Customer Reviews

Band on the Run: 25th Anniversary Edition

5 star:		(96)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Many fans and critics alike will tell you that Paul McCartney's 1973 Band on the Run and 1975 Venus & Mars are his best albums and near-equals. While I like Venus & Mars fine, I think this faulty comparison is due to one of two things: A) overestimation of V&M or B) underestimation of BotR. And strange as it may seem, the latter is much closer to reality. Band on the Run is terribly underrated the same way Abbey Road is underrated - respected, but not held in the awe reserved for "better" records like Sgt. Pepper's or Plastic Ono Band. Yeah. Right. Ranking at a paltry #418 on Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Albums" list, it's about time Band on the Run stands up and is accorded its rightful place as one of pop's greatest achievements.

The album opens with a one-two punch of the title track, a grandiose mini-suite chronicling a bereaved prisoner and his jubilant escape (construe that how you choose), and the thrilling Jet, flying as high as its namesake. Amazingly, Paul manages to keep a comparable level of excellence up throughout the album. If you've heard these two tracks you'll know how unlikely that seems, but it's true: this is the most consistently awesome album the man has produced since the Beatles' breakup. What made the Fabs' best so great - the intricate-yet-accessible melodies, the imagistic poetry, the superb musicianship, the soaring harmonies, the thumping bass, the multi-tracked vocals and guitars, the glorious strings and brass - is all here.

Stylistically Paul creates an effervescent fusion of melodic pop, exhilarating rock & roll, and elaborate symphonic elements with touches of blues, jazz, music-hall, and folk expertly mixed in for colour. For instance, Bluebird is laid-back and jazzy; Let Me Roll both send-up and tribute to John Lennon's distinctive post-Beatles style. As for subject material, freedom is the word. Right from the get-go Band on the Run is rife with the themes of liberation and release - the opening one-two punch sets it up and from there it's all-out. This idea, this concept ties the album together, transforming it from merely a collection of brilliant songs into a monumental whole. Each and every song carries the thread, whether it be a literal prison break, the liberty of the open road, or even Death, the ultimate escape. Reprisals of themes, lyrics, and passages all act to unite Band on the Run until, at the very last, the roaring climax of the finale, we come full circle: "Band on the Run! Band on the Run..."

On Band on the Run not only are you able to experience the songwriting genius of Paul McCartney at its finest, but you get an album that is more than an album. From the very first note it sucks you in and doesn't let you out again until the last ringing chords of the reprised title track have evaporated completely, forty-five minutes later. And what a glorious forty-five minutes they are! They will take you on a wondrous journey, yet by the end you will feel the journey is only just beginning...

NOTES FOR THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION

If you can, get this, the 25th Anniversary edition; it is far superior for the same price as the original pressing. The bonus disc here is not, as on many albums, a parade of rarities or a series of alternate takes on the songs proper. Live and alternate versions of certain tracks are included here, but they take backseat to what this disc is all about: the interviews. It is, for all intents and purposes, a radio show: a radio show about the making of Band on the Run. We get to hear Paul, Linda, Denny, and just about everybody involved with the making of this record (or, in many cases, its gorgeous cover) explain their part and the record's enchanting story, giving sense of just how big a deal this album really was. The included booklet is equally superb. Replete with lyrics, photographs, chart placements, and Mark Lewisohn's fabulous liner notes (quite possibly the best liner notes I've ever seen) it is the perfect companion to the record.

Paul rises from the dead. After stumbling with his first two Wings albums, McCartney created one of his most satisfying and complete masterpieces. The classic single Live And Let Die (recorded a couple of months before the album) hinted at the treasures on this great album. Clearly McCartney had rediscovered his unique songwriting voice.

Recorded under trying conditions ( two members of Wings quit just before recording began) in a less than ideal environment (McCartney was robbed while in Nigeria and the recording studio wasn't in the best condition), it's a miracle that this album succeeded. Clearly Macca took the situation as a personal challenge to his creativity. It inspired him.

Never much of a confessional writer (like Lennon for example), McCartney has always excelled at lyrics that told a story. Difficult circumstance, however, have always allowed him to create some of his best work. While he could create great songs from his personal life, McCartney would use those nuggets to create stories in his lyrics unlike, say, Lennon who was more nakedly confessional in tone. There are exceptions of course (For No One, I'm Looking Through You, Let It Be, The Long And Winding Road, Two of Us, etc.), but on the whole McCartney was more of a storyteller than Lennon using events from his life to spin stories about other people.

The stories on Band On The Run are witty, interesting and compassionate. The title track captures the exuberance of an artist that has recaptured his muse. When the orchestra kicks in and McCartney & Laine's acoustic guitars chime in this classic song takes your breath away.

Jet has a monster hook and although appears to be lyrically lightweight (the title was inspired by McCartney's puppy), it again tells a little story that captures the confusion in any new love affair. A lot of the songs on Band On The Run are devoted to the simple pleasures in life and how we let them escape us in this fast paced, uneven world we live in. The Laine-McCartney collaboration No Words is an example of the magic these two could create when their chemistry was right.

The stand out track is Picasso's Last Words. Created on a dare by actor Dustin Hoffman, PLW captures both the exhaustion of a life well lived and the appreciation for simple things that make life worth living. The segue into Jet and Mrs. Vanderbilt demonstrates McCartney's amazing skills as an arranger.

1985 is a crushing rocker filled with hooks. McCartney's love and pop songs have always overshadowed the great rock songs he is capable of writing. 1985 belongs in the same company as McCartney's best Beatles and solo rockers. It's a lyrically simple, but filled with great musical ideas that more than make up for this fact. 1985 brings the album to a satisfying close with a musical quotation from the title track.

The second disc has a number of live and alternative takes of the album tracks (all of them recorded well after the album). Since the original demos were stolen (McCartney was held up in Nigeria)McCartney tries to give a sense of the albums importance by preforming both faithful live versions and reintreptations of the tracks on the album. Although the second disc isn't essential it does give a sense of creative avenues unexplored. While it would have been interesting to hear the outtakes from the Nigerian phase of the recording process, these tracks do give the listener a sense of the album's importance.

The booklet provides an informative history on the album by Beatles scholar Mark Lewisohn. The excellent booklet gives a great overview as to the circumstances that almost robbed McCartney and the world of this terrific album.

In 1973, the Beatles had only been dead three years. Mourning fans clawed at the temple of the legendary band and clamored for nearly any scrap of a song that dropped from an ex-fab four. Lennon succored them with two gems: "Plastic Ono Band" and "Imagine". And Harrison spewed his mighty magnum opus "All Things Must Pass". Things looked good at first. But Lennon's subsequent releases "Some Time in New York City" and "Mind Games" made some look askance. McCartney's initial releases ("McCartney", "Ram", "Wild Life", "Red Rose Speedway") all sold admirably but many (namely, critics) asked where the magic had gone. Good as they were, nearly none of the ex-Beatles' solo efforts seemed to stack up to their former band's awe-inspiring output.

Against this background of slowly creeping doubt, McCartney headed to Lagos, Nigeria to record "Band on the Run" (Linda and Denny Laine accompanied him - the rest of the band apparently refused to go). And when the album appeared in December of 1973, some nine months after "Red Rose Speedway" and six months after the single "Live and Let Die", the now cynical rock press and hordes of musically emaciated Beatle starved maniacs let out a collective primordial cry of "Paul is back!" And in many ways they were right.

Musically and lyrically, "Band On the Run" does resemble a Beatles album; which might explain some of the early 70s excitement. It opens with a "surprise beginning" guitar riff that morphs into what sounds like a song but that actually keeps evolving until it resolves into one of the simplest but most impressive acoustic guitar chord strumming around. Faint echoes of "Abbey Road's" second side abound. The song itself has become a McCartney signature classic. Doubtless it contains autobiographical strains (maybe to his own situation, maybe to the Beatles' precarious breakup), but McCartney denied claims that he had made a "concept album". Still, some critics argued that an unmistakable message of freedom and flight permeates the album. Then "Jet" explodes on the scene. Another McCartney concert staple, the song still emanates from airwaves even today. But the true classic of this album remains the somewhat underappreciated "Let Me Roll It". McCartney penned one of his finest solo songs here. A legend has also sprung up around it. Some claim that he wrote it as an olive branch response to Lennon's vitriolic "How Do You Sleep?" Others interpret it as a "right back at ya'!" parody of Lennon's style, right down to the precise vocal imitation. If it is a parody, it's an amazingly moving one (though the line "You gave me loving in the palm of my hand" has many interpretations). The rollicking "Helen Wheels" appeared only on US pressings of the original album (it appeared as a single 45 only in the UK). Some pressings of the CD today still don't list the song. And why Picasso? The great painter died in 1973, and supposedly Dustin Hoffman told McCartney that his last words were "Drink to me, drink to my health, you know I can't drink any longer". McCartney then spontaneously penned the song's chorus right in front of Hoffman. Some find the transitions in this song a sign of "freedom" or "liberation" but they sound more like Paul and the gang having a good time. And lastly, following the rather funny "Nineteen Hundred And Eighty Five", a very short reprise of the title song sneaks in and fades. Why? Does the band remain forever on the run? Does it point back to the beginning of the album in a Joycean manner? Or were they just having fun again? Easy to theorize, hard to conclude.

The album's reputation amongst critics has fallen somewhat throughout the years. Some emphasize the "weaker" songs such as "Bluebird" and "Mamunia" to undermine the album and label it as "dated" (it is over thirty years old). Others denigrate it to the point of calling it McCartney's "least embarassing" solo release. But many listeners and fans confidently classify it as McCartney's finest solo effort to date. And regardless of some of its flaws, "Band On the Run" remains a great listen some thirty years after the screams of "Paul is back!" bounced off the atmosphere back in 1973. At least for a little while the magic returned.

Oh, and yes, that is Christopher Lee (of recent "Lord of the Rings" fame) alongside James Coburn on the cover.

For the past 30+ years or so, many Beatle fanatics and critics alike have put their mark on McCartney's post Beatle musicianship as flimsy and lightweight and so on. Many radio stations have even slammed him to the point where as a listener, I wondered if these dj's, who should have a fairly wide scope of knowledge for good music, ever saw anything in Paul at all. Let's not forget, even if John maybe the one most consider as THE "Beatle", that Paul was the one who gave us the Beatles' and music's greatest years, 1967-70. Sergeant Pepper's, MMT, White, Abbey Road... were all McCartney's visions/projects. He was the creative force behind these great albums that we've all inspired and cherished.

Despite what I said in the previous paragraph, I don't disagree that the weight of the songs aren't comparable to his 60's tunes, but at the same time, I do believe that without his sidekick, the creative drive or what he calls "joint competition" is nowhere near as great as when they co-wrote, and I speak for both of them.

I won't go into talking about the tunes because we've all heard and enjoyed them through the years. "Band on the Run", "Venus and Mars" etc. are great albums! Fanatics and critics don't seem to wanna let go of the Beatle days when the topic of post Beatle era arises. It's Paul solo, not John and Paul, not the Beatles, but just Paul, Sir Paul. Well, to conclude this review, Like the Eagles said, "Get Over It". After all he's given us in nearly the last half a century, give the man the credit and respect he deserves.

Please, just admire and enjoy it for what it is.

I saw a spot about this release on Entertainment Tonight... they said "fully remastered original album, PLUS a bonus disc containing previously unreleased acoustic versions of songs from the album." I thought wow, they're finally doing something right! Sadly, it isn't so. The packaging is nice. The booklet is nice, and the notes are well-written. The letdown began when I put on the first disc. Did it sound any better than the original release? Yes. Marginally. Did it still sound flat and tinny, and even crackly in many places? *sigh* Yes, it did. Alright, at least I've got the bonus disc to look forward to, right? Wrong. I was teased by about three seconds' worth of a great sounding alternate version of the title track. And then it faded out, and the commentary began. And more commentary. And more. Yes, I think they did spend about an hour on various people mumbling about the cover photo. Very sparsely interspersed were tiny teaser snippets, and full latter-day versions of the title track, Jet, and Let Me Roll It (all from '89 through '93)...

Bottom line: If you think you're getting a superb sounding version of Band On The Run, along with a bonus disc full of alternate takes, demos, or unreleased tracks from the days of yore... think again. You're not getting either. This package could have been a treasure. Instead, it's a merely adequate re-release of the album on CD, along with a disc that even fans will probably only listen to once. Very sad.

At the same time most critics hastily revised their opinions overnight of McCartney with this album, he was still receiving prejudiced reviews in a few corners. Robert Hilburn (LA TIMES rock critic) reviewed this & Lennon's "Mind Games" side by side in 1974. Hilburn was quite charitable to Lennon (whose album was generally considered below-par for his stature) and giving him a "Yes" vote, and McCartney, "....still a 'No.'" Hilburn's minority opinion stated, "I can predict rather easily that 'Band On The Run' won't be remembered as anything more than a slight upturn, in what has been a steadily declining artistic barometer for McCartney."

I had a friend who grew up in LA, who sarcastically said that Hilburn probably even thought McCartney was (in some small way)to blame for Lennon's death. In any case, history has a way of speaking for itself: over 30 years later, the title track, as well as "Jet," "Helen Wheels," "Let Me Roll It," "Mamunia," "Nineteen-Hundred And EightyFive,"and "Bluebird" are still staples of classic-rock radio.

It is an album which possesses the necessary vision required to make a great album; indeed, there is a confidence & determination about McCartney's effort here that is most striking. Quite a few surprising touches here, too: "Helen Wheels" sounds astoundingly like a bona-fide BEATLES track. Could that really be Ringo drumming? And could that actually be Lennon, doing the falsetto harmony on top during the chorus? Certainly, McCartney's bass playing sees the track through almost singlehandedly and with real spontaneity (my favorite moment is when, after the second chorus, he fluffs a little attempt at a bass solo, then comes in one bar late for the third verse!). "Helen Wheels" would've been perfectly at home on the "White Album": indeed, when I listen to that album at home I like to have the present CD standing by in my changer and substitute it for one of the tiny throwaways (or better, "Revolution 9") that take up space in the Beatle album; I'd program "Helen Wheels" somewhere between "Birthday" and "Helter Skelter".

The title track has McCartney once again utilizing the otherwise-unrelated-song-linking device he developed in "Sgt. Pepper" and "Abbey Road," not to mention his "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" single. But "Band On The Run" impresses most notably by McCartney's admirable holding-back on the gradiosity, and saving the huge orchestra for the final "song."

"Jet," the last single involved here, is another magnificent rocker, one which could almost be interpreted lyrically as another response to Lennon's misdirected vitriol ("Let Me Roll It" is, of course, the other one here). The lyrics are quite vague, although--as the late pop critic Noel Coppage (in STEREO REVIEW) noted--could "Ah Mater/Want Jet to always love me..." be a little jab at Lennon's mother-fixation issue (i.e., "Want you to always love me")? And is "Jet" really another euphemism for "John"? Is the mater who "was a lady suffragete" really Yoko? Best NOT to ponder such things and enjoy the purely MUSICAL aspect of the track (not to mention the album), which was always McCartney's forte anyhow.

Many other pleasant musical touches crop up, as in Wings' tribute to the warmer portions of the planet in "Mamunia," "Mrs. Vandebilt" and "Picasso's Last Words," as well as the amusing little reprises of "Jet," "Mrs. Vandebilt" and the title song that crop up in several other tracks. Linda and associate guitarist Denny Laine more than do their share for the entire effort as well, and the final product constitutes a pretty poor excuse to label McCartney once again as the jerk who broke up the Beatles.

"Band on The Run" is easily McCartney's best post-Beatles record. When it first came out, calling it the best of McCartney's solo work seemed like something of a left-handed compliment, but Paul has put out some strong work in the 90's, and it's a testament to the quality of "Band on The Run" that it still stands up so well...

That said, in order give this album the credit is deserves, we must first be honest about what it is. And what it is a great disc full of great pop-fluff. Don't misunderstand me. I mean this in the best way. It is a triumph of style over substance with TRIUMPH being the operative word. Sure, every song is well arranged, well played and graced with what I believe are McCartney's strongest vocal performances of his career. But, every song is also, kind of... well... Silly. Even the title track, a brilliant and influential multi-part "mini-suite" is full of nonsensical lyrics.
I would rank the title track as the best song, but otherwise the album is very consistent and very strong song-for-song. "Blue Bird" is very nice, but if the album lacks stand-out tracks, it's simply because the level of quality is so high overall.

"Band" has always been a good-sounding record, and the old CD was decent. The new remastering is definitely worth your cash, though, if you have a decent stereo and are interested in excellent sound. the most obvious improvement is to the guitars-- they sound more "alive" with more air in the upper range. The vocals sound marginally better, and the bass is a little more corpulent. all in all, a very good-sounding electric pop/rock album from the 70's in what is probably its best incarnation. I think CD 2 is a throw-away "making of" with more emphasis on sound bites, interviews and snatches of rehearsals. I'd rather have had complete B-sides and alternate takes. The set is one-disc priced though, and comes in a very nice cardboard box, so it's easy to recommend despite the weak "bonus" disc.

Listening to this album in 2002, having heard all of the fuss about Olvia Tremor Control, Apples in Stereo, and other Elephant 6 bands being "Beatles Worshippers", I would suggest in fact, that this album, with its whimsical yet complex character is more of a Touchstone for such bands that anything in Beatle cannon proper.

It's a disservice to the quality craftsmanship of this record to pretend it's anything more than it is, because in its own universe it suceeds wildly--- it is a very well crafted, light, kind of vapid, sometimes silly, ultimately fantastic pop record, Nothing more, nothing less.

If you have this on any format other than the remastered version you must buy this. The remastering is excellent. The second cd is interviews and story telling by Sir Paul as well as outtakes which is all well and good but probably something you will listen to now and than but for the most part nothing new here. It is a pricey set but as I said worth while

Five stars is what Band on the run deserves, it's obvious. But what about this special package ? Well, the original album sounds a little bit better than the original CD release, it's been well remastered. So if you don't have Band on the run on CD, you must get this package, which isn't more expensive than the "normal" edition. But if you already have the old CD release, buy this package only if you're a McCartney completist like me. Because CD 2 is not "full of unreleased material". It's just interviews, which are interesting but that you won't listen a hundred times, and the few unreleased songs are 1989 or 1993 rehearsals, or recent and short acoustic recordings. There isn't a single outtake from the actual recording of the album. Too bad ! Anyway, thanks, Paul, for the album and all the rest.

"Band On The Run" is a clear example of what Paul McCartney can do as a composer, songwriter, singer and performer, when he's inspired. The music presented here is nearly perfect, reminding us of some Beatle masterpieces, and, considering all the troubles he and his bandmates (keyboardist and wife Linda and rhythm guitarist Denny Laine) had during the making of this album, you can only be amazed by the impressive results obtained.

The departures of a drummer and a lead guitarist, the awful troubles they found in their weird studio location (hard weather, health troubles, hostility of Nigeria's inhabitants) would have made anyone mad. But for every adversity (as Mark Lewisohn's article says in the booklet of this newly-packaged album), the album noted a success, and a new improvement in the music they were developing. The number of adversities was high, so the album is nearly perfect, and can only be paired with "Ram" in the scale of the best Paul/Wings albums.

The concept of this album is simple: you must enjoy the simple things on life. Love, nature, everything... "What's the use of worrying". That simple pattern of life and philosophy is what directs Paul McCartney's solo carrer from 1970 until now. That's why he's a home-man, as he first established clearly in his first LP "McCartney". A coincidence with that album is that Paul also drums here in all songs, and his work is equally amazing. He also shares the guitar parts with Denny, plays bass, makes all the lead vocals, shares the keyboards with Linda, produces and arranges the album and takes care of the overdubbing made later in England.

Of the tracks, (all of them except one composed by Paul and Linda), there is nothing to reject. "Band On The Run" is a rock anthem and a masterpiece of popular music. Its musical structure is complicated but simple, intrincate but fun, experimental but listenable. Vocals, guitars and the orchesta part fit perfectly with each other. "Jet" and "Helen Wheels" are rockers, perfectly driven by McCartney's vocals and Linda's keyboard riffs. "Bluebird" and "Mamunia" are the acoustic side of the album, always present, and always welcomed. These are songs with beautiful harmonies and messages of peace, love and mutual understanding. I don't know what "Mrs.Vanderbilt" could be about, but still it's a great and very catchy track. "Let Me Roll It" is an unforgettable piece of rocky blues that reminds you of Beatle John, but very in the style of Paul McCartney. It has aged very well. My favourite one is the McCartney/Laine collaboration "No Words", a simple love song with a gorgeous melody and brilliant orchestral arrangements. The McCartney simplicity in the writing is accompained by harmonies that can really shake you. "Picasso's Last Words" is an interesting "sound collage" and an experiment that finds here a great place to stay. And the grand-finale comes with "1985", a brilliant piece of straight rock conducted by Paul's piano (reminiscent of "Lady Madonna") and concluded with an overwhelming brass section that make you stand and applaud. The UK remastered version of this CD adds the beautiful "Country Dreamer" as a bonus track, but doesn't have the second "interview" CD that this new package has. So it's hard to pick one from those two...

A genial album like this never will be found again. The timing was right, the fruitful and fast-moving 70's gave Paul the opportunity to experiment and find the right things to do on his albums. Mistakes and bad songs were always there, but at some point he reached perfection. This album gave Paul the chance to be considered as a genius again, and it's still a favorite album to many people. The duality between simplicity and complexity is amazing (even John Lennon recognized that!), and you can't hear an album like this in these times, when the music is just a product and not the art expression it was before. Buy this record, you won't regret it. Songs like this "never will be found" again. Never.