Paul McCartney admits Wings 'weren't very good,' recalls post-Beatles struggle

"Looking back on it, I'm really glad we did it"

Paul McCartney has spoken openly about his past music experiences.

In an interview for BBC Radio 4's Mastertapes, the Beatles legend described his follow-up project Wings as "terrible."

The musician formed Wings with his then-wife Linda in 1971, a mere year after The Beatles' final album Let It Be. Denny Seiwell and former Moody Blues guitarist Denny Laine comprised the band that went on to release seven albums including Band on the Run (1973) and London Town (1978).

McCartney told broadcaster John Wilson 

"We weren't a good group. People said, 'Well, Linda can't play keyboards,' and it was true. But you know, Lennon couldn't play guitar when we started. We knew Linda couldn't play, we didn't know each other, but we learned. We had some funny experiences. Looking back on it, I'm really glad we did it."

The 73-year-old went on to describe his post-Beatles struggles.

"It was very depressing. You were breaking from your lifelong friends, we used to liken it to the army - we had been army buddies for a few years, and now you weren't going to see them again.

"People said to me: 'Get a big supergroup with loads of stars,' but for some mad reason I wanted to go back to square one and do it as we did in The Beatles."

McCartney released his latest solo album, New, in 2013. He'll be seen in upcoming Pirates of the Caribbean film Dead Men Tell No Tales.

A filmed version of Radio 4’s Mastertapes with Paul McCartney is available on the Radio 4 website. The full, extended interview will then broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on Saturday 28th May, 10-11am