Mike McGear
McGear

Behind the name "McGear" has always been Mike McCartney, Paul’s younger brother by two years. Mike has pursued a parallel career to that of his more famous brother in the music world with the group The Scaffold, a curious ensemble of artists that merged music, poetry, and acting. With his stage name, he has shown from the beginning that he did not want to depend on Paul's reflected glory, dedicating himself to his own vision of music, which led him to achieve a decent amount of critical success. In '72, his first LP away from The Scaffold, "Woman," in '74, he wrote with his brother the material for his second work, "McGear."

"McGear" immediately presents itself as a decidedly intriguing and curious album, belonging to those lesser-known but important side projects of Paul McCartney that contribute to enhancing the already countless facets of an incessant career, especially in the '70s, which represent an almost inexhaustible source of material for the ex-Beatle. Recorded at Strawberry Studios, this album features the active collaboration not only of Paul but also of his Wings, including Linda, Denny Laine, and Jimmy McCulloch. For legal reasons, McCartney does not appear as a musician but only in production, though he actually plays on every track and does backing vocals on many occasions. The members of 10cc, Kevin Godley and Lol Creme, and former Wings drummer Denny Seiwell, on drums in "Leave It", also contribute. It begins with a song by Brian Ferry, "Sea Breezes", a track with a very successful overall result, with grandiose tones of great impact followed by a reggae-colored section. Next is an unreleased track by Paul, "What Do We Really Know"; this overwhelming funky-rock features Jimmy McCulloch's guitar and Paul's pulsating bass, with Mike's singing being pressing in the few verses. "What Do We Really Know" is a release valve in Paul's production, in some ways reminiscent of the unreleased "Night Out" from '73 and it anticipates the frenzy of "Robber's Ball". It's absurd that it has been forgotten by its author. Then we move to more traditional songs like "Norton" or the pleasant "Leave It". "The Casket" is a ballad with particular tones, a bit of Irish folk and a bit of early 1900s Italo-American standard, closing with  "The Man Who Found God On The Moon", a splendid and melancholic dedication to astronaut Buzz Aldrin written together by the McCartney brothers. 

The album is completed by the beautiful cover, a Gulliver version of Mike surrounded in his Liverpool by many characters, easily distinguishable as Linda on horseback, Denny Seiwell sitting on the ground, Paul at the lower right, their parents James and Mary, and many others. The album did not sell much, but the original is a good collector's item. However, there is a reissue on CD from '92 that includes two b-sides.