Tug of War

The general consensus has it that Paul McCartney's finest solo work is Ram (1971). Its 2012 remaster stirred renewed excitement. Yet whatever I try, I cannot bring myself to like Ram. Instead, I find myself thinking: what is so good about a record that seems to have been made almost to throw barbed remarks at John Lennon? Reading the lyrics makes it worse. I cannot willingly embrace it.

Paul, a rare melodist and a singer with a gentle vibrato, has no need for such obvious thorns. ‘All My Loving,’ ‘Drive My Car’ and ‘Hey Jude’ are more than enough. I think it is precisely the beauty of ‘it's only pop music’ that makes Paul McCartney what he is.

For that reason, there is much in his 1980s work that I find worthy of attention. John Lennon—perhaps a troublesome rival—naturally left his mind and became part of wonderful memories. In that process, one senses Paul's neutral pop instincts returning, step by step. Through the three American No. 1 hits ‘Coming Up’ (1980), ‘Ebony and Ivory’ (1982) and ‘Say Say Say’ (1983), his neutral 1980s character culminates in the excellent Flowers in the Dirt (1989).

On this third album after his return to solo work, No. 1 in both Britain and America, ‘Ebony and Ivory’ is especially splendid. Performing with Stevie Wonder, who was producing one hit after another at the time, gives the song an unmistakable pop aura. Its words, using the piano's white and black keys as a motif, ring with a touching loveliness. ‘Get It,’ performed with Carl Perkins in imitation of Carl's style, is a nice attempt but feels a little underdeveloped. Rather, the casual pop songs ‘Tug of War’ and ‘Take It Away’ strike deep. Reuniting with producer George Martin also worked to the album's advantage.