What makes Paul McCartney so great?
Paul McCartney will hold his first Japan concerts in two years on April 25, 2017 (Nippon Budokan) and on April 27, 29, and 30 (Tokyo Dome).
Since this is a rare opportunity, I’d like to talk about how incredible an artist he is.
Note:The men who couldn’t become the BeatlesWe'll present the sequel in the next installment.
The greatest duo in history: Lennon–McCartney
You’ve probably noticed that most Beatles songs are credited to “Lennon–McCartney.”
This is, of course,That John Lennon and Paul McCartney jointly wrote and composed it.is showing.
The amazing thing about these two is that both of them could write lyrics and compose music.
Even today, it’s common for the lyricist and the composer to be different people, but each of them handled everything on their own.
The basic pattern is that one side provides the original idea and the other cooperates with it.
In the early days, it was really just the two of us working closely together.
Eventually, they each began producing separately, and in the later period, one of them would create the work entirely on their own, while the other either wasn’t involved at all or only helped a little.
Even so, they continued to use the Lennon–McCartney credit until the band broke up.
Exceptional ability as a composer
You’ll understand if you listen to the work: whether singles or albums, every one is filled with masterpieces that will be remembered for generations.
The difference in style between John and Paul became clear in their later period: while John came to prefer creating complex, sophisticated compositions favored by professionals, Paul preferred creating accessible songs with structures anyone could understand.
In particular, by the later period, most of the A-side singles—where mainstream appeal was required—came to be occupied by tracks he produced.
They have created masterpieces like “Hello, Goodbye,” “Hey Jude,” and “Let It Be,” which are still covered by artists around the world today.
Beautiful melody line and easy-to-understand lyrics
Paul, especially in his ballads, displayed an almost otherworldly gift for crafting melody lines so beautiful that anyone who heard them would be utterly enthralled.
While remaining true and straightforward, they were able to create a beautiful melody line that no one else had ever imagined.
One night, while he was sleeping in bed, a beautiful melody suddenly came to his mind.
I jumped out of bed in a hurry and jotted down the lyrics and chords so I wouldn’t forget them.
He thought it was a very beautiful piece, but because it was so beautiful, he became paranoid that it must already be a famous work someone had composed and that he had unconsciously borrowed it.
So, I immediately had the other members listen to the guide track, but none of them had ever heard such a song.
So Paul was able to record the song with peace of mind, it was released as a single, and it became a huge hit.
That masterpiece is 'Yesterday.'
Unparalleled vocal talent
Paul is a man with a seven-colored voice.
Even when you listen to his vocals from the Beatles era, you might almost think there are several Paul McCartneys—he used his voice so fluidly and differently from song to song.
It was to the extent that Keisuke Kuwata remarked, “A Japanese person can’t produce Paul’s voice. It’s as if there’s an EQ built into his throat.”
He could also produce high notes on par with a woman's with ease, and deliver a powerful vocal performance.
Even so, they had a resilient throat that would not collapse.
The pitch is accurate, and when certain parts of his vocals are measured with modern equipment, the indicator brilliantly shows ±0!
Also, he disliked vibrato and didn’t use it, but that’s like a woman going without makeup—if anything, it makes it harder to move listeners.
innovative bassist
It’s easy to forget, but Paul is a top-notch bassist.
The defining feature of his bass playing is, above all, its melodious (melodic) bass.
That is to say, the bass running is melodic, and despite being the bass, the playing comes across as melody-like.
Up to that point, the role of the bass was to provide the root note—the reference tone of the chord—forming the foundation of the rhythm section together with the drums and adding thickness to the sound.
Of course, that hasn’t changed even now, but with this, it’s quite hard to tell what song it is just by listening to the bass line.
However, Paul invented an innovative playing style called the melodious (melodic) bass.
This is also largely due to the fact that he switched from guitarist to bassist.
He favored a violin-shaped bass known as the Höfner 500/1.
Because it’s small, light, and has a short neck, I was able to play it like a guitar, especially during live performances.
This can also be said to have greatly contributed to his playing of melodious bass.
By adopting this playing style, Paul thrust the bass—previously a behind-the-scenes supporting role—into the spotlight, inspiring many young people who admired him to take up the bass.
This audio track is an isolated version of just the bass from the classic song “Something.”
This is a truly wonderful bass line.
An all-around player who can handle any musical instrument
Paul could handle any kind of instrument the band used, and his technique was excellent.
In their later period, they played more songs featuring keyboards, and they delivered wonderful performances both on ballads like “Hey Jude” and on up-tempo rock songs like “Back in the U.S.S.R.”
In the latter, he even plays the drums! That’s because he kept making all sorts of demands about Ringo Starr’s drumming, which made Ringo blow his top and temporarily quit, leaving Paul no choice but to play the drums.
Ringo even came back, listened to Paul’s drumming, and praised it, saying it was good.
He also had outstanding guitar technique, and on George’s song “Taxman,” he played the solo in the middle section in place of George.
George kept trying but couldn't get it right, so producer George Martin, unable to stand by and watch, instructed Paul to take over.
Then they nailed it perfectly on take one or two.
Paul says he was “inspired by Jimi Hendrix” (though he only said this much later in a magazine interview; at the time Hendrix hadn’t debuted yet, so Paul was mistaken—be that as it may), but he plays a truly exquisite solo that evokes Indian music.
Moreover, it’s surprising to hear that this was completely ad-libbed.
Lastly
He’s 74 on the 2017 Japan tour, and the fact that he’s still on stage at that age is nothing short of a miracle.
Aretha Franklin, a legendary soul singer of the same age as him, also announced her retirement in 2017.
I imagine the fans will take part with the feeling that “this will be the last time” in their hearts.
I’m going to attend intending to absorb his presence, voice, performance, and the entire atmosphere of the venue with my whole being.
Everyone heading to Tokyo Dome, see you there!