paul mccartney and wings

In this double episode of TrackTalk, legendary drummer Denny Seiwell and John do a deep dive into two of Paul McCartney and Wings' iconic tracks: "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" and "Live and Let Die."

Denny recalls being a New York session drummer and getting the call from Paul McCartney to record the Ram album, which turned into joining Paul's band "Wings" and creating music that, 50 years later, stands the test of time. Denny takes us back to the sessions for Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey and Live and Let Die with an inside look at how those iconic tracks were recorded.

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Band on the Run would be the turning point for Paul McCartney's post-Beatles career.  After completing two solo albums, McCarney formed Paul McCartney and Wings, with the Wings name being inspired by a time of prayer at the hospital while his wife Linda was having serious complications delivering their second child.

Wings had already produced two albums which had met with mixed reviews.  McCartney had picked an exotic locale of Lagos, Nigeria as the recording spot for "Band on the Run," and just before heading out, guitarist Henry McCullough and drummer Denny Selwell left the band.  That left Paul, his wife Linda, and former Moody Blues alum Denny Laine to complete the album.

Nigeria might have been exotic, but it was a horrible choice as a recording location.  The country was run by a corrupt military dictatorship, was in the midst of a cholera epidemic, and the studio was in very poor shape.  Despite all these problems,the band would turn in a spectacular critical and commercial success.

The album has a theme of escape and freedom.  It was being put together at the same time as George Harrison, John Lennon, and Ringo Starr all were in litigation against Allen Klein, a hardnosed business manager appointed to run Apple Records in 1969.  McCartney had strongly opposed Klein's appointment at the time, and some of the confidence that comes through in the album may come from a sense of being proven right about Klein.

McCartney insisted on recording with Linda despite her lack of previous experience as a musician because he didn't want them to be apart while he was on tour.  Linda McCartney would be a part of the band from the beginning of Paul McCartney's post-Beatles career.

Band on the Run
The opening track and title song is a medley of three songs that all reflect freedom and escape.  The lyric, "if we ever get out of here" was inspired by George Harrison in one of the Beatles' business meetings.  The original demo recording for "Band on the Run" was stolen at knife-point in Lagos, and the band had to basically re-record it from memory.

Mamunia
This deep cut, gets its name from the Mamounia Hotel where the McCartneys stayed in Marrakesh, Morocco in 1973.  Mamounia means "safe haven" in Arabic, and McCartney considered it a metaphor for rebirth, continuing the "freedom" theme that would permeate the album.  It was the first song recorded for the album.

Helen Wheels
This song was not intended to be a part of the album, and does not appear on the British release.  Capitol Records convinced Paul McCartney to include it on the American release of the album.  The track is a road trip song, and takes its name from the nickname of the McCartney's Land Rover, "hell on wheels."  

Jet
The first single from the album was actually preceded by Helen Wheels as a non-album single released separately.  It went to number 7 on both the British and American charts at the end of March.  The name is supposedly inspired by the name of the McCartney's Labrador Retriever, though Paul McCartney has also indicated that it was also the name of a pony he owned.  

ENTERTAINMENT TRACK:

Daybreak by Harry Nilsson (from the motion picture Son of Dracula)
A cult classic movie starring Ringo Starr and Harry Nilsson with Peter Frampton, John Bonham,  Keith Moon, and other rock stars.

STAFF PICKS:

Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo by Rick Derringer
Wayne features a rock anthem based off a seductive dance from the 1880's.  Derringer originally wrote the song for Johnny Winter, but re-recorded it when he went solo.  In addition to working with Johnny Winter, he also played in Edgar Winter's group on both "Frankenstein" and "Free Ride."  Derringer also plays guitar on Weird Al Yankovic's parody, "Eat It."

Jungle Boogie by Kool & the Gang
Rob cranks up the funk with an early Kool & the Gang hit off their fourth album.  The band got their start 10 years prior to this in 1964 after high school.  The scat sound is from a roadie for the band.

The Loco-Motion by Grand Funk Railroad
Brian's pick this week is a cover originally performed by Little Eva in 1962.  The song was surprisingly successful despite the unusual choice of a 60's dance song being remade by a hard rock band.

Already Gone by The Eagles
Bruce brings us the first single from the third Eagle's album "On the Border."  This song penned by Jack Tempchin and Rob Strandlund is the relational equivalent of a "you can't fire me, I quit" song.

INSTRUMENTAL TRACK:

TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia) by MFSB
Almost entirely an instrumental, this disco track will take us out of this week's podcast.  MFSB stands for "Mother, Father, Sister, Brother."

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**NOTE: What the Riff?!? does not own the rights to any of these songs and we neither sell, nor profit from them. We share them so you can learn about them and purchase them for your own collections.

Believe it or not, Fly Like an Eagle is the ninth studio album by the Steve Miller Band.  Guitarist, lead singer, and founder Steve Miller got his start in Chicago playing the blues.  He formed the Steve Miller Blues Band after moving to San Francisco in 1966, and shortened it to the Steve Miller Band not long after its formation.  The band started with a psychedelic rock feel in their first albums, transitioning to a more straightforward rock sound with the 1973 album  The Joker, and continuing with their 1976 release, Fly Like an Eagle.

This album was largely written by Miller who also produced it and provided vocals, guitar, and keyboards.  Additional personnel were Lonnie Turner on bass, and Gary Mallaber on percussion.  Miller was not satisfied with the recording studios where he had recorded previous albums, and built his own studio at his home in the Pacific Northwest where he would record his next album.  This also explains the multi-year break between The Joker and Fly Like an Eagle.

The Steve Miller Band had experienced commercial success with the album The Joker, but Fly Like an Eagle would take that success to a new level with three hit singles.  Fly Like an Eagle would eventually be certified quadruple platinum, and Rolling Stone would declare it the best album of 1976.

Both this album and the next, 1977's Book of Dreams were recorded at the same time.  However, Miller decided to release the two as separate albums rather than as a double album.  Both would be hits, and would constitute the heart of commercial success from the Steve Miller Band along with 1973's The Joker." 

Take the Money and Run
The first single from the album tells the story of Billy Joe and Bobby Sue, a Bonnie-and-Clyde set of criminals, and the Texas police officer chasing them.  It is a road trip song, inspired by Miller's trips with family, listening to the radio in the car.

Wild Mountain Honey
This song is a slower and deeper cut off the album, and hearkens back to the psychedelic Steve Miller Band days.  "You run for the money but you don't even know about wild mountain honey."  Miller plays the sitar on this track.    

Serenade
A serenade from the stars!  Another deep track, the song's message appears to be both local and cosmic.  The guitar has a Spanish feel that gives off a road trip - and trippy - vibe as it switches between major and minor chords.  There's also a bit of a lag between the lyrics and the musical beat which gives it an unusual style.

Rock'n Me
The second single from the album hit number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.  Miller said he was inspired by Free's "All Right Now," and it was an anthem for large concert venues.  Calling out the cities of the tour was sure to be a crowd pleaser.  

ENTERTAINMENT TRACK:

"Gene Gene, the Dancing Machine from the television series “The Gong Show”
This show was raw comedy and a staple of syndicated afternoon reruns when we were growing up.  Gene Gene, the Dancing Machine was a technician on the show who would come out and do a dance routine toward the end of the show.  Bad, but in a good way.

STAFF PICKS:

Fool To Cry by the Rolling Stones
Brian leads off the staff picks with a mellow number from Mick Jagger and company off the Rolling Stones Black and Blue album.  It was the only song from the album to chart.  In this ballad, Jagger is talking to his daughter at first, then his lover, and both tell him the same thing - "you're a fool to cry, and it makes me wonder why."

A Trick of the Tail by Genesis
Bruce's staff pick features the first single from Genesis with Phil Collins taking over vocals.  The song tells about The Beast who leaves his kingdom of gold to enter the human world.  He is captured and put into a carnival freak show, but escapes by convincing his captors that he can take them to his city of gold. 

Nobody's Fault But Mine by Led Zeppelin
Wayne rocks out with the hit from Led Zeppelin's Presence album.  Blind Willie Johnson originally recorded this song in 1928.  Page and Plant took credit for writing it originally, but credited Johnson later and downgraded their credits to "arranged by" rather than claiming to have written it.

Silly Love Songs by Paul McCartney and Wings
Rob  gets "soppy" with this upbeat number from Wings.  McCartney wrote this in response to John Lennon's critique that McCartney wrote "sentimental slush."  Paul McCartney was not afraid to write love songs, and musically asks "what's wrong with that?" here in this pop hit.  

COMEDY TRACK:

One Piece at a Time by Johnny Cash and Tennessee Three
We finish off this week's podcast with a novelty song that would be the last top 40 hit from Johnny Cash.

Thanks for listening to “What the Riff?!?” 

NOTE: To adjust the loudness of the music or voices, you may adjust the balance on your device. VOICES are stronger in the LEFT channel, and MUSIC is stronger on the RIGHT channel.

Please follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/whattheriffpodcast/, and message or email us with what you'd like to hear, what you think of the show, and any rock worthy memes we can share.

Of course we'd love for you to rate the show in your podcast platform!

**NOTE: What the Riff?!? does not own the rights to any of these songs and we neither sell, nor profit from them. We share them so you can learn about them and purchase them for your own collections.

Jim & George listen and discuss Paul McCartney & Wings'  1973 smash hit recording Band on the Run.
[Original Air Date: 05/09/21 on Houston Radio Platinum]

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Listen to it on YouTube for free here:
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjlvdcBAKdg&list=PLhh2Mh7vZHr1xkgj9ckchW2ypIuu0zA4J