Although it was officially Paul McCartney’s second solo album, McCartney II was actually his 11th post-Beatles long-player. Between the April 1970 release of McCartney and the May 1980 release of McCartney II there had been nine other albums, by Wings or with his wife Linda.
McCartney II was made during six weeks in the summer of 1979. The recordings began in a farmhouse on the McCartneys’ estate in Peasmarsh, East Sussex, and continued at the Spirit of Ranachan Studio at his farm in Campbeltown, Scotland.
Paul McCartney hired a 16-track Studer recording studio and, with the help of engineer Eddie Klein, taped a number of song ideas. Microphones were plugged directly into the Studer without using a mixing desk, just as he had begun the McCartney album 10 years previously.
He began each day by recording a drum track, onto which a series of overdubs were added. Although the working methods were similar to his first solo album, the results were quite unlike anything McCartney had previously recorded.
Although he had only intended to keep the Studer machine for two weeks, he enjoyed the process of recording with it. The experimental nature of the songs provided an escape from the stultified atmosphere in which Wings had often found themselves; McCartney later described the purpose of the recordings as to “blow the cobwebs away”.
In 1979 Wings were still very much active, although their commercial peak had passes since the successes of Band On The Run and ‘Mull Of Kintyre’. Intra-band relations were often strained, and the group’s seventh studio album Back To The Egg – which turned out to be their last – was recorded with their seventh line-up.
McCartney II was begun less than four months after the completion of Back To The Egg. McCartney wanted some time away from Wings – he expressed a desire to record some fun songs “to play at parties”.
The songs
A total of 20 songs were recorded by Paul McCartney in June and July 1979, some which were improvised on the spot, and others which emerged from incomplete compositional fragments. McCartney used sequencers and synthesizers as well as the conventional guitar, bass and drums, and made heavy use of vari-speed tape recording to alter the pitch of vocals and instruments.
The results were largely experimental and inconsistent, and divided audiences upon release. Although the recordings were largely improvised, McCartney relied too heavily on conservative songwriting techniques, making the results a strange blend of conservative and unconventional. If nothing else, it proved that the most successful songwriter in pop history was unable to leave behind his talents as a melodist.
McCartney initially assembled a double vinyl version which contained almost everything of note from the sessions, but eventually agreed to trim it down to a single disc. The only song missing from this period was ‘Wonderful Christmastime’, which had been a solo hit for McCartney in November 1979.
| Side one | Side two | Side three | Side four |
| ‘Front Parlour’ | ‘Temporary Secretary’ | ‘Darkroom’ | ‘Check My Machine’1,2 |
| ‘Frozen Jap’ | ‘On The Way’ | ‘One Of These Days’ | ‘Waterfalls (I Need Love)’ |
| ‘All You Horse Riders’1,2 | ‘Mr H Atom’1,2 | ‘Secret Friend’1,2 | ‘Nobody Knows’ |
| ‘Blue Sway’1,2 | ‘Summer’s Day Song’ | ‘Bogey Music’ | ‘Coming Up’ |
| ‘You Know I’ll Get You Baby’1,2 | |||
| ‘Bogey Wobble’1,2 |
1 Included on the 2011 reissue Special Edition
2 Included on the 2011 reissue Deluxe Edition
Of the excluded tracks, ‘Check My Machine’ became the b-side of the ‘Waterfalls’ single in the summer of 1980. ‘Secret Friend’ also became a b-side, issued on the 12″ single of ‘Temporary Secretary’. At over 10 minutes in length, it became McCartney’s longest commercially-available track.
‘Blue Sway’ was perhaps the best of the unreleased tracks, but ‘All You Horse Riders’ and ‘You Know I’ll Get You Baby’ were unremarkable improvisations. ‘Mr H Atom’ was influenced by New Wave and featured Linda McCartney on backing vocals, and ‘Bogey Wobble’ was a companion piece to ‘Bogey Music’.
Why his second solo album? Do you credit Ram to Paul and Linda?
That’s who it was credited to, yes.
I think the title, McCartney 2, is the biggest hint!
The best thing about the album is Waterfalls – easily equal to any of the Beatles’ output in my overbearing opinion.
Yes, I agree about ‘Waterfalls.’ Very fine song. The production for the song was very much of its time, but that adds to the charm for me.
This is an album that makes very interesting listening, because of it’s mix of the experimental and the conventional. I didn’t get it until three years after it’s original release, but I remember loving the two singles off it in 1980. Coming Up is such a catchy song and one that John Lennon heard on the radio and helped spur him to getting back to recording himself. I also loved the promotional video that went with this. The other single Waterfalls,( as two others have said on this site), is Paul McCartney at his best. A beautiful song.Once again I liked the video that went with it. Nobody Knows and One of These Days are also great.
? First time I heard ‘Coming Up’ I was in my VW driving in LA. I was completely surprised by this power pop song! Thank you Paul. ?
Love this record, the conventional and the experimental tension makes it very interesting and cool listen for me, A signature traight it would seem of Paul, perhaps a result of him being a Gemini.
He should have left off all the conventional material and just released a pure experimental album.
I don’t always wake up screaming, but when I do, Temporary Secretary comes out.
100%
The album and its singles are truly incredible…contains a diverse range of genres and with some tunes sounding classical like, some pop, the great Coming Up freak version and live versions , synth new wave style stuff, sounded like but preceded vapor wave and trip hop. Coming Up is almost my favorite Macca video or video by any solo Beatle. The associated singles and their B sides are some great techno. That’s my favorite Macca year as love egg, it’s associated singles and all Macca related Kampuchea and his bass playing studio of coming up performances with his version of “Lucille” being one of his finest vocal performances. He was truly red hot then and can’t wait for the archive of back to the egg.
My remark about “jap tart” postcard put on the mantle someone mentioned on another thread Lennon never confirmed though he was living with Macca then and Macca’s spurned girlfriend Francie is the sole source and he himself had done song “woman is the N of the world” so he wouldn’t have room to talk. I tried to put the last comment on relevant thread on “frozen jap” but it was rejected as a duplicate comment. Someone had mentioned on that thread Macca’s poor treatment of yoko but LIB/GB footage shows Macca wasn’t looking at yoko when singing the song get back, but looking at John and there’s an outtake of Macca defending yoko to the others including George Martin.
The postcard story from Francie Schwartz was never verified by either John or Yoko and it has to be noted that Francie published her sensationalist tell-all book in 1972 at a time when Paul was trying to regain critical respect, but I guess that it never occurred to her that she could’ve faced a potential defamation lawsuit from Paul.
Did the 1st pressing ‘original’ release include the 45-rpm record with it?
My American album contained the 45 on the outside underneath the cellophane.
In my top three Macca solo albums, archive version is even better. I bought the additional maxi singles that I could find that go with this album. Album and maxi singles plus their b sides were decades later credited as being far ahead of their time.