Paul McCartney and Wings did have two successful albums in Wild Life and Red Rose Speedway. However, the band needed an album that cemented them as one of the great bands of the 1970s. That album manifested itself in Band on the Run, a highly successful record many consider a highlight of Paul McCartney’s, even with his albums from The Beatles. Wings did take several risks making the record, and guitarist Denny Laine said it was like “being a gambler.”
Paul McCartney and Wings gambled by recording ‘Band on the Run’ in Nigeria
Wings were riding a series of success with their first two albums. However, for their third album, McCartney wanted to try something different by recording it in a foreign location. In an interview with Billboard, Laine said he understood why the former Beatle wanted to switch things up.
“When (McCartney) said, ‘Let’s do it in Africa,’ I understood completely,” Laine said. “We wanted to go somewhere where it was different. We’d be influenced by the music and the atmosphere, and it was far away from anything else we’d ever done. Because it was an EMI studio, I think they just put a pin in the map and said, ‘How about Africa?’ I just went: ‘Great, let’s do it.’”
Laine acknowledged that the band needed to try something new, and that turned into Band on the Run. The album was very successful, but they gambled to see if they could hit the jackpot.
“It’s like being a gambler. You gamble with things because it’s more exciting,” Laine shared. “It’s more appealing. It’s not the normal, everyday 9-to-5 job, it’s more of a ‘Let’s try something new.’”
Not all of the band decided to take the trip
Unfortunately, the decision to record Band on the Run in Nigeria was somewhat detrimental to the longevity of Paul McCartney and Wings. Before leaving for Africa, drummer Denny Seiwell and guitarist Henry McCullough left the band. McCartney didn’t have time to find a replacement, so just Paul, his wife, Linda, and Laine made the trip.
Band on the Run largely featured just Laine, Linda, and Paul on the instruments, with Paul playing the drums, percussion, and most of the lead guitar parts. While the band was more limited, Laine said it benefitted the final product.
“I know why it was appreciated so much because it had a certain feel,” Laine explained. “It was basically just me and Paul doing the backing tracks. And it was more of a relaxed approach to doing an album than if you’re going in with a band and there are all these parts. We were thrown into that as a last resort because two of the guys didn’t come to Lagos.”
McCartney put himself in danger for his career
The recording process went smoothly for the most part, but McCartney did encounter some danger while in Nigeria. One night, he and his wife were robbed. While their lives were spared, the robbers did take early tapes of Band on the Run. It’s unclear if the criminals ever capitalized on the valuable piece of music they stole, but McCartney thinks they had no idea what they took.
“It was all of the stuff we did. It was the original demo of Band On The Run,” the singer told Clash magazine. “It was stuff that would be worth a bit on eBay these days, you know? But no, we figured the guys who mugged us wouldn’t even be remotely interested. If they’d have known, they could have just held on to them and made themselves a little fortune. But they didn’t know, and we reckoned they’d probably record over them.”
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