Band On The Run

The album that saved Paul McCartney.No really, it did. His last two albums tanked (I mean look, they went Gold, but this was Paul friggin' McCartney! The Beatles corpse was still warm!) and none of them were exactly critical darlings. He did have a string of hit singles to keep him viable in the public eye, but his fans were slowly dwindling away and the critics were chomping at the bit to rip his solo material to shreds. Plus, you know, this was 1973! Zep and Floyd are at the rock forefront, Glam is exploding in the US and UK, Prog is captivating more discriminating rock music fans, and newer and more exciting artists are sprouting up all over the musical landscape. Many of them trying valiantly to take up the baton where Lennon & McCartney tossed it aside and run with it, whereas the impression of Paul was that of a floundering artist. Irrelevant. Certainly nowhere near as important as he was as a Beatle.Plus Wings wasn't exactly doing so well. Two members up and quit the band, feeling like they were nothing more than McCartney's backup band. Which they were. Let's be honest. Wings was no Supergroup. Heck it was barely a "The Firm" or "GTR". It was Paul + friends with Linda mussing things up. More or less. But Paul, to his credit, was keenly aware of how he needed a GREAT album and hired Beatles engineer and professional McCartney apple-shiner Geoff Emerick to produce and engineer his next album. So in August of 1973, Paul, Linda, Denny Laine, and Emerick hopped a flight to Lagos, Nigeria (!) and began the Band On The Run sessions in earnest.Having recently read Emerick's book, I'm amused by his chapter on the BOTR affair. Paul got mugged and lost all of their demos, so the arrangements they used on many of the songs had to be done from memory. The equipment wasn't exactly state of the art. Poisionous insects. Malaria. A near riot by the locals when it was assumed McCartney was performing cultural imperialism and "stealing" African rhythms and songs for his own purposes. And yet, they somehow managed to record six songs. Eventually the foursome got out of Africa safe and sound, and finished the BOTR sessions in London that October, adding overdubs and recording five more songs.The album had to hit its early December release date; it was being pushed as the big Christmas release of the season. And boy-o-boy, was it BIG! "Gabby Hayes" BIG!! McCartney not only hit paydirt, he beat it like it owed him money. Band On The Run was the blockbuster he was looking for, both commercially and critically. Reviews were ginormously positive, and the album, while not an immediate success, slowly grew and grew on the back of the smash hits "Jet" (#7 in the US) and "Band On The Run" (#1), eventually going Triple Platinum in the US and winning the band a Grammy. Of course, winning a Grammy in the 70s was as difficult as joining the National Geographic Society, but I'm sure they were pleased as punch anyhow.I love this album. I think it's McCartney's best solo work, where he really sounds like he's coming into his own as a solo artist. Gone is the noodling, the wasted tracks, the stupid filler, the overabundance of self-indulgence. This is Paul's first bonafide post-Beatles masterpiece.You probably couldn't ask for a better 1-2 opener than the title track and "Jet". As McCartney standards and AOR/classic rock staples for decades now, they still (to me) seem fresh and exciting. BOTR is certainly an odd song and really shouldn't work. It's composed of three different segments, each with a different tone, tempo, and feel, and yet it comes together perfectly. "Jet" is another winner, one of my favorite all-time songs, McCartney or otherwise. The lyrics make little-to-no sense, and yet this rock classic feels effortless, like it's taking flight and soaring and bringing you along for the ride."Bluebird" takes it down to Earth, a mellow acoustic piece. A good track, beautifully produced, and McCartney's vocals haven't sounded this confident in awhile. If it's a trifle, it's a good one. Paul's thumping, melodic bassline drives the folky, uptempo "Mrs. Vanderbilt", one of the more underrated tracks on this album. I love the sound of the acoustic guitars screaming out in minor-key unison. "Let Me Roll It" is another live staple, and a fantastic song. Paul's punchy guitar lick punctuates each verse effectively over a slow bluesy foundation. This song was rumored to be McCartney's response to Lennon's "How Do You Sleep", something he denied. Still, it's hard not to see the connection there. It almost sounds like a Lennon tune. Maybe that's why it works so well.Side 2 starts with the cute, pretty, and ultimately slight "Mamunia". It's not a bad song, just not quite at the level of the songs that have preceded it. It's followed by the thickly produced, almost George Harrison-esque "No Words". In fact, it REALLY feels like a George tune. If it had some limp, thinly-recorded slide guitar, it totally WOULD have been a George tune. Ultimately it is a decent track, but a throwaway, non-essential one. "Helen Wheels" picks up the pace with a fast, enjoyable blues-rocker. It's got a snap and a verve that reminds us that Paul can really cook when he wants to.The album plays out with two more songs. The first is "Picasso's Last Words (Drink To Me)". Legend has it that, during a Jamaican holiday, Dustin Hoffman urged McCartney to write the song based on Picasso's recent passing, and recorded him doing an early demo of it. Paul decided to turn the song into a Picasso painting of sorts, inserting tempo and key changes, and bits of callbacks to other songs on the album (Jet and Mrs. Vanderbilt, most ostensibly) like a sort of audio surrealism. It really doesn't work as a song, but it's an interesting attempt nonetheless. I like the opening two minutes of the song just fine on its own ("Drink to mee-eee... Drink to my health...") as a dirgey pub singalong song, while the endless slow "Hey ho" callbacks to Mrs. Vanderbilt that end the song get annoying real fast. The orchestrations during the midsection are lush and melodic. It's the album's only attempt to get indulgent and experimental, and it's the only time I really fast forward. At least after the first two minutes.The final song "Nineteen Hundred And Eighty Five" caps the album off with a total winner. A swingin' piano-driven tune, it finishes the LP on a strong note. The cut served as the B-side to the "Band on the Run" single, but it does just fine by itself. The "Hamburger Helper" of the album, as it were. Paul recently revived the song live on his 2010 tour (along with "Mrs. Vanderbilt") and it makes a strong live track. His piano work has never sounded better, and the song features a sweet guitar solo during the finale, which really builds with strong orchestrations and synthesizer accompaniment. It practically ends a reverse "Thus Spoke Zarathustra", and leaves us with a bit of the title track's chorus as a reminder of the total journey on which Band On The Run takes you.There isn't a weak song on the album. "Picasso's Last Words" is sorta weird and only skippable for about the last minute, and "Mamunia" and "No Words" are good tracks that probably would have been excellent standouts on "Red Rose Speedway" or "Wild Life". The rest of the album really, REALLY cooks. There's no doubt in my mind that Band On The Run represents Paul McCartney at his solo best. The album is beautifully produced, confident, and melodic. It has a catchiness that eluded much of his first four LPs, and a fullness that he would never again achieve to the same level of successful results.So McCartney came out on top with Band On The Run. Would his next album return to his middling previous efforts, or be a virtual Botticelli masterpiece? The answer, surprisingly, may surprise you!

Concord Music has outdone itself with the first release in the "Paul McCartney Archive Collection" series, 1973's BAND ON THE RUN (originally Paul's fifth and final Apple LP). Packaging is excellent, there are wonderful rare photos throughout the book, but the most important item is the music itself.Disc 1 - Remastered Album: The 1993 Paul McCartney Collection release (with Helen Wheels and its B-side, Country Dreamer, added as bonus tracks), sounds somewhat trebley; the 1999 25th Anniversary Edition (with the US track listing (Helen Wheels on track 8)) has more of a bass sound. The new version is more balanced, though it is closer to the 1993 release. At first, I was disappointed that the disc omitted Helen Wheels, per the UK release, but after listening to it, I can understand why Paul wanted it left off the album (it made the US album only because Capitol Records' Al Coury twisted Paul's arm).Disc 2: Contains Helen Wheels, Country Dreamer, and the quirky instrumental TV theme Zoo Gang (the UK B-side to Band on the Run, formerly available as a bonus track on VENUS AND MARS). Also included are six tracks from the One Hand Clapping TV show, including two outtakes - Let Me Roll It and Country Dreamer.Disc 3: This is the audio documentary that appeared with the 25th Anniversary Edition of BAND ON THE RUN, released in 1999. There is only a marginal difference in sound quality, so if you already own that edition and don't care about the fancy deluxe book, purchase the less expensive 2-CD/1-DVD edition. As mentioned by another reviewer, a certain big-box retailer (initials: BB) has the 2-CD/1-DVD edition with a bonus DVD containing an 8-minute mini-documentary of Paul discussing the reissue, and three live versions of BAND ON THE RUN songs from GOOD EVENING NEW YORK CITY. This extra disc is not available on the big deluxe edition.Disc 4 (DVD): The meat of the package. The four music videos (Band on the Run, Mamunia, Album Promo, and Helen Wheels) are the same ones found on 2007's THE MCCARTNEY YEARS DVD set, but this disc has some nice additions, including a moving "Wings in Lagos" video, set to a melancholy version of the title song; an 18-minute documentary about the cover photo shoot; and the entire One Hand Clapping TV show from 1974 (although some fans claim parts were edited out). The only track from OHC released before now was the alternate take of Live and Let Die that was donated to THE IN-LAWS soundtrack in 2003. That track is on the video, but not the audio disc; perhaps that track will end up on RED ROSE SPEEDWAY instead. This version of Wings features Jimmy McCullough on guitar and short-time drummer Geoff Britton (soon to be replaced by Joe English). In addition to familiar material from the period, there are two unissued songs: Let's Love (written for, and recorded by, the great Peggy Lee) and All of You, plus an early version of I'll Give You a Ring (re-recorded and released in 1982 as the B-side to Take It Away, but unavailable on CD because none of the available versions of TUG OF WAR have any bonus tracks).Nits to pick? A few. There is a typo in the Mamunia lyrics ("The next time you see U.C.L.A. rainclouds"), I would have liked to have the words to Helen Wheels and Country Dreamer in the Lyrics section, more album and single sleeve variations, and more album and single labels (particularly the Capitol and Columbia reissues). But those minor things are not enough to detract from the excellent quality of this release. I'm looking forward to the next one, and I hope it's WINGS OVER AMERICA, which has not been remastered since the '80s, and that the ROCKSHOW film (currently available only in European PAL DVD format), will finally be issued in its entirety (a few excerpts appear on THE MCCARTNEY YEARS).Megakudos to Macca and Concord/Hear Music for a job well done.

Paul McCartney's 1973 Band On the Run has undergone several remastered reissues during the compact disc era. The most recent allows consumers to choose between several different configurations. The single disc edition simply contains the album, restored to its original UK line-up of nine songs. The Special Edition includes a second disc of music and one DVD. Then there's the Deluxe Edition, which adds a third audio disc, a 120 page hardbound book, and downloadable hi-res audio versions of all the album and bonus tracks.Your level of McCartney devotion (not to mention budget) will determine which edition you opt for. Personally I feel the Special Edition, listing at $29.98 but discounted by many retailers, is by far the best value. The original UK version of the album did not include the hit single "Helen Wheels," meaning that purchasers of the single disc (listing at $14.98) will have to go without HW. I believe Band On the Run is a far stronger album with that song included.The Special Edition contains a great deal of extra content, making it well worth the extra money. In addition to "Helen Wheels," the second audio disc contains a pair of B-sides ("Country Dreamer" and "Zoo Gang") and five cuts from the sessions for a previously unreleased made-for-television special. The DVD contains this fifty minute special, called One Hand Clapping. The program is basically a live McCartney performance, filmed in the studio without an audience. Unfortunately, though the video quality is watchable, One Hand Clapping looks like it was transferred to DVD from a second-generation VHS copy. About a half hour's worth of additional short featurettes round out the DVD.The album itself sounds excellent, though not a dramatic improvement over the 25th Anniversary Edition. That edition sounded drastically better than the original '80s-era compact disc; the newest version is very similar in fidelity (to my ears, at least). Many consider Band On the Run to be McCartney's high water mark as a solo artist. I disagree; it's not even his best album of the '70s (that distinction belongs to 1971's Ram). But it remains among his strongest, most consistent albums.The entire McCartney catalog is being overhauled as The McCartney Archive Collection. According to an advertisement in the digipak, the next batch of reissues will be: McCartney (1970), McCartney II (1980), Venus and Mars (1975), Wings At the Speed of Sound (1976), and Wings Over America (1977). I hope there will be bonus content for each release.THANKS THE OTHER CHAD

What a phenomenal album. Back in my High school days (1974) I saw Wings in Boston. It was the most memorable concert I have ever attended and this album had only just been released. Brings back great memories and also shows McCartney's musical skills had blossomed from his days as a Beatle. Great lyrics in these selections as well; top notch production in my opinion...

REVIEW OF THE 2 CD PLUS BONUS DVD VERSION:With an excellent album like BAND ON THE RUN, its always good that a journalist was around at the time to documentwhat had happened at the time. With the Archive Collection, this is a special release treat with 2 CD, and a DVDwith films that cover the making of the Cover of the album ( Kind of neat that idea, and the reference was fromGeorge Harrison when at a meeting when George said "If I ever get out of here...", ergo the prisoners of their ownband idea). And the audio from the DVD is used on the second CD as the additional songs. The booklet of Polaroidsis almost like being in Lagos, Nigeria ( where the album was mostly recorded), and this was done with Paul, Lindaand Denny Laine, so the other Guitarist had bailed, as well as the drummer. The story of the album is covered in arather summary way, so I won't spoil it for you there. and the Documentary is very fun for McCartney fans !!I hopeto be able to get the other Archive albums, although it is likely that I may be getting different editions sincethe amount of diverse material being re-released is rather, and thankfully, significant. Bands that re-release key albums with either additional content from the time, as well as remastering the music, seem to be picking up extra fans. And since McCartney has been around for a while its great to hear his old songs performed in 5.1 ( like the CITI FIELD concert in GOOD EVENING NEW YORK ) but it is great to have the original members on the old tapes, or in most cases with the Masters transferred to Hard Drive, the sound can be opened up on original recordings without adding guitars, they just process the sound like they did to the Mono recordings of DEEP PURPLE on the Beeb. And the additional feature of the Remaster and Booklet versions is that you get to find out the connection between PAPILLON and how Dustn Hoffman made the song Picasso's last words possible !! Get the album, its a great story !!

This review is for the four disc (three cd, one DVD) deluxe edition that comes in the hardbound book. The sounds is great on the album and bonus CDs. One of the CDs is the audio documentary that was previously included with the 25th Anniversary edition of the album released in the late 1990s albeit with better sound. It's a great disc with lots of rare audio snippets, some from concert performances, but many fans may already have it from the previous edition. The other bonus CD includes the three singles and live tracks taken from the DVD concert "One Hand Clapping" also included here. The "One Hand Clapping" concert is the most enjoyable part of the DVD and the first time it is seeing release. It is a series of live performances (by the Wings line up that did Venus and Mars) in Abbey Road Studios. The rest of the DVD is 1970s cartoon music videos and some short home movies that are really just Paul and company roaming around. The glossy book is cool with a new interview with Paul, track by track info, and articles from Rolling Stone magazine. The written history of the album in the book is partially transcripts of the audio documentary CD so it kind of repeats itself. Personally I love this box set and am very happy to own it, but I can see people not liking the repetition of the materials. If you love this album and want to replace your old CDs and have space for a coffee table sized book you should get this especially at the $30 price Amazon is offering.

Item arrived as described. No issues with product or delivery. I recommend this item & seller

Sounded better than I remember

Love the music brings back many memories

Un gran álbum. Merece la pena.

Volver a disfrutar del Band on the Run en su formato vinyl es una experiencia insuperable después de tantos años de escuchar la obra en formato CD. Para mi gusto, debieron haber incluido la pieza Helen Wheels, con lo que la experiencia hubiera resultado total. Desde el inicio, con el track Band on the Run, hasta el final, con la mítica 1985, la calidad auditiva nos remite a mediados de los 70, cuando el álbum causaba encanto entre los seguidores de Paul McCartney y Wings. Para quienes estamos reorganizando la colección de vinilos que tuvimos en cierto momento, el álbum Band on the Run resulta imprescindible para completar la colección.

Delivered Taylor Swift instead of Band On the Arun

1973年発売の本作は、全米アルバムチャートで断続的に4週間第1位を記録しました。また、シングルカットされた Jet は、最高位7位、Band On The Run は、1位（1週間）を記録しました。（アメリカ盤アルバムのみに収録された Helen Wheels は、最高位10位）ポール・マッカートニーは、Band on the Run というタイトルの由来について次のようにコメントしています。｢1970年代前半当時、Desperados(ならず者)とか、Renegades(反逆者)といった、社会からはみ出した存在を曲名にする風潮があったので、Band on the Run(逃走する集団)というタイトルを考えた。この表現だと音楽の｢バンド｣だけではなく、脱獄囚のような仲間達の集団とも取れるのでクールだと思った。｣アルバム Band On The Run の制作にあたり、ポールは、まず1973年8月にスコットランドでリハーサルを行ったうえ、8月末にアフリカにあるナイジェリアのラゴスでレコーディングを行うことにしました。しかしながら、出発の1週間前にリードギターのヘンリー・マッカローがポールと喧嘩してウィングスを脱退し、続いてドラムのデニー・シーウェルは出発前夜に脱退したため、ウィングスはポール、デニー・レイン、リンダ・マッカートニーの３人でレコーディングを行うことにしました。ウィングスは、8月30日にラゴスに到着し、ベーシック・トラックをレコーディング後、9月23日にロンドンに戻りました。その間、強盗に遭ってデモテープを強奪されたり、ポールが心臓麻痺を起こしたり、地元ミュージシャンがアフリカの音楽を盗みに来たと言って押しかけて来たり、散々な目に遭いました。ロンドンに戻ってから2週間後にロンドンのAIRスタジオにてオーバーダブを開始し、10月末までにレコーディングが完了しました。1曲目 Band On The Run ～ 2曲目 Jet ～3曲目 Bluebird までの曲の流れは完璧な構成であり、このアルバムの白眉です。更に4曲目 Mrs Vandebilt ～5曲目 Let Me Roll It まで、まさに快進撃と言える内容でしょう。デラックス・エディションとスーパー・デラックス・エディションの違いは、120ページの写真集とDisc3のBand on the run制作時関係者のコメントCD(別音源付き)が付いているかどうかです。Disc3は、25周年記念エディションのDisc2を再編集したものです。このCDは別音源が聞けるという売り文句でしたが、インタビューのコメントの隙間に流れる程度で全くの期待外れでした。120ページの写真集が欲しい人は、スーパー・デラックス・エディションを購入してもいいのかなと思います。章立ては、序文／楽曲／ラゴスへの旅／ロンドンへの帰国／写真撮影／リリース／プレス／映像とビデオ／歌詞と楽曲データ となっています。