The literature that is over the worldwide and around the Beatles includes dozens of shelf rows. Now there is a new, profound work, which, however, only begins with the dissolution of the Fab Four from Liverpool.
None other than Paul McCartney personally wrote it (or better: co-stated) title: “The Story of a Band on the Run”, November 4, 2025 has been announced as an appearance, with a proud 528 pages. A cover design does not yet exist.
In an initial announcement, it says that Wings-OPUs is a “captivating o-tone story of a band that shaped an entire generation”. The renowned Harvard historian Ted Widmer is responsible for the curator and publisher. The so-called “First Hand Report” is built around nine albums of the Wings: the history of the band from the insider perspective from breaking the Beatles to the dissolution of Wings in 1981.
“After the Beatles starting all over again, often enough felt crazy”
It would have been fascinating for him to “be returned to the time of the Wings and to experience some of our crazy adventures for this book again,” said McCartney. “After the Beatles starting all over again, often enough felt crazy. There were some very difficult moments and I have questioned my decision several times. But when we got better, I thought: ‘Ok, that’s really good. We have proven that the wings can be a really good band. It was very different from the Beatles. It was a new, huge kick. “
The basis is countless interviews with McCartney, his wife Linda McCartney, who took over at the Wings keyboard and vocals, the drummer Denny Seiwell or the guitarist Denny Laine. Stories of an adventurous band that survived a robbery in the streets of Nigeria, put on a chaotic tour of the UK universities or went on an old double-decker bus with a child and cone. Garnished with 150 black and white and color photographs, many of them so far unpublished.
“One Hand Clapping”
The whole thing apparently takes place in the course of a more comprehensive processing of the Wings era. This also includes the restored live film “One Hand Clapping” (along with the already published album), the anniversary editions of the albums “Band on the Run” and “Venus and Mars” as well as a new documentary by Morgan Neville about the Wings and McCartney’s solo work.
“Wings dealt with love, family, friendship and artistic progress, often in the face of enormous adversity,” said Buch-Editor Widmer. “It was a pleasure to experience the crazy adventures of a special band again by listening to their stories and putting together an oral history.”