Band on the Run is generally considered Paul McCartney's strongest solo effort.
The album was also his most commercially successful, selling well and spawning two hit singles, the multi-part pop suite of the title track and the roaring rocker "Jet." On these cuts and elsewhere, McCartney's penchant for sophisticated, nuanced arrangements and irrepressibly catchy melodic hooks is up to the caliber he displayed in the Beatles, far surpassing the first two Wings releases Wild Life and Red Rose Speedway.
The focus found in Band on the Run may have to do with the circumstances of its creation: two former members quit the band prior to recording, leaving McCartney, wife Linda, and guitarist Denny Laine to complete the album alone (with Paul writing, producing, and playing most of the instruments himself).
The album has the majestic, orchestral sweep of McCartney's Abbey Road-era ambition, with a wide range of style-dabbling, from the swaying, acoustic jazz-pop of "Bluebird" and the appealing, straightforward rock of "Helen Wheels," to the wiry blues of "Let Me Roll It" and the swaying, one-off pub singalong "Picasso's Last Words (Drink to Me)." Though it lacks the emotional resonance of contemporaneous releases by John Lennon and George Harrison, McCartney's infallible instinct for popcraft overflows on this excellent release.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Band on the RunLinda McCartney, Paul McCartney | Paul McCartney, Paul McCartney & Wings | Play | 05:15 | 12 MB | 30 MB |
| 2 | JetLinda McCartney, Paul McCartney | Paul McCartney, Paul McCartney & Wings | Play | 04:09 | 9 MB | 24 MB |
| 3 | BluebirdLinda McCartney, Paul McCartney | Paul McCartney, Paul McCartney & Wings | Play | 03:25 | 7 MB | 18 MB |
| 4 | Let Me Roll ItPaul McCartney | Paul McCartney, Paul McCartney & Wings | Play | 04:51 | 11 MB | 27 MB |
| 5 | MamuniaLinda McCartney, Paul McCartney | Paul McCartney, Paul McCartney & Wings | Play | 04:50 | 11 MB | 27 MB |
| 6 | No WordsDenny Laine, Paul McCartney | Paul McCartney, Paul McCartney & Wings | Play | 02:38 | 6 MB | 14 MB |
| 7 | Picasso's Last Words (Drink to Me)Linda McCartney, Paul McCartney | Paul McCartney, Paul McCartney & Wings | Play | 05:51 | 13 MB | 32 MB |
| 8 | Nineteen Hundred and Eighty FiveLinda McCartney, Paul McCartney | Paul McCartney, Paul McCartney & Wings | Play | 05:28 | 12 MB | 33 MB |
| 9 | Mrs. Vanderbilt | Wings | Play | 04:41 | 10 MB | 27 MB |
| 41 mins | 94 MB | |||||
| 41 mins | 236 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Howie Casey | Additional Personnel, Saxophone |
| 2 | Geoff Emerick | Audio Engineer, Engineer, Producer |
| 3 | Steve Hoffman | Remastering |
| 4 | Remi Kabaka | Percussion |
| 5 | Denny Laine | Composer, Guitar, Keyboards, Member of Attributed Artist, Percussion, Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 6 | Linda McCartney | Composer, Keyboards, Member of Attributed Artist, Vocals (Background) |
| 7 | Paul McCartney | Audio Production, Bass, Bass Instrument, Composer, Drums, Guitar, Keyboards, Member of Attributed Artist, Piano, Primary Artist, Vocals |
| 8 | Paul McCartney & Wings | Performer, Primary Artist |
| 9 | Eddy Pumer | Audio Production |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |