Home » Jazz Musicians » Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Original member of the Fab Four, The Beatles. Composed many songs for the Lad's before departing to a solo career. Began a new group, Wings which was very successful. Continued to make the Playboy's Best Bass Player of the year.
McCartney composed title tracks for several Motion Pictures, including HELP!, A Hard Days Night, James Bond and Vanilla Sky, which the later two were nominated for an Academy Award. He received an Oscar in 1970 for Best Music, Original Song Score, Let It Be. He has toured around the world several times, drawing a large audience, performed with many artists over the years, and been covered by just everybody. Paul has received numerous Grammy Awards and has been inducted into the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame.
Musicianship
Putting aside his voluminous songwriting artistry, his skills arranging and producing, McCartney's musicianship is what sets him apart. Accomplished on many instruments, weather on a Martin acoustical guitar or at the key board of a baby grand, his craftsmanship excels. His vocal range and styling move a ballad with feeling and the blues with grit. His bass line played almost as the lead was a driving foundation, the glue that held together the Beatles sound.
During the early years of the Beatles' recording career, he developed rapidly as a musician, singer and songwriter. McCartney also became arguably the most creative and influential rock bassist of his time, elevating the electric bass from back-row obscurity to starring prominence. Paul still owns and uses the original Hofner bass that he purchased in Hamburg in the early Sixties and which features on all their early recordings.
By 1965 McCartney was pressuring the engineers at EMI to get a better bass sound on The Beatles' recordings, frustrated by the relatively weak sound on their earlier records and keen to emulate the powerful, booming bass sounds that he was hearing on recent Motown and Atlantic soul recordings from America. Another step forward was his purchase of a radical new American-made solid body bass, the Rickenbacker 4001, buying the very first model 4001 bass ever imported into England.
Several other important technical advances aided him in his development as a recording artist. He began to regularly use a new technique known as direct injection or "DI", which allowed him to plug his bass straight into the recording console, resulting in vastly improved presence and fidelity. He also took a keen interest in the engineering, mixing and mastering of the Beatles' records, ensuring that his bass tracks were not subjected to the heavy audio limitation and compression that was commonly applied in those days.
Read moreTags
Rolling Stones: Hackney Diamonds (2CD)
by Doug Collette
The Rolling Stones have taken some risks of greater and lesser proportion over the course of their sixty-plus- year career, but perhaps no gamble is so great as the decision by the surviving members of the band to continue on after the passing of drummer Charlie Watts. With the blessing of their co-founder in place for the presence of musician/producer Steve Jordan at the kit, the self-appointed 'greatest rock and roll band in the world' carried on with ...
read moreRevolver Super Deluxe Edition (5CD)
by Doug Collette
The five CDs in The Beatles' Revolver Super Deluxe Edition reaffirm a fundamental verity regarding the group's work. The Liverpudlian quartet was never more unified in its creativity than in writing, recording and producing the sixteen tracks that comprise the box in collaboration with producer George Martin, engineer Geoff Emerick and the additional musicians and technicians who participated. The curators of this set in turn have channeled the remarkably pragmatic and disciplined approach of the Beatles and company. ...
read moreLet It Be - Super Deluxe Special Edition
by Doug Collette
It's perfectly reasonable to state that the Beatles' Let It Be Super Deluxe Special Edition is the iconic group's third attempt to release music from their (three weeks of) January 1969 recordings. Originally set to be released as an album titled Get Back Don't Let Me Down and 12 Other Songs (as emblazoned on a contemporary cover photo replicating that shot on their very first long-player from 1963), that collection morphed into Let It Be (Apple, 1970), the initial foray ...
read morePaul McCartney: New
by Mike Perciaccante
Welcome back Paul McCartney. For lack of a better phrase, he's back to where he once belonged. He's released a collection of songs that is all at once lyrically pleasing, Beatlesque, forward-thinking, modern, vintage and above all else rocking. On New, Sir Paul sounds re-energized. Gone are the introspective, reflective and somewhat somber lyrics and music that plagued Memory Almost Full (Hear Music, 2007), his last collection of original offerings (2012's Hear Music release Kisses On The Bottom was a ...
read moreGET BACK: Paul McCartney Settes With Sony/ATV To Reclaim The Beatles Songs
Source:
HypeBot
Copyright reversion, or the return of master recordings and publishing to the creators when copyrights 'run out', is an issue that is finally reverberating throughout the music industry. In perhaps the most high profile music reversion to date, Paul McCartney and Sony/ATV reached a settlement over the ownership of many of The Beatles' songs. Paul McCartney and Sony/ATV have reached a settlement over the ownership of The Beatles song rights, avoiding a legal decision by a U.S. court in the case. According ...
read more
A Tsunami Is About The Hit The Music Business And Paul McCartney Is Riding The Wave
Source:
HypeBot
News that Paul McCartney was taking advantage of a US Copyright Act provision that allows songwriters to reclaim their catalog after 56 years has sent shock waves through the music industry. Imagine the impact on the bottom lines over the next decade as UMG, WMG and Sony lose revenue from hit song after hit song as songwriters exercise their rights. Paul McCartney, one of the 10 richest musicians in the world, has launched a bid to reclaim the publishing rights of ...
read more
Paul McCartney, Lucian Grainge Pay Tribute To George Martin
Source:
HypeBot
Often described as the 5th Beatle, record producer and executive George Martin left an indelible mark on modern music. Among the many tributes paid to Martin, who passed away at earlier this week, were statements from Paul McCartney and UMG CEO Lucian Grainge. Sir Paul McCartney I’m so sad to hear the news of the passing of dear George Martin. I have so many wonderful memories of this great man that will be with me forever. He was a true gentleman ...
read more
Will Paul McCartney's Low-Priced Album Apps Add to Digital Music's Downward Pricing Pressure?
Source:
HypeBot
To some degree album apps are being treated as novelty items with marketing appeal even when there's a lot of new art involved from remastered music to photos and video. That means pricing is treated differently than it would for a new album in an established format. With Paul McCartney's release of back catalog album apps for the iPad at $7.99 with remastered tracks and lots of extra content, I'm wondering if we're getting close to the point where an ...
read more
McCartney Tribute: Tony Bennett, Foo, Neil Young and Crazy Horse
Source:
JamBase
STAR-STUDDED TRIBUTE TO MUSICARES PERSON OF THE YEAR PAUL MCCARTNEY An impressive star-studded cast will come together to honor 2012 MusiCares Person of the Year honoree Paul McCartney during a sold-out gala on Feb. 10 in Los Angeles, two days prior to the 54th Annual Grammy Awards. Hosted by actor/comedian Eddie Izzard, artists set to perform are current GRAMMY nominees Tony Bennett, Coldplay, Foo Fighters, Neil Young & Crazy Horse (in their first live performance since 2004), Norah Jones, James ...
read more
Paul McCartney Confirms New Album Title and Tracklist
Source:
JamBase
KISSES ON THE BOTTOM OUT FEBRUARY 7 On December 19 2011 Paul McCartney announced that February 2012 would see the release of his brand new studio album. Scores of fans then streamed the new original track 'My Valentine,' many assuming it would be the new record's title track. While a few Twitter hints have been dropped and rumors have run rampant, Paul puts an end to speculation today, confirming that the album will indeed be titled Kisses On The Bottom. ...
read more
SoundCloud Grabs Exclusive Unreleased Paul McCartney with Eric Clapton [listen]
Source:
HypeBot
SoundCloud is hosting the first track from Paul McCartney's upcoming album, a month before its official release next year. 'My Valentine,' featuring a guest appearance from Eric Clapton, will debut on the platform's newly released HTML5 player. LISTEN:
Announced officially yesterday, Paul McCartney returns with a brand new album on 6th February 2012 through Hear Music/Concord Records. With the help of Grammy Award-winning producer Tommy LiPuma and Diana Krall and her band—as well as guest appearances from Stevie Wonder and ...
read more
Paul McCartney - The Love We Make (2011)
Source:
Something Else!
Paul McCartney, sitting in a plane waiting to return to his native England, saw the smoke rising from the Twin Towers on Sept. 11, 2001. The son of a volunteer firefighter during the German Blitz of World War II, McCartney was moved to assemble an all-star concert in honor of New York City's surviving first responders and the families of those who perished at the World Trade Center. The forthcoming behind-the-scenes DVD The Love We Make, set for release today ...
read more
One Track Mind: Paul McCartney and Wings, "Live and Let Die" (1973)
Source:
Something Else!
By Tom Johnson Let's look beyond the goofy flutes and whatnot—and the oddly aggressive nature of the song, because it's just so out of character for the nice man. Paul McCartney screwed up “Live And Let Die" in a huge way in my book because of a horrible grammar mistake. It's no wonder the song's so angry, he's mad he wrote such a half-baked line. You know the line, I know you do: “But in this ever-changing world in which ...
read more
Paul McCartney Adds North American Dates
Source:
JamBase
ON THE RUN TOUR CONTINUES WITH DETROIT, MONTREAL, CHICAGO AND CINCINNATI DATES Having just made July 15 and 16 New York City's music event of the summer with two sold out shows at Yankee Stadium that kept approximately 90,000 fans singing along for nearly three hours each night, Paul McCartney's On The Run Tour continues this week with six more North American dates. Paul McCartney On The Run Tour Dates
July 24 Detroit MI Comerica Park July 26 Montreal QE ...
read more
"Paul was one of the most innovative bass players ever. And half the stuff that is going on now is directly ripped off from his Beatles period."
(John Lennon, Playboy Inteview with David Scheff, September, 1980, courtesy of Dennis Alstrand)
"Because the Hofner's so light you play it a bit like a guitar - all that sort of high trilling stuff I used to do, I think, was because of the Hofner. When I play a heavier bass like a Fender, it sits me down a bit and I play just bass."
(Paul McCartney interview from Bass PLayer Magazine, July/August 1985, courtesy of Dennis Alstrand)
Phil Ravita
bass
Stockholm Voices
vocals
Apostolo Kalt Orchestra
bass, electric
Al Ross and The Planets
band / ensemble / orchestra
Alex Sino
producerPhotos
Music
Videos
Similar
The Beatles
band / ensemble / orchestra
Rod Stewart
vocals
Ringo Starr
drums
John Lennon
guitar and vocals
George Harrison
guitar
Elton John
piano
Traveling Wilburys
band / ensemble / orchestra
Elvis Costello
vocals
Paul McCartney
Instrument: Bass, electric
Born: June 18, 1942
