It’s hard to think of how Paul McCartney could have given his first solo album a bigger publicity hurdle to overcome, unless he’d been arrested for some vile crime on the week of its release in April 1970. The newly ex-Beatle distributed a questionnaire that was treated by fans and the media as definitive word that the world’s most beloved rock band — true today as it was back then — had broken up. The music in “McCartney” was quickly overshadowed by anger and disappointment.
Forty-one years later, McCartney is asking for a second listen with a remastered disc that includes some alternative song versions, live cuts and film clips. “McCartney” is revealed for what it was: a warm, do-it-yourself project with one genuine classic (“Maybe I’m Amazed”), a couple of Beatles outtakes and a good dose of filler from a newlywed who sounds ready to cut loose from his musical moorings.
