As the ’70s unfolded Paul McCartney steadily established himself as the most commercially successful former Beatle, a mantle most predicted for him when the Fabs went their separate ways in April 1970.
Through the early years of the decade McCartney had made a pair of agreeable albums, the second of which ‘Ram‘ (1971) was credited to him and wife Linda, this before forming a loose, soft-rock aggregation named Wings. While two releases, ‘Wild Life‘ (1971) and ‘Red Rose Speedway’ (1973) – each appearing under the banner ‘Paul McCartney and Wings‘ – sold exceedingly well they prompted more in the way of despair than delight from the critics.
Yet in November 1973, by which time Wings had been reduced from a quintet to trio comprising Paul (guitar/bass/keyboards), Linda (keyboards) and guitarist Denny Laine, McCartney released his definitive post-Beatles masterpiece ‘Band on the Run‘, this a stellar effort by his or anyone else’s standards.
After creating a landmark ’70s album, which at the same time returned colossal sales figures, Mr. and Mrs. McCartney assembled a reconstituted Wings with Joe English (drums) and Jimmy McCulloch (guitars) which returned them to a five piece ensemble.
While it was clearly Paul still calling the shots, ‘Venus and Mars‘ (1975) and ‘Wings at the Speed of Sound‘ (1976) were attributed solely to ‘Wings’ which proved no hindrance in the marketplace as both became worldwide best-sellers.
Such was their unstoppable momentum, a massive U.S. tour through the summer of 1976, the first Stateside shows McCartney had played since The Beatles stopped touring ten years before, brought an unprecedented demand for tickets. This run of sold-out performances spawned the triple live-set ‘Wings Over America‘ (December 1976) that surprised nobody in racing to number one around the world.
At this point Paul was not only part of a major rock act of the era, but representing the legacy of The Beatles, as by now John Lennon had moved out of the limelight, George Harrison appeared creatively spent with Starr apparently content simply with being Ringo.
After such a momentous year McCartney had no intention for a slackening off in activity through 1977, harboring plans for another round of touring along with making a new Wings album. Such ambitions, however, had to be tempered when Linda announced she was pregnant with their third child, recording sessions at EMI Studios, Abbey Road, London, scheduled for February going ahead nevertheless.
While in situ half a dozen tracks were cut, but with no plans now to play live through the immediate future, the McCartney family, other members of Wings and entourage of engineer Geoff Emerick and three assistants, decamped to a yacht named the ‘Fair Carol‘, moored just off the U.S. Virgin Islands, to continue cutting fresh material.
During May and early June, despite activities being beset by accidents and attention from the local port authorities, (Paul and McCulloch both fell down stairs aboard ship, Emerick received an electric shock from malfunctioning equipment, the coast guard twice searching the boat for illegal substances, finding nothing on both occasions), the band had a productive time in spite of the various interruptions. They committed a further eight new songs to tape as an album began to take shape, although thankfully the working title of ‘Water Wings‘ – bestowed due to their nautical surroundings – was dropped once back on the stability of dry land.
Yet on returning to the U.K. with more than enough tracks to begin sequencing the record, the project suddenly sailed into choppy waters. Tiring of his erratic, unreliable behaviour, McCartney fired McCulloch (who subsequently joined a reformed Small Faces before sadly succumbing to a drug related death at the age of just 26 in September 1979), while homesick American drummer English returned to the United States.
With Paul, Linda and Denny working up another couple of numbers and applying overdubs to some already recorded, the album ‘LONDON TOWN‘ finally appeared in March 1978, by which time the McCartney’s had a son (James, born 12/9/1977) with Wings once again taking the form of a trio, as revealed by the cover.
Given McCulloch and English were members of the troupe when the majority of songs were put down, the album, the sixth studio set from Wings in one representation or another, does not reflect the upheaval caused by their quick succession departures. ‘London Town‘ for the most part is a relaxed affair, both pleasant and precise without ever being particularly pertinent.
Recorded during months when a host of new wave bands gained a significant foothold in U.K. rock terrain, nobody expected Wings to make a punk album. The record, however, makes no concession to emerging musical stances, Wings, like Queen or ELO, adhering to a formula that brought delight to the faithful, but only derision from those embracing the punk rock ethos.
Indeed, through the year ahead Ray Davies, Mick Jagger and Pete Townshend would each address assertions from a new generation of rock critics they were now irrelevant. McCartney on the other hand appears unmoved, or perhaps even unaware, of being tarred by the same brush – the ‘London Town‘ he sings of in the title track a far different proposition to the place described by punk standard-bearers The Clash in their fiery ‘London’s Burning‘ song of the previous year.
That said, even those with misgivings about the quality, (reviews in the main ranged from ho-hum to hostile), could not accuse McCartney of scrimping in terms of actual content, ‘London Town‘ coming in at just over 51 minutes, an enormous running time for a single album.
Significantly longer than the two Wings albums that precede it (neither of which could be deemed short), their latest offering was of far greater length than ensuing 1978 releases by his contemporaries, The Kinks (‘Misfits‘), Rolling Stones (‘Some Girls‘), The Who (‘Who Are You‘). But while Paul could be said to be offering greater value for money in respect of quantity, it goes against him in terms of consistency, some lukewarm tracks among the 14-song entity, giving ‘London Town‘ a lightweight, meandering feel.
Had McCartney enlisted the services of an independent producer, for arguments sake a George Martin or Glyn Johns, it is not hard to envisage a leaner record – and one all the better for a more judicious song selection standard.
When ‘London Town‘ was released Wings could not have been more prominent in U.K. public consciousness, this after ‘Mull of Kintyre‘, a (Paul) McCartney-Laine lament to the family home of Paul and Linda on a remote Scottish island had topped the British charts for nine weeks through Christmas 1977.
Decorated with rolling drums and atmospheric bagpipes, the song had become the biggest selling U.K. single of all-time, a status, barring charity releases, it still holds.
The generally negative critical response to ‘London Town‘ may in part have been down to ‘Mull of Kintyre‘ long outsaying its welcome as 1977 gave way to a new year, although in fairness McCartney gave detractors plenty of scope to be scornful by virtue of a record offering a variety of styles but little in the way of telling content.
The opening title-track is built upon gently embracing electric piano chords, the understated string arrangement taking things to a point where it is hard to tell where Wings end and ELO begin. One of five selections co-written with Laine, the lyrics evoke a sense of alienation on the part of the onlooker (‘Silver rain was falling down upon the dirty ground of/London Town/People pass me by on my imaginary street/Ordinary people it’s impossible to meet‘) in observing his cityscape surroundings.
Despite some abstract impressionism this agreeable if unremarkable piece begins with ‘Penny Lane‘ inflections only to end nearer in essence (‘Oh, where are there places to go?/Someone, somewhere has to know‘) to ‘Eleanor Rigby.’
One of the six side one tracks written solely by McCartney, ‘Cafe on the Left Bank‘ is another observational affair, although more upbeat than the title piece it follows. Here he conjures Parisienne scenes, (‘Tiny crowd Of Frenchmen ’round a TV shop/Watching Charles De Gaulle make a speech’), the track itself indicative of the tight, cohesive unit Wings had become. Despite the French ambience Paul resists the temptation of making any connection to ‘Michelle‘, his ruminations on boulevard activity interrupted by the appearance of ‘English-speaking people drinking German beer/Talking far too loud for their ears.’
To all intents and purposes a McCartney solo track, ‘I’m Carrying‘, featuring the writer on electric guitar accompanied only by a low-key string section is the curious tale of two lovers being reunited after a long absence. The male protagonist has returned with unspecified gifts (‘With my carnation hidden by the packages/I’m carrying something/I’m carrying something for you‘), the song, even at under three minutes leaving a vague, unfinished impression.
Lasting just 67 seconds ‘Backwards Traveler‘ an up-tempo piece relating to living in the past and retreating into memories, (‘Hey, did you know that I’m/Always going back in time?) is too inconsequential to have any lasting effect, while the instrumental ‘Cuff Link’ has Wings enjoying themselves in the guise of a funk-rock outfit, but what may have worked well as a live show encore comes across as an unnecessary and indulgent inclusion.
Covered the following year by Michael Jackson on his ‘Off the Wall‘ album, ‘Girlfriend‘ has McCartney turning his hand to Motown-infused pop. His falsetto vocal serves the piece well, initially that is, as at well over four minutes and despite being fattened up with the punchy guitar work of McCulloch, the track could easily lose 90 seconds and not be the least effected.
Before side one comes to a close with the stomp-rock of ‘I’ve Had Enough‘, McCartney, one suspects, setting to song his frustrations at this point with guitarist McCulloch, (‘I earn the money and you take it away‘), he and Laine have collaborated on ‘Children Children‘ a smartly arranged number reminiscent of a late-60s Cat Stevens piece.
Shaped by the acoustic guitars of the composers, this gently lilting track is testament to childhood enthrallment (‘I know where there’s a fairy/Who will invite us all to tea/But she won’t let me in alone/You’ll have to come with me‘), managing at just less than two and half minutes to steer clear of indulgence – which cannot be said for the similarly titled ‘Deliver the Children‘ on side two.
Another song penned by McCartney and Laine to feature the latter on lead vocals, the mid-period Beatles flavour provides a likeable dimension in stating the importance of caring for a child, ‘Deliver your children to the good good life/Give ’em peace and shelter and a fork and knife‘, only for the narrative to become bogged down in a yarn about a broken down truck and armed robbery.
In truth much of side two fails to rise above the level of perfunctory, the diversity of styles on offer unable to hide a lack of fulsome material. While the band appear to be having a great time laying down the irreverent ‘Famous Groupies‘ replete with some contrived McCartney wordplay (‘But though the famous groupies are only paid in rupees‘), the convivial studio atmosphere cannot disguise the fact inferences to sexual favours on offer to rock bands has been done many times before – and often with greater subtlety.
Recorded prior to the death of Presley in August 1977, the energetic ‘Name and Address‘ could easily be taken as a tribute given the rockabilly resonance, Paul adopting an Elvis/Eddie Cochran persona in relaying the brief story of a woman refusing the advances of a smitten admirer. Meanwhile ‘Don’t Let It Bring You Down‘ with its fluent guitars and lush harmonies urges a philosophical approach (‘Though some things in life are hard to bear/Don’t let it bring you down‘) when the tribulations of life come along.
The album closes with the longest track, McCartney and Laine combining (as they had done on ‘Don’t Let It Bring You Down‘) for the strangely named ‘Morse Moose and The Grey Goose‘, a frenetic effort incorporating an element of the supernatural into a lyric depicting a maritime disaster.
With recurring keyboard motifs replicating an S.O.S signal, the vessel in question, ‘The Grey Goose‘, runs into difficulty which sends members of the crew (‘When out upon the open sea/The admiral, the mate and me/Prepared to face eternity‘) to the bottom of the ocean, but not apparently (‘‘The Grey Goose flew away‘) the ship.
Constructed as a mix of modern sea shanty and prog-rock work out, elaborate piano lines and strident electric guitars adding to the busy atmosphere, the performance ultimately contains more drama than the story. The listener is left to draw their own conclusion as to whether anyone survives, although some could be past caring on the song being drawn out to almost six and a half minutes, the initial impact having now been dissipated.
While the closing song sounds dated in the current climate, ‘With a Little Luck‘, that opens the second side, stands as an exemplary McCartney effort of the first post-Beatles decade.
Confident and optimistic, this engaging slice of sophisticated pop sits nicely alongside other fine examples (‘Listen to What the Man Said‘/’Let ‘Em In‘) he produced during this era, his gift for creating well-crafted, endearing music showing no sign of abating.
An ode to mutual support and positive thinking (‘The willow turns his back on inclement weather/And if he can do it/We can do it just me and you‘), a richly melodic bass line and innovative use of the synthesizer offer hooks aplenty in ensuring the song became a worldwide hit when issued as a single, topping the U.S charts while reaching number five in the U.K.
Amidst deftly arranged harmonies, McCartney delivers a superb vocal performance sounding for all the world there is no cloud that does not contain a silver lining – the only anomaly surrounding this resplendent cut being its omission from his ‘All The Best‘ double-album compilation issued in 1987.
If there were storms on the horizon for McCartney they were represented by the unfavourable response to ‘London Town‘ from the music press. The album had no trouble reaching the top five in both Great Britain (5) and the U.S. (2), yet such success came in the face of disparaging reviews, Rolling Stone in bestowing a two star rating (from five) describing it as ‘pallid‘ while the New Musical Express were of the view, ‘The lyrics have nothing in particular to say.’
Despite such negativity no sooner had ‘London Town‘ hit the shops than Wings were back in the studio, McCartney having enlisted Laurence Juber (guitars) and Steve Holley (drums) to replace McCulloch and English. With a clutch of new songs to record he sought production assistance from Chris Thomas, whose most recent credits were on recordings by the Sex Pistols and The Pretenders. His most recently penned material had a snappy, more aggressive tone than of late, McCartney reflecting the current sound of London in a way he had not managed on ‘London Town.’
But whether Paul & Wings had cracked punk rock remained to be seen – reviews for ‘Back to the Egg‘ (June 1979) suggesting not.
WINGS – LONDON TOWN (Released March 31 1978):
London Town/Cafe on the Left Bank/I’m Carrying/Backwards Traveler/Cuff Link/Children Children/Girlfriend/I’ve Had Enough/With a Little Luck/Famous Groupies/Deliver Your Children/Name and Address/Don’t Let It Bring You Down/Morse Moose and The Grey Goose;
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