Band on the Run Reissued for its 50th Anniversary
New edition of the third Paul McCartney and Wings album comes with an “underdubbed” version of the LP
In July 1973, Paul McCartney was stuck at yet another business meeting concerning his previous band, The Beatles.
Then his former bandmate, George Harrison, made a remark that stuck in his head. “Someone said something, and George just said, ‘Well, we’re all prisoners, kind of inside ourselves,’” McCartney later recalled at a press conference. “I just took up that theme of, we’re all prisoners in a way, so I kind of wrote a prison song.”
Thus was the genesis of the song that would become his next album’s title track: “Band on the Run.”
Just over half a century on, it’s still regarded as one of McCartney’s best, perhaps even the best, of his post-Beatles albums. At the time of its release in late 1973, it was seen as the record that restored faith in McCartney’s talent. His previous albums had all been found wanting in some way; too slight (McCartney), too overblown (Ram), too lightweight (Wild Life), too bland (Red Rose Speedway). Band on the Run got the balance just right: confident, even swaggering, rock; lush harmonic pop; and nary a silly love song in sight.
Previous reissues of the album have featured little in the way of outtakes; the “Paul McCartney Archive Collection” reissue in 2010, for example, just featured B-sides and songs from a TV special as bonus tracks. This just-past-the-50th-anniversary release serves up something a bit more interesting; previously unreleased rough mixes, sans overdubs (“underdubbed,” in McCartney’s words), giving you a chance to experience the album before the final touches were added that made the record a classic.
The album had a troubled birth, as McCartney’s band, Wings, had fallen apart right before the sessions, with guitarist Henry McCullough and drummer Denny Seiwell leaving due to musical differences and unhappiness about their financial situations. McCartney still had his wife Linda by his side, and guitarist Denny Laine, whom had been the first person McCartney tapped to join Wings, stayed loyal as well. So the three decided to forge ahead with their scheduled sessions (with McCartney stepping up to play drums).
The location was Lagos, Nigeria. The band’s label, EMI, had a studio there, and McCartney felt the sessions could be more like a holiday, their free time being spent lazing under the warm African sun. Instead, they found a poorly equipped studio that needed additional construction to bring it up to speed, and a hostile reception on the part of local musicians like Fela Aníkúlápó Kútì, who publicly accused McCartney of wanting to “steal” African music. The McCartneys also ended up getting mugged at knifepoint during their stay, with Paul collapsing the next day due to stress. Legend had it the thieves took the record’s demos, leading McCartney to having to recreate the music from memory. But in fact, the mugging came at the end of the sessions when most of the songs were already recorded, and in any case, there were copies of the demos back home in London. Nonetheless, everyone was glad when they finally returned to the UK, with the overdubbing sessions in London happily free of any drama.
But if adversity fuels creativity, the hard times may have helped make Band on the Run such a strong album. While not a “concept” album per se, themes of imprisonment, escape, and freedom run throughout the work, with the title track setting the stage, a mini-suite of three songs tracing the breakout of the “band on the run.” Comparing the undubbed take with the final version reveals McCartney’s skill as an arranger, and how the later elements he brought to the song really made it take off (an example: the use of an orchestra during the transition from the “If we ever get out of here…” section to the ebullient “Well, the rain exploded…” conclusion). An additional guitar here, double-tracked vocals there, a sax solo dropped in at just the right point; McCartney knew just where to fit each sonic tidbit so it could be used to its best advantage.
The album’s nine songs (in the album’s original incarnation) show McCartney in peak form. The rousing “Jet” is tailormade for the stadiums Wings would soon be playing. “No Words” (a rare co-write with Laine), “Bluebird” and “Mamunia” showcase the band’s inimitable vocal harmonies (say what you want about Linda’s weaknesses as a lead singer; her contributions here show she was a vital part of Wings’ trademark vocal sound). On “Let Me Roll It,” he showcases his own vocal prowess, in a stirring number whose impassioned delivery and use of echo drew comparisons with John Lennon’s early 1970s recordings (McCartney conceded the similarities but denied he was trying to emulate his former bandmate). But listen to undubbed version and you’ll hear how that judicious touch of echo took the song into a higher realm.
McCartney strives for a bit audio verité on “Picasso’s Last Words (Drink to Me),” imagining the dying artist hearing different snatches of music coming out of a radio (in a nice self-referential touch, you even hear excerpts of Wings’ songs). Then there’s the underlying tensions running through “Mrs. Vandebilt” and the concluding “Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five.” “What’s the use of worrying?” McCartney ponders in the former, eventually answering his own query with a forthright “No use!” The latter is driven by its propulsive opening piano riff and the ominous lines about “No one ever left alive.” It turns out to be a kind of love song, and even if the words sound like something of an afterthought, the musical thrust of the piece effortlessly carries you along, finally exploding in an orchestral blow out, and, tying things up, a brief reprise of the title song. It’s a perfect ending.
VIDEO: Paul McCartney and Wings “Helen Wheels”
This reissue opts to use the U.S. track listing, which shoved “Helen Wheels” (an upbeat ode to McCartney’s Land Rover) onto side two at his American label’s request. McCartney initially resisted, arguing that the song broke the mood he was trying to establish. But he was told that since the song had been a successful single, it might help boost sales if it was included, so he eventually agreed. But he’s right; it’s a bit jarring when it comes up in the running order, and as there’s no accompanying undubbed version among the bonus tracks, there’s really no reason for it to be included. Though one could say it still fits with the theme of escape, and how can you argue with the track listing of an album that topped the chart?
It took its time getting there though. In a scenario it would be hard to imagine playing out today, It took over four months for Band on the Run to reach the top of Billboard’s album chart, after which it stayed in the Top 10 for another four months, and reclaimed the top spot on two more occasions.
McCartney finally had a solid hit, and the critical acclaim to go with it. It ushered in his most commercially successful post-Beatles period, with more chart-topping albums and sold-out stadium tours on the horizon. Even a master craftsman stumbles at times. But Paul McCartney was now back in the musical groove, and ready to enjoy the ride.
Paul McCartney & Wings: Band on the Run 50th Anniversary Edition will be released on February 2, 2024, on vinyl, CD, and digital formats.
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December 5, 2023 -
Pretty interesting stuff, particularly the seemingly hellish time they went through just to get the album made, certainly undeserving treatment for a barely former Beatle!
I didn’t realize until now how really young i was when this came out (about 5 years old) but I loved the song Band On The Run, as it was getting a huge amount of play and even at that age i was really into radio.
Didn’t know who The Beatles were or even Paul McCartney for that matter. It was just a band called Wings that had a song that spoke to my young mind in some way, and was really one of my first introductions to actual Rock and Roll, not withstanding my parents very spare collection of records from the likes of Johnny Mathis, Pat Boone, and Tony Orlando and Dawn. .
My Mom took note of how much I was into that song, that she took it upon herself to buy me the album. I was thrilled and spun it obsessively, but strangely never made it past two songs, the latter being Jet.
I just played those two tracks over and over again until I lost interest (a couple weeks later) . To this day, I don’t think I’ve ever heard the rest of this album. Perhaps now, 50 years later I’ll have the opportunity.
Thank You Ms.Gaar for a very articulate and fascinating history lesson about an album (two songs of it anyway) that my five year old brain considered to be a masterpiece for about 15 days. Such a great story you’ve told, about the music that secured his place at the table for decades to come. I love learning about all those details that you have shared. I look forward to reading more from you.
I’m guessing that Sir Paul enjoyed working on this reissue a bit more than the original .