One of the most prolific North American artists of all time, Neil Young, like most artists from his era, was also influenced by the music of The Beatles. In addition to listening to Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan, the Canadian musician was also aware of what was happening in the United Kingdom and was deeply inspired by the music of the Fab Four. Throughout his career, Young has spoken about the members of the band, sharing his opinions on them. Paul McCartney is a good friend of his and he has often expressed admiration for the musician’s bass playing. What is Neil Young's opinion on Paul McCartney “When I first heard The Beatles back in the 60s, somewhere, the first thing that I noticed was that ‘I might be able to do this kind of thing myself’. So the first song that I ever sang was a Beatles song: 'Give Money, That’s What I Want’. Saying that at the school cafeteria didn’t go over that good. So we tried ‘It Won’t Be Long, Yeah’, that was better. The Beatles meant a lot to me. Paul’s music, particularly his bass playing at that time, was something that a lot of the bands were very impressed." "Not only he played left-handed but he really played, I couldn't even... I only knew two chords, so I was very impressed at the time. As time when by and The Beatles got huge and I joined (Buffalo) Springfield. (Stephen) Stills and I were listening to 'A Day in the Life'. We're listening to the last note of (the song), listening to Paul's vocals, John's vocals and the great things that George did to the record. So it was like a marriage of all this talent coming together and creating this incredible thing which none of us could really fathom at the time. We were just trying to do our thing in the shadow of this great thing that happened between The Beatles, the Stones and The Who." Neil Young continued: "So I just kept on going and eventually The Beatles broke up. About the same time I broke up myself (laughs). So I started a solo career, at the same time that Paul came out with his first solo album, the one on Apple records with 'Maybe I'm Amazed'. I love that record because it was so simple and there was so much to see and to hear. (But at the same time) it was just Paul, so there was no adornment at all. There was no echo, there was no attempt made to compete with the things that he had already done. So he stepped from the shadow of The Beatles and there he was. It kind of blew my mind, I said 'Well, maybe I could do this too, you know' (laughs)." "So I made a simple record, that didn't have any echo for a while (laughs). Anyway, to make the long story short, I knew Linda (McCartney) a long time ago. We were all very happy when Linda and Paul got together. They had such a wonderful family, and I felt close to them over the years. I have a lot of respect for Paul McCartney as a man, for holding together a great family through the times of Rock and Roll. Through all of the success and through all of the swirling." He continued: "I have a lot of respect for that. The rest of it you all know it, he is just one of the greatest songwriters, perhaps ever. I think he will be remembered hundreds of years from now for the work that he did. Starting with 'Yesterday' and continuing on to today and tomorrow hopefully ” Neil Young said during his speech when he inducted McCartney into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999 (Transcribed by Rock and Roll Garage). They have been good friends for decades and as Neil said, he already knew Paul’s late wife Linda. She already worked as a photographer, before she met Paul. Their friendship only grew stronger over the years and they even performed together multiple times. The Canadian musician is only three years younger than Paul but achieved fame a few years later, in the late 60s, with his first famous band, Buffalo Springfield. Neil Young compared Paul McCartney to Charlie Chaplin 13 years after Neil Young inducted the Beatle into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Paul once again called his friend to make a speech when he received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2012. That day, Neil praised the British artist once again, saying he was at the top of his game, just like Charlie Chaplin was in movies. "Let me tell you a little bit about our friend Paul here just as a musician." "When I was in high school and The Beatles came out I loved The Beatles and I tried to play like them. No one could figure out what Paul was doing on the bass. Not only he was playing it differently, because as he played it left-handed, he played notes that no one had put together before in a way that made everyone just stand in awe of this great musician. Then we started realizing the songs that he was writing. It is really amazing that this guy, who is number one is with me here today." He continued: "I'm so proud to be doing this and he really is great. But I want to tell that as a musician and as a songwriter. Paul's craft in his art is truly at the top of his game like Charlie Chaplin was a great actor. That's how I look at Paul. He's at the top and yet, even with all of that craft that he was and his ability to put melodies, chords and feelings together, it's the soul that comes out of his music and everything that he does that makes me feel so good and so happy to be here with him and honor him today," Neil Young said (Transcribed by Rock and Roll Garage). Besides playing with Paul McCartney on many occasions, Neil had the chance to be his opening act in 2017 on two dates at the Desert Trip Festival in Indio, California. After those shows he was invited by The Beatle to join him on stage. They played together the songs "Why Don't We Do It In The Road?", "A Day In The Life" and John Lennon's "Give Peace a Chance". "It's great to play with Paul. I've always loved Paul. We've been good friends for a long time. (The friendship) just grew out of a natural lifetime of things that have happened to both of us, and people that we've known in common. He's such a great musician. I enjoyed being able to get up there with him and give him something to bounce of. Give him a little bit of something else, he told Relix magazine in 2017. Young is one of Paul's favorite songwriters https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xg_WQI4p7dI&list=RDxg_WQI4p7dI&start_radio=1&pp=ygUrcGF1bCBtY2NhcnRuZXkgbmVpbCB5b3VuZyBhIGRheSBpbiB0aGUgbGlmZaAHAQ%3D%3D Besides being a good friend, Paul McCartney also loves Neil Young as a songwriter. He mentioned him when asked by James Daunt in 2021 which were some of his favorites of all time. “I think there’s a lot of great songs that weren’t written by me or us. And those two people I have mentioned – Paul Simon, particularly, Dylan, I think Neil Young has come up with some classics, Beach Boys, ‘God Only Knows,’ I think that’s a great classic.” “And in a way, I could say I wish I’d written them, but I’ve written enough. I’ve got enough to go on with. But yeah, there are some great writers and artists out there. And I love to feel that when I’m writing something here, they’re writing something there. You get a little bit of rivalry going,” Paul McCartney said. Both Paul McCartney and Neil Young have been quite prolific as solo artists. The Beatle has released 26 studio albums (including those with Wings). Neil Young has an incredible number of 45 studio records. Both were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as solo acts and as members of a band. Young could have matched Eric Clapton by being inducted three times; however, he was only included in Buffalo Springfield’s induction and was left out of the ceremony that honored Crosby, Stills & Nash.The post Neil Young’s opinion on Paul McCartney appeared first on Rock and Roll Garage.