Musical Genius is not the same as musical innovator IMO.
Macca wrote melodies other musicians can only dream about.
Writing a great melody is also the work of a genius.

Prince for instance is a better musician, but not a better writer than Macca.

NDRU said:

Co-sign

i hate the word "genius", but i think mccartney is the rock era's answer to cole porter. from his writing with lennon in the beatles to his early solo stuff to his most recent album, i think he has a knack for writing catchy melodies and disarming lyrics. i also think he has a very playful, almost deceptive, ability to create songs in diverse styles.

i don't like the word "genius", but he's no schlub.

Sdldawn said:

Bottom line is that Paul & John inspired each other to be their best, and the arguments "Paul's the genius" and "John's the genius" aren't all black & white.

But Tomorrow Never Knows started as an amazing song. Even without the tape loops it would have been highly original.

royfolker said:

I'd say Subterranean Homesick Blues qualifies.

Revolver was a start of something new and innovating.. and each played a major role.,. I just notice that paul had an important role in the making of that record. For instance, I recently read that paul actually played lead guitar on "Taxman", a george harrison track.. the first track on Revolver, That, was some fucking amazing guitar playing.

Eleanor Rigby - impressive song.. I think John actually wrote "I look at all the lonely people" and paul wrote the rest of the lyrics, and the string arrangment was (you guessed it) pauls idea.
There has been massive controversy about who's song it was.. and its pretty clear that it was pauls, with the help of a few lyrics. It wasn't a full collaborative effort, just moments in the song.

And yes, as it was said in an earlier post.. the Lennon and Pauls combined effort in Tomorrow Never Knows is what made it so amazing.. whenever they wrote together, they came out to be some of the best material of that era. A Day In The Life is a good example.. such creative output from both.

of course he's a genius, musically, but not with the movies...

Sdldawn said:

that is indeed Paul on lead guitar on Taxman (he plays a similar lead part on Good Morning Good Morning off Sgt. Pepper), and yes Elenor Rigby was his. As john said about elenor rigby "paul's baby, and I helped with the education of the child"

as paul said himself...if he had a song he was struggling with..he always knew that with john, he would always finish it and it was almost always good material and vice versa with john...they needed each other and they were brilliant together...the best songwriting partnership the world will ever know.

blackbob said:

Yep, thats exactly right.. and it was a natural songwriting partnership.. they both were always doing it their style.. there was no strict education in their songwriting.. it was coming from their own unique style. Yes, what they admired came through in some of their work, but for the most part..the mold was entirely fresh.