Paul McCartney & Wings - "Band On The Run" (1973)

This was McCartney's fifth record after The Beatles, and the third with the Wings. The public hadn't been very impressed with the first albums where Wings participated, so Paul really had to prove himself this time. He had gotten the idea that it would be interesting to do the recording in an exotic place, and therefore chose the EMI studio in Lagos, Nigeria. It might have been a good idea in theory, but it turned out that the studio was substandard, the political situation unstable and Paul and his wife Linda was robbed at knife point of the demo tapes (among other things). And to add salt in the wound, two of the Wings members left the band just before leaving for Nigeria, so it was just a trio involved in the recording - Paul, Linda and Denny Laine. This meant that Paul had to play various instruments on the album, including guitar and drums, which probably wasn't a huge problem for the multi instrumentalist Paul.

Many consider this to be Paul's best solo record, although it was initially received a bit hesitantly by the public, and one of the top creations any of the ex-Beatles did after the band was abandoned. And I can't deny it's a qualitative album, although expectations are (possibly too) high on an ex-Beatle. But personally, I hold his album Ram higher, as it contains more interesting songs. I've always thought Lennon made better and more interesting songs in the Beatles, and while Lennon's solo albums are of mixed quality, they're not always so kind, gentle and easy going. Sometimes McCartney feels a little too nice, happy and playful. His music, including Band On The Run, is somehow music's version of a feel good movie. There are nice harmonies, positive, good songs with catchy hooks, and often a sing along mood. You never get provoked, upset or thoughtful when listening to Band On The Run. It's not really a criticism, but is it something I miss on the album, it's that. Something that challenges a bit more.

Crazy man Ginger Baker lived in Nigeria at this time and offered Paul to record the entire album in his studio. Paul was somewhat doubtful concerning this offer, but ultimately recorded the song Picasso's Last Words (Drink To Me) there. After watching the Netflix documentary on Ginger Baker, I suspect it was a wise decision to have a bit of a distance to him. The photo on the cover is the trio that played on the record, together with a bunch of other famous people. Apparently, the photo was taken in low light so the camera needed to have the lens open for about two seconds. This meant that the gang had to stay absolutely still during this time. As they had just come from a party Paul had arranged, everyone was on various drugs, which made the staying still a challenge.

In conclusion, Band On The Run is a good album, and if you like McCartney, it's probably a must have. There's really no bad song on the record, every title has their own unique character, even though I personally sometimes think it's too gentle and cute. Personal favorites are the title track and the closing number Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five, which I think sounds like Gnarls Barkley's Crazy.


Tracklist (Helen Wheels was not included on the original release in England, only on the American)

Side A
1. "Band on the Run" - 5:12
2. "Jet" - 4:09
3. "Bluebird" - 3:23
4. "Mrs. Vandebilt" - 4:40
5. "Let Me Roll It" - 4:51

Side B
1. "Mamunia" - 4:51
2. "No Words" - 2:35
3. "Helen Wheels" - 3:44
4. "Picasso's Last Words (Drink to Me)" - 5:49
5. "Ninety Hundred and Eighty-Five" - ​​5:28