Following the culmination of the Beatles’ recording story with 1969’s Abbey Road, the former Fabs had carved out distinctive new solo identities. George Harrison set an early high bar with the exemplary double-album All Things Must Pass in 1970, while John Lennon had positioned himself firmly as a cultural figurehead of the revolutionary left. His utopian anthem Imagine became an enduring hymn for the ages.
Paul McCartney meanwhile, despite being quick off the mark to establish his solo career with 1970's amiable 'McCartney', had yet to garner consistent commercial success, or the same level of critical stock that his fellow Beatles were typically achieving.
