Wings Fun Club newsletter N°2, 1974 published

WINGS IN NASHVILLE

On July 17th Wings arrived back in England after seven weeks of rehearsing and recording in Nashville, Tennesse. The McCartneys had rented a 133 acre ranch near Lebanon from songwriter Curley Putman, who wrote ‘Green Green Grass of Home’. Most of their stay was spent rehearsing Wings and jamming with local musicians, including Chet Atkins, country pianist Floyd Crammer, fiddle player Vassar Clements, banjo player Bobby Thompson, and the Cate Sisters. Among the tracks recorded was a song called ‘Eloise’, written by Paul’s father twenty years ago. Also recorded was a ‘country flavoured’ song called ‘Sally G’, written by Paul after visiting a country music club in Printers’ Alley. He was impressed not only with Nashville, but with the musicians and the ‘Sound Shop’ studios where he worked, usually from 6 p.m. to midnight.

“We had great fun using pedal guitars, fiddles and banjos. The musicians out in Nashville are a great pleasure to work with because they are so sharp and professional.”

In an informal press conference held on the front porch of the ranch Paul said:

“I came here, because Nashville is the music centre; I hope to return sometime in the near future to do an American tour. If it does develop, there are definite plans for a Nashville concert. We just couldn’t skip Nashville, we have too many friends here. The trouble is that since I’ve been here I promised a lot of people that I would write songs for them. It’s amazing the people who want songs, like Johnny Cash and Charlie Rich. You’d think they’d have plenty of material but they all tell us they don’t have enough good songs.”

During their stay, Paul and Linda visited the new Opry land, an enormous park with four or five stages, each with different kinds of music being performed – folk, Dixieland, country etc. They attended a fiddle contest, and saw Dolly Parton, Porter Wagoner and Gordon Stoker, lead singer with Presley’s backing group The Geordinaires. Also they frequented their favourite local restaurant ‘The Loveless Motel’, and a few drive-in movies. One evening Roy Orbison came over for a supper cooked by Linda.

Linda told reporters:

“One of the best times we had in Nashville was on Paul’s birthday. I’d bought him a lighter from Rivergate, and in the evening we had a barbecue down on a lake, but the next day we were back to rehearsing for possible future tours and recordings. Most of the time we rehearsed in a garage next to the house.”

Among the thirty pieces of luggage loaded into the rented car and truck en route for New York, was a Honda motorcycle.

Paul’s immediate plans are to do a follow-up album to ‘Band on the Run’ in the near future.

“Beyond that, I don’t know. I could, for all I know, write a great rock and roll epic. And then I could do nothing.”

WINGS IN FLIGHT?

To set straight the many erroneous reports in the press recently of a split in the band, we turn to the New Musical Express (17th August) interview with Denny Laine:

“In the last two months Wings put in six weeks of rehearsals and recordings in Nashville. During this time there were various discussions, the outcome of which had become a more stable band and a more equal position all round. In one sense the band has more strength – in another more fluidity, since it was agreed that McCartney can bring in any other artists he chooses without causing any bruised egos among the resident musicians. Otherwise relations couldn’t be better.

Also it seems a turnabout from the early days of Wings, and perhaps even a turnabout in McCartney band-running philosophy. Previously Wings have always been notable for a certain casual, free-wheeling attitude initiated right back on their first tour of Europe – undertaken aboard a double decker bus. Now Laine says he’d like to see Wings move towards the tour-album-tour-album ritual undertaken by the more average, run of the mill bands. It appears some of the earlier light-heartedness has been exchanged for what one might hesitantly call professionalism.”

NEWS FLASHES

Mike McGear’s single, ‘Leave It’, written by Paul and Linda and produced by Paul, to be released in U.K. by Warners on 30th August, the album appearing on 27th September…. No release date yet on Peggy Lee’s record of Paul’s ‘Let’s Love’ on Atlantic …. ‘John, Paul, George, Ringo… & Bert’ opened 15th August at the Lyric Theatre, London, to rave reviews. Paul hopes to see it soon…. Denny’s JoJo gave birth to their second child Heidi on August 13th…. Contrary to what was said in Melody Maker (August 17th) by the Beatles international Fan Club, our comment: ‘It’s a load of rubbish!”…. Paul thanks you all for your birthday cards and gifts …. No schedule yet for proposed US or U.K. tour. […]