Band on the Run was Paul McCartney and Wings’ third album and followed a pretty underwhelming beginning of his solo career that began when The Beatles broke up in the spring of 1970. It marked his final album for Apple Records and followed the two commercial duds that were 1971’s Wild Life and 1973’s Red Rose Speedway.
McCartney chose to record this album in Lagos, Nigeria thinking that the scenic location would provide the band an opportunity to sunbathe during the day and record at night. What McCartney forgot was that a country two years after a Civil War probably wasn’t going to be the most stable of locations. The studio was in poor condition and McCartney was actually robbed at knifepoint during his stay which caused him to lose lyrics and demos. In addition, the band was basically in dire straits ahead of those sessions even starting the recording process– drummer Denny Seiwell and guitarist Henry McCullough left the group a few days before the band was scheduled to depart for Lagos, which left McCartney to handle vocals, bass, drums, and lead guitar during the sessions, joined only by his wife Linda McCartney and multi-instrumentalist Denny Laine.
But like all good albums, the tumultuous nature of the process ultimately helped make something great. Band on the Run not only became McCartney’s most successful post-Beatles work but also restored his critical reputation at a time when he needed it most.
Standout Songs: “Band on the Run”, “Jet”, “Mrs. Vanderbilt”, “Let Me Roll It”
