My Paul McCartney discography map traces the longest single career arc in popular music. From McCartney in April 1970, the self-titled solo debut released just as the Beatles were breaking up, through the seven Wings albums of the 1970s, the solo records that followed, and on to McCartney III in December 2020, McCartney's studio catalogue spans more than five decades. Not an algorithm - every connection on this map was made by hand, by an obsessive fan, working from album liner notes, verified session credit data and decades of music archives.
TLDR: Paul McCartney has released around 24 main studio albums between McCartney (1970) and McCartney III (2020), spanning the Wings era (1971-1981), the long solo run, and three self-recorded "McCartney" albums released exactly a decade apart across three decades. Linda McCartney appears across most Wings and early solo records until her death in 1998. Denny Laine is the only non-McCartney to appear on every Wings album (1971-1981). Wix Wickens, Brian Ray, Rusty Anderson and Abe Laboriel Jr have been the touring and recording band since 2001. George Martin produced four post-Beatles records. The map shows the lot.
What does the Paul McCartney discography map show?
The Paul McCartney discography map shows every studio album from the 1970 solo debut to McCartney III (2020) in chronological order, with every credited musician running as a tube line through the records they appeared on. Paul McCartney is the only continuous line on the map - he appears on every record. Around him, the map renders the band-era clusters: the Wings line-ups across seven albums of the 1970s, the studio sessions of the 1980s and 1990s, and the long-running touring band from 2001 onwards.
The map rewards every closer look. McCartney's studio career is unusual in popular music because it contains multiple distinct band-format sections (Wings) folded into a longer solo discography, with the lines moving between configurations as the project umbrella shifts. The visual grammar handles this naturally: each Wings musician runs as a line through the Wings era and ends when the band dissolves; solo-era collaborators appear from 1980 onwards; the 2001-present touring band runs as four parallel lines across the last twenty years of the catalogue.
The Wings era (1971-1981)
Wings was the band Paul and Linda McCartney formed in 1971 with Denny Laine. Across seven studio albums - Wild Life (1971), Red Rose Speedway (1973), Band on the Run (1973), Venus and Mars (1975), Wings at the Speed of Sound (1976), London Town (1978) and Back to the Egg (1979) - the band's line-up shifted several times around the core of Paul, Linda and Denny.
On the map, Denny Laine runs as the only non-McCartney continuous Wings line across all seven albums. Linda McCartney runs alongside Paul through the era on keyboards and backing vocals. Around them, the supporting lines shift: Henry McCullough joins for Red Rose Speedway and leaves before Band on the Run. Jimmy McCulloch and Joe English join for Venus and Mars and continue through Wings at the Speed of Sound. By London Town and Back to the Egg, the supporting cast has changed again, with Steve Holley and Laurence Juber on board. Band on the Run (1973) is the most celebrated Wings album, recorded largely as a trio in Lagos after McCulloch and original drummer Denny Seiwell departed at the last minute - on the map, the personnel collapse at that station is visible at a glance.
The solo years
After Wings dissolved in 1981, McCartney moved into a long solo phase. Tug of War (1982) brought in George Martin as producer for the first time since the Beatles and added guest vocals from Stevie Wonder (Ebony and Ivory) and Carl Perkins. Pipes of Peace (1983) and Press to Play (1986) continued the studio collaboration with Martin and Eric Stewart of 10cc. Flowers in the Dirt (1989) brought Elvis Costello in as co-writer on several tracks. Flaming Pie (1997) reunited with George Martin one more time, with Ringo Starr also appearing on the record.
From Driving Rain (2001) onwards, McCartney's touring band became his studio band too: Wix Wickens on keyboards (a line that actually runs back to 1989), Brian Ray on bass and guitar, Rusty Anderson on guitar, and Abe Laboriel Jr on drums. These four run as long parallel lines across Driving Rain, Memory Almost Full (2007), New (2013), Egypt Station (2018) and into the live and recording work of the 2020s. Chaos and Creation in the Backyard (2005) is the major outlier in this period: produced by Nigel Godrich, McCartney played most of the instruments himself, with the touring band largely absent. On the map, the cluster around Chaos and Creation looks visibly thinner than the records on either side.
The self-recorded McCartney trilogy
Three of the most distinctive records on the McCartney map are the three self-titled, self-recorded albums released exactly a decade apart across three decades.
McCartney (1970) was recorded at home on a four-track in the final months before the Beatles' break-up was announced. McCartney plays nearly every instrument himself. Linda McCartney contributes backing vocals.
McCartney II (1980) was recorded after Wings dissolved, again at home, again largely self-played, but this time using early synthesisers and drum machines. The record is one of the most distinctive electronic experiments in McCartney's catalogue.
McCartney III (2020) was recorded during the COVID-19 lockdown, again at home, again with McCartney playing most of the instruments. Three records, three decades apart, three completely different sonic worlds - and on the map, each one shows up as a visually distinctive sparse station with very few lines passing through it.
Who are Paul McCartney's longest-running collaborators?
Across the full discography, a handful of lines run further than the others.
Linda McCartney appears on almost every record from Ram (1971, credited as Paul and Linda McCartney) through the Wings era and into the early solo years, until her death in April 1998. Her line ends at Flaming Pie (1997), the last record she contributed to before her illness took over.
Denny Laine is the only musician other than Paul to appear on every Wings studio album (1971-1981). His line then ends.
Wix Wickens has been McCartney's keyboard player since 1989, with appearances on studio records from Off the Ground (1993) onwards. He's the longest-running non-Wings, non-Linda line on the map.
Brian Ray, Rusty Anderson and Abe Laboriel Jr have been the touring and recording band since 2001, running as four parallel lines (with Wix) across the last two decades of studio work.
George Martin, McCartney's Beatles-era producer, produced four post-Beatles records: Tug of War (1982), Pipes of Peace (1983), Press to Play (1986) and parts of Flaming Pie (1997). His line is one of the strongest EEAT signals on the map - the through-line from Abbey Road to the late solo years.
How does the McCartney map compare to my other discography maps?
McCartney's catalogue is one of the longest single-artist discographies in my range, spanning 1970 to 2020 with around 24 main studio albums plus classical works and Fireman releases not included on the rock-catalogue map. For a closer look at how the visual grammar works across the wider catalogue, see my How to Read a Music Map guide.
The McCartney map is the natural companion piece to my Beatles Albums in Order guide - the post-1970 continuation of the same songwriting voice. For comparable hub-style guides to other long-running careers, the David Bowie Albums in Order guide covers another five-decade solo career with even more credited musicians (166 across 27 albums), and the Rolling Stones Discography Map: 1964 to Foreign Tongues covers the longest band catalogue in the range.
Paul McCartney albums in order
- McCartney: 17 April 1970
- Ram (credited Paul and Linda McCartney): 17 May 1971
- Wild Life (Wings): 7 December 1971
- Red Rose Speedway (Wings): 30 April 1973
- Band on the Run (Wings): 5 December 1973
- Venus and Mars (Wings): 30 May 1975
- Wings at the Speed of Sound (Wings): 25 March 1976
- London Town (Wings): 31 March 1978
- Back to the Egg (Wings): 8 June 1979
- McCartney II: 16 May 1980
- Tug of War: 26 April 1982
- Pipes of Peace: 31 October 1983
- Give My Regards to Broad Street: 22 October 1984
- Press to Play: 25 August 1986
- Flowers in the Dirt: 5 June 1989
- Off the Ground: 1 February 1993
- Flaming Pie: 5 May 1997
- Run Devil Run: 4 October 1999
- Driving Rain: 12 November 2001
- Chaos and Creation in the Backyard: 12 September 2005
- Memory Almost Full: 4 June 2007
- New: 14 October 2013
- Egypt Station: 7 September 2018
- McCartney III: 18 December 2020
The map also includes the McCartney solo work credited under other project names where appropriate: Fireman albums (with Youth) and selected collaborative releases sit on the map as side-spurs from the main career arc, marked separately from the canonical solo catalogue.
The Paul McCartney discography map art print
The Paul McCartney Discography Map Art Print shows every studio album, in order from 1970 to McCartney III (2020), with each credited musician represented as a tube line running through the records they appeared on. It puts the full story on your wall - five decades of recorded output, multiple band-format clusters folded into a single solo career, and one of the longest songwriting arcs in popular music.
The print is available as a Giclée on 230gsm premium fine art paper in A1 (594x841mm / 24x36in) and A2 (420x594mm / 18x24in) landscape, framed or unframed. From £42.00. The Beatles family is also available as a four-map set: the Beatles Albums in Order Map, the John Lennon discography map, and the George Harrison discography map, alongside the McCartney map, complete the set on the wall.
Browse the full range at the music wall art prints collection.
