


McCartney had grown into an upbeat, meticulous songsmith, whose melodies were instantly hummable, while Lennon pondered the deeper meanings of life, addressing drugs, loss, depression, and loneliness, favoring wild experimentation in the studio. McCartney and Lennon had shared a yin-yang relationship as creative partners since the mid-’50s when they met and started to write songs together. The breakup certainly had an effect on Paul. They would break up less than a year later, an event that would end one of the most brilliant chapters of pop music history. The previous article left off discussing selections from the Abbey Road, the final album on which the Beatles collaborated in a manner similar to their earlier records. Now, let’s take a look at his post-Beatles years.

As the group evolved, McCartney became renowned for crafting bass lines that would come to define the sound of the Beatles’ later years. We explored his humble beginnings as a traditional bass player mostly concerned with keeping time and outlining chords, and listened as he fully realized the power he wielded with his instrument. In “ The genius of Paul McCartney’s basslines,” we documented Paul McCartney’s bass playing and its development during his years with the Beatles. The genius of Paul McCartney’s basslines never wavered, but his choices as a bass player post-Beatles show his focus was ever more on the song and serving the vocal melody.
