London Town

From paulmccartney.com:

London Town – Wings’ seventh album – saw the departure of both Jimmy McCulloch and Joe English from the line-up, Linda’s pregnancy (with James), a song written for Michael Jackson (‘Girlfriend’) and recording one of the biggest-selling singles of all time, ‘Mull of Kintyre’. (Released before the album was completed, the track did not appear on London Town until a 1993 reissue.) Despite its title, the album was recorded in the Virgin Islands, not least because of the weather. As Paul said, “We thought of recording London Town in the Virgin Islands on the basis, I think, that it was warmer there. There wasn’t a studio but we took mobile equipment and installed it on a boat – it was as good as being in a proper studio, but if you wanted to have a break you could dive off the side for a swim! In a typical day we’d swim, have breakfast, sunbathe a while, just like you do on holiday, and then putter across in the dinghy to the other boat and make some music for a few hours.” The relaxed atmosphere made for a light, pleasingly laidback and hugely melodic album that went on to achieve huge success.

We recorded London Town in the Caribbean, in the Virgin Islands. There was a little vogue going around – people still do it, they go to Montserrat and places like that, which is nice work if you can get it. Some people called Record Plant in LA got some equipment and put it on a boat in the Virgin Islands, so we recorded that whole album on a boat. The only strange thing about it is we never put ‘Mull Of Kintyre’ on it. It’s like never releasing ‘Yesterday’: I’ve done some funny things like that.

Paul McCartney, Club Sandwich N°47/48, Spring 1988

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