Mike McGear: McGear

Paul McCartney’s brother Michael should be commended for never capitalizing on his brother’s fame. Even before Beatlemania was in full swing he was already seeking his own path, but more on the musical comedy side with the Scaffold, in the example of their beloved Goons. To further distance himself, he chose to use the surname McGear for the better part of two decades, by which time everybody knew who he was anyway.

After the Scaffold disbanded, Mike put out an album called Woman that sported a photo of the boys’ mum on the cover and didn’t sell. Paul offered to help him record a single, which led to a full album recorded at 10cc’s studio with Wings (in between drummers) plus newcomer Jimmy McCulloch as the backing band, which is likely why Warner Bros. (via longtime Beatle insider Derek Taylor) put McGear out worldwide.

Oddly, the first track is a cover of “Sea Breezes”, one of the quirkier tracks on the first Roxy Music album, and Mike actually sounds more like Bryan Ferry than his brother. That vocal timber helps keep him his own man, though the patented McCartney touch is evident if not blatant from here on. That may be him playing all the instruments on “What Do We Really Know?”, but everything sounds like his tone and style, while Mike chirps the vocal and Linda harmonizes. There’s even a fake ending that seems to be an excuse for Paul to chant the title. “Norton” is even goofier but just as spare, following the title character from school to the army, complete with a skit in the middle. “Leave It” was the single that spawned the project, a tuneful little number with lots of honking sax and another fake ending. “Have You Got Problems?” is just as catchy and sax-heavy, with a couple of detours into more of a ‘50s feel. It ends with the occasional Macca tendency toward in-studio applause.

“The Casket” is a somber trip to the seaside, with Paddy Moloney on uilleann pipes and poetic lyrics by Scaffold cohort Roger McGough. “Rainbow Lady” is a very breezy candidate for being mistaken for his brother, and quite radio-friendly too. By the same token, “Simply Love You” is very much a silly love song, short on words but nicely constructed and arranged. Speaking of imitations, “Giving Grease A Ride” is a very clever pastiche of T.Rex, both in the automotive subject matter and the mildly Bolanesque delivery. (Elsewhere on the album he almost resembles John Cale.) It probably didn’t need to run for over five minutes, but “The Man Who Found God On The Moon” is even longer, and even more inscrutable. (What’s with the Hare Krishna mantra after the first verse?) Still, those extra minutes allow for more Paul on piano and lush Wings harmonies.

It’s not quite a lost Wings album, but McGear allowed Paul to apply his craft to an undertaking—and even indulge his silly side—without having to take too much heat if nobody bought it, which they didn’t. It might have done better if Mike had a more compelling voice. The album remains a vanity project in the McCartney story, and it did pave the way for Jimmy McCulloch to stay on with Wings, so people are still justifiably fascinated by it. Rykodisc put out the first CD version, with the standalone single “Dance The Do” added as a bonus track. Around the time of its 45th birthday, a deluxe box set also added the B-side “Sweet Baby”, plus a second disc of outtakes, B-sides, and such oddities as three minutes of Paddy Moloney practicing the pipes and others that predate and postdate the album sessions. The package also included two posters, booklet, and a DVD with interviews and video for the McGear fan who has to have everything.

Mike McGear McGear (1974)—3
1990 Rykodisc: same as 1974, plus 1 extra track
2019 expanded remaster: same as 1990, plus 20 extra tracks (and DVD)