Among Beatle biographers, Robert Rodriguez includes "McCartney" in his chapter covering the worst solo albums issued by the former band members between 1970 and 1980, saying: "For anyone wanting to get to the root of the most common rap against Paul's solo output, look no further …" While bemoaning the lack of quality control that allowed "charmless ditties" such as "Teddy Boy" to go under-developed, Rodriguez writes: "What made "McCartney" so frustrating a listen was not the absence of compelling musical ideas; it was the abundance of them. Had melodies like 'Momma Miss America' been teased out into compositions with a beginning, middle, end, and point, "McCartney" could have ended up as highly regarded in its own way as "Plastic Ono Band": a full slate of focused, listener-friendly pop confections that might very well have given fans far less cause for bitterness at the Beatles' breakup."