As far as that goes, Raggy, I confess I agree. I can't comment on the new album. I haven't heard it & I'm never likely to (sorry, DtG!), as I've never been a McCartney fan either. I'm not old enough to remember the Beatles before they broke up. I can only accept, therefore, the standard history of how influential they were on the UK music scene (much like the Rolling Stones, really!).

Similarly, I can't really hold on opinion on the whole Lennon vs McCartney creative thing. What I do remember is Wings & occasional later offerings of his that I may have run across. Banal, puerile pap. Two short verses & a chorus of "Ooo, yeah baby, Ooo, yeah, yeah, baby, ooo, yeah", the whole repeated however many times PM felt necessary. I'm probably being unfair, but shining examples of the lyric writing art, they were not. Similarly, the music was repetitive, banal, puerile pap. Sorry, pop.

Then there was his very public foray into classical music. I've studied classical theory to a reasonable level; more than sufficient to know what "development of a theme" means. One scathing critic wrote words to the effect that "Mr McCartney does not appear to understand that developing a theme means more than simply playing the same theme in a different key". But a classical orchestra picked it up & played to an enthusiastic reception... Nothing to do with PM's name being on it; good publicity & all that? Whilst proper composers can't get anyone to pay attention to them at all...

I'm not going to suggest that PM can't play, isn't a musician, etc. But, as far as I'm concerned, he's been living on his reputation as an ex-Beatle ever since he became one. As far as musician, composer, or lyricist goes, I've never heard anything to suggest to me that he, in his own right, he is anything more than a fortunately famous pygmy. To put it another way (so hopefully no-one will misunderstand the previous phrase), if his name hadn't been Paul McCartney, ex-Beatle, no-one would know it.

Sorry, Dave. Also not the answer you wanted, but at least I'm not being deliberately provocative, or calling people names. Well, not so far anyway! ;-)