Paul McCartney and Wings – Band On The Run (1973)

After The Beatles, the Fab Four went their separate ways and each had a successful solo career of sorts, but especially Paul McCartney. He had a decent mixture of the good and bad in the long run of his own solo career, yet this is one of the better and more memorable albums in his back catalogue. Let’s see if this sounds any good in retrospect and if this is a classic album or not.

We begin with Band On The Run which begins with some interesting guitar work and keyboard sounds. This is very retro sounding, but very good. Paul McCartney sings very well here, along with the superb backing vocals here. It quickly goes into a superb chord progression that sounds awesome. A good singalong piece, it goes into a dramatic section near the middle of the song, before changing completely into an excellent piece of music that delivers nicely. This is fantastic listening, and is very anthemic and good quality music that still sounds wonderful today. Some nice lyrics are here, too, just a classic Pop/Rock piece that is really fine from start to finish. Great effort by Paul McCartney and Wings, nice classic tune.

Following is Jet which sounds very 1970s, with horn section and wah-wah style guitar. It eventually goes into an excellent tune that sounds very original and different, with some great call-and-response singing. This is as good as the best stuff by The Beatles, and sounds fantastic. An intelligent and multi-sectioned piece that never gets old, this is a fine listen. There are multiple sounds throughout to grab your attention, and this is a killer piece, lyrically, melodically and rhythmically. Paul McCartney seemingly had quite a few tricks up his sleeve after The Beatles, and does very well here. Good job mate, it sounds extraordinary. A great tune.

Bluebird comes next, and begins with nice acoustic guitar, beautiful singing by Paul and some nice background instrumentation. It is a fantasy based piece of music, but sounds fantastic all the same. It just goes to show how really good Paul McCartney is as a singer, musician and artist. He strikingly succeeds here, a fine and beautiful Pop/Rock piece. There is some cool saxophone in the second half here, along with some great harmonies. Very beautiful and catchy, this deserves repeat listens. A fine piece of artistry, Paul McCartney and Wings do wonderfully here. Nice tune.

Mrs. Vanderbilt is an uptempo acoustic piece that is quite interesting to listen. It seemingly is aimed at a lady who has bothered Paul in the past, but is a good piece of music nonetheless. The saxophone returns here, and the whole piece sounds really excellent and interesting. A nice tune to play at home or driving in your car, this is really top notch stuff. The singing here is really awesome, a treasured album from years back in the past. The album is consistent, lovely and listenable here, and this track is no exception. The guitar and saxophone solos here are majestic. All in all, a fine piece of music and very catchy listening. A must hear. It ends with some laughter that is childlike and different.

Next is Let Me Roll It which is likely a reference to marijuana use. It begins with some trippy organ sounds and clean electric guitars that just sound wonderful. Before long, the clean guitars go dirty and Paul McCartney sings with a load of delay on his voice. If indeed, this is a drug song, it is a very good one at that. Paul McCartney and Wings do wonderfully here, once again and this piece is just as joyous and consistent as the rest of the album here. A fine piece of multisectioned glory, these songs never get old. This song will no doubt put a smile on your face, a very wonderful and anthemic piece of music. Although it is a little repetitive, the melodies here are fantastic ear candy for all. Towards the end the dirty guitar riff is repeated to the fade out. Nice tune.

Following is Mamunia which begins with bright, clean acoustic guitar playing before chanted vocals enter. Bongo drums then follow, and this piece sounds like an excellent post-Beatles song. Paul then gets singing away, and does a very good job at what he delivers here. Seemingly a poetic piece more than a musical one, this is an excellent album by Paul McCartney and Wings. This song is directly about the rain, a strange sort of focus, yet a beautiful one all the same. A great and fine piece of music all the same, this is a really gentle and relaxing piece of music. It looks as though Paul McCartney himself had moved on from The Beatles in a very good way, and he wouldn’t look back at all. Another great song, there is a keyboard solo at the end here that is very Rick Wakeman like. Nice effort.

No Words begins with a mixture of string sections and guitars, which are different. Paul and the Wings begin singing away, and sounds incredible here. A genuinely good piece of music, this is nicely played by the band. It’s almost like listening to The Beatles here again, except that this is a genuine Paul McCartney solo effort. A lovely two and a half minute piece that sounds awesome, this is great music. The guitar solo towards the end is very good too. Nice tune.

Picasso’s Last Words (Drink To Me) begins with beautiful singing and nice acoustic guitar here. A great listen from the start, this is a really nice journey through wonderful sound and craftsmanship here. A strange tale and a fine listen, this is a strange ode to the legendary artist Pablo Picasso. Towards the middle, this piece changes completely with some electronic beats, beautiful string sections and a mixture of guitars and organ. If this is proto-Disco music, it wouldn’t be entirely surprising. A gloriously wonderful and beautiful listen, it goes back into the first section with some singing in the background, along with some French speaking television chatter. A gloriously wonderful pastiche of sound, this is interesting listening from Paul McCartney. It ends with some chanting and basic percussion. Good effort.

Last here is Nineteen Hundred And Eighty Five which begins with piano and a basic set of drum beats, going into another decent Pop song. Some proto-Disco wah-wah sounds are in the background here, and Paul McCartney sings in a strange rendition here of an accent. This is an enjoyable piece of music. It breaks down into a harmony singing section, before going straight back into the main section of the song. Another decent listening experience, this is really great music. Paul McCartney blows away all the competition with this album, and this is a very fresh sounding and decent listen from start to finish. Some pounding tom-tom drums are here, and this sounds really amazing and effortless. A spacey keyboard and string section finish this off. A truly great album and listening experience by Paul McCartney. It ends with a sample of the first track, before concluding.

This is a very good listen from Paul McCartney. Not only is it a great solo piece for fans of The Beatles, but it is one of the greatest albums here of all time. If you liked some of Paul McCartney’s music from his time in the Fab Four and want to hear a great Pop/Rock album, this is a no-brainer to have in your collection. A great, great album and a really fine listening experience. Fans of the album will want to check out re-releases with bonus tracks on it, too such as Helen Wheels and Country Dreamer.

Excellent music.

9/10