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Friday, October 1, 1971

Shooting of “Wild Life” cover photograph

Last updated on October 25, 2023


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On this day, Wings went to Osterley Park in west London for the shooting of the cover photograph of their first album, “Wild Life“. The photographer was Barry Lategan (Paul McCartney had previously worked with him for an article in The Observer in 1969).

[After some holidays] we went back to the United States and went back to New York and then Paul called and asked us to come back: “We’re going to do the cover shoot”. I remember getting off a red-eye flight and I went straight to this park and we set on the branch over this water with the doves and our arms and that was the photo shoot for Wild Life.

Denny Seiwell – Interview with Maccazine – Volume 47, Issue 1 – The birth of Wings

Wings re-visited Osterley Park a few years later for the cover of “Band On The Run”.


From Twitter – An outtake from the ‘Wild Life’ album cover shoot in Osterley Park, London, 1971.

Still image from Bip Bop Animation – YouTube
From Wings Wild Life | Paul McCartney & Wings
From paulloveslinda.tumblr.com – Tumbex
From Wings Wild Life | Paul McCartney & Wings

From McCARTNEY LEGACY on Twitter – Wild Life inspiration: Model Marie Helvin photographed in Osterley Park, UK, by Barry Lategan for Vogue, August 1971. Wings in the same location, by the same photographer, October 1971, for the Wild Life cover.
FYI, Legacy Vol.1 is slowly taking shape

Contact sheet of first photo shoot, by Barry Lategan, October 1971

Going further

The McCartney Legacy: Volume 1: 1969 – 73

The McCartney Legacy: Volume 1: 1969 – 73

In this first of a groundbreaking multivolume set, THE MCCARTNEY LEGACY, VOL 1: 1969-73 captures the life of Paul McCartney in the years immediately following the dissolution of the Beatles, a period in which McCartney recreated himself as both a man and a musician. Informed by hundreds of interviews, extensive ground up research, and thousands of never-before-seen documents THE MCCARTNEY LEGACY, VOL 1 is an in depth, revealing exploration of McCartney’s creative and personal lives beyond the Beatles.

The Beatles Diary Volume 2: After The Break-Up 1970-2001

The Beatles Diary Volume 2: After The Break-Up 1970-2001

An updated edition of the best-seller. The story of what happened to the band members, their families and friends after the 1970 break-up is brought right up to date. A fascinating and meticulous piece of Beatles scholarship.

Maccazine - Volume 40, Issue 3 - RAM Part 1 - Timeline

Maccazine - Volume 40, Issue 3 - RAM Part 1 - Timeline

This very special RAM special is the first in a series. This is a Timeline for 1970 – 1971 when McCartney started writing and planning RAM in the summer of 1970 and ending with the release of the first Wings album WILD LIFE in December 1971. [...] One thing I noted when exploring the material inside the deluxe RAM remaster is that the book contains many mistakes. A couple of dates are completely inaccurate and the story is far from complete. For this reason, I started to compile a Timeline for the 1970/1971 period filling the gaps and correcting the mistakes. The result is this Maccazine special. As the Timeline was way too long for one special, we decided to do a double issue (issue 3, 2012 and issue 1, 2013).

Maccazine - Volume 47, Issue 1 - The birth of Wings

Maccazine - Volume 47, Issue 1 - The birth of Wings

Maccazine is a hard copy magazine (a bound paperback) about Paul McCartney. It is published twice a year. Due to the fact that the Internet has taken over the world and the fact that the latest Paul McCartney news is to be found on hundreds of websites, we have decided to focus on creating an informative paper magazine about Paul McCartney.""In this issue we take you back to the early days of Paul McCartney’s solo career when he decided to form a new group. With Wings he proved there was life after The Beatles. This Maccazine features a detailed timeline of ‘the birth’ of the band with interesting entries including many new facts and unpublished photos. Follow-up timelines will be published in the upcoming years."

Paul McCartney writing

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Max Power • Jan 27, 2021 • 5 years ago

My favorite Wings album. Under rated and under appreciated. But that is my view. In fact, I think I'll go listen to it on 8 Track now. That's right 2021, and I play 8 Tracks. Sound better than CD or digital invisible music.


The PaulMcCartney Project • Jan 28, 2021 • 5 years ago

Still have a 8 Tracks player ! Amazing !


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