Paul McCartney names his favorite albums

 

Paul McCartney revealed three of his favorite albums. He answers a fan question monthly on his website, and for June he was asked, “Are there any albums that take you back to certain periods in your life? And does performing your own music evoke similar memories?” Paul named The Band‘s Music from Big Pink, The Beach Boys‘ Pet Sounds, and Neil Young‘s Harvest. Here’s his full answer:

Yeah, definitely. My favourite albums by other people tend to be: Music from Big Pink by The Band, Pet Sounds by the Beach Boys, and Harvest by Neil Young. They are the three classics that I love to listen to, and they all remind me of certain times in my life. When I perform my own songs, the great thing is that they often bring back memories of recording them. That can often entail memories of John and George in the studio –

McCartney was among the countless musicians who paid tribute to Brian Wilson following the sad news of his death earlier this month. “Brian had that mysterious sense of musical genius that made his songs so achingly special,” he wrote. “The notes he heard in his head and passed to us were simple and brilliant at the same time. I loved him, and was privileged to be around his bright shining light for a little while. How we will continue without Brian Wilson, ‘God Only Knows’.”

McCartney has previously called “God Only Knows” the “greatest song every written,” and named Pet Sounds as the core influence on The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.