Paul McCartney calls the Beatles 'professors in a laboratory' in new Hulu documentary

Paul McCartney calls the Beatles 'professors in a laboratory' in new Hulu documentary

 Paul McCartney leaps from his seat as the pounding bass drum and crackling guitar riff of “Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band” bursts from the speakers, as thrilled as the rest of us to relish in its intensity, even though he has heard it more times than any other human on the globe.

That's the allure of Hulu's six-part documentary "McCartney 3, 2, 1." (now streaming). The series dives deeply into the vast archive of The Beatles, Wings, and McCartney's solo work as the two debate and deconstruct various songs with super-producer Rick Rubin in the room.

McCartney's delight in music is as obvious and contagious now as it was when he was a mop-topped, wide-eyed boy in Liverpool, England. Even at 79, the musical legend seems perennially young as he struts around in black trousers and a long-sleeved work shirt over a white T-shirt, his lightened hair still flapping around in puppy-eared floppiness.

The documentary was shot in two sessions at a former Methodist sanctuary on Long Island, New York, in 30-minute black-and-white episodes. The studio was built with a vintage analog mixing console and period-specific equipment, including a characteristic left-handed Höfner bass and a Fender Rhodes electric piano, to immerse McCartney in his natural environment.

Observing McCartney lead an imagined band to the music being played while pointing out chords, harmony overdubs, or a guitar approach used by John Lennon or George Harrison gives a special intimacy not seen in previous attempts to quantify his extensive musical legacy.

McCartney describes The Beatles' most experimental work to Rubin as "like we were academics in a laboratory, just finding all these tiny things."

Rubin, in the role of all of us, sits at McCartney's feet or at the console next to him, listening to the master of the game tell stories. Rubin speaks his own tongue, but he's also savvy enough – and charmed by the chance – to listen, grin, and shout the majority of the time.

Even though it's a show for the religious and people who like the smallest of details — was there a piccolo trumpet on "Penny Lane"? - there are enough fascinating storylines to keep casual viewers interested.

Demos on the run: Wings' robbery in Nigeria

McCartney and his wife Linda jumped into a car they thought had been sent to pick them up during the filming of Wings' "Band on the Run" in Nigeria. Instead, they were robbed at knifepoint and the album's tape demos were stolen. McCartney explained, "So now we had to produce the album without the demo recordings." “So, once again, we just thought, 'OK, let's do it.' We got adamant about making it a good record.”

Little Richard takes unconventional inspiration from Roy Orbison.

McCartney saw Fela Kuti at the African Shrine, a club outside of Lagos, while in Nigeria. “The music was so beautiful that it made me cry. He said, "Hearing it was one of the best music moments of my life." Little Richard (“These are the folks we loved and they were adoring us”) and Roy Orbison, whom The Beatles supported on tour in their early years, were also mentioned by McCartney.

Ringo Starr's 'Ringo-ism' is a delight to behold.

Ringo Starr's knack for twisting phrases and words provided The Beatles not just "A Hard Day's Night," but also the title for "Tomorrow Never Knows." "He had an ability for saying something a little bit incorrect, but it sounded great," McCartney chuckled. Starr's underappreciated drumming is also credited by McCartney, who recalls how impressed the rest of the band was when they heard a young Starr play the tricky cymbals and meters in Ray Charles' "What I'd Say." "He just lifted us... he just brought the whole band together," McCartney said. Starr's militaristic snare work on "Get Back" is also credited with elevating the song.

The development of the Beatles' iconic song "Michelle."

The acoustic toe-tapper was formed by a mix of Lennon's art-school parties, a friend's wife, and Edith Piaf's "Milord." “I'd wear a black turtleneck sweater and sit in the corner (at parties) and play guitar, thinking (ladies) would be drawn to me,” McCartney explained, showing how he would mutter some suave-sounding French phrases over chords. Years later, Lennon brought up the song to McCartney. McCartney used the aid of a friend's wife, a French teacher, to come up with a rhyme for "Michelle." "She said belle,' and I said, 'What does it mean?"