Band On The Run

Production notes

Band on the Run was recorded in two primary locations: EMI's studio in Lagos, Nigeria (September 1973) and AIR Studios in London (late 1973 to early 1974), with Paul McCartney producing the album alongside his wife Linda McCartney. The Lagos sessions were plagued by difficulties, including guitarist Henry McCullough and drummer Denny Seiwell quitting the band just before departure, forcing McCartney to play most instruments himself alongside Linda and Denny Laine. The recording conditions in Lagos were challenging, with a poorly equipped eight-track studio at EMI, oppressive heat, and McCartney suffering a bronchial spasm during one session as well as being robbed at knifepoint, losing demo cassettes. Engineer Geoff Emerick, who had worked on landmark Beatles albums, handled the recording and helped achieve a polished sound despite the primitive studio conditions, with overdubs and mixing later completed at AIR Studios in London under more professional circumstances. The album, released in December 1973, became Wings' most critically acclaimed and commercially successful record, reaching number one in multiple countries, and is widely regarded as McCartney's finest post-Beatles work.