Paul McCartney & Wings – “Band on the Run”

The Sleeve:

The Liner/Sleeve Notes:
None.

Personal Review:
Some albums are fun to write intros to, others don’t require them.
So, my out of my extensive Paul McCartney (/Beatles) discography comes “Band on the Run” by Paul & Wings, which starts with ever so amazing title track, “Band on the Run” – which just has so much great lyrics and musicianship, especially during the song link to the chorus. Which ultimately becomes one of my favorite Paul McCartney tracks, the odd thing is, if you had spoke to me when I first started to collect albums, I’d tell you I didn’t like Paul, now, I’m fond of Paul. Anyways, the next track is “Jet” – which has a pretty neat intro, (I guess that covers my lame one.) – it’s a pretty good song, I do like the “JET! A-wooo-oooh!” part. That’s good. Then comes the song “Bluebird” – which I do find it has a Beatles style feel to it, (and no, I’m not just saying that because the Beatles had “Blackbird“) it’s an alright song, not to overly fond of it. The lyric sheet actually lists one phrase as “Bluebird ah-ha!” – I  love when artists list little sounds they make in the lyrics. Next up comes “Mrs. Vandebilt” – which is just an amazing track, both lyrically and musically. It’s a fun, creative song. Sax solo! Songs like this are the reason I wish my iPod/iTunes still worked, so I could have it on my iPod. “Ho Hey Ho. Ho Hey Ho” I just love that with the jangly guitar. So good. Anyways, the A-Side closes with the track “Let Me Roll It” – that starts with an organ solo, then electric guitar! It’s a slower song, but it does have good musicianship. The lyrics are pretty good today. It’s a pretty solid track.

Onward to the B-Side with the track “Mamunia” – which opens with some acoustic guitar! It’s an okay track, a little too slow for me. The lyrics are good, but there is only so much acoustic guitar I can handle. The track basically merges right into the next track, “No Words” – which is a softer, more mellow track. It’s pretty good, though I still prefer the title track of the album. Then comes the track “Helen Wheels” – which isn’t listed on the lyric sheet, but I do love the “Heleeen! HELL ON WHEELS!” part, that’s pretty neat. The song is actually pretty good. No complaints about this song. I actually really like it. Then comes “Picasso’s Last Words (Drink to Me)” which is a slower, (yet again), but still a great song overall. Which goes back into the track “Jet” while merging with the current song, while keeping the same tempo. “Drink to me, drink to my health. You know I can’t drink anymore…” Then it goes into the “Ho Hey Ho”‘s from “Mrs. Vandebilt” and the track fades out. Then comes the track “Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five” (1985?) and it’s a good track. Definitely not a top favorite of mine, but it’s still pretty good.
“No one ever left alive in 1985…”

Interesting Facts:
The album cover features a few celebrities, Michael Parkinson, Kenny Lynch, James Coburn, Clement Freud, Christopher Lee & John Conteh.

Track Listing:
A1 – Band on the Run
A2 – Jet
A3 – Bluebird
A4 – Mrs. Vandebilt
A5 – Let Me Roll It

B1 – Mamunia
B2 – No Words
B3 – Helen Wheels
B4 – Picasso’s Last Words (Drink to Me)
B5 – Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five

Label:
Apple Records

Catalog Number:
SQ-3415

Studio Musicians & Other Album Credits:
Engineer – Geoff Emerick
Sax Solos – Howie Casey
Special Thanx to EMI Studios, Arc Studio Lagos, Clive Arrowsmith, Tony Visconti, Ian and Trevor, Gordon House & Storm Thorgerson

Other Albums I Own by Paul McCartney & Wings:
Back to the Egg
London Town
Venus and Mars
Wild Life
Wings at the Speed of Sound
Wings Greatest
Wings Over America

Other Albums I Own that Paul McCartney Appears On:
The Beatles – Hot as Sun
The Beatles – Live! at the Star-Club in Hamburg, Germany; 1962
The Beatles – Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band
The Beatles – The Beatles’ Christmas Album
The Beatles – Twist and Shout
Paul McCartney – Coming Up (Live at Glasgow)
Paul McCartney – Give My Regards to Broad Street: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Paul McCartney – McCartney II
Paul McCartney – Pipes of Peace
Paul McCartney – Tripping the Live Fantastic
Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson – Say Say Say / Ode to the Koala Bear

Released:
1973

Related Vinyls:

John Lennon – “Imagine” Bay City Rollers – “Bay City Rollers” Roger Daltrey – “Ride a Rock Horse” The Edgar Winter Group – “They Only Come Out at Night”