{"id":307287,"date":"2025-12-09T17:07:11","date_gmt":"2025-12-09T17:07:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/307287\/"},"modified":"2025-12-09T17:07:11","modified_gmt":"2025-12-09T17:07:11","slug":"the-genius-guitarist-paul-mccartney-was-desperate-to-work-with","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/307287\/","title":{"rendered":"The “genius” guitarist Paul McCartney was desperate to work with"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Paul<\/p>\n

(Credits: Far Out \/ Alamy)<\/p>\n

Tue 9 December 2025 12:34, UK <\/p>\n

During his days with The Beatles, Paul McCartney<\/a> had one of the most reliable guitarists in the game to serve his songwriting with a perfect foil. <\/p>\n

\u201cGeorge was the best guitarist in the group. I mean, we were all pretty good, but George was lead guitar,\u201c Macca admitted. \u201cJohn would take turns because John was good too.\u201d But the two men offered something very different from one another, \u201cHe had a more primitive style, but George was more technical, more practical, and we all thought he was a great guitar player. The nice thing was that he didn\u2019t really emulate anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Everyone in music emulates another artist to some degree \u2013 unless they\u2019ve invented their own instrument \u2013 but The Beatles showed how trying to be original as sincerely as possible is a pinnacle that can push art to new heights. With Harrison being a central force for this within the band, McCartney\u2019s love for musical inventiveness and idiosyncratic sounds grew. Thus, when he moved into his solo work, he was also looking to recruit someone similar to Harrison\u2019s singularity, if that\u2019s not too much of a paradox on paper. <\/p>\n

McCartney is a virtuoso, of course. He is very skilled at all kinds of instruments. The kind of guy who is so talented that they could really annoy you if you thought about it for too long. But, perhaps his finest skill was understanding arrangement and knowing what he needed to achieve that sound for that particular song. It meant, during his solo years he became an expert at recruitment. <\/p>\n

When he was looking for a guitarist for the track \u2018Rockestra Theme\u2019, he decided that the strangely mercurial power of David Gilmour was what was needed. McCartney has always held the Pink Floyd man in high regard. \u201cDavid Gilmour plays the solo on the record. I\u2019ve known him since the early days of Pink Floyd. Dave is a genius of sorts, so I was pulling out all the stops,\u201c he writes regarding the track in his book, The Lyrics. <\/p>\n

Gilmour\u2019s position as one of the finest guitarists of his age is often forgotten in the widespread adulation for his band. But with a six-string, Gilmour is one of the most technical masters the rock world has ever known. But his supreme talent comes when he matches up the proficiency with atmospheric dedication, bringing a certain feel to everything he does. <\/p>\n

\u201cI admired his playing so much,\u201c The Beatles glowingly continues. \u201cI\u2019d seen him around<\/a>; I think he\u2019d just done his solo About Face album. So I rang him up and said, \u2018Would you play on this?\u2019 It sounded like his kind of thing.\u201d Thankfully, the love-in was mutual, with Gilmour even saying that he would\u2019ve loved to have made the Fab Four the Fab Five. <\/p>\n

He\u2019s also cited them among his favourite tracks, telling BBC Radio 2: \u201cI was an absolute mad Beatles fan. \u2018You\u2019ve Got To Hide Your Love Away\u2019 is, I think, John Lennon\u2019s first moment of being influenced by Bob Dylan. It\u2019s very much in the Bob Dylan vein. So it\u2019s just one example of hundreds of things I could choose. Anything by The Beatles, really. Fantastic song.\u201d<\/p>\n

So, when McCartney came calling and started dropping praise as lofty as the G word, Gilmour snapped his hand off to be part of things. The duo have since worked together on McCarney\u2019s efforts, Give My Regard To Broadstreet from 1984, his eighth solo album Flowers In The Dirt from 1989, and most recently, Run Devil Run from 1999. They\u2019ve also duetted live together on several occasions, which Gilmour has called \u201dunforgettable\u201d.<\/p>\n

Once again, it has been mutual. The pair played together at the Cavern Club in December 1999 \u2013 one of the most I wish I was there concerts ever \u2013 and Macca later said that playing with his pal from Pink Floyd, a band he loved (largely because of Gilmour), was a \u201cpretty good way to see out the 20th century\u201d in his typically dry, understated tones. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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