"Band On The Run: 25th Anniversary Edition" by PAUL McCARTNEY and WINGS – December 1973 Album on Apple Records featuring Denny Laine (March 1999 UK EMI/Parlophone 2CD Reissue with Greg Calbi and Geoff Emerick Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"...Let Me Roll It To You..."

 

There's a school of thought that says - latest is greatest - and in the main that often proves to be true. But "Band On The Run" is one of those occasions where I'd argue to sonically travel in the opposite direction, because to my ears this '25th Anniversary Edition' remastered by the mighty GREG CALBI and the album's original engineer GEOFF EMERICK in 1999 - thrashes the later more vaulted 2010 version. Here are more words from Picasso, rabbits on the run and suffragettes on Helen wheels...

 

UK released March 1999 - "Band On The Run: 25th Anniversary Edition" by PAUL McCARTNEY and WINGS on EMI/Parlophone 4991762 (Barcode 724349917620) is a 2CD Box set and breaks down as follows:

 

Disc 1 (44:47 minutes)

1. Band On The Run

2. Jet

3. Bluebird

4. Mrs Vandebilt

5. Let Me Roll It

6. Mamunia

7. No Words

8. Helen Wheels

9. Picasso's Last Words (Drink To Me)

10. Nineteen Hundred And Eight Five

"Band On The Run" was released December 1973 in the UK on Apple PAS 10007 and Apple 3415 in the USA

 

The album famously came out as a 9-track LP in the UK - but as a 10-track version in the USA. Tracks 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 made up Side 1 in the UK with 6, 8, 9 and 10 being Side 2. Tracks 1 to 10 make up the US album (it included "Helen Wheels").

 

"Helen Wheels" was released as a Non-Album UK 7" single with "Country Dreamer" as its non-album B-side (26 October 1973 on Apple R 5993 in the UK and 12 November 1973 on Apple 1869 in the USA).

 

Disc 2 (51:07 minutes):

1. Band On The Run (Dialogue Intro/Nicely Toasted Mix) 1:12 minutes

2. Band On The Run (Original Background/Dialogue Link 1) 2:17 minutes

3. Band On The Run (Band Rehearsal - 21st July 1989) 4:59 minutes

4. Paul McCartney (Dialogue Link 2)/Mamunia (Original)/Denny Laine (Dialogue)/Mamunia (Original)/Linda McCartney (Dialogue)/Paul McCartney (Dialogue Link 3) 4:22 minutes

5. Bluebird (Live-Version-Australia 1975) 00.55 minutes

6. Bluebird (Original) (Background/Paul McCartney (Dialogue Link 4) 00:23 minutes

7. Paul McCartney (Dialogue Link 5)/No Words (Original)/Geoff Emerick (Dialogue) 1:24 minutes

8. No Words (Original/Paul McCartney (Dialogue Link 6)/Tony Visconti (Dialogue) 1:47 minutes

9. Jet (Original From Picasso's Last Words) (Background)/Al Coury (Dialogue) 2:55 minutes

10. Jet (Berlin Soundcheck - 3rd September 1993) 3:51 minutes

11. Paul McCartney (Dialogue Link 8)/Clive Arrowsmith (Dialogue) 1:44 minutes

12. Nineteen Hundred And Eighteen Five (Original) (Background)/Paul McCartney (Dialogue Link 9)/James Coburn (Dialogue)/Paul McCartney (Dialogue Link 10)/John Conteh (Dialogue) 3:24 minutes

13. Mrs Vandebilt (Original) (Background)/Paul McCartney (Dialogue Link 11)/Kenny Lynch (Dialogue) 2:10 minutes

14. Let Me Roll It (Cardington Rehearsal - 5th February 1993)/Paul McCartney (Dialogue Link 12)

15. Paul McCartney (Dialogue Link 13)/Mrs Vandebilt (Background)/Michael Parkinson (Dialogue)/Linda McCartney (Band On The Run Photo Shoot - Dialogue)/Michael Parkinson (Dialogue) 2:25 minutes

16. Helen Wheels (Crazed)/Paul McCartney Dialogue Link 14/Christopher Lee (Dialogue) 5:32 minutes

17. Band On The Run (Strum Bit)/Paul McCartney (Dialogue Link 15)/Clement Freud (Dialogue) 1:01 minutes

18. Picasso's Last Words (Original) (Background)/Paul McCartney (Dialogue Link 16)/Dustin Hoffman (Dialogue) 4:22 minutes

19. Picasso's Last Words (Drink To Me) (Acoustic Version) 1:11 minutes

20. Band On The Run (Nicely Toasted Mix)/Paul McCartney (Dialogue Link 17) 00:42 minutes

21. Band On The Run (Northern Comic Version) 00:36 minutes

 

It's housed in a tasty hard-card mini box set with a beautifully laid-out 24-page oversized booklet and a repro of the foldout poster that came with original copies of the 1973 album. The booklet has the lyrics, release info, superb liner notes from noted Beatles chronicler MARK LEWISOHN and extensive reissue credits. The CDs use the 'passport' photographs and album cover as artwork - but the really big news is the GREG CALBI and GEOFF EMERICK remaster which is hair-raisingly good. The clarity offered here is amazing - and it hammers you the moment the title track "Band On The Run" opens. And it continues like that throughout - the hooky "Jet" and lovely "Bluebird" - the audio is hugely improved over anything that's gone before and better than the rather flat sound on the new remaster from 2010. "Let Me Roll It" just rocks like a madman too. And the band build up on "Nineteen Hundred And Eighty Five" is huge.

 

Disc 2 is probably one of the best `albums being put together' CD Bonus discs that I've ever heard. There's fascinating stuff like GINGER BAKER of CREAM " (at his studios in Lagos) playing a fire-bucket filled with gravel as a maraca in the rehearsals for "Mamunia" with Denny Laine - GEOFF EMERICK the Engineer talking about the noise of the EMI pressing plant outside the back door as they were recording to 8-track - TONY VISCONTI talking about the string arrangements on "Band On The Run" - AL COURY talking about the American radio stations editing "Jet" as a single and how he did the same and gave the album an extra boost in sales in February 1974 and Hoffman talking about the magical moment "Picasso's Last Words (Drink To Me)" was written right in front of him about a story he suggested to McCartney on the last days of the 91-year old artist. It even includes dialogue from all the guys from the `break out' album cover shoot (taken at Osterley Park in West London) as well as the photographer CLIVE ARROWSMITH - Actor James Coburn, British Boxer John Conteh, Singer Kenny Lynch, British Chat Show Host Michael Parkinson, Actor Christopher Lee, British Gourmet Chef, Politician and TV personality Clement Freud and Actor Dustin Hoffman. The rehearsal for the brilliant riff of "Let Me Roll It" is superb - full of great Linda keyboards.

 

Perhaps it's the way that DISC 2 is displayed on the rear of the box - not really giving a full indication (as I've done above) as to what's on it - that saw this reissue disappear into a forgotten background. Dedicated to his wife and friend LINDA McCARTNEY - this is exemplary stuff - and absolutely kicking where it should be - on the audio front.

 

Made in such trying circumstances (they got robbed in Lagos and lost all their demo tapes) - "Band On The Run" has always been a McCartney solo gem.

 

"Your burning love...you mustn't hide..." - Paul McCartney sings on "No Words". Well now it's full potential is out in the open and if you're a fan - I'd travel for this version of it...