As soon as Ram was released, Paul was already considering his next step, and with the thought of going back on the road, he decided to form a permanent band. Beginning with Linda (for moral support more than her rudimentary keyboard skills), Paul retained drummer Denny Seiwell from the Ram session band, and called upon ex-Moody Blues guitarist Denny Laine.
The new group assembled at Abbey Road in August, 1971 to record their debut album, with Paul deliberately keeping the atmosphere loose and undisciplined. The result was perhaps his slightest solo album, Wild Life, containing a Ram leftover ("Dear Friend"), two lengthy jams ("Mumbo" and "Love Is Strange"), a throwaway nonsense ditty ("Bip Bop"), two short instrumental links, and four actual new compositions.
Around the time his and Linda's second child Stella was born (September 13th), Paul devised a name for the band: Wings. He introduced Wings at a launch party on November 8th at the Empire Ballroom in London. Two days later, a Wild Life listening session was held at Abbey Road for members of the press.
One of the reporters, Melody Maker's Chris Charlesworth, taped an interview that day, and rather than introducing his new band and their LP, Paul chose to unload a year's worth of stored resentment at the way Allen Klein and his ex-bandmates had been portraying him since the dissolution lawsuit had begun.
Paul had undoubtedly been hurt by John's song "How Do You Sleep" (on Imagine), and responded to its charges that he hadn't done anything worthwhile since "Yesterday". John had actually written that song partly in response to Paul's veiled attack on him and Yoko in "Too Many People" (on Ram), as he explains in this excerpt from the October 25th David Wigg interview (inadvertantly omitted from the earlier blog post).
In any case, the sniping continued, for after the Melody Maker article was published November 20th, John fired off a point-by-point rebuttal/attack, which was printed in the December 4th issue.
All Paul really wanted at this point was to be rid of Klein's management and set off on his own career, something which he stressed in another November interview with Record Mirror's Mike Hennessy.
Welcome back, Paulie! Back with a vengeance! (I have a feeling we'll be hearing alot more from "our kid" from now on!
ReplyDeleteThank you John (Winn!)
I'd never read John's "Melody Maker" rebuttal in full. One thing I noticed was this bit:
ReplyDelete"[The Toronto Rock 'n' Roll Revival show] was completely spontaneous. They rang on the Friday, we flew there, and we played on Saturday. I was sick because I was stone pissed. Listen to the album -- with no rehearsal too. Come on Macka! Own up! We'd never played together before! Half a dozen live shows with no big fuss. In fact we've BEEN DOING what you've said the Beatles should do. Yoko and I have been doing it for three years! (I said it was daft for the Beatles to do it. I still think it's daft.) So go on and do it! Do it! Do it! E.g. Cambridge 1969, completely unadvertised! A very small hall."
Two months after that article was published, Paul was taking Wings on the road for the first time!
Question for Dr. Winn!!
ReplyDeleteIs "Dear Friend" a leftover recording....or a leftover composition from "Ram"? (if it was a recording left off of "Ram", maybe it was because of the similarity in both title and melody to "Dear Boy", which Maddinger speculates might have been recorded in March/April of '71, after the initial New York sessions in '70. Just a thought)
But what do I know? I want to know what you think, O Wise One!
Aha, I knew I shouldn't have made my last comment! listening to the Melody Maker interview, on "Dear Friend" Paul says Denny (Laine) is playing vibes, Denny Seiwell on drums (or, should I say, sizzle cymbal!)so I suppose it's a "Ram" compositional holdover. It does sound more in the "Wildlife" singing style (and sonic style).
ReplyDeleteYes, there's a piano demo of "Dear Friend" which apparently dates from the Ram era. The studio recording may have been started in April in Los Angeles, but was evidently re-done (or overdubbed) in August at EMI.
DeleteThanks! I think I have that demo, that's with the dreadful 1882, right? I call that song Macca Meets The Twilight Zone! (still...I hear it and I'm singing it for days, dangit Paul! Mr. Melody!)
DeleteI love this blog but all the links come up saying the Mediafire files have been deleted? Any ideas?
ReplyDeleteSee this post:
Deletehttp://beatlechat.blogspot.com/2012/05/was-he-jailed-for-what-he-done.html
OK, I'll give it a shot!
DeleteAnyone know how to get in touch with Dinsdale and/or how to get the contents of the above links? Thanks!
ReplyDelete