Paul McCartney’s dream supergroup: “It’s a pretty major compliment”
Over the course of his storied career, Paul McCartney has witnessed many musical revolutions come and go. He has been at the forefront of the industry for over 60 years, a level of experience that only a handful of peers can match. Therefore, McCartney is well equipped to provide a close to definitive answer on the best rock musicians in history who’d make up his dream supergroup.
Not only has McCartney been a household name for a lifetime, but he’s also had the honour of working with a varied list of iconic artists from across the musical spectrum. Whether this is teaming up with Stevie Wonder or sharing a stage with Bruce Springsteen at the Glastonbury Festival in 2022, McCartney has done it all.
Furthermore, while The Beatles weren’t technically a supergroup, as none of the members were famous prior to their formation, they certainly became one before the end of their tenure. Therefore, if most musicians were tasked with curating a dream supergroup of their own, they would likely include at least one member of the Fab Four. McCartney or his former bandmates’ admission is only right, too, considering the seismic earthquake they caused in popular culture. However, while nobody would have criticised McCartney for including himself in his dream supergroup, he humbly chose against this cause of action.
There is no perfect answer to who would make the ultimate supergroup; the question is an everlasting one, thanks to the subjectivity of music. Nevertheless, due to the unrivalled prestige attached to McCartney’s name, it’s difficult to question the validity of his selections.
While speaking with the Brazillian newspaper Estadão in 2019, McCartney provided the answer to the much-debated question that every music lover has at one point dreamt up in their head during a long and winding train journey.
McCartney began the recruitment process by choosing Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham. Notably, Bonham collaborated with Wings on ‘Beware My Love’ – a song which didn’t see the light of day until 2014. When the track was belatedly released, McCartney praised the late musician, stating, “It was fantastic. Bonham was always on my top-five drummer list and a great friend and ballsy drummer.”
Next up, McCartney opted to select a musician he knew all too well, adding, “On keyboards…Billy Preston”. George Harrison brought Preston into the fold with the Fab Four while the band went through a tumultuous period, which provided a shot into the arms of the group and lifted their spirits.
“It’s interesting to see how nicely people behave when you bring a guest in because they don’t want everybody to know they’re so bitchy,” Harrison remarked in Anthology of Preston’s arrival. “Suddenly, everybody’s on their best behaviour.”
Instead of imposing himself on bass duties, McCartney deliberated before landing on The Who’s John Entwistle. Meanwhile, on guitar, Jimi Hendrix was the only name that McCartney considered.
Over the years, McCartney has heaped praise on Hendrix on several occasions. During an interview with Stephen Colbert, he recalled the iconic moment he witnessed the guitarist covering The Beatles’ title track for Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart Club two days after its release.
“He must have been so into it because normally it might take a day for rehearsal, and then you might wonder whether you’d put it in, but he just opened with it,” he told Colbert. “It’s a pretty major compliment in anyone’s book. I put that down as one of the great honours of my career. I mean, I’m sure he wouldn’t have thought of it as an honour, I’m sure he thought it was the other way round, but to me, that was like a great boost.”
After McCartney had completed the musical element of his star-studded group, the final vacancy was the role of the lead vocalist. From McCartney’s perspective, it had to be Elvis Presley, who he described as “immortal”.
Most supergroups seem convoluted, and in reality, they would lack the cohesiveness they have in our imaginations. Still, all these superstars vying to be the centre of attention are part of the fictional fun. While there’s no guarantee the egos within his line-up could successfully get on the same page, they certainly wouldn’t fall short on musical talent.
