Originally published by L.S. Media. November 1st 2010.
When the Beatles collapsed under the weight of their own expectation and the bitter infighting that had dogged them towards the end of their career, the race was on, unofficially, too see which of the musical legends would grasp the mantle of most diverse and commercial member of that now defunct band.
Both George Harrison and John Lennon had thrilled their fans with some of their early albums, in George’s case by releasing the critically acclaimed and beautifully crafted All things Must Pass and in John’s with his second album Imagine. Paul McCartney between 1970 and 1973 released several albums, including notably, Ram with his wife Linda and Red Rose Speedway. Whilst these albums sold well and had some critical success, it wasn’t until 1973 that Paul finally reminded the public what he was capable of producing.
37 years on the album that reignited Paul McCartney back into the hearts of music lovers has been given a fresh airing with the re-release of Wings seminal piece of work, Band on the Run.
There has been much made of the album in the last four decades that to do it justice in a review is impossible, however for the uninitiated, the album was ahead of its time, in both its studio setting and the arrangements that became the back bone of the music. Recorded in Lagos, Nigeria the album saw a settled Paul, wife Linda and stable mate Denny Laine recorded some of Paul’s finest work outside of time with the Beatles.
The opening song Band on the Run opens with gentle like progression which belies the full sound that is to come. It can be seen as an almost childlike musing of incarceration and imprisonment but within seconds of those opening few lines of “Never seeing no one, nice again”, the band go full sweep into a song that is both powerful and resonant to Paul’s life.
Although only two songs from this album tend to get played with frightening regularity on Paul’s mammoth tours, there lies within the work some superb gems that cry out to be heard on a more regular basis, these include the sweet sound of Bluebird and the technically superior Picasso’s Last Words (Drink to Me).
Band on the Run is not just for the purists or the avid Beatle collector; it stands out as one of Paul McCartney’s finest moments as a musician and is a must for any music lover.
Ian D. Hall