First published 2025
Paul McCartney tells the story of Wings through extensive interviews conducted by Oscar-winning director Morgan Neville. The oral history begins with McCartney's retreat to a remote Scottish sheep farm following The Beatles' dissolution, where legal battles and personal turmoil drove the twenty-seven-year-old musician into exile. From these harsh conditions emerged a new creative vision. McCartney recruited his wife Linda on keyboards and vocals, drummer Denny Seiwell, and guitarist Denny Laine to form Wings. The book traces their journey from unannounced university performances to touring in a converted double-decker bus with their children in tow. The band survived a street robbery in Nigeria and eventually commanded packed stadiums during their world tour. Neville compiled over 500,000 words of interviews with McCartney, band members, and other participants into this chronological account spanning the group's decade-long existence. The narrative covers McCartney's solo work, RAM, and nine Wings albums that provided the soundtrack for the 1970s. Ted Widmer edited the material into its final form, creating a comprehensive record that includes 150 photographs, timelines, performance history, and complete discography.
Genres: biography, 20th-century, memoir, non-fiction, music, oral-history
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family
Setting: Nigeria, Scotland
Period: 1970s
576 pages · Hardcover · Liveright