Band (still) On the Run

"My big aim after the Beatles was to do something different but successful. And that was difficult because all those years I had been training Beatles' style and I didn't want to just continue the same things so I had to kind of avoid anything that sounded too Beatley and kind of make a new style really which was to become the Wings' style. So by the time we did Band on the Run I felt we got it, we had really established something that wasn't like the Beatles at all."

-Paul McCartney on recording Band on the Run

So continuing on with suggesting last minute gifts for your music loving acquaintances, I present to you the reissue of THE definitive Paul McCartney post-Beatles album, Band on the Run. Twenty five plus years later, this still feels good on the ears. Recorded in Lagos, Nigeria by just Paul, his wife Linda, and guitarist and pianist Denny Laine (most of the instruments were played by Paul), the album would reinvigorate Paul's creative and commercial vitality. The title track alone is a cut that never fails to amaze. Listening to it is like listening to three songs somehow cohesively wound together to form a whole. And the cover...it's just as classic as the title track. On top of those throw in eight more tracks that are almost as catchy, and you've got an album that deserves a very special reissue. Which brings me to the point of this post.

Hear Music dusted it off for a multiple format release last month that has more options than you can shake a stick at:

• A single CD featuring the original UK version of the album

• A 2-CD/1-DVD Special Edition which includes a CD and a DVD of bonus material in addition to the original album

• A 3-CD/1-DVD Deluxe Edition which has the aforementioned material as well as an audio documentary originally produced for the album's 25th Anniversary release. It comes with a 120-page hardbound containing photos by Linda McCartney and Clive Arrowsmith, a history of the album and additional material

• A 2-Disc Vinyl Edition containing the same audio material as the Special Edition

So depending on how much you like the person you're planning on getting it for, there are some options as to how much you want to spend on them! While you're waiting for whichever version you ordered to show up (or order a few versions and keep the best one for yourself!), watch the video above about the making of the album, and then catch episode 2, episode 3, and episode 4. Speaking of which, the re-issue comes with some stellar liner notes and pictures.

Paul McCartney & Wings - Let Me Roll It (from One Hand Clapping) : Band On the Run (Special Edition 2 CD release)

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