50 years from ’70: A Revisited Review of The Ex-Beatles Debut Solo Albums
By: Gracie Williams
The year 1970 simultaneously marked two things: the end of The Beatles and the opportunity for new beginnings for each member. As a result, the three solo albums released that year seemed to be perfect representations of their makers — George: moody, warm, confident; John: pensive, vulnerable, bold; and Paul: lovey, optimistic, eclectic. Even so, do these debuts still hold up fifty years later?
George Harrison - All Things Must Pass
When checking my 2020 Apple Music Replay (the counterpart to Spotify Wrapped), I found that George Harrison’s debut solo album, All Things Must Pass, came in at number one, as my most-listened-to album — 333 plays in total. In questioning this outrageous number of plays, I realized that the prospect of time, and the outside world, seemed to evaporate in the little universe Harrison had created within the album. And this year, little forms of escapism were not only welcomed, but necessary.
Working with Phil Spector on the record, Harrison used the “wall of sound” technique — a method of creating a dense atmosphere in a song — and the slide guitar to his advantage in creating the now-iconic Harrison sound. Along with the sensory overload he utilized comes moody lyrics that are even judgmental at times. For example, he sings, “Everyone has choice, when to or not to raise their voices, it’s you that decides,” on “Run of The Mill,” which was alleged to be an insight into the Get Back Sessions of the previous year, and the tumultuous end of The Beatles. But even with the religious overtones of “My Sweet Lord” and “Hear Me Lord,” the lyrics never feel condemning, but rather, like an arm around one’s shoulder — a lesson.
When you get down to the second and third discs (105:59 minutes of material in total) the experimental deep-cuts come out. They include “It’s Johnny’s Birthday,” a circusy tune for John Lennon with a build-up of pitch that mirrors the tension of winding up a Jack in the Box, along with “I Remember Jeep” and “Thanks for the Pepperoni,” both Chuck Berry-esque instrumental jam sessions. The rest of the discography is all silk and honey, all while keeping that consistent air of mystique.
I once heard All Things Must Pass described as “a warm hug,” and I couldn’t think of a more fitting description. It’s a warm fire, softly crackling as a thunderstorm rages on outside, and it certainly holds its weight fifty years later.
John Lennon - Plastic Ono Band
John Lennon’s solo debut album is not one to lift you out of a funk. It’s not a political statement (except maybe a taste with “Working Class Hero”) or a jam album, but an unapologetic release of pain, and an auditory diary that isn’t trying to fix anything or anyone, but just trying to get it all out there. And that’s where it derives its power.
For an album that begins with, “Mommy you had me, but I never had you. I wanted you, you didn’t want me,” and ends on, “My mummy’s dead, I can’t get it through my head,” it offers little relief in between. It may be the addition of the primal scream therapy (a form of psychotherapy thought to release the pain of childhood trauma by screaming) Lennon had recently been into or just the candor of his childlike phrases, but simply saying the record is raw would be an understatement.
You get the signature Lennon cynicism in “God” with his list of “I don’t believe's” (which includes God, Buddha, Jesus, Elvis, and Beatles), evened out by contradictions in statements of semi-optimism like, “I just believe in me, Yoko and me, and that’s reality.” After “Mother,” you get “Hold On,” and after “Isolation,” you get “Love” — it’s a pattern of pain, healing, pain, healing that mirrors his own life at the time, as he underwent weeks of therapy in London and Los Angeles.
As Lennon’s therapist Arthur Janov said about his psychological state at the time of the record’s creation, “At the center of all that fame and wealth and adulation was just a lonely little kid.” And that’s what Plastic Ono Band turned out to be — just a lonely little album.
Paul McCartney - McCartney
There is nothing more Paul McCartney than creating a headstrong solo album amid tragedy and chaos, a trend that began with the release of McCartney during The Beatles’ breakup. Though the record preserves what he would later remember as his darkest hour, personally and professionally, the content is anything but morbid. In fact, the optimism almost bubbles.
The record was written, composed, produced, played, sung, and entirely created by McCartney alone, a stark contrast to the highly produced team effort of Beatles productions. Shedding his usual Abbey Road resources, the meek home setup he used, according to McCartney, consisted of a “Studer, one mic, and nerve.” This so-called “nerve” gave the album a certain edginess, as showcased in the funky jam, “Oo You.” In other respects, it plays off the softer tone of tracks like the innocent opener, “The Lovely Linda,” where actual giggles can be heard, and leftovers from the Beatles previous sessions like “Teddy Boy” and “Junk” (which is surprisingly overproduced and loses its rawness from the White Album Session’s demo version). Of the entire record, though, the real shining star will always be “Maybe I’m Amazed,” his dedication to wife Linda, which he still sings with as much heart as he did in the original recording.
Still, in contrast to the rave reviews received by George Harrison’s solo release, McCartney was received poorly by the critics, in part because he was vilified at the time for allegedly putting the nail in the Beatles’ coffin, and because he refused to wait until Let it Be (the Beatles’ final album) was released to promote his solo debut.
Today, McCartney is now labeled as a pioneer in the do-it-yourself genre of albums and proves that the leader always bears the brunt of the criticisms. With McCartney III out now (released today, December 18, 2020), McCartney appreciation is at an all-time high, and it makes his original album shine now, more than ever before.
Listen to Paul’s new album, McCartney III, on any of your favorite streaming platforms! and view the new music video for the track “Find My Way” below.