Band on the Run: A History of Paul McCartney and Wings [Paperback]

Garry McGee (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 11, 2003

After the breakup of the Beatles in 1971, Paul McCartney formed Wings with his wife Linda on keyboards, ex-Moody Blues guitarist Denny Laine, and American session drummer Denny Seiwell. For ten dramatic and turbulent years, the band weathered the critics, endured pot busts, survived a harrowing recording stint in Nigeria, changed drummers constantly, and produced a great deal of remarkable music. McGee's tale of one of the most successful bands of the seventies--the first book to focus exclusively on Paul's post-Beatles years-tells the stories behind the #1 hits "Listen To What the Man Said," "My Love," "Band on the Run," "Jet," "With a Little Luck," and "Coming Up." McGee reveals the band's inner dynamics and its relationship with the press and public, examining Paul's determination to pursue a new sound, the criticisms Linda initially got from fans and bandmates, and the character conflicts that kept the lineup changing. Appendices include interviews with former Wings guitarist Henry McCullough, a complete discography, a list of singles with Paul's comments on each, and rankings from the sales charts. Band on the Run also includes a trove of rare Wings promotional material--album covers, posters, ads, and candid photos of the band on tour.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Just as Disney fans are either "Mouse" or "Duck" people, Beatlemaniacs are either John or Paul people. Although perhaps not without interest to both camps, McGee's book aims at Paul people who are also Wings fans, which raises some special challenges, such as evaluating Linda McCartney's contribution to the band and Paul's willingness to share credit and remuneration for Wings' commercial success. McGee is frank about the latter. For instance, he cites Denny Laine's situation vis-a-vis "Mull of Kintyre," for which he should have been paid millions but, as a contractual collaborator, got very little. Such was doing business within Wings. As for Linda's musicianship, while no one lauds her keyboard virtuosity, and some disdain her singing, Wings guitarist Henry McCullough says, "it didn't make any difference because she was playing a part"-- rather like hired hand Sid Vicious in the Sex Pistols, eh? McCartney says he doesn't regret Wings or think it was "that much of a mess." High praise. As a book-length exploration of McCartney's first post-Beatles band, this is the stuff. Mike Tribby
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

As a book-length exploration of McCartney's first post-Beatles band, this is the stuff. (Booklist )

Band On The Run successfully strives to present an accurate portrait of Paul McCartney, the Wings band, and their musical contirbution to popular culture in the twentieth century. (Bookwatch )

Band On The Run successfully strives to present an accurate portrait of Paul McCartney, the Wings band, and their musical contirbution to popular culture in the twentieth century. (Bookwatch )

McGee's done his homework, and he has a vast, amazing array of memorabilia... A fun look at a talented (but not always loved) musician. (Joseph Kyle Www.Mundanesounds.Com )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Taylor Trade Publishing; 1 edition (March 11, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0878333045
• ISBN-13: 978-0878333042
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,087,626 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best book on McCartney's post-Beatles career, May 11, 2003

By 

John Doc Holliday (Northern Virginia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Band on the Run: A History of Paul McCartney and Wings (Paperback)

Of all the books on Paul McCartney, this is the best one on his career, post-Beatles. Unlike most other bios, this one gets about as deep as it can in telling Wings' story.

I found this book very even-handed in its approach. No whitewashes or hatchet jobs. It even tells the stories of the recordings of some of McCartney's and Wings' lesser works, "Ram" and "Red Rose Speedway," two albums rarely discussed in other books.

The book offers a list of every Wings concert, as well as the set lists from their tours.

As of now, this is the best Wings bio out there, and is worthy of any McCartney fan's time.

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Twenty Years Worth of Research? I Think Not, April 17, 2005

By 

Chris Brewer "cb70" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Band on the Run: A History of Paul McCartney and Wings (Paperback)

As the back cover states that Mr. McGee is an 'authority on Wings", I'm here to tell you he is not. Errors are found on just about every other page ranging from:

Wrong dates given as to when sessions took place (Ram, RRS, McGear, etc...)

Songs being released when they haven't (Robber's Ball)

Songs being listed as recorded from one time frame when they were either recorded years earlier or later (When The Wind Is Blowing, Seaside Woman)

McCullough and Seiwell recording with Denny Laine in 1980 (sorry, didn't happen)

The interview as being described 'real' from 1976 where the reporter was asleep was actually from Australia 1975 and the reporter is a local hero called Norman Gunston who 'pulls pranks' on celebs even though the Mac's were aware of it. So in other words, that whole interview was staged.

I think the biggest crime of this book was to re-tell stories from one JoJo Laine (the 1975 housekeeper Rose story, Jimmy contemplating murdering the Macs, etc...) that she initially told to Geoffrey Giuliano. Come on, every knows JoJo can be trusted about as far as you can throw her and those stories are the work of Geoffrey and JoJo wanting to dump crap on the McCartney's legacy.

About the only thing this book is usefull for are the quotes from Paul, Linda & Wings collected from various magazines over the past 30 + years.

Nothing new isn't reported that hasn't already been told in previous books on Macca. He even missed a golden oppurtunity while speaking with Henry McCullough in 2002 about asking him to comment on the original Band On The Run rehearsal tapes from the Summer of '73 that Henry has kept all these years. He's the only one with copies and it would've shed light on how far the album was truly developed at that point and which guitar riff was it that got him so heated with Macca that he up and quit.

So to sum up... Skip this book and just enjoy the music. Maybe someday someone will get it right but not Mr. McGee!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars wings, September 24, 2005

By 

Chris "pool" (philippines) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Band on the Run: A History of Paul McCartney and Wings (Paperback)

I am definetly a die hard fan of the beatles since time immemorial and this conviction never cease to exist to this day. However, it is also imperative to know the musical activities of every member of the beatles after they disbanded, indeed there is light at the end of the tunnel after the post beatle era. One visible and yet subliminal effort during the post beatle era, was the birth of Paul Mccartney and Wings. This book takes you to the inner mind of Paul and his inevitable predicament to continue his musical career by forming a new band and having a new life with Linda. In this book you will also witness the other side of Paul Mccartney not as an ex-beatle, but as the band leader of the Wings. Moreover, discover the fraustrations of Linda Mccartney as a musician in her own right. I highly recommend this book to all genuine beatlemaniacs and die hard fans of Sir Paul Mccartney,like me!