Wings plus 1

 

Silly Love Songs in Berlin

 

March 22, 1976 in Berlin, Germany 

Wings over the green room

 

Water Wings

 

Wings over (or under) Uniroyal Tires

 May 7, 1976 - Detroit, Michigan

Wings in Fort Worth (1976)

This story written by the sweet Doylene was from the May/June issue of McCartney Ltd. 

Paul's long-awaited American tour, finally got underway May 3rd in Ft. Worth, Texas, and I'm sure that everyone who caught any of his shows will agree with me that it was well worth the wait.  It had been a long time (10 years!) since any tour had created such excitement or received so much coverage from the press and it must've been a very sweet success to Paul after the long, hard battle he'd fought to have Wings accepted. 

We (Cindy, Marry Ann, and I) arrive din Ft Worth at 2am on the morning of the 3rd and were met at the airport by George, Barb, and Joanna who took us by the hotel where the band was staying (in Dallas) and then drove us back to our motel in Ft. Worth.  After a few hours of sleep, we were off to the Community Center and were later joined there by Madeline (fresh back from the European tour!) and a group of girls from Ohio and Indiana.  As time passed the anticipation of seeing him again began to build steadily so that by the time he arrived with Linda and the kids in a large red car (yes, he was driving!) the knees were more than a little ready to tremble!  My first thought was that I'd never seen him look so good.  He was wearing the same shirt he had on when he posed for the photo with me in Glasgow and his faced was so tan.  He also looked thinner (not that he was at all heavy before) which became even more apparent when we saw him in concert and his hair was neatly layered and shiny.  As I said, he'd never looked better.  He looked so happy, too and I honestly think he went slowly on purpose so that people could take photos which I proceeded to do when he was right in front of me.  

After he pulled in, everyone was having the typical reaction -- ear to ear grins that couldn't be wiped away and knees that had forgotten how to hold themselves steady.   It is absolutely incredible what that man can do to people by just being in their presence. A girl later said in Kansas City that he was one of God's chose people and I truly believe that.  We passed the time until the concert by trying to eat and then made our way back to the TCCC.  Luckily, Cindy, Mary Ann, and I were able to swap our original $8.75 tickets for $9.75 ones in the loge so after the doors were opened we were all set to enjoy Paul's triumphant opening night.  I really had no idea how much more exciting his U.S. shows were going to be, as compared to his British ones.  I wouldn't have thought it was possible but I guess maybe it had a lot to do with this being the first time Paul and the American audience had had to get off on each other in 10 years!  The anticipation was incredible!  Paul played that hand tot he fullest, too by walking out onto a darkened stage so that it was just that much longer before people could see him.  

Then a dim light, smoke, and bubbles encircled him as he began the opening cars of "Venus and Mars" but it wasn't until "Rock Show" that the bright stage lights came on so that he could be clearly seen.  But once again, it was worth the wait.  He had on black satin pants with a matching black and white satin waist-length jacket which was definitely a vast improvement over the British tour outfit.  The lighting for several songs also proved to be a lot classier.  The first he spoke to the audience was after "Jet" where he came out with a hearty "Howdy Texas!" in his best Texan accent.  Then he went directly into "Let me Roll it" which he needed with two consecutive "Oh yeah's" said in the distinctive McCartney style, of course.

Then he continued on with "Now I'll hand you over to, ah, this is Denny Laine here"  (at which point Denny chimed in with "Hi, how are you Dallas?) "and this is Spirits of Ancient Egypt."  The end bit on this song was particularly good with Paul really getting into his bass.  Next Pau;l turned introductions over to Jimmy with "This is Jimmy" and Jimmy finished it with "Howdy! Nice to be here after the delay.  We're gonna carry on with a song I wrote off Venus and Mars, It's Medicine Jar."  This number went down really well with the crowd as always and after it as over Jimmy announced, "We're going to switch here.  Paul's gonna go on piano."  and then he said hello to the people up back.  Settled at the piano Paul went into a beautiful rendition of "Maybe I'm Amazed" with the painting of a candle used as a backdrop.  He received tremendous applause for that one and then announced his next song "Call me BAck Again" as being off the Venus and Mars LP (at later concerts he usually added that it had been recorded in New Orleans).  It was usually around this song that he threw in a lot of "alright, alright" said in that same voice used as the intro to "Listen to what the man said" on the LP.  

The first Beatles song of the evening was introduced by Paul with, "Listen if anyone feels like having a stomp around or urge to surge...I'd like to hear you clapping your hands or doing something similar.  It's an old tune, this one."  Not unexpectedly the familiar opening bars of "Lady Madonna" brought a great round of applause from the crowd who continued clap along throughout the song -- which finished once, then went into again to the delight of everyone there.  Then he slowed down the tempo and went into the hauntingly beautiful "Long and Winding Road."  (which he usually introduced "Now that we've speeded you up, we'll slow you down" but he let it go without intro on this first night.  I don't think the flawless voice he displays on this song could ever be equaled by any other performer.  Next, Paul turned us over to Linda with "I'll turn you over to my Mrs. now."  (later in the tour adding "and friend.") to introduce the next song -- take it, girl."   Linda carried on with "This next one was written for a British citizen #007, it's called 'Live and Let Die.'.  As everyone knows who read any of the press clippings or been to any shows this song was the show stopper as far as stage theatrics were concerned.  The end of the first verse was met by explosions which were followed by strobe lights and climaxed again with explosions.  This was the thing the American audience, in particular, seemed to really go for.  So with this song, he managed to satisfy that taste without ever having to sacrifice the music because of it. yes, for this tour had thought of everything. 

After the excitement of the last number, there had to be a change of pace so it was here Paul announced, "This is where we have a sit-down and play our acoustic guitars awhile."    "Picasso's Last Words" and "Richard Cory" passed without introduction, then for "Blue Bird" came the so familiar "Does anybody know what a rhythm box is?"  (by now it's a household word) to which he added, "Well, this is it" as the rhythms began.  Next "I've Just Seen a Face" which he   brought  on with "Anyone fancy a stomp?"  Then finally there was "Blackbird" and "Yesterday"-- always the sentimental moments of the evening.  As "Yesterday" was ending I heard a guy behind me exclaiming "Oh God that was beautiful" which pretty much summed up the feelings of everyone as they stood to give him a ten-minute ovation.  If I remember right he held the guitar above his head and flowers were thrown to him -- if not the first night it certainly occurred on most following nights.  The next song was "You Gave Me The Answer" which Paul almost always dedicated to Fred Astaire (or Gene Autrey as in Atlanta and Tucson) but he went straight into it without intros in Ft. Worth.  This is one song where the new lighting was really dramatic, the whole area below the piano, and Paul flashed on like a red theatre marque with yellow lights outlining.  

Denny introduced the following song "Magneto" by saying "This next one is from Venus and Mars and it's all about some comic book characters you grew up with" and alikeness of them was used as a backdrop.  "Magneto" was followed by "My Love" with Paul, "Listen, we want to do a song for all the lovers in the audience -- I've think we've got a few here tonight!"  with him added a "Wo! Let me hear you say Wo."  Listen to What the Man Said with Paul saying, "Let me hear you clapping and stomping to this one."  He usually introduced the latter by saying it was one you could shake your bums to but he was a bit subdued this first night I guess.  After the song was over Paul paused to say, "As a lot of you probably know this is the first night of our tour."  (mucho applause) so listen I wanna tell you were just having a good time, you know?  So we hope you are too!"  "Let 'em in" was next with Paul saying,  "A tune from our new album "Speed of Sound."  It was almost unbelievable the way the sound of the record was duplicated on stage for this one -- from door chimes to the marching snare drum that Denny carried onto the stage.  ?At this point, Paul took up the bass again and Denny introduced "Time to Hid" by saying, "This is another one from the sam record -- whatever you call it -- it's s song which I wrote."  I really, really loved this one in concert.  It was exhilarating and it was a real joy to watch and listen to Paul's bass playing on it.  He was into it all the way.  Next came "Silly Love Songs" with Jimmy introducing it as "another one from the new album" to which Paul usually added "and our current single."  This turned out to be another real treat.  I'd always thought it was a nice song but I had no idea how exciting it could be in concert.  But, I'll tell you when he started strutting back and forth across the stage whenever there was an instrumental bar the old blood pressure rose another couple degrees!  IT was incredible! now all I needed to totally drive me pas the point of no return was for Paul to launch into "Beware my love" which I decided was my all-time favorite song the first time I heard it.  That's exactly what he proceeded to do, with a "Listen, if any of you feel like getting on your feet and bopping that's okay by us."  Then leave out the first few bars he started right off with the "Wo, wo, wo, no-no, NO!" and I was gone.  I couldn't believe it--one my 30th concert and I still couldn't get used to him or stop the tears from coming to my eyes.  The song kept building, through, too -- it's one of the most climactic songs I've ever heard until, by the end, Paul was just letting out one scream after another.  

Then finally it was over and I could almost breathe again.  It was here that Paul paused to say, "alight, alight, alight, tonight" several times and then went on to say, "I suppose you've noticed these fellas standing in back of us, well, I'd like to introduce them to you," which he proceeded to do starting with Thadeous (when the audience applauded Paul asked for more because Thadeous loved it!), then Howie, Steve (introducing him as the hometown boy) and Tony ("last and sometimes least!").  Then Paul added "They're going to help us do the next song, "Letting Go!"  I still don't mind that song in concert at all, either!  Really so much more dynamic on stage than on record, which is what can be said about ALL Paul's material actually.  Finally, or should I say before we knew it, Paul was saying, "Listen, we're getting near the end of our show, here, so listen, you've been a lovely audience, that's for sure.  It's been a pleasure to play here in Texas, let me tell you."  And with that, they began "Band on the Run" accompanied by the film of them making the cover of the album.  Then they left the stage to thunderous applause which seemed to go on forever.  Finally, they returned for the first encore which was "Hi Hi Hi" and was introduced by Paul with a "Feel like rocking a bit?"  Then they were gone again for another round of seemingly endless applause.  But everyone knew they ere going to return one more time as the house lights were still down and there was eerie green smoke beginning to rise from behind the stage.  The final encore turned out to be "Soily" and the new lighting for it was another addition which was most striking.  After the group returned to the stage, they played a long instrumental intro, and then as the vocals began a beam of light was projected across the total length of the stadium's ceiling and smoke came oozing out over it, making all kinds of marble patterns as it went.  All the lighting was still green except for a red spotlight on Paul.  It was a fantastic concert!  Then the band left the stage for the last time with Paul and Linda being the last to leave as they walked off stage with their arms around each other. 

A couple other points of interest that happened during this concert but that I've forgotten in just with sequence include a guy running up on stage to shake hands with Paul ( I have a movie film of them).  also, there are a lot of sound effects used off and on during the show -- a voice saying "everyone is so suspicious" and a pig grunting!  

After the show, we hung around the theater a bit and finally ran into Sarah, but still being a bit "hungover" from the concert we didn't have much opportunity to communicate intelligently!  We hadn't planned to see the Houston concert, only Ft. Worth.  But after that performance, we KNEW we had to do it.  So I looked up Kay, who had told me she had one extra ticket earlier, bought it, and vowed that we'd find two more tickets and a late flight out of Houston the next day.  With that decided, George took us to the band's hotel again and this time we had something to eat in the restaurant where Joe English, Robert Ellis, and others were dining.  Then it was back to the motel, supposedly to sleep, but someone Mary Ann, Cindy, and I ended up listening to almost the entire tape of the concert so it was quite late before we finally did! 

Wings Sing-a-long

Winging it over America

Backstage interview

Float down stream

Tour bus fun with the Wings family

Beware my love

When these photos were taken of Wings in January 1976 while they were recording "Beware my Love,"  Paul was seen in several of the photos holding a Sorcerer Mickey Mouse electronic toy.   Since I love to find connections between the members of the Beatles and Disney, this interests me.

I found out the the toy is a Mickey Mouse electronic calculator made in Japan in the 1970's and distributed worldwide called "Mickey Math."    It came with a pouch, instructions and and plug-in adapter, so that you could plug it into the wall or use batteries.   Here is what the calculator looked like.

Used with permission by Flickr's Creative Commons 

I would guess that one of the McCartney girls was playing with this toy and had it laying around the studio at the time of the session.    It looks like one of those toys you would ask your folks for, because it looked cool, but when you got it and realized that it was just math, you never used it.

Water Wings

It's just another day (to get a gold record)

This seems like such a funny photo of a wide variety of people!  

On the way to Wembley '76

All photos belong to Graeme Leonard. Posted here with his permission.   Please respect his photos and do not use without his permission

These great photos of Wings at Cavendish Avenue was sent to me by Graeme Leonard.  He and his friend,  Jimmy Copeland took these photos in October 1976 when Wings were on their way to the performance at the Wembley.  

An interview with a cabby

I love this!   On May 10, 1976 the Wings' Over America tour stopped in Cleveland, Ohio and in the paper was a photo of Paul and the gang in a cab.    I don't believe I have that exact photo posted here.   But the local fans from "With a little Help from my Friends" kept their eyes peeled around town for the cab that Paul rode is so that they could talk to the cab driver about it!    I love it!   

This article was from the October 1976 issue of WALHFMF   and was written by "So" (who I cannot recall used that name when writing.)

Greetings friends and neighbors!
And yes, your on the scene WALHFMF reporter has done it again!  Of course in May when Paul McCartney arrived at the Cleveland Coliseum in all the regal splendor of...yellow cab????

Yes, we remember that moment in time when cab #830 was permanently fixed in all our one-track minds.    Ever since this reporter (cough) has kept an eagle eye peeled in downtown Cleveland and five months later, stumbled on THE cab, parked smack in front of her own office building!  (I also probably astounded the hell out  the cab driver who wondered how in the world this lunatic tracked him down 5 months after the fact!)   But he was quite a nice fellow, and humored me by assuring me he had indeed chauffeured Paul, Linda and kids to the Coliseum.  He also added, rather sourly, that P.M. back-seat drove the entire way out there ("Slow down!  Speed up!  Catch up with that cab!")  He also asked the cabby if he'd ever heard of the Beatles!  (True modesty, Macca!).  The ride out there cost $23 per cab and whoever paid the drivers (one of the managers)failed to tip him.   Ah well, Paul never mind...maybe next time they;ll land you at the right airport!  A

Vintage Venus and Mars review

This past month Paul re-released two classic Wings albums:  Venus and Mars and Speed of Sound.   I was extremely lucky for once in my life and I won both of these album through a contest at the Fab 4 Free For All.   I really got into Wings in the past 10 years and I never owned these albums, although I have been familiar with all of the songs on them.    I just had never heard them packed as an album.    I have been enjoying them, but I especially like Venus and Mars.     I found this review from a fanzine written in 1975, when Venus and Mars was first released and I thought it was really interesting to read.   The perspective in 1975 was quite different than today and I thought it was worth a read.

McCartney’s Interplanetary Nonsequitur:  Venus & Mars

By Jim Bollinger

The New Beatles Fan club

Vol II #6

Paul McCartney has spent the last year or so reforming his band which ran out on him, and has also been doing some running of his own, all over the US of A.  During this time, he rode the waves of the success caused by his platinum LP, Band on the Run, and only turned out one new bit of music in all of 1974, and that was only a two-sided single. 

Although “Junior’s Farm” did moderately well on the record chart, it was generally overlooked, and overshadowed by hits from two of Paul’s former partners.  I personally felt “Sally G,” the single’s B-side, held out some promise for Paul and his clipped Wings; the lyrics held together well and the Country & Western format showcased wife Linda’s whining voice rather well.

Anyway, that single seemed to indicate that Paul’s latest musical bent was more toward Roy Clark than the Beatles.  This is mainly what I expected from Venus and Mars.  What I got, however, is an entirely different mater.

Venus and Mars is a slick package of music which shows that Paul did more in New Orleans than clown in the Mardi Gras and watch the Super Bowl.  In fact, and surprisingly so, this entire album is thick withi the New Orleans jazz-rock.  And the performance of the reborn Wings is perhaps the most delightful aspect of this new LP.

Venus and Mars is perhaps the prettiest sounding album by any of the one-time Fab Four since Side Two of Abbey Road.  Of course, this hasn’t the impact or sterling quality to come really close to Abbey Road, but the comparison may still be considered valid. 

McCartney, in an attempt to duplicate the successful semi-concept of his last LP, appears to be kicking a dead horse in trying to conjure a concept out of nothingness; the result is the poorest song on the album, the title cut.  And then Paul has the temerity to compound this crime by inserting a reprise of this filler on Side Two (where it does, however, sound a little better).  

The second song on the album kicks off what seems like a string of very subtle McCartney-style (remember RAM?) references to his ex-partners and their various relationships.  “Rock Show” contains some glaringly obvious references to George Harrison (“Come on, get your wig on straight; we can’t be late”;  “he looks a lot like a guy I knew way back when” “with the Philly (as opposed to L.A. perhaps) band,”  etc.), with a few possible remarks about David Bowie, too.  It is, however, a pretty fair rocker with a section that sounds lifted from Lennon’s old “Hey Bulldog.”

“Magneto and Titanium Man” may be a cleverly-disguised retort to accusations that Linda has ruined his music:  “and then it occurred to me/You couldn’t be bad…/You were the law.”  IN any case, it’s too self-consciously silly to be serious about its silliness.  Completing this string of ambiguous songs is the albums concluding medley “Treat her Gently/Lonely Old People”  Note the first two verse:  “Treat her gently/Treat her kind/She doesn’t even know her own mind/Treat her simply/Take it slow/Make it easy/And let her know/You’ll never find another way.”  That’s Paul McCartney advice to the lovelorn if I ever heard any.  But who’s the lovelorn?  John Lennon? Since the song was most likely written before the Lennons’ reunion, anything is possible.  Then examine the second part of the song”  “Here we sit/ Out of breath/ and nobody asked us to play.”  This may be construed by some as referring to Paul and John and the fate of the Beatles, due largely to the nebulous lyrics and the presence of a guitar complete with that teardrop sound straight off Lennon’s #9 Dream.

In other songs, the aforementioned New Orleans influence is unmistakable.  “Letting Go” is fine and funky, with one shortcoming – Linda’s background vocals come through a little too clearly.  Paul and Wings’ latest hit single, the slick “Listen to what the man said,” is a song with which even Rolling Stone could find no fault.  Other New Orleans-influenced songs with a nice sound are:  “Medicine Jar,” my personal favorite, penned by the cut’s lead singer, new Wings guitarist, Jimmy McCulloch.  It’s a refreshing song; spunky and well-played, with lyrics that can stand well with most McCartney compositions.  Then there’s “Spirits of Ancient Egypt,” which starts out well, dripped with Jim Stafford-type swamp mystery before its effect is destroyed by that silly bridge about Egypt and Rome.

Other influences evident on the album are historical.  On “You Gave me the Answer,”  McCartney hails back to his White Album days in a cut very reminiscent of “Honey Pie,” with traces of “When I’m 64” thrown in for good measure.  Another is “Call me Back Again,” a fine take-off of Rhythm & Blues which sounds hauntingly like Lennon’s “Yer Blues.”

McCartney is not yet, however, quite up to par he set with the Beatles, especially lyrically.  The words accompanying the ofttimes splendid music are usually anything but intelligent, and a few may be considered among the worst Paul has yet produced.  Some of them are so close to the “moon-June-spoon” school of writing (of which McCartney is Crown Prince) that it borders on absurdity:  “Any time, any day/ You can hear the people say/ That love is blind, well, I don’t know/ but I say love is kind.”  Really!

And there’s Paul’s subject matter: who is this man we are or are not supposed to listen to?  What do Venus & Mars have to do with a sports arena or a cathedral?   Why would Lucifer shine, looking like snow in a Broadway show?  And how do Egyptian and roman spirits get into a love song about now?  Those are but a few of the many unanswered questions the alert listeners poses after monitoring Venus and Mars.

With Venus and Mars, Paul McCartney’s music is finally beginning to assume direction and dimension.  At last, he seems to have settled into a sonance he likes enough to cultivate.  (Wings is given full credit for its work on the album, and shine through on Denny Laine’s guitar-work, with fine performance by the rest, too).  Of course, with this new turn of events, McCartney may alienate some of his accustomed audience, but at least he has enough guts to try, anyway.

Venus and Mars is a nice album –even a good album.  It’s narrower in scope than Band on the run, and in several other ways doesn’t measure up to that coup; but it is slicker and glossier than its predecessor and succeeds in an entirely different manner.   McCartney has followed up the greatest solo success reasonably well with this album.  His weaknesses still glare through the glossiness, but it has gotten to the point where one simply allows for them and enjoys the music.  Besides, it’s possible that the “Crossroads” with Paul ends the album may have more significance than its muzak-filler appearance would indicate.

Happy birthday Jimmy!!

photo by Graeme Leonard

Wings over Holland

We read so much about fans in the UK and the US that followed the Beatles or waited for them, that it is nice to see a story from a different country.   In March of 1976, Wings toured Europe for a small sets of  concert dates.   This is a story about how Erik Bakker, one of the editors of the fanzine, The Beatles Unlimited spent 43 hours waiting and seeing Paul and the rest of Wings.

It was from the April 1976 (issue #14) issue of "With a little help from my friend," but there is a note that says 'this article is a very short abstract from Beatles Unlimited 6, a special 32 page issue on Wings in Holland'   So if anyone has that magazine, there is a much longer story in there (hopefully  I will locate it one of these days).

Paul and Erik (March 26)

Paul and Linda with Henk as they leave the hotel on March 25

Wings Over Holland

By Erik M. Bakker

When on March 24 (1976) and company finally came through the customs at Schiphol Airport there were some 20 people waiting in the hall.  A group of security-men, a few excited air hostesses and some ten taxi-drivers, and of courses the editors of Beatles Unlimited (Henk Hager and myself).  As we were the only fans, we were able to take the first of our over 800 photographs made in those 43 hours. 

I drove my car at high speed through the Amsterdam peak-hour to stay close to the black eight-seater limousine Paul, Linda and Children, Jimmy and Joe were in.  We managed to stay behind them, thus being able to shoot some pictures of the arrival at the Amstel Hotel where some 50 fans were present to welcome Paul and Wings.   Not one of those fans was as “loyal” as I was, for I am the only one who followed Wings the whole 43 hours of their visit.  Henk “dropped out” after the concert and didn’t join in the last day of their stay.

In the evening we saw Paul, Linda and Heather again giving some autographs as they were leaving for the Neil Young concert at the Ahoy Sports Palace at Rotterdam.  Jimmy and Joe already left earlier and Denny and his wife came out at about ten to have dinner.  In the meantime we had bought some bottles of Bols Old Genever (Dutch gin) which we gave to the members of the band.  The first was Denny who arrived at 1:15am signing a BU issue, then Paul and Linda who arrived just after Denny.  Jimmy and Joe didn’t return until a quarter to three. 

The next day we saw some people of the company coming in and going out, a.o Joe, who wanted to do some shopping.  Joe talked to us and posed for a whole series of pictures. 

In the afternoon we followed the black limousine again and in a hectic pursue to Rotterdam we nearly collided in the confusion of the arrival.  The concert was due at eight, but at 7:30 we were in the hall, talking to the security men we had gotten to know in those two days and decided to say in the middle aisle near the stage when at last the concert started at 20.10 hours.

It was a great concert.  The show started with the Venus and Mars/Rockshow/Jet medley followed by the programme as we knew it from the British and Australian tour.  Only alteration were three new songs from “Speed of Sound”, Let ‘em in/Silly Love Songs/Beware my love.  Highlights were “Live and let die,” “Yesterday” and “Lady Madonna.”

The next day I was back again early at the hotel and they came out at about 12 o’clock.  Again I followed Paul’s limousine through the busy traffic and again managed to keep in tough and overtook them on the highway to the airport.  When Paul stepped into the hall of Schiphol Airport, I gave him two sets of Beatles Unlimited and told him issue 6 would be a special on Wings.  Linda also joined in and asked about the special.  Waving at us, the group went to the customs and disappeared from our sight.  

An unforgettable experience, 43 hours of Wings in Holland.