Top Gear As Supergroup Runs On (Wings 1975)

 

Top Gear As Supergroup Runs On

By Norman Dunn

Aberdeen Evening Express

September 25, 1975

    A final crash of chords and Wings are off stage after two hours full steam in the Aberdeen Capital. The last wave to the howling fans massed around the stage front. "See you next time!" shouts Paul. The lights dim and go out.

     Backstage, the group rushes for the steep stairs up to the tiny dressing rooms. As they climb, the ear-shattering din from 1000 fans fades to a dull roar. Sweat running down his face, Paul grabs a towel, dabs his face, and then winds the cloth around his neck. He and Linda pick up cool drinks and slump into chairs. The rest of the group, Jimmy McCulloch, Denny Laine, and Joe English, file in. A French camera crew troops in next, loaded with equipment, and immediately turns the room into chaos.

    Jimmy McCulloch, glass in hand, tries out his French as the bewildered crew stumbles about, tripping over cables and bumping into publicity men, "Tres bien? Tres bien?" he keeps asking. The Frenchmen scurrying about with cameras, lights, and mics, smiles absently at him and nods. Over in a corner, drummer Joe English and the guitar man Denny Laine are talking earnestly. Outside, the noise has died down. 

    Two years have passed since Wings last toured in this country. Will there be a next time? "I want to go on tour as often as I can-- until I get bored with it all, that is," says Paul. Wife Linda sits quietly beside him, long legs tucked under her on the chair, and passively watching the turmoil in the little room.

     "I remember coming up here with The Beatles," said Paul, "We did Elgin, Dingwall... I don't recall all the gigs, but wow, I remember Fraserburg, wow. That was really wild!"

     Everyone's relaxed, even the camera crews are still smiling, and the whole tour has just been as easy-going and amazing sort of family progress. Three weeks on the road, 12 gigs passed, and one to go, two coaches, two limousines, two lorries, and a van transport. The 50-strong Wings entourage around the country between gigs, all at the easy-going pace befitting such a good-natured gathering. 

    "We usually stop at some roadside cafe for tea in the afternoon", explains Barry Humphreys, one of the publicity managers on the tour.

     "I really like this," Paul adds. "I enjoy taking Wings out to meet the people. And I like the family thing of touring ."

    "Family thing", it certainly is. There's Paul and Linda with their three daughters, Heather, Mary, and Stella, looked after by the McCartneys' housekeeper, Rose. Remember Red Rose Speedway? Paul wrote this and dedicated the song to her.And while the tour was in England, it included Denny Laine's wife and their boy, Laine, plus a tutor. 

    "It sure doesn't make money," admits Paul, "but we've got a world tour coming up in four months, Australia, and then Japan, and finally America. I reckon America will pay for the present tour. "

    The tour also means they're playing together all the time. "The present LP Venus and Mars is going well, but we'll be working on another one in about four months' time."

     Only 24 hours before, Paul, Linda, Jimmy Denny, and Joe were taking their bows after a fantastic session at the Glasgow Apollo. This was one concert that had really impressed the band. "Terrific! Really something else!"  agreed Linda as Paul described their tumultuous reception. "Aberdeen was just as good, but the stage was a bit small for all that equipment."

     According to the band back in Glasgow, Wings had gone offstage, but the fans kept up the chant, and eventually, they came out again, wearing kilts. It had been a hurried change, and there was one member of the group who had to take things a bit easy during the encore due to the absence of a very important article of clothing. Important if you're wearing a kilt and prancing about the stage, that is!

    The formula, once back at the hotel,  is to relax by watching a film. In Glasgow, they watched American Graffiti. The band carries their own films along with two lorry loads of stage equipment and instruments, and they reckon it's the best way to unwind after a heavy gig. Two or three in the morning, the group was in bed, and by one o'clock on Monday afternoon, the Wings family traveling show was on the road to Aberdeen.

     Publicity men, bodyguards, and the four-man brass section, headed by Tommy Dorsey, and even he's got his wife and kid with him, all this, plus the band and their families on one bus. But a very special one, there's a kitchen on board, toilets, a television, and even a bar. The road crew, with their own coach, had gone on ahead to Aberdeen the night before. What a progress and a welcome one. 

    Barry Humphreys leans over and says, "Paul likes being on the road. Originally, the tour was just planned for England, but Wings wanted it to be an English, Welsh, and Scottish tour. Paul has a farm in Scotland, the country means a lot to him."  He adds, "Wings are different. They are a free animals. World-class band, moving around so easily." He adds. "High-pressure touring is out the window as far as this band is concerned."

     Picture the scene in the coach on its way up from Glasgow this week as the bus powered along: Paul and Linda sat by a window holding hands with Stella, their youngest daughter, lying sleeping on their laps. And it's more than just a country progress. The tour is sharpening up before the World Tour, starting in November. "We have this tour to get ready for Australia. Australia to get ready for Japan, and when we hit America, we'll be in overdrive," one publicity man comments.

     Before the rush back to the hotel, there's an interview to be done with the French TV crew. They see Paul and Linda together and surround them with lights, mics, continuity girls, and cameramen. They're still relaxed and smiling. "Why Wings?" the interviewer, in a heavy accent, says. Paul, "Why Wings? Because we're flying," he answered.  Linda: "Flying high like les oiseaux."

     Persevering, the French man switches topics, "Usually British rock and roll is sad, but the Wings make it happy. Why?" Paul: "I always thought rock and roll was happy. We enjoy playing. If you think our music is happy, it's because we enjoy doing it."

     Paul is asked with brave disregard for previous stories about his reaction to being questioned on Beatles, why he sang Beatles songs. "Why? he asked.  "Why not? I haven't gone away from the songs, because they're my songs. If I didn't sing them, they would just vanish. The people like them," he continues. "They make them happy, and that's what they are there to do."

     Paul says that he is just as happy with Wings as with the Beatles-- a different type of happiness, because he's a married man with a family. Now, the band is up on their feet. The crowd's roar grows as successive doors are opened to set them out into their car, out into the cold night. There are plenty of bouncers in attendance, but there's not the usual scrum. The people watch and wave. They're smiling as much as Paul and Linda. Could it be that Wing's attitude to pop is infectious?