With the Beatles

Being in the Beatles was a tremendous experience. Paul was a Beatle the second longest since he joined John  and the Quarry Men in 1957, at age 15.  Like John, Paul changed a lot during his time with the Beatles, but he remained the most sane and diplomatic of all the Beatles.
At the beginning of their fame they were touring and making appearances nearly every day because of Brian's scheduling. John and Paul were the busiest Beatles in the early days since they wrote the bulk of the songs, although at first John had a much larger output than Paul. Each Beatle, however, played an important role in making them a successful group, and because of  this each one felt the pressures of  fame. Each handled the pressure much differently, however.

Paul and Ringo reacted with the most sanity while George and John were much more radical.  Paul did take in a fair amount of drugs, but it wasn't to escape like John did.  Paul did drugs to fit in and be more creative, and that is why he found it easier to quit. The reason for Paul's stability is that he came from a much stronger and loving family that all of the other Beatles. Marijuana affected his writing like it did the others, and it made Paul's work more mellow and during the time he was smoking pot Paul wrote some of his most beautiful melodies such as, "Yesterday", "Here There And Everywhere" and "For No One". Being more stable Paul was the last to take LSD. He stated that he had heard that it changes you forever and was frightened of that aspect of it. He finally gave in and joined John in what he said was a spectacular night. While Paul hesitated the most and always chose his words carefully when speaking to the press (he did not want to experience what John went through with the "Christ Statement"). However, Paul made a comment to the press that stirred quite a bit of controversy about LSD. He, and the rest of the Beatles, were always being hounded about whether or not they took acid, and all of them were getting really sick of it.  Finally Paul admitted he took it and placed the blame of it spreading or any repercussions on the press. He said that it "made him feel closer to God" and was a great inspiration for music. This brought a whirlwind of press and the Beatles received much bad publicity from the "Establishment", however, the statement proved to their fans that they were part of the "counterculture" and woud represent their views.
Paul's music was always much less politically oriented and message laden and that has been a great criticism towards his work. His songs tended to be love related and were opposite of John's music which is one reason why the break up occurred. Paul was the mass creator behind the Beatles most successful work "Sgt. Pepper". It was he who thought of the concept, the title song, the reprise, as well as many of the songs on the album. It was during that time, 1967, that Paul began to sort of become the "leader" of the band. Magical Mystery Tour was largely his idea and he was the main director. Also Let It Be, the film, was run by him, and the idea to have a medley on Abbey Road was an idea of Paul's.  While all of these are great pieces of work, the response of the group to Paul's leadership was less than enthusiastic, especially after Brian died. His "bossiness" was a very important factor in the break up of the group.

Paul grew and changed a lot as a Beatle as he became more assertive. He was always the most moody Beatle and at times he could be quite rude, although John typically gets casted as being rude.  However, it was through him that the Beatles stayed together as long as they did because he was the most persistant at keeping them together. George and Ringo each quit a number of times during the White Album or Let it Be, but  Paul would always try to bring the group back together. Paul is seen as the one who left the Beatles, and thus caused the break up, but this is untrue. It was John that announced he was leaving, and Paul released that he quit with an insert in his first solo album, "McCartney". It was actually a bad move on Paul's part because many fans turned on him once they thought he ended the group.

A sad factor in the break up of the Beatles was the extent that John and Paul went in their fights. The relationship they had was so close, and when it ended it was extremely bitter with each side insulting the other. When they broke up, the partnership did not technically end. Although each side wanted it to end there had to be a legal proceeding that would dissolve the contract. This was a bad situation because Paul had to sue all of his former bandmates. The proceedings lasted for a number of years and Paul had a very harsh relationship with all of his former bandmates.

Growth and change was a big part of the Beatles, and Paul certainly grew. Much of this is evident in his writing. His songs, more so than any other Beatle, have become some of the greatest popular songs in history and he has been named the "Greatest Songwriter of All Time". Songs such as "Yesterday", "Here There And Everywhere" , the entire  Sgt. Pepper album, and "Let It Be" are all his creation and have stood the test of time. He is indeed a great songwriter, and a very important part in music history.

One of my favorite pictures of Paul. It's too bad this is in black and white. I bet it would be amazing in color.

Paul early in the Beatles career holding a camera to his ear. One can see why is known as the "Cute Beatle".

A pensive Paul late in the Beatles career probably around 1968.

Another gorgeous picture Paul.