Paul McCartney began the '80s in much the same position as he'd entered the '70s: He released a home-recorded solo album after a blockbuster band had broken up.

Wings had been the portrait of pop-rock consistency in the prior decade, as all 23 of their singles reached the U.S. Top 40. McCartney's post- Beatles group would score 14 Top 10 singles, including six chart-topping songs. The last was a live band version of "Coming Up" from 1980's McCartney II , recorded during an ill-fated final tour.

Unfortunately, the solo projects that followed were far more inconsistent, despite the appearance of leftover Wings material on both 1982's Tug of War and 1983's Pipes of Peace . His next two No. 1 singles were stunt-y duets with Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson . McCartney wo

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