Who would've thought there would ever be a four-disc (three-CD, one-DVD) deluxe edition of arguably Paul McCartney's strangest album, McCartney II? As a fan and tireless defender of McCartney's solo career, even I have to admit I didn't think I'd ever see the day.
In 1980, McCartney released this sequel to his similarly homemade 1970 debut. As was the case with that earlier album, he plays every instrument, assisted only by his wife, Linda, on occasional harmony vocals.
It doesn't hold up nearly as well as the superior McCartney, largely because of the dated synths that dominate the album. Whereas the 1970 album also featured tossed off instrumental scraps, they were at least organic-sounding. Tunes like "Valentine Day" and "Momma Miss America" were grounded in the classic rock and pop traditions that McCartney was known for. On McCartney II, instrumentals such as "Frozen Jap" and "Front Parlour" are primitive electronic concoctions that wouldn't even have been interesting as unreleased bootlegs.
A frequent charge levied against McCartney II is that it often resembles a collection of experiments that should've been locked away in a private vault. Half-assed non-songs like "Darkroom" and "Bogey Music" attest to that. But the album is not without highlights, some of them often overlooked. "Coming Up" has become a concert staple, though the version here is considerably different than the live version that became a hit single. "Waterfalls" is a moody ballad with one of McCartney's sparsest arrangements.
Though it is often dismissed as unlistenable crap, "Temporary Secretary" is not only funny but maddeningly catchy. The album closes with an uncharacteristically introspective acoustic ballad, "One of These Days," that ranks among McCartney's most underrated gems.
Oh, who am I kidding? I’m an unabashed McCartney maniac and I’ll just come right out and say it: I love this album. There are plenty of reasons, as I’ve already attempted to objectively outline, why this is far from McCartney’s finest hour. But in all its weirdness and risk-taking, I value McCartney II much more than some of the more polished, traditional albums in McCartney’s catalog (the over-produced Flowers in the Dirt comes to mind). The original CD release actually sounded pretty good, but this reissue offers slightly crisper highs and a bit more boom to the bottom end. And did I mention the bonus material?
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