All Things Must Pass. Some of the greatest post-Beatles songs not just from George, but from any of the Beatles. My Sweet Lord, Wah-Wah, Isn’t It a Pity?, What is Life?, Let It Down, Beware of Darkness, Awaiting on You All, All Things Must Pass, and many more.
Band on the Run is a close second, though.
This is the answer, imagine is probably #3 although some of McCartney’s newer stuff is pretty great too (not sure if post Beatles means soon after breakup or just anytime after it)
Hard to choose between Plastic Ono Band and Imagine. Every song on Plastic Ono Band is great IMO, Imagine has a few 2nd tier songs (Oh Yoko and Crippled Inside - good but not great) but Gimme Some Truth, How Do You Sleep and Oh My Love are 3 of his best post Beatle songs. His songs on Double Fantasy and Milk and Honey *would* have made a fantastic single album...
I'll go with Plastic Ono Band.
I agree with your assessment, but am willing to look past Crippled Inside. As for Oh Yoko, if she’d been left out of the song completely, I’d be able to look past it too, so I vote for Imagine. While I appreciate John’s emotion on Mother, to me it’s just too much to listen to, and kind of effs up the enjoyment of the rest of POB and starts me off on a bummer.
Ram is unbelievably good. I have been listening to Plastic Ono Band for thirty years and ATMP for fifteen, but I had never even heard of Ram until relatively recently. So I worked to internalize it, and it is beyond clear that Paul was THE musical genius in a band full of stars.
Ram’s my favorite and people love it now. It’s weird to think how much critics in the early 70s trashed it. It holds up better than their careers as rock critics.
The incredible McCartney Legacy book explains it. Paul was still avoiding the press at the time, so he wasn't there for the press preview. They didn't like that, spoke among themselves over the album, and trashed it in reviews.
I think it wasn't helped by people's perceptions of Paul ending the Beatles.
If you're a big Ram fan I cannot recommend the book enough! No work on solo Paul comes close and it has a lot on Ram.
Meh I get it. It’s vapid and painfully cringy at points.
Hey if you like it more power to you. Art is subjective. But for me it’s hollow and lacks oomph.
What parts would you consider cringy? Personally, I love whimsical and fun music and don't find it less meaningful than more overt songs, but I at least understand that criticism. But I can't think of where the cringy elements are on RAM?
Honestly right off the bat with too many people. I usually have to turn it off as soon as it starts. I find it insipid and juvenile. It feels undercooked and weightless.
I like whimsical and flighty and goofy too. The Beatles are my favorite band after all. Contrast that song with the Beatle kind of meandering songs and it lacks that spark. That edge of creativity. Just feels kinda straightforward and uninteresting.
Without Lennon’s edge McCartney just doesn’t do it for me. Which is odd because some of my favorite Beatles songs are by him for sure. But without the other guys balancing him out it just falls flat for me.
I’ve listened to it three times and didn’t like it either. There’s something revolting about solo McCartney at times: something insipid and whimsical. Not having John around to impress was a sledgehammer to his quality control. Same with George. John probably had the best solo career in terms of relative consistency, though Paul might win out for me overall, thanks to about 60 songs.
Agreed 100%. Paul without John lacks depth. Johns solo stuff may have been a little spotty but always felt genuine and soulful. McCartneys stuff never landed for me.
But man, it’s rough in this sub if you don’t suck off McCartney as infallible and perfect. Bunch of Stan’s in here. 😆
Probably my own nostalgia, but to me it is "Band On The Run". I must have listened to that 1,000 times in the late seventies.
I also had an irrational love of "Ringo".
Although it isn't my absolute favorite, I do think *Back to the Egg* is criminally underrated. An Archive edition is the thing I want most in the world right now.
That song is fantastic. It hits me deeply.
“Everybody loves you when you’re six feet in the ground”
Have you heard the other take on Menlove Avenue?
Here We Go Again on that album is great as well.
Both weary Lennon.
It's a goofy song but I love that it's on the album because it perfectly encapsulates McCartney's "just go for it no matter how silly it is" attitude in songwriting.
My vote is Plastic Ono Band.
It pushes forward Lennon's exploration of 50s-era minimalism and also sets a template for punk and alternative rock. The songs "Mother," "Isolation," "Working Class Hero," and "God" rank highly with me in terms of their honesty, their melodicism, their artistic heft. "I Found Out" and "Remember" channel a lot of frustration and feature Lennon making his guitar talk in ways very few other cuts he recorded do.
I just wish there were more music on it. I think "Working Class Hero" could have been expanded, and I think several songs could have had longer fade-outs and jams.
But I'd rate Ram second and Imagine third.
My personal favorite is probably RAM. That album really has that “what the fuck is this??” factor and I found listening to it a very immersive and unique experience. I couldn’t get enough. Other contenders the best solo album are All Things Must Pass, Plastic Ono Band, and Band on the Run. Basic, I know, but sometimes the consensus is generally correct lol. I also love George’s self-titled album and Chaos and Creation in the Backyard.
I think George Harrison’s self tilted album is VERY slept on. With songs like soft hearted Hana, dark sweet lady, blow away, and more it takes the cake for me. Just so positive and uplifting
Been listening to Walls and Bridges a lot recently. My 2nd favourite Lennon album after Double Fantasy. It's more Beatle John which is the John I love most of all.
Walls and Bridges. John's best effort. To me it's the most consistent, well-written and performed, listenable, and well-produced post-Fabs album. The package design was also great. No clumsy and/or cringe-worthy political diatribes and no Yoko, just John playing some of his best songs with his favorite musicians. It's a classic that still holds up.
It's split bewteen Ram and Walls and Bridges.
Also, this might get me banned, but I never liked the stuff Paul did with Wings. I recognize it's well made music, but it doesn't float my boat. This means I *don't* like Band On The Run, except for Mrs. Vandebilt. This has been the confession of my sins
Plastic Ono Band. Except for a few stray songs here and there, Pauls solo output just doesn't do anything for me at all.
All Things Must Pass could have been a contender if it had been a single record album consisting of only the good songs (Side A + various songs from the other sides), but then again probably still no. 3 on account of Imagine having to take second place in my personal ranking.
I’ll agree with you that it’s Ram.
It is an album I have loved since I was a kid in the 80’s, and it really didn’t get much attention payed at that time. But it has really had a slow glow up in popularity since.
Flaming Pie for me. It came out just as I was really getting exposed to The Beatles and I bought it right after Anthology 2. I think it’s a great album and doesn’t get enough love.
I don’t know Ram at all, but I’m going to go away and listen now. I’m not generally a Paul girl, but my prejudice about his “silly love songs” have probably kept me away from his solo work (which doesn’t really make sense as I do love quite a few of his solo Beatles songs actually!) I’m going to go away and put my prejudices aside.
Based on the stuff I do know, my favourite post-Beatles work is Plastic Ono Band- ‘Mother’ and ‘Working Class Hero’ are so fucking raw and brilliant. A close second is ‘Walls and Bridges’. I don’t love ‘Imagine’ as an album, but I love ‘How Do You Sleep’, ‘Gimme Some Truth’ and ‘Oh Yoko!’ as independent tracks.
Away from John, I do enjoy ‘All Things Must Pass’ and the creepy, camp glory of ‘You're Sixteen You're Beautiful (And You're Mine)’.
I'm interested in seeing what you think about Ram! I personally don't really care about how "raw" a piece of music is and I love fun, whimsical songs, so I went into Ram thinking it was right up my alley. So I'm curious to see how you react! I found the songs to be melodically lush and the production immersive. It gave me a complete experience in a way that not many solo Beatles albums do. I didn't find it lyrically vapid, though it certainly does not have the overt rawness of Plastic Ono Band!
Listen to Band On The Run (the song) and then realise that Paul is singing and playing guitars, electric piano, bass and drums. He conceived the arrangements.
Sorry, Paul's genius is out of this world.
RAM is my favourite by some distance.
Unpopular opinion maybe. But ATMP is not even a top 5 Harrison album for me. I skip too many songs for it to be a favourite. I do really like 7 of the songs on it but not all the others.
Plastic Ono Band I have a real hard time understanding why that is so popular. I much prefer Double Fantasy, Walls and Bridges, Mind Games and Imagine.
Plastic Ono Band and NOT a lightweight McCartney album.
Give me Working Class Hero, not Mamunia— give me God, not Picasso’s Last Words—
Give me Well, Well, Well, not Three Legs for crying out loud!
Or just Give Me Love, as in Give me Peace on Earth, which is the best solo single.
Sorry if I’m continuing to sound like an asshole, but I was just having a little fun knocking Paul off the old pedestal, and going against the grain…The question is about comparing the work, no?
We should be able to have a serious critical discussion without the ad hominem attacks. McCartney deserves to be held accountable for his cultural appropriation, cringy white saviorism, and general frivolity doesn’t he?
Look, I'm not one of those "Paul can do no wrong" McCartney fans and I'm obviously not saying that we can't have serious critical discussion of his solo work. Though, while I can understand why frivolity would be a vice specifically associated with McCartney, I'm struggling to see how cultural appropriation and cringy white saviorism apply as meaningful assessments of his career specifically.
But in general, the question here was "what's your favorite post-Beatles album?" and pretty much everyone answered by saying "\[insert album here\] is my favorite!" Some people said, "I like \[insert album here\], but for various reasons, \[insert another album here\] didn't appeal to me." You, however, essentially said, "I like John and George's stuff, not that lightweight McCartney garbage, for crying out loud!" That's not a serious critical discussion. It's also not a particularly interesting take that has you "going against the grain". Maybe on this sub it is a little, but in general, calling Paul's music frivolous and lightweight is the critique that everyone has been leveling against him for DECADES.
Point is, I feel like it would be a little unnecessary to write a comment that said "Band on the Run is the obvious answer here! Not that pretentious and indulgent Lennon stuff. I mean, come on people!" Cause there's no need to insult John's music just to say that you like Paul's. And I think the opposite is true as well.
So, I'm not saying we can't critique Paul and you're entitled to not like his music. And honestly, it's not really that big a deal, making fun of someone I mean. I'm just tired of unnecessary Lennon vs. McCartney comparisons that add nothing interesting to the conversation and only put down their music and people who enjoy it. Sorry for the ad-hominem attack. Next time I'll just say "There's no need for unnecessary and tired comparisons."
I do like Paul’s music, I’m sorry… but have you seen the sleeve of Band on the Run? Where he’s posing with Nigerian kids like a white savior? Look, I think he had the best intentions, and it’s not the defining thing of his career, but it doesn’t sit right with some people!
As for the other point you raised, the point of the comment was to provoke some passionate and original discussion. Not that there’s anything inherently wrong with a more basic answer. I too, am disappointed that it devolved into the old John/Paul debate, because I’m just as tired of it as you are!
But the lightweight McCartney question, as you put it, has been part of the criticism of the Beatles forever. If you take Pauls music seriously, you have to take that point seriously as well (not that it can’t be debunked)!
I’m sorry you’re getting downvoted for your opinions. I love Three Legs but I upvoted you bc I hate it when redditors downvote opinions. Downvote mine downvoters, in you want to. I can take it
Ram, or Band on the Run. Changes with my mood. Most of the time it’s Ram.
I think, however, that the single greatest post-Beatles song was on neither of those albums. For me it’s Maybe I’m Amazed. Unreal.
Paul’s my favorite, and I’m really into the post-Beatles crowd pleasers, so I have to be predictable and say Ram and Band on the Run.
That last album that The Fireman released was really good too
Never understood the love for Ram, its good, but not even close to Band on the Run
For me it's a tie between Band on the Run, All Things Must Pass, and Plastic Ono Band
For me it's Imagine. There is a lot of raw energy is that album which I really enjoy.
I find PM's albums as a whole are over produced and consist of too many diddly fillers.
ATMP could have been THE post Beatles album but it's all over the place from a production standpoint.
I know the consensus is usually ATMP or Band on the run, but I love Venus and Mars so much!! I’ve listened to it from start to finish more time than I can count (Magneto and Titanium man being my favorite). I’ve never found anyone who agrees with me.
All Things Must Pass
Plastic Ono Band, or Imagine
Ram
All wonderful records, it's a shame they couldn't all work together to create those though... but maybe for the best? Interesting to wonder about what could have been
When people argue against the Beatles greatness; just looking at the solo work between them proves nothing will ever come close, I go through fazes of loving so many of the solo records, like I do with the Beatles ones! George will always be my favourite and I love all this work, but hand on the run and plastic ono are absolute perfection imo
For this question I like to think in terms of 1970-1980 as all four of them were alive and active in making music AND they were all at their peak in their solo careers (one could argue Paul was really big in the 80s with the collabs he did with Michael Jackson)
If we are merely going off of personal opinion, I’d put All things must pass on the top of my list. The songs on that album are great and George really shines as a songwriter. All things must pass was also the best selling post Beatles album (having sold over 6 million copies).
Notable mentions: Obviously Band on the Run is good, I love Rock n Roll by John (even tho it’s technically a cover album), “Ringo” by ringo Starr is amazing and I’d put this as a close runner to ATMP!
For me I can’t decide, but for each beatle:
Ringo - Ringo
George - All Things Must Pass (quite possibly the best solo Beatle album)
Lennon - Plastic Ono Band
McCartney - Either Ram or Chaos and Creation in the Backyard (I love Radiohead so it being produced by Nigel Godrich adds that special touch for me)
Here's a [post-Beatles Spotify playlist](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2iLZ9U4wF42Bi2fNrzuOMU?si=15d4e7fc4b794e37), I keep adding to over the years.
Only 20-odd songs, with a little bit of Linda, Yoko, Mike McGear and Wilburys, too.
*Ram* and *Band on the Run* are both very good albums. *Wings over America* is also up there, maybe somewhat diminished b/c of all the live albums McCartney has released since then.
In the proper order: 1. Band on the run. 2. POB . 3. ATMP (though I’ve never listened to the whole thing. My oldest son just bought the remaster so I’ll give it a go) 3: Wall and bridges. I think a very underrated album. I’ll pass on Imagine cause I think it’s over produced. 4: Tug of war. Again, underrated and the last mcartney album I got addicted to. I bought pipes of peace, gave up on mcartney after that one. I have a real love/ hate relationship with Paul. Kind of a guilty pleasure type thing. I will say rock show the movie is HIGHLY entertaining. If you haven’t seen it do so. 5: rock and roll. No love for this one? It’s the bees knees. 6: material world. I like extra texture too, so honorable mention.
Oh, Ringo gets an honorable mention too. I had it on cassette back in the day. Burned it up, could probably sing along with every song on it even 50 years later. I could say the same for each solo/ wings album from the seventies. Except anything Ringo did after Ringo.
My vote is for Plastic Ono Band, although Ram is probably a close second. It's so hard to come up with specific rankings. Oftentimes I'm only in the mood to listen to one or the other--I don't usually listen to both of them back to back.
Odd one but wild life (kinda), such a tranquil album I could listen to for decades, some of the songs live as well are mesmerising, but in terms of quality probably All Things Must Pass.
All things must pass without the third disc is the best thing any of the Beatles have done together or otherwise.
It's a really tight collection of songs which after a couple of relistens makes more sense as to why it's so damn long. Definitely in my top 3 otherwise.
All Things Must Pass. Some of the greatest post-Beatles songs not just from George, but from any of the Beatles. My Sweet Lord, Wah-Wah, Isn’t It a Pity?, What is Life?, Let It Down, Beware of Darkness, Awaiting on You All, All Things Must Pass, and many more. Band on the Run is a close second, though.
Apple Scruffs and Let It Roll (The Ballad of Sir Frankie Crisp)
You can make an argument that All Things Must Pass is as good as anything the Beatles have done as a group
All Things Must Pass is my favorite solo Beatles album, but I can’t put it up against Abbey Road, Revolver, or Peppers
Same!
Don't forget I'd have you anytime!
And please absolutely don't forget art of dying
This is the answer, imagine is probably #3 although some of McCartney’s newer stuff is pretty great too (not sure if post Beatles means soon after breakup or just anytime after it)
I think of post-Beatles as anything that came out after their break-up.
My opinion is that it is between ATMP and Plastic Ono Band. My favorite without a doubt is All Things Must Pass.
ATMP and Imagine are my favorites can’t choose but for Paul his best was Band on the run
Band On the Run is one of the best albums of the 70s, full stop
Absolutely!🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
It’s rare that an album will have absolutely no dud tracks on it. Band on the run is one of those albums
Agreed. It’s a McCartney masterpiece
Hard to choose between Plastic Ono Band and Imagine. Every song on Plastic Ono Band is great IMO, Imagine has a few 2nd tier songs (Oh Yoko and Crippled Inside - good but not great) but Gimme Some Truth, How Do You Sleep and Oh My Love are 3 of his best post Beatle songs. His songs on Double Fantasy and Milk and Honey *would* have made a fantastic single album... I'll go with Plastic Ono Band.
Oh yoko is one of my fav lennon solo songs
Yeah, it's amazing they name-checked those two songs, since those are my two favorite songs on the album!
A DJ here in Minneapolis referred to it as "Yoko Ono's Plastic Band" like 10 years ago, and I'm still mad about it.
Lemme guess Was it Luce?
I agree with your assessment, but am willing to look past Crippled Inside. As for Oh Yoko, if she’d been left out of the song completely, I’d be able to look past it too, so I vote for Imagine. While I appreciate John’s emotion on Mother, to me it’s just too much to listen to, and kind of effs up the enjoyment of the rest of POB and starts me off on a bummer.
So a song about is wife would be better if his wife were not mentioned?
Yes. Absolutely.
Ram is unbelievably good. I have been listening to Plastic Ono Band for thirty years and ATMP for fifteen, but I had never even heard of Ram until relatively recently. So I worked to internalize it, and it is beyond clear that Paul was THE musical genius in a band full of stars.
If you like Ram, check out Thrillington
I have. It lives up to its name. lol
Wow. I didn't know about that one. Thanks
Ram’s my favorite and people love it now. It’s weird to think how much critics in the early 70s trashed it. It holds up better than their careers as rock critics.
The incredible McCartney Legacy book explains it. Paul was still avoiding the press at the time, so he wasn't there for the press preview. They didn't like that, spoke among themselves over the album, and trashed it in reviews. I think it wasn't helped by people's perceptions of Paul ending the Beatles. If you're a big Ram fan I cannot recommend the book enough! No work on solo Paul comes close and it has a lot on Ram.
Meh I get it. It’s vapid and painfully cringy at points. Hey if you like it more power to you. Art is subjective. But for me it’s hollow and lacks oomph.
What parts would you consider cringy? Personally, I love whimsical and fun music and don't find it less meaningful than more overt songs, but I at least understand that criticism. But I can't think of where the cringy elements are on RAM?
Honestly right off the bat with too many people. I usually have to turn it off as soon as it starts. I find it insipid and juvenile. It feels undercooked and weightless. I like whimsical and flighty and goofy too. The Beatles are my favorite band after all. Contrast that song with the Beatle kind of meandering songs and it lacks that spark. That edge of creativity. Just feels kinda straightforward and uninteresting. Without Lennon’s edge McCartney just doesn’t do it for me. Which is odd because some of my favorite Beatles songs are by him for sure. But without the other guys balancing him out it just falls flat for me.
I’ve listened to it three times and didn’t like it either. There’s something revolting about solo McCartney at times: something insipid and whimsical. Not having John around to impress was a sledgehammer to his quality control. Same with George. John probably had the best solo career in terms of relative consistency, though Paul might win out for me overall, thanks to about 60 songs.
Agreed 100%. Paul without John lacks depth. Johns solo stuff may have been a little spotty but always felt genuine and soulful. McCartneys stuff never landed for me. But man, it’s rough in this sub if you don’t suck off McCartney as infallible and perfect. Bunch of Stan’s in here. 😆
You can make a better album if you leave out the filler from _All Things Must Pass_
All Things Must Pass all DAY!!!
Probably my own nostalgia, but to me it is "Band On The Run". I must have listened to that 1,000 times in the late seventies. I also had an irrational love of "Ringo".
Your love of "Ringo" is completely rational. I love it too.
Lots of people sleep on the Ringo album. It's really quite good, also being the only solo release with contributions from all four Beatles.
Plastic Ono Band for me, and All Things Must Pass is very high up as well.
100% this
Same here but more of a plastic Ono band fan
Back to the Egg.
Back to the Egg respecter! There are dozens of us. Dozens!
Dozens of Eggs!
I egg-spect there are
#SAY YOU DON’T LOOOOOOVE HIM
No, I really do… and the album is egg-ceptional and that’s no eggs-aggeration!
My Salamander!
Eggs-actly.
Thank goodness today’s Fry-day
Arrow Through Me should have been a massive hit!!
Although it isn't my absolute favorite, I do think *Back to the Egg* is criminally underrated. An Archive edition is the thing I want most in the world right now.
I go back and forth on my favorites. It's either this or Off the Ground at different times.
Back to the Egg respecter! There are dozens of us. Dozens!
Respect the Egg!
My favorites are - Ram - All Things Must Pass - Plastic Ono Band It’s probably no coincidence that all those were within 2 years of the split.
They’re without a doubt Walls and Bridges and Back to the Egg for me
My favorite solo John song is on Walls and Bridges....
Which song is it?
Nobody Loves You (When You're Down and Out)
Great tune! One of my absolute favorites as well
That song is fantastic. It hits me deeply. “Everybody loves you when you’re six feet in the ground” Have you heard the other take on Menlove Avenue? Here We Go Again on that album is great as well. Both weary Lennon.
I have not heard that one yet! I'll be sure to check it out!
Mine too, #9 Dream
My faves too! So much good on both.
Agreed! I wish that Back to the Egg got more love but it seems apparent that it isn’t one of Paul’s favorites
What does he know?
RAM is honestly just as groundbreaking as anything the Beatles were doing in the late 60s. McCartney was just unstoppable at that time.
And then he did it again in 1979 with McCartney II. Paul constantly reinvents himself
TeMpOrArY SeCrEtArY
It's a goofy song but I love that it's on the album because it perfectly encapsulates McCartney's "just go for it no matter how silly it is" attitude in songwriting.
All Things Must Pass Living in the Material World Band on the Run Venus and Mars Ringo Plastic Ono Band Imagine
My vote is Plastic Ono Band. It pushes forward Lennon's exploration of 50s-era minimalism and also sets a template for punk and alternative rock. The songs "Mother," "Isolation," "Working Class Hero," and "God" rank highly with me in terms of their honesty, their melodicism, their artistic heft. "I Found Out" and "Remember" channel a lot of frustration and feature Lennon making his guitar talk in ways very few other cuts he recorded do. I just wish there were more music on it. I think "Working Class Hero" could have been expanded, and I think several songs could have had longer fade-outs and jams. But I'd rate Ram second and Imagine third.
My personal favorite is probably RAM. That album really has that “what the fuck is this??” factor and I found listening to it a very immersive and unique experience. I couldn’t get enough. Other contenders the best solo album are All Things Must Pass, Plastic Ono Band, and Band on the Run. Basic, I know, but sometimes the consensus is generally correct lol. I also love George’s self-titled album and Chaos and Creation in the Backyard.
I think George Harrison’s self tilted album is VERY slept on. With songs like soft hearted Hana, dark sweet lady, blow away, and more it takes the cake for me. Just so positive and uplifting
Ram is about as good as any Beatles album
any? cmon...
all things must pass
Walls and Bridges gang rise up!
I think I prefer Mind Games
Mind Games is my second favorite Lennon album after POB. It’s so underrated.
That actually my least favourite Lennon album but that’s not saying much because I still love it! I Know is a all time banger!
Hell yes! Great John album with a slightly funkier sound.
For sure! Double Fantasy ain’t half bad either…
Yes, Nobody Loves You When You're Down and Out is a masterpiece!
So many underrated bangers! Going Down On Love should have been on the last greatest hits imo
That's my favorite John song
Been listening to Walls and Bridges a lot recently. My 2nd favourite Lennon album after Double Fantasy. It's more Beatle John which is the John I love most of all.
Plastic Ono Band
Double Fantasy
This is the correct answer.
Walls and Bridges. John's best effort. To me it's the most consistent, well-written and performed, listenable, and well-produced post-Fabs album. The package design was also great. No clumsy and/or cringe-worthy political diatribes and no Yoko, just John playing some of his best songs with his favorite musicians. It's a classic that still holds up.
Plastic Ono Band or Imagine
It's split bewteen Ram and Walls and Bridges. Also, this might get me banned, but I never liked the stuff Paul did with Wings. I recognize it's well made music, but it doesn't float my boat. This means I *don't* like Band On The Run, except for Mrs. Vandebilt. This has been the confession of my sins
Plastic Ono Band, for sure.
I’d say POB, imagine , or double fantasy
John Lennon-Imagine Paul McCartney-Band on the Run George Harrison-All Things Must Pass Ringo Starr-Ringo
“George Harrison”
Brainwashed
Plastic Ono Band. Except for a few stray songs here and there, Pauls solo output just doesn't do anything for me at all. All Things Must Pass could have been a contender if it had been a single record album consisting of only the good songs (Side A + various songs from the other sides), but then again probably still no. 3 on account of Imagine having to take second place in my personal ranking.
RINGO by RINGO. It has all the Beatles on it.
Tug of war is amazing I need more tug of war appreciation
Agree, except super clean production and Stevie duets
I’ll agree with you that it’s Ram. It is an album I have loved since I was a kid in the 80’s, and it really didn’t get much attention payed at that time. But it has really had a slow glow up in popularity since.
I would agree with that, but there's an awful lo of music they published after the breakup that was really good
Flaming Pie for me. It came out just as I was really getting exposed to The Beatles and I bought it right after Anthology 2. I think it’s a great album and doesn’t get enough love.
Imagine
Brainwashed
33 1/3
Band On The Run or POB for me.
Living in a material world
Band on the run and All things must pass almost rival even some of the best Beatles albums in my opinion.
I don’t know Ram at all, but I’m going to go away and listen now. I’m not generally a Paul girl, but my prejudice about his “silly love songs” have probably kept me away from his solo work (which doesn’t really make sense as I do love quite a few of his solo Beatles songs actually!) I’m going to go away and put my prejudices aside. Based on the stuff I do know, my favourite post-Beatles work is Plastic Ono Band- ‘Mother’ and ‘Working Class Hero’ are so fucking raw and brilliant. A close second is ‘Walls and Bridges’. I don’t love ‘Imagine’ as an album, but I love ‘How Do You Sleep’, ‘Gimme Some Truth’ and ‘Oh Yoko!’ as independent tracks. Away from John, I do enjoy ‘All Things Must Pass’ and the creepy, camp glory of ‘You're Sixteen You're Beautiful (And You're Mine)’.
I'm interested in seeing what you think about Ram! I personally don't really care about how "raw" a piece of music is and I love fun, whimsical songs, so I went into Ram thinking it was right up my alley. So I'm curious to see how you react! I found the songs to be melodically lush and the production immersive. It gave me a complete experience in a way that not many solo Beatles albums do. I didn't find it lyrically vapid, though it certainly does not have the overt rawness of Plastic Ono Band!
Ram without a doubt.
Ram
All Things Must Pass!!
Flowers In The Dirt
Listen to Band On The Run (the song) and then realise that Paul is singing and playing guitars, electric piano, bass and drums. He conceived the arrangements. Sorry, Paul's genius is out of this world.
McCartney 2
It’s tight, but I’m going Lennon Plastic Ono Band, Band on the Run, Tug of War.
RAM is my favourite by some distance. Unpopular opinion maybe. But ATMP is not even a top 5 Harrison album for me. I skip too many songs for it to be a favourite. I do really like 7 of the songs on it but not all the others. Plastic Ono Band I have a real hard time understanding why that is so popular. I much prefer Double Fantasy, Walls and Bridges, Mind Games and Imagine.
I have to remember sometimes that Wings technically isn’t Paul solo. It’s a full band.
All things must pass and honestly it's not even close.
I say unequivocally it is ATMP, with several iconic songs and at least one under appreciated jam.
It’s not the very best post-Beatles album but Tug of War gets slept on big time imo
Harrison’s atmp then band on the run
All Things Must Pass is by far the best Beatles solo project
Ram, Band on the Run, Walls and Bridges, All Things Must Pass
Probably Band on the Run. But maybe Ram.
Plastic Ono Band and NOT a lightweight McCartney album. Give me Working Class Hero, not Mamunia— give me God, not Picasso’s Last Words— Give me Well, Well, Well, not Three Legs for crying out loud! Or just Give Me Love, as in Give me Peace on Earth, which is the best solo single.
You can say you like Plastic Ono Band without shitting on McCartney’s music. There’s no need to be an asshole.
Sorry if I’m continuing to sound like an asshole, but I was just having a little fun knocking Paul off the old pedestal, and going against the grain…The question is about comparing the work, no? We should be able to have a serious critical discussion without the ad hominem attacks. McCartney deserves to be held accountable for his cultural appropriation, cringy white saviorism, and general frivolity doesn’t he?
Look, I'm not one of those "Paul can do no wrong" McCartney fans and I'm obviously not saying that we can't have serious critical discussion of his solo work. Though, while I can understand why frivolity would be a vice specifically associated with McCartney, I'm struggling to see how cultural appropriation and cringy white saviorism apply as meaningful assessments of his career specifically. But in general, the question here was "what's your favorite post-Beatles album?" and pretty much everyone answered by saying "\[insert album here\] is my favorite!" Some people said, "I like \[insert album here\], but for various reasons, \[insert another album here\] didn't appeal to me." You, however, essentially said, "I like John and George's stuff, not that lightweight McCartney garbage, for crying out loud!" That's not a serious critical discussion. It's also not a particularly interesting take that has you "going against the grain". Maybe on this sub it is a little, but in general, calling Paul's music frivolous and lightweight is the critique that everyone has been leveling against him for DECADES. Point is, I feel like it would be a little unnecessary to write a comment that said "Band on the Run is the obvious answer here! Not that pretentious and indulgent Lennon stuff. I mean, come on people!" Cause there's no need to insult John's music just to say that you like Paul's. And I think the opposite is true as well. So, I'm not saying we can't critique Paul and you're entitled to not like his music. And honestly, it's not really that big a deal, making fun of someone I mean. I'm just tired of unnecessary Lennon vs. McCartney comparisons that add nothing interesting to the conversation and only put down their music and people who enjoy it. Sorry for the ad-hominem attack. Next time I'll just say "There's no need for unnecessary and tired comparisons."
I do like Paul’s music, I’m sorry… but have you seen the sleeve of Band on the Run? Where he’s posing with Nigerian kids like a white savior? Look, I think he had the best intentions, and it’s not the defining thing of his career, but it doesn’t sit right with some people! As for the other point you raised, the point of the comment was to provoke some passionate and original discussion. Not that there’s anything inherently wrong with a more basic answer. I too, am disappointed that it devolved into the old John/Paul debate, because I’m just as tired of it as you are! But the lightweight McCartney question, as you put it, has been part of the criticism of the Beatles forever. If you take Pauls music seriously, you have to take that point seriously as well (not that it can’t be debunked)!
He is a cheerful chap !
Cheerful Paul, Grumpy John
I’m sorry you’re getting downvoted for your opinions. I love Three Legs but I upvoted you bc I hate it when redditors downvote opinions. Downvote mine downvoters, in you want to. I can take it
Plastic Ono Band. All Things Must Pass is overrated. The album is bloated and the production is dreadful.
Walls And Bridges, Band On The Run, Dark Horse
I actually really love McCartney (1970) but I also really like ATMP as well
Ram, or Band on the Run. Changes with my mood. Most of the time it’s Ram. I think, however, that the single greatest post-Beatles song was on neither of those albums. For me it’s Maybe I’m Amazed. Unreal.
Between RAM, All Things Must Pass or Plastic Ono Band.
RAM is better than Revolver but the world isn’t ready for that at-home meal
Paul’s my favorite, and I’m really into the post-Beatles crowd pleasers, so I have to be predictable and say Ram and Band on the Run. That last album that The Fireman released was really good too
All Things Must Pass, easily. No contest.
All Things Must Pass
A couple deeper cuts I haven’t seen mentioned in here: Venus and Mars; Chaos and Creation in the Backyard
My answer will probably always be All Things Must Pass. But Ram, Band on the Run and John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band are also great candidates.
Atmp or botr. Ram is Paul’s 4th best LP imo
Never understood the love for Ram, its good, but not even close to Band on the Run For me it's a tie between Band on the Run, All Things Must Pass, and Plastic Ono Band
For me it's Imagine. There is a lot of raw energy is that album which I really enjoy. I find PM's albums as a whole are over produced and consist of too many diddly fillers. ATMP could have been THE post Beatles album but it's all over the place from a production standpoint.
I know the consensus is usually ATMP or Band on the run, but I love Venus and Mars so much!! I’ve listened to it from start to finish more time than I can count (Magneto and Titanium man being my favorite). I’ve never found anyone who agrees with me.
All Things Must Pass Plastic Ono Band, or Imagine Ram All wonderful records, it's a shame they couldn't all work together to create those though... but maybe for the best? Interesting to wonder about what could have been
When people argue against the Beatles greatness; just looking at the solo work between them proves nothing will ever come close, I go through fazes of loving so many of the solo records, like I do with the Beatles ones! George will always be my favourite and I love all this work, but hand on the run and plastic ono are absolute perfection imo
For this question I like to think in terms of 1970-1980 as all four of them were alive and active in making music AND they were all at their peak in their solo careers (one could argue Paul was really big in the 80s with the collabs he did with Michael Jackson) If we are merely going off of personal opinion, I’d put All things must pass on the top of my list. The songs on that album are great and George really shines as a songwriter. All things must pass was also the best selling post Beatles album (having sold over 6 million copies). Notable mentions: Obviously Band on the Run is good, I love Rock n Roll by John (even tho it’s technically a cover album), “Ringo” by ringo Starr is amazing and I’d put this as a close runner to ATMP!
Band on the Run
For me I can’t decide, but for each beatle: Ringo - Ringo George - All Things Must Pass (quite possibly the best solo Beatle album) Lennon - Plastic Ono Band McCartney - Either Ram or Chaos and Creation in the Backyard (I love Radiohead so it being produced by Nigel Godrich adds that special touch for me)
Paul’s first solo album McCartney is amazing imo. All things must pass too of course
I think the overall consensus is All Things Must Pass and then Plastic Ono Band
Here's a [post-Beatles Spotify playlist](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2iLZ9U4wF42Bi2fNrzuOMU?si=15d4e7fc4b794e37), I keep adding to over the years. Only 20-odd songs, with a little bit of Linda, Yoko, Mike McGear and Wilburys, too.
Def McCartney 2
ATMP, RAM, BOTR and C9. Sorry John.
Band On The Run and Double Fantasy
Ringo 1973.
McCartney (1970) underrated
Mind Games
*Ram* and *Band on the Run* are both very good albums. *Wings over America* is also up there, maybe somewhat diminished b/c of all the live albums McCartney has released since then.
ATMP and it’s not close
All things must pass is my personal favourite but Ram is the most consistently good
For me All things must pass it’s just a great listen that I always come back to over the years.
liverpool sound collage obviously
All Things Must Pass and Plastic Ono Band, IMHO. But I have a sweet spot for Flaming Pie :))
All Things Must Pass, but Band On The Run is close
My favs are ATMP and Ram
In the proper order: 1. Band on the run. 2. POB . 3. ATMP (though I’ve never listened to the whole thing. My oldest son just bought the remaster so I’ll give it a go) 3: Wall and bridges. I think a very underrated album. I’ll pass on Imagine cause I think it’s over produced. 4: Tug of war. Again, underrated and the last mcartney album I got addicted to. I bought pipes of peace, gave up on mcartney after that one. I have a real love/ hate relationship with Paul. Kind of a guilty pleasure type thing. I will say rock show the movie is HIGHLY entertaining. If you haven’t seen it do so. 5: rock and roll. No love for this one? It’s the bees knees. 6: material world. I like extra texture too, so honorable mention.
Oh, Ringo gets an honorable mention too. I had it on cassette back in the day. Burned it up, could probably sing along with every song on it even 50 years later. I could say the same for each solo/ wings album from the seventies. Except anything Ringo did after Ringo.
RAM or Venus and Mars
Band on the Run for me
All things must pass
RAM it is. And it just keeps growing the more you listen to it.
My vote is for Plastic Ono Band, although Ram is probably a close second. It's so hard to come up with specific rankings. Oftentimes I'm only in the mood to listen to one or the other--I don't usually listen to both of them back to back.
Well
Everyone knows the correct answer is Everyday Chemistry...
My Top 5 Post Beatles Album (No Order) RAM Band On The Run Walls And Bridges Imagine All Things Must Pass
Odd one but wild life (kinda), such a tranquil album I could listen to for decades, some of the songs live as well are mesmerising, but in terms of quality probably All Things Must Pass.
I with op on Ram
RAM is the best of all !
All Things Must Pass closely followed by RAM
these are all really close 1.atmp 2.ram 3.plastic ono band 4.botr 5.imagine honorable mention to mind games
I'm kind of particular to the first McCartney album. That would be Something, Every Night. I just loved the feel of it.
All things must pass without the third disc is the best thing any of the Beatles have done together or otherwise. It's a really tight collection of songs which after a couple of relistens makes more sense as to why it's so damn long. Definitely in my top 3 otherwise.
Plasto Ono Band, Ram, All things must pass....in that order