Never underestimate an ex-Beatle

Album: Band On The Run
Artist: Paul McCartney & Wings
Label: Apple
Release date: 7 December, 1973
Peak chart position/sales: (AUS) #1 (US) #1, 3x Multi-Platinum (UK) #1, Platinum

RATING: 3.5/5 stars

I guess the moral of the story is never underestimate an ex-Beatle; certainly not one with the amount of perseverance and enterprising talent as Paul McCartney. Yet I did, because...come on...aside from "Imagine" none of the post-Beatle hits I'd heard had ever particularly done anything for me. Therefore I was pleasantly surprised to find that Band On The Run begs to differ - moreover, wipes out any possibility of impending scorn or passing-off with a startlingly textured array of songs whose variety harks back to the experimentation of The White Album, the innovation of Abbey Road and, with its motley crew of (mostly) British celebrities starring in the prison-break shot for the album cover, even a hint of Sgt. Pepper. But despite the Beatles references, this is very much a Paul McCartney album. Minus a drummer and guitarist - Denny Seiwell and Henry McCullough having split a week before recording - Band On The Run showcases McCartney's talents more than it does Wings', resulting in a semi-solo album that is no-doubt McCartney's most impressive post-Beatles achievement.

The frustrating thing about McCartney (and The Beatles in general), is that he seems to have a bottomless pit of amazing melodies and riffs that would easily make an entire song epic, but which he seems to have such an excess of that he uses bits and pieces of them all in the one piece. The opening and title track is one such song. A miniature epic with three phases, any of the riffs that start each of the sections would easily have developed and settled into rhythm, but McCartney moves them on with ingenious bridge passages, developing the piece with admirable sophistication that reminds us what a song master McCartney really is.

The strong opening is followed confidently by the energetic "Jet" and then sweetly chilled latin beats of "Bluebird"  (not to be confused with the quietly sophisticated and poignantly evocative "Blackbird" of The White Album, which some have likened to a "sister piece" but which definitely stands on its own). The album takes a rambling turn however, with the excessively long and repetitive "Mrs. Vandebilt" and the lethargic shot at heavy rock that is "Let Me Roll It". The lovely "Mamusia" and feel-good "No Words" pick up the slack however and despite the forget-ability of "Picasso's Last Words (Drink To Me)", the album finishes with an undeniable bang in "Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five". A 5'25" epic of thumping rock piano, dreamy synth and McCartney's raucous vocals holds the listener throughout with its infectious rock riffs and intriguing arrangements. An unexpected reference to the opening track ties it all up neatly too, ala concept album.

Band On The Run is a brilliantly versatile and entertaining album of a man who'd formed a great sound, well pulled off in McCartney's trademark meticulous style, and no more cautious or commercial than The Beatles never tried to be. Stepping out of The Beatles' shadow has got to be a mammoth task, but with this album McCartney safely asserted his individual songwriting and musical talent for all the  world to see.

Is it worth my $$$? - iTunes have evidently wised up to which tracks are the most popular, because "Band On The Run" and "Jet" will set you back $2.19, while their fellows only cost the standard $1.69. There are strong, standout tracks certainly and definitely a couple of weak ones to balance it out. I'm going to opt for a few favourites over buying the entire album, but if you like their sound, Band On The Run is a nicely paced album worthy of any 70s soundtrack.

Listen to: Band On The Run, Jet, Mamunia