#Paul mccartney book series

They’re a joy to read because they exude the joy their maker took in their making. makes clear that McCartney has written on a high level long past his Beatles years, and even the weakest lyrics in the books have a character all their own: a feeling of giddy playfulness and unguarded experimentation. To read over the words to these 154 songs is to be impressed not merely with McCartney’s productivity but with the fertility of his imagination and the potency of his offhand, unfussy style. It would be easy to fill the rest of this review space with the titles of less-than-print-worthy lyrics from McCartney’s vast catalog.

The books provide a carefully curated selection of lyrics: 154 out of the more than 400 songs McCartney wrote or co-wrote on 22 Beatles studio albums and 26 Wings and solo albums, along with singles and B sides. It’s not Selected Lyrics or Paul’s Favorite Lyrics or Lyrics That Remind Paul of a Little Story He’d Like to Share, but just The Lyrics, and it’s misleading. The books’ title, in its declarative terseness, proclaims the books’ definitiveness. fetch me a more exquisite anthology this holiday season? I dare say you won't find one. In its finest moments, The Lyrics brings these key relationships to the fore, emphasizing the role that McCartney's family has always played in his life-and yes, this most definitely includes his created family with the other Beatles and their circle. As always, McCartney's asides about his parents are simply lovely. That's not to say that the attendant anecdotes and off-the-cuff musings are not powerful and affecting.

#Paul mccartney book series

there are a series of moments in The Lyrics, often literary in nature, that might seem like-dare I say it?-overreaching. If The Lyrics has an overarching weakness, it exists in the margins. Readers will enjoy the deep dives into more than 150 songs, and I, for one, was thrilled with the choices. Drop-dead gorgeous as books go, The Lyrics rivals the finest art imprints, including the handsome limited editions from the likes of Taschen and Genesis.

Indeed, The Lyrics easily represents the finest collection of illustrations associated with McCartney's life and work. Dyed-in-the-wool Beatles fans will be bowled over by the sheer profundity of unpublished photographs, previously unseen lyrics sheets, journal entries, paintings, and the like.