Paul McCartney’s solo career, taken as a whole, has served mostly to severely diminish, not enhance, his overall reputation as a songwriter. Both John Lennon’s and, for that matter, George Harrison’s, solo efforts were, in most cases, much better than Paul’s. In short, Paul McCartney’s solo career has been a terrific waste and misdirection of an unbelievable talent.
The lack of appreciation for Curtis Mayfield in his native country is appalling. Though it is silly to speak of any individual having “invented” any particular genre of music, many credit The Impressions with “inventing“ soul. Yeah, I know, Jellyroll Morton claimed to have invented jazz. Though the claim is patently false, no one is going to argue that Jellyroll wasn’t a critical figure in the early development of the music. To cite an analogous example, though there was plenty of rock and roll in the 1940’s, Ike Turner’s 1951 “Rocket 88” (Ike wrote it, but was denied credit) is, to my ears, the first song that doesn’t sound like a “missing link.” Rather, it is the earliest bang on, fully and 100 % recognizable as such, hard rock song. What Rocket 88 is to rock and roll, The Impressions “For Your Precious Love” (I know, Curtis didn’t get songwriting credit) is to soul.
Not only was Curtis Mayfield one of the originators of soul, he is also acclaimed, in Jamaica and England at least, as The Godfather of Reggae. Listen to a classic “roots” track like Junior Murvin’s “Police and Thieves.” The sweet falsetto vocals over the urgent staccato guitar chords are straight-up Curtis Mayfield. No lesser man than that great reggae synecdoche Bob Marley frequently cited Curtis as his most important influence. Indeed, you will not find a single Jamaican vocal group from the 1960’s that did not include at least one Curtis Mayfield composition in their repertoire.
So I ask you, what other individual in the last century was a seminal figure in the development of two (somewhat) different important musical genres? Not Bob Dylan: the both the folk and rock idioms were well established before he began to reshape both of them. That Curtis Mayfield would have such a critical influence on the development of both reggae and soul is both astonishing and unprecedented. It is analogous to having one individual who simultaneously embodies the talent and creative energy of both Jimmie Rodgers and James Brown.
Are the defenders of Paul McCartney’s solo career willing to argue that the man who gave us such gems as “Coming Up,” “With a Little Luck,” “Silly Love Songs,” “No More Lonely Nights,” “Ebony and Ivory,” and “Temporary Secretary” is more deserving of a place on a list of great singer/songwriters than the author of “Minstrel and Queen,” “It’s All Right,” “People Get Ready,” Check Out Your Mind,” “Move on Up,” “Superfly,” and “Pusherman”?
Further whinging on behalf of McCartney’s place in the songwriter’s pantheon should take a hiatus pending the forthcoming posting of my list of the greatest songwriting teams.
