Thursday, October 19, 1972
Recording "Live And Let Die" #1
Last updated on August 16, 2022
Thursday, October 19, 1972
Last updated on August 16, 2022
Recording studio: AIR Studios, London, UK
Article Oct 12, 1972 • "Mary Had A Little Lamb" (Psychedelic version) broadcast on US TV
Session Oct 18, 1972 • Overdubs for "Night Owl"
Session Oct 19, 1972 • Recording "Live And Let Die" #1
Session Oct 20, 1972 • Recording "Live And Let Die" #2
Some of the songs worked on during this session were first released on the "Live And Let Die / I Lie Around" 7" Single.
What was the “Live And Let Die” session like?
Oh, it was awesome. We were up at George Martin’s studio, and we had probably a 40-piece orchestra and the Wings up there, live. We were in and out of there in such a short time; I seem to remember it was something like three takes with the orchestra, then they took Ray Cooper, Elton John’s percussionist, and he did his percussion overdubs. Then Paul and Linda and the gang went in and put some vocals on it and they mixed it and it was done within a day, if not three to six hours – the whole thing, beginning to end.
Was everyone walking around going, “The name’s Bond, James Bond” ?
Nah, there were no jokes. But everybody thought it was cool that we were doing something for James Bond. A couple of weeks before we were doing the actual recording. Paul told us they wanted him to write the theme to the next James Bond movie, and they sent him the book to read. And we were up at the house one day and he had just read the book the night before; he sat down at the piano and said, “James Bond, James Bond…” and then played dah-dah-dah, dah-dah-dah, da-duh, just screwing around at the piano. Within 10 minutes he had that song written. Just to watch him get in there and write the song was really something. I’ll remember it the rest of my life.
Denny Seiwell – Interview from Beatlefan, July-August 2001
Written by Paul McCartney, Linda McCartney
Recording
Paul McCartney: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs (Vol. 1) 1970-1989
With 25 albums of pop music, 5 of classical – a total of around 500 songs – released over the course of more than half a century, Paul McCartney's career, on his own and with Wings, boasts an incredible catalogue that's always striving to free itself from the shadow of The Beatles. The stories behind the songs, demos and studio recordings, unreleased tracks, recording dates, musicians, live performances and tours, covers, events: Music Is Ideas Volume 1 traces McCartney's post-Beatles output from 1970 to 1989 in the form of 346 song sheets, filled with details of the recordings and stories behind the sessions. Accompanied by photos, and drawing on interviews and contemporary reviews, this reference book draws the portrait of a musical craftsman who has elevated popular song to an art-form.
Eight Arms to Hold You: The Solo Beatles Compendium
We owe a lot to Chip Madinger and Mark Easter for the creation of those session pages, but you really have to buy this book to get all the details!
Eight Arms To Hold You: The Solo Beatles Compendium is the ultimate look at the careers of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr beyond the Beatles. Every aspect of their professional careers as solo artists is explored, from recording sessions, record releases and tours, to television, film and music videos, including everything in between. From their early film soundtrack work to the officially released retrospectives, all solo efforts by the four men are exhaustively examined.
As the paperback version is out of print, you can buy a PDF version on the authors' website
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