Paul McCartney says time before The Beatles’ rise to fame gave group ‘strength’

By Lauren Del Fabbro, Press Association Entertainment Reporter

Paul McCartney has said the time spent together before The Beatles rose to fame is what gave the group “its strength”.

The singer-songwriter, 83, discussed the journey behind making his latest album, The Boys Of Dungeon Lane, which recounts a collection of memories from his formative years, during a special event in London.

Hosted by comedian Rob Brydon at the Roundhouse, a multi-arts venue and youth charity in Camden, the album was played in full and split up with reflections, anecdotes, and the occasional strum of a guitar by McCartney himself.

Fans filled the music and arts venue for the sold-out event on Wednesday night where the musician shared his song-writing process, opening up about how he often has “no idea” what he is doing – and proudly so.

“I don’t want to know any rules because that’s the fun of it,” he said.

McCartney added that he has a “hard time doing down songs” because “it’s just not me”.

“Positive songs I really like. If I’ve got a down song, I’ll suddenly try and lift it, give it a happy ending or something.”

Speaking about his Beatles co-songwriter, the late John Lennon, he added: “I look back and I just think, ‘wow’.

“We met in Liverpool just as a couple of kids.

“People would say, ‘what do you do?’ and I said, ‘well I like writing songs’ and most people would go ‘oh, yeah, what football team do you support?’

“But when I met John, I said ‘oh I like writing songs’ and he said ‘so do I!’

“He was the first person I’d met who ever said that.”

Later in the evening, McCartney explained how his track Down South was about hitchhiking holidays he used to take with his late bandmate George Harrison, who he praised as being someone who grew into a very “erudite, smart guy, very spiritual, very beautiful guy”.

He said: “We had some great times together.

“Besides, this was all before The Beatles, so this really gave The Beatles its strength.

“We knew each other really well.”

Reflecting on the success of the band, McCartney said: “I can look back on it now like I’m a major fan.

“When you’re doing it, you’ve got to be a bit modest. But once it’s all done, you don’t have to be modest at all!

“So I do enjoy looking back on those memories.”

The album features a duet with Ringo Starr titled Home To Us, which he revealed “came about by chance” after the pair were separately working with the same producer, Andrew Watt.

It is the first duet the two have made together with McCartney adding that at first he thought the drummer hated it.

The singer, who will soon turn 84, also shared that his secret to staying so sharp included being a vegetarian, going to the gym and doing a bit of Pilates.

The 14-track record was named after a place close to his childhood home in Forthlin Road in the Liverpool suburb of Speke.

Released at the end of May, the record was McCartney's first album in five years and climbed to number one on the UK album charts.

McCartney rose to fame as one of the members of The Beatles alongside Lennon, Harrison and Starr.

Formed in 1960, the band went on to become the best-selling musical act of all time and one of the most influential groups in the world, achieving 16 UK number one albums and 18 UK number one singles, including Help!, Hey Jude and She Loves You.

The group split in 1970 with McCartney launching his solo career, releasing his debut solo album, McCartney.