Kanye West and Paul McCartney team-up could be magic

Are Paul McCartney and Kanye West collaborating on a secret project, as the New York Post is reporting?

If so, should we be excited or shaking our heads in disgust?

I'll go out on a limb next to McCartney here and say this is exciting news.

McCartney's best work with the Beatles and after the breakup has often resulted from boldly embracing new ideas well outside his comfort zone, from the wild psychedelic experimentation of the '60s through the New Wave oddity that was the "Temporary Secretary" single to his electronic forays with the Fireman.

And West is one of mainstream hip-hop's edgiest producers. If they manage to play to each other's strengths, which WOULD NOT mean McCartney rapping, it could be an awe-inspiring meeting of two very different minds.

The story in the Post says they're already in the studio working on songs that could develop into an album, including a song titled "Piss on My Grave." OK, that title is probably trying a little harder to be edgy than it should.

But they've just started. If McCartney just does what he does and lets West add the edges in the studio, this album could be as adventurous as anything McCartney's done in ages. And the songs on "New," especially the title track, suggest that his melodic sensibilities are in excellent shape.

So why not top those sensibilities with some freewheeling studio lunacy, the way the Beatles did it on "Revolver" all those years ago, with West as a hip-hop Geoff Emerick?