Say what you will about the movie, but the soundtrack is undeniably awesome. In fact, if the original versions of these songs had been all released on one LP, it would have been one of the greatest Beatles albums! That's not to say that Paul's remakes are worse than the originals, just less authentic (at the most, only two Beatles on a track at once). The remakes are very true to the originals (even the "she feels good" voice in the background in "Good Day Sunshine" remains), but sound considerably more produced (hey, it was the mid-80's). The album was produced & engineered by George Martin & Geoff Emerick, respectively, keeping some of the authenticity of the songs intact.
The medley "Yesterday/Here, There, & Everywhere/Wanderlust" is outstanding. The harmony vocals of "Here, There, & Everywhere" and the string quartet of "Yesterday" have been replaced by a gentle brass ensamble. (And unlike the Wings Over America version, the horns on "Yesterday" don't sound overly bombastic here.) "Wanderlust" sounds rather similar to the original, except the drums are considerably more pronounced.
This extended version of "Ballroom Dancing" is far superior to the original with a new guitar solo and an extra verse. "Silly Love Songs" sounds much more in its element in the 80's than the original Wings version. Lots more bass and clearer instrumentation. It also contains some electrifying lead guitar and impressive bass work in the extended section of the song.
Two of the songs which were new on this album, "Not Such A Bad Boy" & "No Values," may be the weakest, but they're both good. Both are examples of great no-frills rock&roll--proving to the naysayers that Paul DOES rock. However (and this subject is my only complaint about this album), the guitar solo at the end of "No Values" has been cut down from about a minute to only 15 seconds here, which doesn't make any sense to me because you'd think that the SOUNDTRACK would have the complete versions of all the songs! "So Bad" sounds about like the original (released only a year before), only slightly rawer.
"For No One" & "Eleanor Rigby" both sound more majestic than the originals. Again, unfortunately, the beautiful orchestral piece called "Eleanor's Dream," which adorns the arty portion of the movie and could have fit in comfortably on Yellow Submarine, is shaved down by a few minutes.
Strangely, "The Long & Winding Road" contains some of the elements of the Let It Be version that Paul hated so much, even including a choir! However, unlike the Phil Spector-laden version, this one actually sounds natural. The sax solo at the beginning makes the song sound incredibly bleak, which was obviously the intention, considering the point in the movie where this song shows up. Of course, the highlight of the disc is the ballad version of "No More Lonely Nights." This is one of Paul's greatest ballads (and that's saying something!) and is supplemented with a hair-raising guitar solo by David Gilmour.
If nothing else, this album proves that the Beatles' songs are timeless and sound awesome no matter what decade they were recorded.

In looking at how the songs are presented, I've noticed a distinct pattern. "No More Lonely Nights" are used as bookends, as the first and last vocal song on the soundtrack, with the instrumental "Good Night Princess" as a signing off tune.

In between both versions of "No More Lonely Nights", the first series of songs are mostly Beatles tunes, followed by solo and Wings tunes, then going back to Beatles. In order to replicate the order of the songs as done in the movie, program tracks 2-13, 1, then 14 in that order. There, it's Beatles songs, solo/Wings, Beatles, and then both versions of "Lonely Nights."

The medley of "Yesterday", "Here, There And Everywhere" and "Wanderlust" is my favorite here. All the songs seem to fit cohesively, despite coming from different albums--Help!, Revolver, and Paul's solo album Tug Of War. The end of "Wanderlust" has a refrain melody back to the second song, with Ringo's crashing drums bringing it back to the ending chords of "Wanderlust." The brass ensemble brings back memories of the past.

The presence of "Ballroom Dancing", also from Tug Of War, and "Silly Love Songs", both upbeat, are a welcome inclusion to the soundtrack.

Then there is what I call the rock set, "Not Such A Bad Boy", "So Bad", and "No Values". The first and last song are rockers compared to the pop heard before, with "So Bad" from Pipes Of Peace sandwiched inbetween.

"Eleanor Rigby" leads to "Eleanor's Dream," a seven minute string quartet/orchestral extrapolation from the original song. It's best seen in context of the scene in the movie, of the picnic gone wrong, treachery and comeuppance of Harry in the imaginary sequence.

My second favorite track is "The Long And Winding Road," done without the excessive Phil Spector wall of sound in the original Let It Be version. Played while Paul drives his car around the streets of London in a somber mood, the opening sax sets the mood of the song. After buying the soundtrack and watching the movie over and over, I've come to prefer this version to the original.

"Band On The Run", a snatch of which was played in the movie, immediately after the "Eleanor's Dream" number, is missing from here. Pity, as this was a crucial song in McCartney's career.

The Beatles songs here are all ballads, and three of them are the ones from Revolver. So, not quite a greatest hits, as it predates All The Best by three years, but with the selection of songs, good enough.

The movie isn't so good. It's easy to see that Paul was going for something that would attain a cult status ... but the movie actually doesn't have enough music or enough pacing to make that team (Rocky Horror Pic Show might be short of dreadful, but you can dance to it and it moves at a dizzying pace). But the star of this vehicle is the music ... and it is terrific. Paul re-imagines some of The Beatles stuff and seamlessly blends his own stuff in. I don't agree with one reviewer who called the solo efforts 'tepid'. In fact, these songs showcase Paul at his creative and melodic peak. 'So Bad' is a stand-out, as is his medly. The absolute best is the disco-fied version of 'No More Lonely Nights' that thrums through the end credits ... it evokes Paul with Wings in the 70s, but adds that oh-so-special 80s take on the music. The movie is worth watching to hear the music. But all things being equal, just buy this terrific soundtrack and make your own movie in your mind.

Ive had to buy this "album" three times now - two cassettes (one got stolen) and now the CD. It just sounds better and better to me. I'll listen to as many remakes of Beatle songs that Paul wants to make. We'll always have the origionals - whats wrong with a little variety? This CD has a nice mixture of songs as you can see. It ages well. I can't believe how much I like "Silly Love Songs" - Whats wrong with that?

I've been a McCartney fan since I was 11... it was 1980 and I have very fond memories of that summer listening to McCartney II almost constantly. Anyway by 1984 I was way too into Ozzy and Black Sabbath to bother with a McCartney album so I just discovered this when I purchased it a few weeks ago. I've always heard what a horrible album this is but after listening to it a few times I don't understand why people have such a hatred for it. It may be that older fans don't like the idea of McCartney releasing Beatles tunes on one of his solo albums. I'm certainly a Beatles fan but being that I was born in 1969 don't have that same Betlemania view of the fabs. Anyway, back to my review... I think it's a good album that I would certainly recommend to any fan. Buy it, you won't regret it.