The Abbey Road sessions of August 1974 were an opportunity for Wings to hone their skills and prepare themselves for the future touring schedule which would see them conquer the world. There would be one casualty prior to their collective success as Geoff Britton would be replaced by Joe English but its here that Wings mark II with Britton on drums were captured for a proposed rockumentary ‘One Hand Clapping’. The sessions and filming would, however, remain largely hidden for 50 years unless you delved deeply to secure a bootleg release. McCartney obviously feels that with a music only release that this can justifiably represent the band that Wings were at that time. With ‘Band On The Run’ flying high in the charts these sessions display just how eclectic Wings music was and just how great their performances and in particular how McCartney caught lightning in a bottle for second time.

Their versatility is the single most recognised component that a listener could take from the new releases. Regardless, if you wanted pop, rock, reggae, ballads, country and all things in between Wings were a one-stop-shop to serve all. Paul’s vocals, increasingly highlighted in recent years, were rarely better than here particularly on ‘Nineteen Hundred And Eighty Five’ and ‘My Love’. Wings were too often dismissed for being too ‘light’ but the evidence here with tracks such as ‘Jet’, ‘Live And Let Die’, ‘Juniors Farm’, ‘Let Me Roll It’ and the sublime ‘Soily’ suggest something very different. For all of these heavier tunes there are complimentary tracks that display the more whimsical side of McCartney that is never far from the surface and non the weaker for it. ‘Sally G’ and ‘Love My Baby’ are examples of this and can wear the Wings badge just as deservedly.

As per usual, ‘One Hand Clapping’ is available in a variety of formats, though the double vinyl version with an additional 7″ that includes tracks recorded in the Abbey Round garden is the version I opted for. The additional tracks: ‘Blackpool’, ‘Blackbird and ‘Country Dreamer’ along with a clutch of rock ‘n’ roll McCartney faves ‘Twenty Flight Rock’, ‘Peggy Sue’ and ‘I’m Gonna Love You Too’ all delivered in a beautiful acoustic setting. A must have.

Whilst it is understandable that this didn’t receive an official release at the time, the film was unexceptional and Wings had other more pressing objectives, including world domination to serve as a distraction. To see it released now is very welcome, showcasing the best of McCartney and Wings at the time immediately preceding take off. So if you haven’t already have a copy, I suggest you do. Start your engines and chocks away …

By Gwyn Jenkins.

Side 1	Side 2	Side 3	Side 4
One Hand Clapping	Bluebird	Let Me Roll It	Juniors Farm
Jet	Let’s Love	Blue Moon of Kentucky	Sally G
Soily	All Of You	Power Cut	Tomorrow
C Moon / Little Woman Love	I’ll Give You A Ring	Love My Baby	Go Now
Maybe I’m Amazed	Band On The Run	Let It Be	Wild Life
My Love	Live And Let Die	The Long And Winding Road / Lay Madonna	Hi, Hi, Hi
	Nineteen Hundred And Eighty Five
	Baby Face