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London Town (Wings album)

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London Town is the seventh album by Wings and was released in 1978. The recording of the project was a long and tumultuous one, which saw the loss of two of its band members, the birth of a baby and the release of Britain's then top-selling single of all time - all during London Town's making.

After the commercial zenith of 1976 with Wings at the Speed of Sound and its euphorically-received Wings Over the World tour, leader Paul McCartney planned on making 1977 a similar year. Unfortunately, things did not quite work out as planned...

In February 1977, sessions began at Abbey Road Studios and continued until the end of March. McCartney's initial plan of touring the US again was thwarted by wife Linda's discovery that she was pregnant with the couple's third child (Mary was born in 1969 and Stella in 1971). With the knowledge that they had time at their disposal - and always looking for different locales to record in - Wings suddenly found themselves moored on a boat called "Fair Carol" in the Virgin Islands during the month of May where several new songs were recorded. As Linda's pregnancy progressed, McCartney called a halt to the sessions for the album, save for the recording of a track called "Mull of Kintyre" that August and the completion of an already-begun song entitled "Girls School", which would be Wings' one and only release in 1977.

Before the single's release came two defections from Wings. DrummerJoe English had become greatly homesick for America and returned home. Lead guitarist Jimmy McCulloch left to join The Small Faces that September: ironically, the man who warned listeners against the indulgences of drugs and alcohol in earlier Wings songs "Medicine Jar" and "Wino Junko" was found dead at age 26 two years later of a suspected drug overdose. For the first time since 1973's Band on the Run, Wings were down to the core three of Paul, Linda and Denny Laine.

In November, two months after the birth of son James, and shortly after sessions for London Town resumed, Scottish tribute "Mull Of Kintyre" was released to massive commercial success, becoming the UK's biggest-selling single (even outstripping The Beatles' largest seller "She Loves You"). Although it would be topped in 1984 by Band Aid, "Mull Of Kintyre" still ranks as the UK's fourth biggest selling single.

After some final overdubbing in January 1978, London Town was completed and preceded by the US #1 "With A Little Luck" that March, while the album was released a week later. London Town generally fared well with the critics and in the charts, reaching #4 in the UK and #2 in the US where it went platinum. But after its strong start, it did not have the staying power of Wings' previous releases, with subsequent singles "I've Had Enough" and the title track becoming small hits. Although the advent of punk music (which sent the music industry into a period of change) would certainly have contributed to the slightly smaller sales of London Town, the album is now considered to mark the end of Wings' commercial peak and the beginning of a minor commercial slump for McCartney.

Nonetheless, Paul McCartney was reportedly displeased with Capitol Records in the US, where "Mull Of Kintyre" had surprisingly flopped (with B-Side "Girls School" merely becoming a Top 40 hit) and was further dismayed at what he viewed as a lackluster promotion for London Town. With his contract at an end, he promptly signed up with Columbia Records for North America only (remaining with EMI worldwide) and would stay there until 1984, before returning to Capitol in the US.

Oddly enough, London Town may be the most beatle-like of McCartney's studio albums. Several of the Beatle albums contained (in their limited 10-12 song set), a relative variety of song types; pop ballads, novelty tunes, orchestrial pieces, story songs, and songs about fictious people. (The Sgt. Pepper album serves as an example with "Sgt. Pepper" and "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds"-fictious people; "When I'm 64"-novelty; "Day in the Life" and "She's Leaving Home"-orchestrial, story songs, the latter about a child; "With a Little Help from My Friends"-pop ballad, "Getting Better"-introspective, "Lovely Rita"-romance). London Town follows this pattern: "London Town" and "Morse Moose And The Grey Goose"-story songs about fictious people; "Name and Address" and "Famous Groupies"-novelty; "Children Children"-orchestrial and about children, "With A Little Luck"-pop ballad, "I'm Carrying" and "I've Had Enough"- clearly introspective, and "Girlfriend"-romance). An interesting range of lyrical subjects covered in one album.

This era in the Wings history is puncuated by the fine songwriting contribution of Denny Lane. In retrospect, the better songs from this 1977 period have Lane as cowriter: "Mull of Kintyre" (released before London Town as a single), "London Town", "Children, Children" and "Deliver Your Children", not to mention the less serious, but entertaining "Morse Moose" (a nautical "Yellow Submarine" tune that concludes the album.)

In 1993, London Town was remastered and reissued on CD as part of "The Paul McCartney Collection" series with "Mull Of Kintyre" and its B-Side "Girls School" as bonus tracks.

Track listing

All songs by Paul McCartney, except where noted.

  1. "London Town" (Paul McCartney/Denny Laine) – 4:10
  2. "Cafe On The Left Bank" – 3:25
  3. "I'm Carrying" – 2:44
  4. "Backwards Traveller" – 1:09
  5. "Cuff Link" – 1:59
    • Above two songs originally segued as one track on the vinyl issue of London Town
  6. "Children Children" (Paul McCartney/Denny Laine) – 2:22
  7. "Girlfriend" – 4:39
  8. "I've Had Enough" – 3:02
  9. "With A Little Luck" – 5:45
  10. "Famous Groupies" – 3:36
  11. "Deliver Your Children" (Paul McCartney/Denny Laine) – 4:17
  12. "Name And Address" – 3:07
  13. "Don't Let It Bring You Down" (Paul McCartney/Denny Laine) – 4:34
  14. "Morse Moose And The Grey Goose" (Paul McCartney/Denny Laine) – 6:25
  • Tracks 4 - 7 and 12 were recorded after McCulloch's and English's September 1977 departures

Personnel

  • Collage, Cover Design, Cover Art and Photography: Paul McCartney, Denny Laine, Linda McCartney
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