Paul McCartney & Wings, the #50 Artist of the Rock Era, Part One

"Some of the best music ever."

"So many great Wings tunes."

"The Wings era was a phenomenal period."

"Amazing how much of this music was the soundtrack to my childhood."

"Inspirational music."

"Pure genius."

"Wings were a great band!"

"The music from Paul McCartney and Wings will continue to entertain us, try to make us happy, and make us feel good for many many years to come."

"They were on fire!"

"Forty years later and people are still on YouTube listening to their music."

"Thank you Paul and Wings, you are formidable!"

"They were one of the top acts of the '70s."

"Wings forever."

"Wings' music is shear genius."

"The wonder of it all, baby."

After the official breakup of the Beatles in 1970, Paul McCartney recorded the album McCartney and teamed up with wife Linda on keyboards for the 1971 album Ram.  McCartney had already been part of the most successful group the world had ever known, but in a bold step, began auditioning musicians in London and New York City with designs of forming another group.  

McCartney founded Wings with Linda, drummer Denny Seiwell (who had played on the Ram sessions) and guitarist Denny Laine, formerly with the Moody Blues.  The Moodies had opened for the Beatles on several occasions and Denny and Paul knew each other well.  Laine, who had gone on to lead the Incredible String Band and Ginger Baker's Air Force, was working on a solo album at the time, but dropped those plans to join the group.  Importantly, in addition to his vocal and guitar abilities, Laine brought his songwriting talent as well, as since 1957, McCartney was used to working with a strong musical partner.

Thus, the band began rehearsing in Paul's Rude Studio, which it certainly was (a small shed on a hillside in Kintyre), but it gave the four a chance to get to know each other musically with a minimum of outside interference.  "We started with old rock 'n' roll numbers, Buddy Holly, Elvis and them, and it all just felt right," Laine recalled in Phillip Norman's book The Life.  "Nobody knew we were there, and no one around there knew who we were.  There was no publicity...no pressure."

Although the group had no name at this point, they quickly recorded eight tracks, five of them in one take.  Paul asked Seiwell to teach Linda how to play keyboards.  On September 13, Linda went onto labor with the couple's second child and was taken to King's College Hospital in London.  She had to undergo an emergency Caesarian section because of a condition known as placenta previa, where the placenta is too close to the uterus.  Paul later said he had "prayed like mad" and was answered by a vision of angels above Mother Mary, with McCartney seeing a host of golden, spreading...wings.  This is how the group got their name.

Wings released their debut album Wild Life later in the year.  Just as they had done on the album Ram, critics blasted the inclusion of Linda on keyboards and backing vocals, with her possessing no prior musical experience.  Paul insisted on having her in the band, so that he wouldn't have to leave her when he went on the road.  Wild Life has been certified Gold.

Shortly after the album's release, Wings hired guitarist Henry McCullough and the band drove around the United Kingdom in an impromptu tour of universities.  The typical process for this tour was that McCartney and the group would show up at a university and politely ask if they could play there!  There was minimal preparation, just two roadies to help with equipment, a 12-seat van and a white trailer.  No route was planned and no hotels were reserved in advance.

 

McCartney was deeply affected by the events of Bloody Sunday and wrote "Give Ireland Back To The Irish" as a response.  The song reached #16 in the U.K. despite a significant ban by the BBC and #21 in the U.S.

 

Later in the year, Wings released another non-album single, "Hi, Hi, Hi", which this time was banned by some radio stations in the United States because of feelings that it advocated drug use.  It nonetheless hit #10 in the U.S., #5 in both the U.K. and Canada.  

 

In 1973, the group renamed themselves Paul McCartney and Wings to emphasize their famous leader, and released the album Red Rose Speedway.  "My Love" established itself as one of the top songs of the year, jumping to #1 on both the Popular (#1 for 4 weeks) and Adult chart (#1 for 3 weeks) in the United States, #2 in Canada, #3 in New Zealand, #5 in Australia and #9 in the U.K.  The single sold over one million copies.

Red Rose Speedway has followed suit and also went Gold.  The group was nominated for Favorite Pop/Rock Band, Duo or Group at the American Music Awards.

Wings recorded the theme song for the James Bond movie Live and Let Die, which brought together McCartney with the Beatles' producer and arranger George Martin.  The single raced to #2 in both the U.S. and Canada, #4 in Norway, #5 in Australia and #7 in the United Kingdom and also was certified Gold.  McCartney and Wings were nominated for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus and Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture at the Grammy Awards and Best Original Song at the Academy Awards.

 

The group starred in the television special James Paul McCartney, which featured the group performing in concert and before a studio audience.  The band toured Great Britain to much success and got set to record their next album in the summer to take advantage of the Christmas market.  

Paul searched for an EMI recording studio that would provide a different and unique atmosphere.  He booked the month of September in Lagos, Nigeria.  The band rehearsed throughout August in Scotland, where they had gotten their start.   However, McCullough and Seiwell both quit prior to recording sessions.  

The relationship between McCartney and McCullough and soured in recent months as Henry's drinking led to problems.  During a performance of "My Love" on the BBC program Top of the Pops, McCullough threw up.  The demanding McCartney and the free-lance McCullough also clashed on Henry's guitar playing.  Paul insisted that the guitar parts should be planned in advance while McCullough preferred to improvise.  Two weeks before the group was due to depart to Nigeria, the two got in a heated argument as Paul wanted Henry to play a certain way and McCullough resisted.  Paul stormed out, got on his horse and rode home.  McCullough reacted by getting in his car and never returning.

Sewell, for his part, didn't feel he was getting a share of profits, as he was still earning 70 British pounds per week two years after the group began.  There was also the disagreement about how the situation with McCullough was handled.  The night before the plane ride to Nigeria, Sewell left as well.

Even with the last-minute defections, Paul was determined to forge ahead.  The McCartneys and Laine carried on as a trio and Paul brought Geoff Emerick, the engineer on the Beatles' Abbey Road, to oversee the project. 

Nigeria wasn't the glamorous location Paul had envisioned.  It was monsoon season in Lagos, with horrendous rainstorms every afternoon.  Nigeria at the time was under the repressive rule of President Yakubu Gowon, who had caused a million deaths from genocide and famine just three years prior when residents of Biafra dared to break away on their own.

The studio had a bare minimum of equipment and no soundproof booth, so brining Emerick along was a good move.  Emerick insisted on making the studio soundproof and not only hired carpenters, but picked up a hammer and worked on the building project himself.

One night, Paul and Linda walked back to their villa from a brainstorming session with Denny and Emerick.  A car pulled up beside them.  After a brief exchange, the car moved ahead and parked.  Five men got out, one with a knife.  After Paul handed over the bag he was carrying, they were allowed to leave, about the best result the McCartneys could have had.

The bag held lyric sheets and cassettes of the songs rehearsed in Scotland.  But since Paul had long ago made it a habit to memorize everything he wrote, the effect on the album's recording was minimal.

Wings released the album Band on the Run in 1974.  "Helen Wheels" was the lead single, a #4 smash in Canada that also hit #10 in the U.S.

 

"Jet" was a Top 10 hit in seven countries, including a peak of #2 in New Zealand, #5 in Canada and #7 in both the United States and the U.K.

 

The album has sold over three million copies in the United States alone.  Wings saved the best song for last, as the title song catapulted up the charts to #1 in the United States, Canada and New Zealand and #3 in the United Kingdom.  "Band On The Run" has also sold over one million singles. 

 

Wings won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus and were nominated for Album of the Year.  The album was later tabbed in 2012 for Historical Album of the Year.  "1985" is another solid song on Band on the Run.

 

"Let Me Roll It" is also a fan favorite.

 

Lead guitarist Jimmy McCulloch, formerly with Thunderclap Newman, joined the band, and drummer Geoff Britton joined shortly afterward.  The band traveled to Nashville, Tennessee and recorded while staying at the farm of songwriter Curly Putman, Jr.  The song "Junior's Farm" is the story of that experience, and it became another big hit, #3 in the U.S. and New Zealand, #10 in Canada.

 

The flip side also received considerable airplay.

Join us for Part II of the Wings story!