosted sales. The CD is quite a pleasant affair, however, featuring re-worked acoustic versions of several Beatles classics, McCartney solo tracks and early rock and roll covers.

    A couple of tracks from Elvis' Sun Sessions and the appearance of several songs from "McCartney" are among the highlights. One valid complaint of several critics was Paul's effort to focus on performing songs that were primarily acoustic recordings. Perhaps it would have been interesting to hear some heavier songs with lighter arrangments. However, this is still a worthwhile album, one of the best "Unplugged" efforts and also one of Paul's most interesting and personal live performances.

Choba B CCCP, The Russian Album. Released 10/29/91
Rating: Three out of five stars.

    Originally released exclusively in Russia in 1987, "Choba B CCCP" features a collection of 1950s rock and roll covers that Paul recorded live in the studio. It is interesting to hear Paul's take on some of the tracks that influenced his own songwriting. However, the production is awfully slick and impersonal, featuring that signature reverb sound of the late 1980s. Unfortunately, this really tends to undercut the raw power of these tracks. A couple do shine through like the obscure "Cracking Up" and a wonderful version of "Don't Get Around Much Anymore." This is a pleasant concept that Paul would improve upon with "Run Devil Run."

Off The Ground, Capitol. Released 2/9/93
Rating: Two out of five stars.

    After the success of the Flowers in the Dirt World Tour, Paul kept his live band together and took them into the studio to record his next album. The resulting CD, "Off The Ground," was hyped before release as Paul's return to rock and roll but it sounds more like a return to filler. The only real "rocking" song is Paul's ode to animal rights called "Looking For Changes," which more resembles faceless 1980s pop-rock with forced lyrics.

    Even this album's best moments lack any energy or inspiration. The trite single "Hope of Deliverance" is nice, but sounds disturbingly familiar. The title track and the grooving "Peace in the Neighborhood" are pleasant but bland. The leftover collaborations with Elvis Costello ("Mistress and Maid" and "The Lovers That Never Were") are interesting but not as fine as their work on "Flowers in the Dirt." The album's finest song is its simplest: the 1950s inspired "Get Out Of My Way."  Paul is much more effective at this point in his career when he doesn't try so hard.

    On the rest of the album Paul falls into the age-old traps that have made his catalog so frustrating. Insipid ballads ("Winedark Open Sea" and "I Owe It All To You,") goofy portaits of uninteresting people ("Biker Like An Icon") and a corny plea for world peace ("C'mon People") add to the arsenal of weak McCartney material. "Off The Ground" is a rather unsatisfying follow-up to a promising comeback.

Paul Is Live, Capitol. Released 11/16/93.
Rating: Three out of five stars.

This is not a complete waste of time, but recommended only to McCartney fanatics. Several songs on this CD appeared on the two-disc set "Tripping the Live Fantastic," which begs the question; "Why do we need another live version of "My Love?" The new tracks are live versions of mediocre songs from "Off The Ground" and stiff renditions of Beatles classics.

Paul McCartney, "Flaming Pie," Capitol. Released 1997.
Rating: Four out of five stars.

Once a McCartney fan, always a McCartney fan' has always been my motto. Someone once asked my why I had so many McCartney bootleg CDs and I replied that I was such a hardcore fan, I would probably find a way to extole the virtues of Sir Paul farting into a microphone for 45 minutes.

That said, whenever a new McCartney album comes out, I can find some way to enjoy it, regardless of its quality. Granted, it was a little tough with 1993's 'Off The Ground.' Thankfully, it was a lot easier in 1997 with the release of 'Flaming Pie.' I was genuinely excited upon hearing the first single 'The World Tonight' on the radio. It sounded like McCartney back in the good old days when his albums were solid all the way through and his singles shot up to number one. Paul seemed to relax a little bit after ending his World Tour 1993 in support of 'Off The Ground.' Without putting a deadline upon himself, he wrote and recorded a set of laid-back songs over the course of a couple years. The resulting album was Paul's best since the early 1980s; a stripped down, simple album without the overblown production that became his downfall in recent years.

There are typical McCartney-isms here that most people will find hard to stomach, like his sappy love lyrics and the indulgent orchestral ending of 'Beautiful Night.' However, the wealth of strong material here more than makes up for these annoyances. Even the love songs on this album are some of Paul's best in years. 'Little Willow' and 'Calico Skies' find Paul returning to the simple acoustic sound of his White Album tracks like 'Blackbird' and 'Mother Nature's Son.'

The other surprise on this album is Paul's ability to rock with style again. 'The World Tonight' is a far cry from the embarrassment of Off The Ground's 'Looking For Changes.' There are several great songs here that make a respectable addition to the McCartney catalog, including 'The World Tonight,' 'Little Willow,' 'Calico Skies,' 'Young Boy' 'Souvenir' and 'Great Day.'

This is a solid McCartney album that will excite fans who long for McCartney to churn out the classics and may interest others who want to hear a strong collection of pop-rock from the master.

Run Devil Run, Capitol. Released in 2000.
Rating: Four out of five stars.

After the loss of his wife and musical comrade Linda, Paul McCartney took some time off from recording to mourn and reflect. When the time came to release another album, he decided once again to return to his roots. "Run Devil Run" features a variety of mainly obscure covers from some of Paul's favorite 50s artists and three new original tunes written in a traditional 'rock and roll' style. Paul pulled out the old Hofner bass again and put together a small band consisting of a drummer, a couple of guitarists (David Gilmour on lead) and a keyboard player to create a "live in the studio" sound. Overall, this strategy is very effective, providing some of Paul's most upbeat recordings in quite some time. The most engaging thing about this CD is Paul's energy and fantastic vocal performances. Two of the originals, "Run Devil Run" and "What It Is" are some of the best songs on the album. What's also refreshing is the absence of the over-blown productions like "Beautiful Night" from the last CD in favor of straight-forward rock and roll tunes.

However, there is nothing of any real substance on this disc. Many critics would probably make that observation about any Paul McCartney CD due to his lyrical content, but let's concentrate on melody for a moment. Paul is undoubtedly one of the masters of rock and roll melody, but because we're dealing with mainly 50s cover tunes, everything sounds melodically the same. The final result is a pleasant look at some of Paul's musical influences, performed with a lot of style and energy, but without many hummable tunes that stick with you after listening. To be fair, though, that's not really the point of this record. And for what it is, "Run Devil Run" is fantastic. It's a nice look at some of Paul's favorite obscure 50s rockers recorded in a great setting with the very energetic performances.

Driving Rain, Capitol. Released in 2001.
Rating: Three stars out of five.

Driving Rain is a strange album. While you have to admire Paul for taking his music in a new direction and trying new things, his experimentation doesn't always translate into compelling music. As I've stated time and time again, Paul's sense of melody is his strongest attribute. When it shines through on Driving Rain, the songs are quite satisfying. 'Lonely Road' recalls the glory of his 70s rockers, 'Your Way' takes us back to the acoustic beauty of songs from his first solo albums and 'Tiny Bubble' contains a classic McCartney hook that just sticks in your head.

Paul runs into trouble when he leaves melody behind and simply tries to do something new or different. Many critics are marveling over 'Rinse the Raindrops,' a ten minute jam with an ad-libbed, screaming vocal from Paul. I have read reviews that applaud the strangeness of "She's Given Up Talking," and the optimism of "Back in the Sunshine Again." 'Spinning on an Axis' is another example of an experiment that Paul should really keep to himself. But all of these songs, without any memorable melodies to speak of, fall flat with this reviewer.

However, there are more good songs here than bad and that ultimately makes "Driving Rain" a satisfying McCartney album. While Paul stills loses touch now and again, the young producers and session men .he's been working with seem to keep him on track. The new band breathes life into some otherwise pedestrian tracks like "Driving Rain" and "About You." And some of Paul's diversions are rather interesting like "Riding in Jaipur" and the largely instrumental piano tune "Heather." "Driving Rain" doesn't rock as hard as "Run Devil Run," and it's not as solid as "Flaming Pie," but it shows that Paul still has some good ideas and worthwhile music to add to his catalog.