McCartney's fears for One Direction

Sir Paul McCartney is urging One Direction fans not to hail their heroes as the "next Beatles" as it will put the "kiss of death" on the boy band's career.

The British-Irish five-piece has taken the charts by storm in recent weeks and became the first U.K.-based act to score a number one on the Billboard album charts with its debut record.

Their runaway success, less than 18 months after they were put together as a band by Simon Cowell on The X Factor, has led to comparisons with the Fab Four - but McCartney insists the "next Beatles" label will sound the death knell for their career.

He tells British morning show Daybreak, "(That's the) kiss of death. So many bands, they all get called the next Beatles. It puts an awful lot of pressure on them to be the next Beatles. Oasis were the next Beatles once, if you remember.

"It's pressure because suddenly you have got to live up to all the things that we did. It was a different time back then. So let's just call them the next terrific band. They're doing well in America. Good."