On the occasion of the release of Paul McCartney's new album, “The Boys Of Dungeon Lane”, which is already thrilling fans and critics, the British magazine Mojo has decided to tidy up the ex-Fab's discography, establishing a hierarchy from the worst title to the absolute top of his post-Beatles production. Biographer Tom Doyle has retraced the entire career of the former Beatle, ranking all his albums. “At 27, after the end of the Beatles, Paul McCartney felt almost superfluous – recalls Mojo in the introduction – He compared his situation to that of the astronauts returning from the Moon: 'What do you want to do for the rest of your life?', he asked himself. His return to normality would be bumpy, marked by a constant doubt that contrasted with the apparently self-confident image shown to the public in the documentary 'Get Back'. From the modest debut of his first solo album 'McCartney', through a series of refined and eccentric records throughout the Seventies, Paul built a new band, Wings, conceived as an extension of his own traveling family. However, the experience ended abruptly after his surreal arrest for marijuana possession in Japan in 1980. Like many of his contemporaries of the Sixties, McCartney also seemed to lose his way during the following decade, before fully rediscovering his inspiration in 1997 with 'Flaming Pie' In hindsight, McCartney's erratic solo path should not have been surprising. The difference between the Beatles and their contemporaries was that the Fab Four were, by nature, outsiders with an artistic sensibility… For someone often considered particularly commercial, McCartney is first and foremost a pop experimenter, as both his Wings and solo catalog demonstrate: a series of albums that highlight both his eccentricity and his extraordinary melodic talent instinct rather than a cold obsession with success.”
While waiting to be able to include the new arrival in his discography, here is the ranking of Paul McCartney's best albums according to Mojo (here is the complete report)
30. Paul McCartney – Give My Regards To Broad Street (1984)29. Percy “Thrills” Thrillington – Thrillington (1977)
28. Paul McCartney – Press To Play (1986)
27. Paul McCartney – Off The Ground (1993)
26. The Fireman – Strawberries Oceans Ships Forest (1993)
25. Wings – Wings At The Speed Of Sound (1976)
24. Paul McCartney – Kisses On The Bottom (2012)
23. Paul McCartney – Liverpool Sound Collage (2000)
22. Paul McCartney – Run Devil Run (1999)
21. Paul McCartney – Egypt Station (2018)
20. Wings – Red Rose Speedway (1973)
19. Paul McCartney – Driving Rain (2001)
18. Paul McCartney – McCartney III (2020)
17. The Fireman – Rushes (1998)
16. Wings – London Town (1978)
15. Wings – Wild Life (1971)
14. Paul McCartney – New (2013)
13. Paul McCartney – Pipes Of Peace (1983)
12. Paul McCartney – Memory Almost Full (2007)
11. Paul McCartney – Tug Of War (1982)
10. Wings – Back To The Egg (1979)
9. Paul McCartney – Flowers In The Dirt (1989)
8. The Fireman – Electric Arguments (2008)
7. Paul McCartney – McCartney II (1980)
6. Paul McCartney – McCartney (1970)
5. Wings – Venus And Mars (1975)
4. Paul McCartney – Flaming Pie (1997)
3. Paul McCartney – Chaos And Creation In The Backyard (2005)
2. Wings – Band On The Run (1973)
1. Paul And Linda McCartney – Ram (1971)
Daniel D`Amico for SANREMO.FM
