Paul McCartney 15 must hear tracks:

[CRAZY-HORSE]

info:  https://www.the-paulmccartney-project.co...skeletons/

released as an "ep" back in 1996-7.
now forms part of the extra track bonus on the new re-issue of Macca's "flaming pie" album.
American poet Allen Ginsberg wrote the lyrics and McCartney put it to music with Ginsberg on vocals.
song has a very Lou Reed sound to it with the full studio version linked here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAErWGOLGow  
love the live version also with Ginsberg and Paul on guitar:






Said the Presidential Skeleton
I won't sign the bill
Said the Speaker skeleton
Yes you will

Said the Representative Skeleton
I object
Said the Supreme Court skeleton
Whaddya expect

Said the Miltary skeleton
Buy Star Bombs
Said the Upperclass Skeleton
Starve unmarried moms

Said the Yahoo Skeleton
Stop dirty art
Said the Right Wing skeleton
Forget about yr heart

Said the Gnostic Skeleton
The Human Form's divine
Said the Moral Majority skeleton
No it's not it's mine

Said the Buddha Skeleton
Compassion is wealth
Said the Corporate skeleton
It's bad for your health

Said the Old Christ skeleton
Care for the Poor
Said the Son of God skeleton
AIDS needs cure

Said the Homophobe skeleton
Gay folk suck
Said the Heritage Policy skeleton
Blacks're outa luck

Said the Macho skeleton
Women in their place
Said the Fundamentalist skeleton
Increase human race

Said the Right-to-Life skeleton
Foetus has a soul
Said Pro Choice skeleton
Shove it up your hole

Said the Downsized skeleton
Robots got my job
Said the Tough-on-Crime skeleton
Tear gas the mob

Said the Governor skeleton
Cut school lunch
Said the Mayor skeleton
Eat the budget crunch

Said the Neo Conservative skeleton
Homeless off the street!
Said the Free Market skeleton
Use 'em up for meat

Said the Think Tank skeleton
Free Market's the way
Said the Saving & Loan skeleton
Make the State pay

Said the Chrysler skeleton
Pay for you & me
Said the Nuke Power skeleton
& me & me & me

Said the Ecologic skeleton
Keep Skies blue
Said the Multinational skeleton
What's it worth to you?

Said the NAFTA skeleton
Get rich, Free Trade,
Said the Maquiladora skeleton
Sweat shops, low paid

Said the rich GATT skeleton
One world, high tech
Said the Underclass skeleton
Get it in the neck

Said the World Bank skeleton
Cut down your trees
Said the I.M.F. skeleton
Buy American cheese

Said the Underdeveloped skeleton
We want rice
Said Developed Nations' skeleton
Sell your bones for dice

Said the Ayatollah skeleton
Die writer die
Said Joe Stalin's skeleton
That's no lie

Said the Middle Kingdom skeleton
We swallowed Tibet
Said the Dalai Lama skeleton
Indigestion's whatcha get


Said the World Chorus skeleton
That's their fate
Said the U.S.A. skeleton
Gotta save Kuwait

Said the Petrochemical skeleton
Roar Bombers roar!
Said the Psychedelic skeleton
Smoke a dinosaur

Said Nancy's skeleton
Just say No
Said the Rasta skeleton
Blow Nancy Blow

Said Demagogue skeleton
Don't smoke Pot
Said Alcoholic skeleton
Let your liver rot

Said the Junkie skeleton
Can't we get a fix?
Said the Big Brother skeleton
Jail the dirty pricks

Said the Mirror skeleton
Hey good looking
Said the Electric Chair skeleton
Hey what's cooking?

Said the Talkshow skeleton
Fuck you in the face
Said the Family Values skeleton
My family values mace

Said the NY Times skeleton
That's not fit to print
Said the CIA skeleton
Cantcha take a hint?

Said the Network skeleton
Believe my lies
Said the Advertising skeleton
Don't get wise!

Said the Media skeleton
Believe you me
Said the Couch-potato skeleton
What me worry?

Said the TV skeleton
Eat sound bites
Said the Newscast skeleton
That's all Goodnight

[CRAZY-HORSE]

Wiki:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Driving_Rain

second track in this thread to be posted from Driving Rain.
as previously stated its an album of songs professing love for new partner Heather and also others 
describing his loss of Linda.
i call Flaming Pie and this one his "ditch duo" albums as they deal with the death and loss of Linda for the most part.
this track, Magic, is for Linda, it was apparently written as he held her hand whilst awaiting for the euthanasia doctor to arrive.
so he wrote the lyrics and sung it to her before they turned out the lights as mentioned in the song.
it conveys eternal love and immeasurable loss and his vocals are so full of sadness.
now ive never suffered loss of someone that close thankfully, well except for a couple of pet cats and a dog, but this song
says it all.
it is totally worth a mention in the thread because this is a side of McCartney seldom heard.

damn fan-made video of Paul and Linda just bought a bloody tear to my eye...i hate feelings!






There must have been magic
The night that we met
If I hadn't stopped you
I`d always regret.


A few minutes later
You`d have been out that door
And I`d have been lonely
Forever more
Forever more.

Oh what made us do it?
Under what holy spell?
Nature`s mother knew it
Only too well.

She reached out her fingers
To point at the sky
Leaving me helpless
Not knowing why.

And this is the hour
That they turn out the light
Nothing but memories
Burning so bright
Burning so bright.

Oh what made us do it?
Under what holy spell?
Nature`s mother knew it
Only too well.

There must have been magic
The night that we met
If I hadn't stopped you
I`d always regret
I'd always regret.

There must have been magic
There must have been magic
There must have been magic
The night that we met

[CRAZY-HORSE]

Wki:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_and_...ngs_album)

song is about Paul lamenting the fact Linda gave up her career as a photographer to  concentrate on joining
her husband's band.
the brooding music and Paul's pleading vocals deliver a highly emotional track.





Ah, she tastes like wine
Such a human being so divine
Oh she feels like sun
Mother nature look at what you've done
Oh I feel like letting go
Oh I feel like letting go.

Ah, she looks like snow
I want to put her in a Broadway show
Ah she'll dance and dine
Like a lucifer she'll always shine
Oh I feel like letting go
Oh I feel like letting go
Oh I feel like letting go.

Ah, she sings it so
I want to put her on the radio
One day and there you are
Ladies and Gentleman -
A brand new Star
Oh I feel like letting go
Oh I feel like letting go

[SteveO]

Brilliant posts Crazy mate ! As you know I am a big Beatles and Macca fan ! Saw him here live in 2009 ! I will never forget that concert !

[CRAZY-HORSE]

Wiki:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memory_Almost_Full

this one comes from his 2007 album Memory Almost Full.
album sold well over 2 million worldwide, not bad for  a dude that far into his career.
the track i picked, The End Of The End, shows a man thinking what he would like to happen on the day he dies,
very sombre for any artist, but extremely dark for the usually cheerful/positive McCartney but he still manages to turn it into
a positive.
the perfect album closer, would have been an awesome 'last track on the last album' scenario, but thankfully it wasnt.






At the end of the end
It's the start of a journey to a much better place
And this wasn't bad
So a much better place would have to be special
No need to be sad.


On the day that I die, I'd like jokes to be told
And stories of old to be rolled out like carpets
That children have played on and laid on
While listening to stories of old.

At the end of the end
It's the start of a journey to a much better place
And a much better place would have to be special
No reason to cry.

On the day that I die, I'd like bells to be rung
And songs that were sung to be hung out like blankets
That lovers have played on and laid on
While listening to songs that were sung.

At the end of the end
It's the start of a journey to a much better place
And a much better place would have to be special
No reason to cry, no need to be sad
At the end of the end.

[CRAZY-HORSE]

Wiki:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Press_to_Play

"pretty little head", from his 1986 album Press To Play and its a real strange one from his arsenal.
album was co-written with Eric Stewart of 10CC,
ive got to be honest, this track a definite "out there" sound to it, nothing like a McCartney song,
more in line with the weirdness of where 10CC would have ended up in the mid to late 1980s.
track could probably have been a precursor to his eventual mindset for his Fireman projects two decades later.
its very surreal and abstract both musically and lyrically and most would be hard pressed to even
suggest it is a Paul McCartney song.






Hillmen, Hillmen, Hillmen, Hillmen.
Oh, Oh. Oh, Oh.

Hillmen Come Down From The Lava.
Forging Across The Mighty River Flow. Oh, Oh.
Always Forever, Only So You Don't Worry
Your Pretty Little Head.


Ursa Major......Ursa Major......
Hillmen, Hillmen, Hillmen, Hillmen.
Oh, Oh. Oh, Oh.

Hillmen Bring Garments, Spices.
Carrying Trinkets, Slik And Precious Stones. Oh, Oh.
Exotic Legends,
Only So You Don't Worry
Your Pretty Little Head.

Hillmen, Hillmen, Hillmen, Hillmen.
Oh, Oh. Oh, Oh.

Hillmen Are Sworn To Allegiance.
Living A Life Of Silent Dignity. Oh, Oh.
For Your Protection,
Only So You Don't Worry
Your Pretty Little Head.

Ursa Major......Ursa Major......
The Hillman......
Living In The Higher Reaches.

[CRAZY-HORSE]

Wiki:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Town_(Wings_album)

Morse Moose & The Grey Goose, from Wings sixth studio album London Town.
album was run of the mill Wings, a couple of rockers, a few love songs and  some acoustic material.
but at the end of the second side is a six and a half minute epic written by Denny Laine and Paul, it is 
sung by both vocalists also, starts off all sonic before settling down into a folk tune and then going all sonic on 
us again, sounds to me like "war of the worlds" compressed from a double album into seven minutes.
an interesting track for sure. and a great way to finish an album with its collage of wall to wall sound.






Morse Moose And The Grey Goose Right On Down At The Bottom Of The Sea
Tell Me Are You Receiving Me?
My Name Is Morse Moose And I'm Calling You

The Grey Goose Was A Steady Boat
People Said She'd Never Float
One Night When The Moon Was High
The Grey Goose Flew Away

As We Were Sailing 'Round The Rocks
The Mate Took Out His Compass Box
And Said The Wind Is Like A Fox
But The Grey Goose Flew Away

When Out Upon The Open Sea
The Admiral, The Mate And Me
Prepared To Face Eternity
But The Grey Goose Flew Away

She Flew Into The Stormy Sea
Davy Jones Was Calling Me
But Heading For Tranquility
The Grey Goose Flew Away

[CRAZY-HORSE]

Wiki:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Driving_Rain

the seocnd track ive posted from 2001's Driving Rain album.
Rinse The Raindrops a 10+ minute rock jam, 
full of backwards guitars, primal screams Yoko would be proud of and continual tempo changes.
another description is the chaos of Helter Skelter meets Crazy Horse jamming...
another track most wouldnt recognise as a McCartney project,
was a epic conclusion to the album before the secret track kicks in.
i also see it as his way of releasing all the emotions of losing Linda (anger, frustration, sadness, hurt)
can almost imagine him screaming "i got blisters on my fingers" at the conclusion of it.






Rinse the raindrops
From your head
Wipe your eyes
Go back to bed
In the morning
Skies`ll clear
And I`ll be here

See the sunlight
Break the ice
For the birds of paradise
Listen to the song they sing
Awakening

[CRAZY-HORSE]

Wiki:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McCartney_II

"bogey music" from his 1980 album "McCartney II".
an interesting curiosity of an album overall.
Rolling Stone rate it #26 in their list of "top 50 most eccentric albums ever".
a collection of hooks/riffs put together with a lot of electronica and voice manipulation as McCartney
experiments with equipment in his then newly finished home studio.
album was slammed at time of release but has gained a 'cult status-like following in the last couple of decades.
the song "bogey music" would not fit on any other album and, again, you wouldnt pick it as a McCartney track.
is it a work of a genius years ahead of its time?, is it the musings of man who can do whatever the hell he wants because of who he is?
of is it simply a childlike tongue-in-cheek whimsical novelty song that no one understood? you decide.
either way, McCartney II is Dani's favorite McCartney album because, well, overall it doesnt sound like Paul McCartney.





Everybody bogey
Dig that bogey beat
Man that bogey rhythm
Smells so clean and sweet
Everybody bogey
Bogey on to the street
Without bogey music
Life is incomplete
Without bogey music
Life is incomplete
Everybody bogey
Dig that bogey beat.


If you little bogeys
Want to sing along
Clean your bogey act up
And learn the bogey song
Without bogey music
Life is incomplete
Without bogey music
Life is incomplete
Bogey music, bogey music
Bogey music, bogey music.

Alright, here we are now
Tonight in bogey land.

Bogey music, bogey music
Well, when the younger bogeys
Here that bogey sound
Every little bogey
Got to bogey down
Bogey man bogey
Bogey man bogey
Bogey man bogey on down
Bogey music, bogey music, bogey music
Bogey music, bogey music, bogey music
Bogey music, bogey man bogey on down
Bogey music.

All you little bogeys
I want you to sing along
Clean your bogey act up
And learn the bogey song
Without bogey music
Life is incomplete
You know, it is suckers
Bogey music, bogey music
Bogey music, bogey music