Abiding Surfer

Book Review: “Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run” by Paul McCartney; Edited by Ted Widmer

Beginning with the end of the Beatles and ending with the true beginning of Paul McCartney’s solo career, “Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run” provides long-overdue context to McCartney’s first post-Fab decade.

Credited to McCartney with editing by Ted Widmer, “Wings” is an oral biography culled from more than 500,000 words worth of archival and contemporary interviews with all of the Beatles, each of Wings’ 10 members, McCartney family members and friends, producers and collaborators and a surprising amount of commentary from Sean Ono Lennon, who provides as much insight to his father’s relationship with McCartney as to Wings itself. Widmer chimes in occasionally in italics to give important context to the subjects’ quotes, resulting in text dense enough to give newcomers all necessary information to connect the dots without bogging down knowledgeable readers in minutiae.

So, despite landing amid a glut of Beatles-related movies, reissues and other ephemera, “Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run” is a must-read for any fan or curious music-lover.

Though they aren’t Wings LPs, 1971’s RAM and McCartney II (1980) and Tug of War (1982) figure prominently in the 576-page tome as Wings was coming together and breaking apart as the respective collections were being produced.

Wings, of course, had the blessing of being Paul McCartney’s band and the curse of being Paul McCartney’s post-Beatles band, both of which figure into the band’s struggles and triumphs. And though Wings’ initial years were lean, with harsh reviews and shoestring tours, anyone who was alive in 1976 will remember just how crazy Wingsmania had become by the time America’s Bicentennial celebration rolled around.

“We made what seemed like an impossible dream come true,” is McCartney’s final comment.

Chapters are broken up with historical and musical timelines and lists of best-selling U.S. and U.K. albums of the pertinent time periods. More than 150 photos illustrate the story, which is followed by biographical sketches the band members, including short-timers Henry McCullough (guitar) and Geoff Britton (drums), a list of concert performances and discography.

Grade card: “Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run” by Paul McCartney; Edited by Ted Widmer - A