What's the best Paul McCartney album?

I do like Ram, but it's hard for me to vote for anything other than Band on the Run here.

 

The one with the cherries!!

 

Why isn't "Abbey Road" on the list?

 

RAM! It still feels beatleish.

 

I’ll never understand why “ Back to the Egg “ is always disregarded. It was Paul’s swan song album under the Wings banner. To me it is the best album he ever made. The musicality is better than any other album, technically speaking. The songs are varied ,and it has those little bon mots which are not actually considered anything but filler by people apparently. BOTR,Ram both very strong albums, everyone seems to agree on that. I’ve noticed that the albums since possibly the early TOC are rather weak vocally,as opposed to his earlier work. The voice doesn’t last forever which in turn limits the songwriting ability. With all that said, Paul has had the most prolific career in contemporary music. His influence on other musicians and songwriters is profound. His ear was impeccable in respect to harmony parts,production and arrangements . The man will be remembered for god knows how many generations, obviously this has much to do with his days as a Beatle, but even if he had not been in “that “ band,he would possibly still be the one to catch through the seventies,early eighties ...

 

II all the way baby!

 

Ram, it has the most varied songwriting, best guitar work, singing that is great, and there is just enough Linda on it.

 

Band On The Run is one of the best albums of the 70s.
Ram is an absolute mess IMHO.
Never understood the revised view of it.

1. Band On The Run
2. Tug Of War
3. Flowers In The Dirt

 

BOTR is probably his best, but Off the Ground is my favorite

 

ram has its charms but Band on the Run is paul firing on all cylinders. with hardly a bad track.

 

I voted for BOTR, but looking at that list I'm amazed at the sheer number of absolutely naff albums the guy made. Worse than U2, and that's really saying something!

 

Some will say Ram; they are wrong. The only correct answer is Band On The Run.

 

I like how Ram slowly became reappraised as one of his best if not the best, but I'm still going with Band on the Run.

 

Not nearly a fan of Mccartney solo as many of you are.
But I would say he has about 2really good albums:
Band on the Run
Tug of War
Flaming pie and FLowers in the dirt have some good songs on them.
The rest of his career is some good singles, but IMO he's been a really disappointment.
Nothing in Paul's career approaches John Lennon Plastic Ono Band or All things must Pass.

And I think Too Many people is the only great song on Ram

 

That's easy. Ram simply has a greater number of superior McCartney songs on it:

Another Day
Too Many People
Dear Boy
Uncle Albert
Heart Of The Country
Monkberry Moon Delight
Eat At Home
The Back Seat Of My Car

...are better than...

Band On The Run
Jet
Bluebird
Mrs. Vanderbilt
Mamunia
Ninteen Hundred And Eighty-Five

That's 8 classic, must-have McCartney tracks on Ram vs. 6 on BOTR. And Ram has more of an earthy, natural honest feel where BOTR is overly produced.

And, most importantly, those Ram tracks feel like White Album and Abbey Road Beatles tracks where those BOTR tracks feel more of-the-day contemporary mid-70's Elton John Three Dog Night vintage.

Suggest you revisit Ram. Immediately.

 

My favorite trinity is:
Ram
Band On The Run
Chaos and Creation in the Backyard

 

Venus and Mars is my favorite

 

"Another Day" is not on "Ram".

 

Another Day is not on RAM.
Band on the Run for me has a track list where every song is great.
Monkberry Moon Delight is crap, Dear Boy is as lame as Teddy Boy and Eat at Home is repetitive garbage no better than the repetitive That Would Be Something.
Sorry but I've never liked RAM it's uneven, unorganized and unfinished.
BOTR has Let Me Roll It and No Words which you didn't mention.
BOTR is polished, brilliant and complete.

 

If you had asked me this question 40 years ago I would have said Venus and Mars without hesitation. Still love V&M but over time I have grown to love RAM even more. These days I listen to RAM on average once a week so it easily gets my vote.

Nonetheless I am shocked at the low votes for V&M. Of course all the casual fans will vote for Band (just like casual Neil fans always for for Harvest) and I am not too surprised to see Band right up there but I dont get V&M being so far behind. Can I get some more votes and move it up the table to its rightful place in 2nd spot?

 

Chaos and Creation

 

Two people voted for "Off The Ground?"

I first heard "Ram" in 1992 and it quickly became my favorite Macca album. Still is. Starts and finishes with maybe his two best songs ever.

 

"No Words" is just plain mediocre drivel...at best. It just doesn't go anywhere. Too Much Denny Laime on that that one. And talk about repetitive garbage, I think the prize should go to "Mamunia" I would listen to "Back to the Egg", before BOTR. I always felt it was vastly overrated.

 

Who says there's anything wrong with nonsense rock songs?

I think it would be more useful to take these in groups, have the winners by each decade have a run off. There are many folks that never bothered to listen to more than a handful of albums by McCartney and make their choice from that. I can honestly say I've heard every single album on the list here and I would have a hard time voting.