I have always thought Macca as a clever bass player who's playing compliments the songs (whether he wrote them or not - I love his playing on George Harrison's Something). The fact that he wrote so many classic songs that have lasted the test of time, has a good commercial voice and plays guitar and piano more than competently - and was part of one of/if not the most revered band of all time pretty, much puts him at the pinacle of popular music up with an elite few. For me it is hard to think of Macca solely as a bass player