Friday, October 2, 2009

The Best 5 Solo Post Beatles Albums By John, Paul, & George

By Jackson Q. Weller

People love to off handily dismiss the solo work of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison and say that they were no good after The Beatles. And while it is true that they never quite reached the same level as The Beatles (but who has?) they really did release a number of great albums after "the greatest band of all time."

In this article I highlight five such albums that I recommend you give an honest listen to. Are any of these albums a match for Revolver, The White Album, or Abbey Road? No, not in my opinion. But not many albums are in that league! While these albums may not be true classics, they are (in some cases) very close to that status.

Paul McCartney - McCartney (1970) - I love this album. I love it's "homemade DIY" charm. It sounds like a great singer/songwriter/musician just recording for the fun of it rather than to really please anyone in particular. Some people see that as unfocused. I see it as charming. I think if a mostly unknown artist had recorded this same album it'd be considered a real "gem" by hipsters but since it's Paul McCartney it's too often overlooked.

John Lennon - Plastic Ono Band (1970) - John, Paul, & George all started off really strongly with their debut solo albums in my opinion. But it was probably this album by John that has had the most lasting impact. it's really revelatory in it's stripped down stark style. It's a very influential album.

George Harrison - All Things Must Pass (1970) - This one was a huge revelation as showed what a prolific songwriter George was He had a lot of songs built up from his time with The Beatles that he wasn't able to get onto Beatles albums thus this triple album came into being (the 3rd LP being instrumental jams.) Unfortunately he never came close to matching this album the rest of his career, in my opinion.

Paul McCartney - Chaos & Creation... (2005) - Nigel Godrich (known mostly for his work with Radiohead) came in to produce this album and he really brought a level of discipline otherwise missing from Paul's solo work which makes it a uniquely tight album in Paul's catalog.

The Fireman - Rushes (1998) - This is Paul working with Youth under the name "The Fireman." It's an experimental electronic ambient album that you are either going to think is really interesting (like I do) or a complete snooze fest (this sort of cerebral music is definitely not for everyone.) But what it does show beyond a shadow of a doubt is that Paul McCartney is not the simple pop balladeer that so many uninformed people try to make him out to be.

This list is not meant to be the top five and it's definitely not meant to be all inclusive. These are just five albums to check out so that you can get a taste of the great music John, Paul, & George kept making after they left The Beatles.

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