Hello all;
The big story of the week just ended is the big screen presentation of Man on the Run, the Wings documentary directed by Morgan Neville (20 Feet From Stardom, Won’t You Be My Neighbor?). Yes, he has been reached out to for the kind of conversation that only SATB does but I expect in the flood of media requests, it’s not likely to happen but stranger things have. Meanwhile, it’s set to debut on Amazon Prime worldwide on February 27th. For those who missed what was billed as a “one night only” theatrical screening on the 19th, a second was added on the 22nd and hopefully all who missed the earlier one were able to catch the second, because there is no substitute for a big screen experience for such rich visual and sonic delights.
NEWS
Lots of non-obituary news from this past week, which is never a bad thing. Evolver ‘62, as reported last time, is streaming on a number of platforms at the moment. I will be speaking with the film’s director and producer, respectively Chris Purcell and Simon Weitzman. It’s good that this Lewisohn lecture exists in this form for the obvious reason of giving anyone outside of the UK or who otherwise missed this lecture a chance to take it in.
I would like to think something similar will happen with Zak Starkey, who just delivered a “one man show” in New York City this past week. Zak Starkey…Who?: An Evening of Drums and Music played February 20th at the Gramercy Theatre. Here’s an interview with Zak, explaining what he’s doing and why it sounds like an amazing thing that more people will want to see. This is exactly what the approach to Evolver ‘62 is made for.
As noted recently, the Yoko Music of the Mind exhibit just ended its Chicago run and is now headed west, to Los Angeles. Yoko turned 93 on the 18th and remains well past the point of giving interviews. In the meantime, here is a nice article for anyone who as of yet hasn’t worked up enough interest to take it in, or may not have the opportunity and wants to know what it’s all about. On the subject of Yoko, a reissue of her 1981 album, Season of Glass, was just announced, coming this year as a 45 year anniversary expanded release, digitally as well as on black and white vinyl and CD. A nice touch is replacing the original Geffen label with - what else? - a grapefruit. See the specs here.
Something that made the social media rounds this week was word of an upcoming (March 2026) George Harrison release of dubious origins (and legality). Fans have been pining for a legal issue of the 1974 Dark Horse live shows in some form: a best-of perhaps, but definitely remixed and remastered and with suitable visual accompaniment as well. So it was at least of momentary happy surprise to see this…
…before realizing that this isn’t an official release from Dark Horse the label or the Harrison estate, and that furthermore, it is likely a grey market issue of what can readily be obtained right now by anyone interested for free. Someday it will make for a nice package, but we’re not there yet. But this aligns with my recent conversation with Sam Popkin in 320 about what George fans can one day expect to come. As is this: you’ve read about Adambound in the course of these newsletters and he has just released something new on YouTube: an auction win of an audience super 8mm film of the 1971 Concert for Bangladesh. Nothing earth shattering but something we haven’t seen before either.
Other auction news: 300 pages of legal documents relating to The Beatles’ break-up and Paul’s court action are going under the gavel on February 26 at Ewbanks. Let us hope that whoever wins will make the contents available for researchers, assuming it’s a deep-pocketed fan (and not one of Sir Paul’s representatives) that prevails. Also up: some gold records.
Finally: even though Yoko just had a birthday and George’s would’ve been this week, we seem to be riding a Paul/Wings vibe of late, and who better to keep it going than Squeeze.
HISTORY
Released in the US on February 22, 1971: Paul’s debut single.
“Another Day”/”Oh Woman Oh Why” was (properly) credited to “Paul and Linda McCartney” - a foretaste of the album to come (Ram). For context, his eponymous April 1970 solo debut saw no singles issued; by this date, John of course had issued several non-album Plastic Ono Band singles - George had just released his second 45 from All Things Must Pass (“What Is Life”/”Apple Scruffs”) - John had ANOTHER non-LP single on the way (“Power To The People,” a month later) and Ringo’s second solo single, “It Don’t Come Easy,” was already in the can but would but would not see issue until April.
“Another Day” - a tune which had first surfaced on January 9th, 1969 (one week into the Twickenham sessions) - was the product of studio pros and not a true Paul-and-Linda project instrumentally, unlike the earlier solo offering: Denny Seiwell was on drums and guitar ace David Spinozza on electric, with Paul handling the remainder. It was, according to Denny, the first song laid down for the sessions, on October 12, 1970 at New York City’s Columbia studio. (For context: George was, that very day, mixing All Things Must Pass at Trident in anticipation of its pre-holiday November release, while John was working on Plastic Ono Band at EMI with Ringo and Klaus, having spent the day before tracking most of Yoko’s companion release.)
“CBS 30th Street Studio,” as the facility was formally called, had a history every bit as storied as the Abbey Road environs where Paul had done most of his work until this point. First built as a Presbyterian church in 1875, it had changed hands (and denominations) several times before falling into disuse. In 1948, Columbia Records took over the building, transforming it into what had been called the greatest room for capturing sound ever. Among the master works created there through the years were recordings by Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Blood, Sweat and Tears, Chicago, and loads more. (CBS maintained several facilities in the city and The Church, as this one was known, was not the same one where George had recorded months before with Bob Dylan; that was studios B and E, and the church was known as D.) Unlike the revered English recording studio, “the Church” was subject to local economics: when Columbia took a pass on buying the building outright in the early 1980s (amid a recession), citing the cost of heating and cooling such an outdated (but historic) structure, the property was sold, the building razed, and a 10-story housing unit installed in its footprint. Progress!
“Another Day” has been compared to “Eleanor Rigby” - a slice of life portrait of a mundane existence with a melancholy undercurrent (this time short of actual physical death). Though lacking the urgent drama of the earlier recording, perhaps what some saw as a rather bland arrangement was actually the point: the description of a colorless existence mandated that the backing align. Critics at the time tended toward the disdainful, regarding the song as unserious froth (especially as compared with the gravitas of recent Harrison and Lennon releases) and dismissed it as lightweight material unworthy of Paul’s talents. As with Ram, modern assessments beg to differ. As with “Lady Madonna,” it can be seen as part of a series of female character studies, coming from a man for whom a woman’s companionship took many forms.
This was the first occasion of Paul publicly trotting out a co-credit with Linda, ascribing musical suggestions and input to her. His repeating this practice would in time run afoul with his music publisher, who saw elevating his heretofore non-musician bride to collaborator status as nothing less than “double-dipping,” royalty-wise. But the sound their vocal blend created was wholly theirs, and with the addition of Denny Laine by years’ end, would become a key component of the Wings sound.
The B-side showcased another side of Paul’s musicality entirely: the rough-and-ready non-pop side. Sounding more like spontaneous jam that was sculpted into something with well-defined parameters, it atypically (for Paul) mined the jealous homicidal act territory of loads of blues/rock/pop songs ranging from “Hey Joe” to Neil Young’s “Down By The River” to Tom Jones’ why - why - why “Delilah.” (For the sound of gunfire heard on the track, Paul actually DID record himself firing a gun in the studio, presaging the behavior of one Phil Spector by a couple years, though with far more benign intents; presumably, Paul’s gun was loaded with blanks.)
The single peaked at #2 in the UK, #5 in the US.
SATB STUFF
321 is in progress and should arrive this week. I’ll have more to say on that in the next newsletter, with appropriate links provided.
The SATB website has been undergoing a facelift/redesign, which is why the last most recent several shows have not been posted there yet. The show can still be had in the usual podcast platforms, Apple especially, but they will be brought up to date once the new landing page gets approved.
Because some of you are asking: the Illustrated Record pre-production phase is moving slowly but steadily along and I will be in touch with those partaking soon.
And then there’s Elton John’s turn in the Classic Rock Album Olympics…
I will be in LA briefly next month and hope to connect with some of you as time allows.
Until then…
All best,
RR
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