Review

"Well, the rain exploded with a mighty crash as we fell into the sun"

Man versus classic album

Wings had come off the success of their previous album Red Rose Speedway and the critically acclaimed Live and Let Die single looking for an album to solidify the following the Band had built. Paul and Linda McCarthy disappeared to their Scottish retreat to write new material after the 1973 tour. When ready McCarthy decided he wanted somewhere exotic to record the new album, and in a bizarre decision decided on the strife torn Nigeria, where recording facilities were primitive at best. A few weeks prior to departure lead guitarist Henry McCullough resigned, to be followed by drummer Denny Seiwell. Things weren't looking good, surprisingly the remaining Band members rallied to produce the finest and most commercially successful album of the Band's career.

The titular track Band on the Run leads off the album in a superb demonstration of how to change tempo in a pop track to good effect. Along with the second track, the rock anthem Jet, the lead off songs were released as what turned out to be smash hit singles that catapulted the previous languid sales of the album into the stratosphere. While Band on the Run can be viewed as a post Beatles single, Jet remains foremost a Wings track that tied in the growing Band vocal harmony style with Laine's driving guitar work. As yet the Band were not prepared to go beyond their comfort zone of solid pop driving chords.

Track 3 Bluebird can be viewed as another Paul McCartney throw away love song that some viewed as low for the Beatles prior to that Band being Yoko Ono-ed. The track certainly sounds like something the Mop Tops would have thrown onto an album to fill out the running list, but you have to give Paul McCartney his due here, it's an exceedingly well written piece of music that rises above the fluff of the lyrics. Some excellent sax going down on the track

It's with the middle section of Band on the Run that we start to see Wings getting at something beyond the standard pop numbers that had dominated their back category up to this album. Mrs Vandebilt, Let Me Roll It, and Mamunia, see Wings extending themselves into almost at times surrealistic interpretations of what a standard pop song should be doing. While each track can be listened to as standard, there's something special going down here that might be viewed as a natural progression from McCartney's final work with the Beatles. Arguably on the evidence here if Paul had of driven later Beatles albums rather than succumbing to John's at time Oko fuelled weirdness we might have seen some pretty solid rock efforts. That might be a personal interpretation of course.

Prior to the concluding tracks No Words sees a return to the comfort zone in a well written yet unchallenging number that is best viewed as the calm before the storm. If you ever wanted to hear McCartney channelling the Beatles then this is the song. Another one of those love songs that really don't go anywhere interesting, but as usual with McCartney remain well written and well-constructed musically. Laine's driving guitar towards the end of the track is a highlight.

Picasso's Last Words (Drink to Me), while being a definite album track and not likely to appear on live play lists or greatest hits compilations, works as one of those sing-a-long numbers that surprisingly you know the lyrics to. While not one of Wings' greatest ever compositions the track scores well, and with it being used to reprise some of the highlights of the album keeps interest as it meanders between French verses and changes in tempo.

The album rounds out with the rock number Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five that gives Band on the Run a rousing conclusion. Final word is given to a reprise of the title track, almost indicating that Wings had discovered that this would be the finest album the Band would release and which would to a large extent define the Band.

With the exception of Bluebird the tracks that make up Band on the Run are well past the accepted 3.30 minutes normally reserved at the time for acceptable pop song length. Not sure if that's of interest or not really, but hey full coverage. An album that I've been happy enough to listen to again, hasn't aged well, but there are one or two tracks that certainly belong on digital playlists. Actually I now want to go source the later Wings albums Venus and Mars and the live compilation Wings Over America, so yeah talking a recommendation here kids. Surprisingly a defining album for the development of popular music, not sure how the hell that happened to be honest.

For this review I cracked onto the Euro version of the album that doesn't include the track Helen Wheels, see below, that was included in the North American release.