Nobody expected The Beatles to break up like they did, least of all Paul McCartney. Being a part of the biggest band in the world for most of his adult life, McCartney was heartbroken over the split, thinking he would have been in a group forever. Although being alone may have been a mortifying prospect, this started the first chapter of McCartney’s most personal projects.

Releasing his first album, McCartney, in 1970, Macca went out on a limb with anything but commercial songs. Excluding the mammoth single ‘Maybe I’m Amazed’, most of the album benefited from the DIY aesthetic, written in McCartney’s home during breaks from The Beatles. Although songs like ‘Junk’ and ‘Teddy Boy’ could have easily made for decent Beatles B-sides, their inclusion with a handful of rough production choices signalled the first sounds of indie music.

Though McCartney was proud of his work, he didn’t feel the need to be alone for long. After making the album RAM with his wife Linda, McCartney formed Wings to put himself back on track. For almost the same time that The Beatles were together, McCartney broke it off again and released McCartney II, featuring an eclecticly weird set of songs.

With more knowledge of the in-home studio, McCartney was on the precipice of new wave on this album, crafting songs with a four-track recorder that he had at home like ‘Coming Up’. While the sounds of tracks like ‘Waterfalls’ may sound primitive today, this set of tunes is one of McCartney’s most ambitious projects, with a sonic world not seen since Band on the Run.

Once fans started responding, McCartney was finally comfortable to lead his solo career. Starting to tour the world with his backing band, ‘The Cute Beatle’ saw it fit to honour his legacy now, playing a 50/50 split of Beatles, Wings, and solo songs throughout every one of his shows. Although the next few decades would take him through even more twists and turns, the whole world had the rug pulled out from under them during the pandemic in the 2020s.

Not able to tour as he intended, McCartney saw it fit to get right back to work. Assembling McCartney III at his home, Macca made songs that felt more homespun than anything from his operatic albums like Egypt Station and New. Despite the massive production style of his last decade of output, McCartney III is the sound of McCartney unleashed, seeing both the highs and lows of his psyche on ‘Slidin’ and ‘Find My Way’.

Outside of the fact that McCartney played all the instruments on these three records, there’s a certain mood evoked when putting any of them. Since McCartney had been known as the perfectionist in The Beatles, this is the opportunity for every fan to see his vulnerable side. Although not everyone has confessional lyrics by any stretch, it’s the first time it feels like McCartney is trying different structures with his voice and melodic choices.

Considering his penchant for perfect melodies, songs like ‘Temporary Secretary’ or ‘That Would Be Something’ showcase McCartney’s ability to do a lot with a little, whether it’s an electronic head trip on the former or creating a rhythm section with various items he has around the house on the latter. Considering how every record is assembled from minimalist art designs, this would be the closest thing that McCartney could make to an avant-garde solo outing, taking the building blocks of his usual pop method and stripping away all the clever bits.

Outside of the music itself, the feeling of each record tends to tell the story of McCartney, whether he intended to or not. Functioning as a trilogy, the first instalment sees a man deflated trying to pick up the pieces of the band that he called his home for years. After finding a new band over the next few years, the second instalment is the sound of McCartney finally free, hiring a machine behind him and going berzerk on whatever he can find.

While fans waited with bated breath for the third instalment, McCartney’s third proper solo outing resulted from years he thought he’d never see. After going through the loss of John Lennon, George Harrison, and his wife Linda, McCartney III further proves that McCartney is still recording music because he genuinely enjoys it. Rather than looking to earn a quick buck, the McCartney trilogy exists because Macca is just as eager to see where his muse takes him as his audience is.