Paul McCartney is taking a trip back to the ‘70s for a new book, with Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run set to look at his post-Beatles band.
Scheduled for release on Nov. 4 via Liveright/W. W. Norton and Allen Lane/Penguin Press, the book is authored by McCartney and edited by historian Ted Widmer, featuring an in-depth personal account of the band, as told by McCartney, key players, and family members.
Wings was formed in 1971 by McCartney following the dissolution of The Beatles the previous year, the release of his self-titled debut album one week later, and the arrival of 1971’s Ram album with wife Linda. Recruiting Moody Blues co-founder Denny Laine and drummer Denny Seiwell, the band would continue until 1981, releasing a total of seven studio albums, including four consecutive records that topped the Billboard 200.
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“I’m so very happy to be transported back to the time that was Wings and relive some of our madcap adventures through this book,” said McCartney in a statement. “Starting from scratch after The Beatles felt crazy at times. There were some very difficult moments and I often questioned my decision. But as we got better I thought, ‘OK this is really good.’
“We proved Wings could be a really good band. To play to huge audiences in the same way The Beatles had and have an impact in a different way. It was a huge buzz.”
A description of the book notes that it is “organized around nine Wings albums,” implying the narrative begins with 1971’s Ram and also includes 1976’s triple live record Wings over America. The volume also contains 150 black-and-white photographs, of which many are unseen, and focuses on many iconic stories of the band’s history, including how they “survive a robbery on the streets of Nigeria, appear unannounced at various university halls, [and] tour in a sheared-off double-decker bus with their children.”
“Wings was about love, family, friendship and artistic growth, often in the face of tremendous adversity,” adds Widmer. “It was a joy to relive the madcap adventures of a special band, by listening to their stories, and compiling this oral history.”
Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run comes following a number of recent happenings for the group, including a 50th anniversary reissue of 1973’s Band on the Run and the long-awaited arrival of the live record and film One Hand Clapping in 2024. A 50th anniversary reissue of 1975’s Venus and Mars is also scheduled to arrive on March 21.
