It's hard to quantify Paul McCartney's impact on music history: The former Beatle has written some of pop music's most indelible songs, both alone and with John Lennon, and become a knighted icon. He's listed in The Guinness Book of World Records as the most successful musician and composer in popular music history, with massive popularity in The Beatles, with Wings and as a solo artist.
In recent years, McCartney has attracted massive press attention in his personal life, but his musical output has also been notable: He dabbled in classical music with 2006's Ecce Cor Meum and recently signed with Starbucks' Hear Music label, which released his new album, Memory Almost Full. Written and recorded around McCartney's 64th birthday, the album often concerns itself with aging and mortality, but never loses the singer's sense of big-hearted optimism or his ear for infectious melodies.
This segment originally appeared on July 6, 2007.
Copyright 2007 XPN
