Elvis Costello selects the essential Paul McCartney albums
Although he first established himself in the age of punk rock, Elvis Costello has always held an appreciation for Paul McCartney as a groundbreaking songwriter.
(Credits: Far Out / Alamy)
Music » From The Vault
Thu 23 January 2025 15:00, UK
Elvis Costello has always been a pretty enigmatic figure in popular music. He might have started out as a folk-rock obsessive, but it was the anger and energy of punk rock that first established him in the mainstream musical consciousness. Britainâs premier, angry young man, Costello, managed to imbue his punk roots with a diverse range of songwriting styles and truly groundbreaking lyricism. As opposed to many of his punk contemporaries, Costello was never afraid to highlight the older artists who he adored.
After all, Englandâs punk explosion during the mid-1970s was built upon a manifesto of tearing down the musical establishment and rebuilding from the rubble. Nostalgia for the hippie rock and pop of the 1960s was akin to sacrilege, but that never particularly concerned Elvis Costello. The songwriter was a disciple of 1960s pop, with Motown and folk-rock as particular favourites. Indeed, these influences were made immediately clear on his 1977 debut My Aim Is True, even if they were coupled with an undeniable punk attitude.
When discussing the legacy of 1960s pop, it is virtually impossible not to touch upon The Beatles. The Fab Four forever altered the landscape of songwriting and pop music composition in ways that even the most hardcore of punks would struggle to denounce. It should come as no surprise, therefore, that Costello always held a particular love for The Beatles. So much so that, when asked to select his 500 favourite albums by Vanity Fair in 2000, Costello highlighted a total of eight Beatles records.
Aside from his adoration of records like Revolver or the White Album, Costello was also keen to heap praise onto the solo records of Paul McCartney. When The Beatles went their separate ways in 1970, McCartney quickly embarked upon a solo project which allowed him to explore all the ideas and songwriting themes that might have been pooh-poohed by his former bandmates. As such, Maccaâs solo work is not universally beloved in the same way as certain Beatles records.
Nevertheless, Costello has always appreciated McCartneyâs songwriting talents, and that certainty did not stop with the break-up of The Beatles. In fact, Costello selected the divisive 1970 record McCartney among his 500 favourites. Actually released before Let It Be, McCartneyâs debut solo record marked a huge departure from the sounds of The Beatles. Distinctly lo-fi in its production and composition, the album was often criticised for its seemingly unfinished tracks and apparent underproduction.
Although McCartney was widely panned upon its initial release in 1970, the record soon went on to inspire an entire generation of DIY and outsider musicians, like Elvis Costello, who highlighted âMaybe Iâm Amazedâ as a stand-out track on the album. The idea that a Beatle was stripping everything back in search of something innovative and entirely new was nothing short of groundbreaking, and Costello certainly took note.
Costello also shone a light on McCartneyâs 1997 solo album Flaming Pie as an essential listen, with âLittle Willowâ his favourite track. In contrast to the trailblazing DIY style of McCartney, Flaming Pie saw the songwriter return to the style of pop songwriting that he had pioneered with The Beatles, writing the album shortly after completing the Beatles Anthology retrospective.
These two very different records represent the enduring brilliance of Paul McCartney as a songwriter and the diverse range of projects he has been involved with over the years. For Elvis Costello, a songwriter who has consistently refused to remain in one place for too long, the quality of these solo albums acts almost like a blueprint. He might have established himself as the thinking manâs punk back in the 1970s, but Costello certainly owes a lot to Paul McCartney and The Beatles.
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Elvis CostelloPaul McCartney
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