Recommendations of the Editorial team
Sir Paul McCartney is notoriously cautious when it comes to looking back. However, it was never difficult for him to name the highlights of his time with the Beatles. Nonetheless, Macca avoided boastfully praising the Fab Four as the greatest band of all time (and instead liked to point to the Everly Brothers).
But during a Q&A about his new solo album “The Boys Of Dungeon Lane” (ROLLING STONE review HERE), he discussed his group’s legacy and said: “I think the Beatles were the greatest band of all time. I’m a fan anyway.”
Once again, McCartney made it clear that he, John, Ringo and George actually expected the Beatles thing to be over after a few years. None of the musicians were actually prepared for the post-fame that has now lasted six decades.
“When we started, we were just kids and rock ‘n’ roll was just getting started, and we thought, ‘If we’re lucky, we might have a few years ahead of us,'” he said. “That was completely normal back then.”
McCartney continued: “We were expecting maybe five years at the most, then it turned into 10, and we were somehow still going on, and the scene is still there. Then it turned into 20, then 30, and now we’re at the top. It’s a wonderful feeling.”
Paul McCartney and Generation Z
The singer, who recorded a duet with Ringo Starr for the first time on the new record, was particularly happy that today’s younger generation also likes the Beatles. “People come to me and say, ‘My kids love your music,'” he said. “And that’s something special, you know, because you can’t indoctrinate children. They either like it or they don’t like it.”
Later in the interview, McCartney also responded to the question of how he would personally feel about the development of vinyl records into streaming. “We started with a 45rpm single, then came LPs and vinyl albums, then cassettes and CDs, and finally we’ve reached streaming,” said the songwriter deliberately calmly. “It’s fine with me because it’s another way to get your music out there… I don’t care how people access it, as long as they do… that’s all I care about.”
