Jet

Jet is a single that was released in late 1973.  The song was taken from the 1973 album, Band on the Run.  When it was first released the song Mamunia was the b-side, but on later pressings it had been changed to the song Let Me Roll It.  McCartney's dog "Jet" is said to have been the original inspiration for the song.  The song rose to the number 7 spot on the charts in both the US and the UK.  The Australian band Jet, took their name from this song.  Paul McCartney, after more than 35 years, still includes both Jet and Let me Roll it in  his live shows.

Band on the Run

Band on the Run was released in December of 1973 and quickly climbed the charts in countries all around the world. This album, Wings' third, was the band's first triumph. Paul has said many times that this is his favorite Wings album. The album won a grammy and stayed on the charts for three years. Everything Paul has recorded since Band on the Run inevitably gets compared to it.

The album was not an easy one to make however. Paul's first choice to record was famed Abbey Road studios, but they were booked solid and Paul was forced to choose another venue for his band to work in. He asked EMI for a list of studios they owned or had access to around the world and after considering different parts of the world he decided on Nigeria. Paul and Linda both loved African music and thought it would be great to record in "the rhythm capital of the world".

Five days before they were to leave for Africa, lead guitarist Henry McCullough quit the band. Then, only three hours before departure, Denny Seiwell informed Paul that he wouldn't make the trip. So, two of the five five members of Wings quit just before the making of this album. Band on the Run is essentially a Paul McCartney/Denny Laine album. Linda added some back-up vocals here and there, but Paul and Denny played all the instruments and worked out the arrangements for the songs. Denny even co-wrote the song No Words with Paul.

Before they left, Paul and Linda thought Africa would be great. Lagos, Nigeria was near the coast. They thought they would lay around on the beach all day and record at leisure during the evening. Unfortunately it was the rainy season.

Other problems arose once they got there as well. The studio wasn't finished being built. They had to ask for glass to be put in the windows. Also, the African Musicians thought they were trying to steal their sounds, so there was tension there. Paul and Linda were mugged one evening when they ignored the rules about going out alone after dark. They were picked up by a roving band of criminals and taken to the beach where they were robbed and lucky to have escaped with their lives. Paul collapsed during recording and upon being taken to the hospital was informed he was smoking far too much. Through all of this they managed to create a masterpiece.

Paul played the bass guitar, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, drums, piano, organ and Denny Laine played guitar, percussion and bass guitar. Paul sang lead and Denny and Linda added backing vocals. The songs they recorded for the album were: Band on the Run, Jet, Bluebird, Mrs. Vanderbilt, Let me Roll it, Mamunia, No Words, Helen Wheels, Picasso's Last Words and Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five. The album was produced by Paul, with the assistance of engineer Geoff Emerick (Emerick worked with George Martin on a number of Beatle albums and is regarded very highly in the recording industry). There were a number of hit singles that were taken from the album as well. The song Picasso's last words was based on an article Dustin Hoffman had been reading that described Picasso's last words, "Drink to me, drink to my health, you know I can't drink anymore." Paul was in Jamaica vacationing and met Dustin Hoffman there and they were spending some time together, when Hoffman asked him if he could write a song about anything, Paul said it depended on the topic, so Hoffman showed him the article and Paul started playing his guitar and singing right there in front of him. (That's the story I heard anyway). It's a great album, even the cover attracts attention for the group Paul organized to be the "Band on the Run". In the cover photo were Talk show host Michael Parkinson, Actor/comedian Kenny Lynch, Actor Jame Coburn, Member of parliament and grandson of Sigmund Clement Freud, Actor Christopher Lee, Liverpool boxer John Conteh, and Paul, Linda and Denny. The album went Platinum three times over in the US and platinum in the UK. It went to number one in countries all over the world. It was a major triumph for Wings.

Helen Wheels

This song was inspired by a trip from Scotland to London, taken in Paul's Land Rover ("Hell on Wheels"). Helen Wheels was released in the US on October 26, 1973 and in the UK on November 3, 1973. The single was issued before the release of the album Band on the Run and was not included on the British version of the album, however in America, the song was included on the album.

The B-side of Helen Wheels was Country Dreamer. In the US the single made it to the number 10 spot on the charts. In the UK it went to number 12, Canada number 4 and Australia it reached the number 17 position.

Live and Let Die

This Wings single, and theme for the James Bond movie of the same name, was released in the summer of 1973. Paul had been asked to write the theme for the Sean Connery "James Bond" Movie Diamonds are Forever but because of various time conflicts it didn't work out. He was asked again by the 007 producers to write a theme, this time for Roger Moore's first Bond movie, Live and Let Die.

Traditionally Bond themes were sung by women, but Paul agreed to write the theme on the condition that he record the track with Wings and that their recording be used as the opening theme music. George Martin was brought in to write the score for the orchestra being used by Paul (this is the first time an ex Beatle worked with Beatles producer Martin since the break up of the group).

The producers liked George Martin and what he had done with Paul's track so much, they asked him to score the entire movie.

The song was nominated for an Oscar, and George Martin won a grammy for his arrangement on the song.

The flipside of the single Live and Let Die was a song written by Paul, but sung by Denny Laine. It was the first time Denny Laine performed the lead vocal on a Wings single. The song was called I Lie Around.

The single went to number seven on the charts in the UK, number 2 in the US, number 2 in Canada, 20 in New Zealand and 5 in Australia. Paul still regularly includes this song in his live shows to this day.