Band On The Run - Paul McCartney & Wings (1973)

 


Band On The Run was recorded under duress: as he was preparing to record, Paul McCartney was surprised to find nearly his entire band leaving, leaving only he, his wife Linda and rhythm guitarist Denny Laine. 

He pressed on despite this, playiing most of the instruments on the album  himself, which was partially recorded in Lagos, Nigeria, where McCartney was mugged at knifepoint. 

So maybe it makes sense that Band On The Run is one of Paul's better post-Beatles albums -- maybe his best, though I prefer the more psychedelic and zany Ram. To be clear, I've heard most of Paul's albums at least once (with the exception of the last couple) and I don't think that he really does bad albums. He is reliably good...You can rely on Paul to always deliver four or five great songs and four or five good but not great songs on an album.

"Band On The Run" stands out but really most of the songs are better than good -- I would call them great, though I think I'd only characterize the title track as a true classic: even if it's pretty meaningless and silly, in the grand McCartney tradition. That goes for the rest of the songs too, which are mostly great, but when you scratch their paper thin surface you won't  come up with much to grab onto in terms of meaningful or moving lyrics. But somehow it doesn't matter: it's all just lightweight pop/rock and the music is ultimately intelligent as hell,  endlessly inventive, packed with hooks even if the lyrics tend to fall somehwere on the utterly dumb side. 

4.5/5

There are a lot of good songs on this, but I've always found the pleasant and almost jazz-ish folk-pop "Bluebird" to be one of its unsung highlights.


Spotify: 

https://open.spotify.com/album/257oomaawruFknt5wYCPDh?si=hV_RJJGTSGasd5XOoWh4vA

There are several masters of this: the original 80s, the early 1990s remaster, the 2010 remaster and ultra-expensive DCC remaster. I have the 2010 version (which also came in expanded editions, but with unexciting bonus tracks)and it sound amazing. Better than the original 80s mix and far better than than the no-noixed 1993 (or whatever) version. I am not a millionaire so I haven't heard the DCC Steve Hoffman remaster.


Coming Up:

All This Useless Beauty - Elvis Costello & The Attractions

Alpha Mike Foxtrot -- Wilco

American Idiot - Green Day

Amnesiac Radiohead

Another Life - Another Life

B

The B-52s

Bachelor No. 2 (Or, The Last Remains of the Dodo) - Aimee Mann

The Ballad of Easy Rider - The Byrds

Bambu - Dennis Wilson

Band on the Run

Bangles EP

The Basement Tapes - Bob Dylan & The Band

BARB

The BBC Sessions -- Belle & Sebastian

The Beatles [The White Album] 

Beatles For Sale 

Beauty and Sadness -- TheSmithereens

Beauty and the Beat -- The Go-Go's

Become What YOu Are - The Juliana Hatfield 3

Before & After - Tim Finn

Beggar's Banquet. The Rolling Stones

Begin Here - The Zombies

Being There - Wilco

The Bends -- Radiohead

Berlin - Lou Reed

The Best of Badfinger

The Best of Dark Horse - 1976-1989 - George Harrison

The Best of Sam Cooke

Best Shots - Pat Benatar

Betchadupa

Between The Buttons - Rolling Stones

Big Canoe - Tim Finn

the Big Express - XTC

Biggest Bluest Hi-Fi - Camera Obscura

Billy Idol

A Bit of Previous - Belle & Sebastian

The Black Album - Prince

Black Gold - Nina Simone

Black List - Alex Chilton

Black Market Clash - The Clash 

Black Sea - XTC

Black Snake Diamond Role -- Robyn Hitchcock

Black Spring - Lush

Black-Eyed Man - Cowboy Junkies

Blind Man's Zoo - 10000 Maniacs 

Blonde on Blonde - Bob Dylan

Blondie

Blood And Chocolate - Elvis Costello & The Attractions

Blood on the Tracks - Bob Dylan

Blue Kentucky Girl -- Emmylou Harris

Boats Against the Current -- Eric Carmen

Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan In Concert: Brandeis University 1963

Book - They Might Be Giants

Bookends -- Simon and Garfunkel

Booker T & The M.G.'s

The Bootleg Series 1-3 Bob Dylan

Born in the USA - Bruce Springsteen

Born toDie - Lana Del Rey

Born to Run - Bruce Springsteen

Bossanova - The Pixies

The Both

Boy - U2

The Boy with the Arab Strap - Belle & Sebastian

Boys Don't Cry - TheCure

Brian Wilson

Brian Wilson Presents SMiLE

Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin

Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road

Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon & Garfunkel

Bringing It All Back Home - Bob Dylan

Brutal Youth - Elvis Costello

Bryter Layter - Nick Drake

Buena Vista Social Club

Buffalo Springfield

Buffalo Springfield Again

Buoys - Panda Bear

Byrdmaniax - The Byrds


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