Paul McCartney & Wings Album 'One Hand Clapping' to See the Light of Day
The live studio sessions from 1974 are newly mixed and available for the first time.
By: Josh Sharpe Apr. 23, 2024
The wait is over: With the June 14 release of One Hand Clapping, one of the most bootlegged live albums in musical history will finally receive a proper release.
In August 1974, when Band on the Run was enjoying a seven-week consecutive #1 stint at the top of the UK album charts, Paul McCartney and Wings headed to Abbey Road Studios for the filming of a video documentary and possible live studio album – One Hand Clapping. Despite overwhelming demand for newly recorded material from the biggest band in the world at that time, One Hand Clapping was never officially released.
Filmed and recorded over four days and directed by David Litchfield, the release of One Hand Clapping is a historic moment for Paul McCartney fans. Over the years, various parts of One Hand Clapping have been bootlegged with varying degrees of success. Some of the material has also appeared on official McCartney releases. However, the June 14 release of One Hand Clapping, which features the original artwork designed for the project, including a TV sales brochure for the unreleased film at the time, is the first time the audio for the film—plus several additional songs recorded off-camera--have been officially issued.
One Hand Clapping showcased Wings‘ new line-up, fresh off their return from Nashville, where they recorded the classic single Junior’s Farm. Following the sudden departure of Denny Seiwell and Henry McCullough the previous year on the eve of recording the Wings masterpiece Band on the Run, Paul, Linda, and Denny Laine were now joined by guitarist Jimmy McCulloch and drummer Geoff Britton. Additionally joining the band in the studio were orchestral arranger Del Newman and saxophonist Howie Casey, who had previously played with Paul in Hamburg and would go on to join the Wings touring band.
Opening with an instrumental jam that would become the One Hand Clapping theme song, the album features live-in-studio renditions of Wings mega-hits “Live and Let Die,” “Band on the Run,” “Jet,” “My Love,” “Hi, Hi, Hi,” “Junior’s Farm,” Paul’s much loved solo song “Maybe I’m Amazed,” reworked extracts of Beatles’ classics “Let It Be,” “The Long and Winding Road” and “Lady Madonna,” the Moody Blues hit “Go Now” with Denny Laine singing, and a Paul solo piano version of the Harry Akst/Benny Davis Tin Pan Alley classic “Baby Face.”
One Hand Clapping will be released in multiple formats, including an online exclusive 2LP + 7” package featuring an exclusive vinyl single of previously unreleased solo performances recorded on the final day of the sessions in the backyard of Abbey Road studios. These include the unreleased track “Blackpool,” The Beatles’ iconic “Blackbird,” Wings B-side “Country Dreamer,” and cover versions of Eddie Cochran’s “Twenty Flight Rock” (the first song Paul played to John Lennon when they met in 1957) and Buddy Holly’s “Peggy Sue” and “I’m Gonna Love You Too.”
One Hand Clapping serves as a celebration of the enduring legacy of Paul McCartney and Wings. It captured a moment when Wings had found and defined their signature sound – just as Paul had shaped popular culture the decade before with The Beatles, he was doing it once again in the 70s with Wings. This recording gives an insight into the inner workings of the band as they work and play together in the studio. It also underscores Paul’s incredible talent as a live performer: Fifty years on, Paul is still performing many of these songs in packed stadiums across the world.
ONE HAND CLAPPING FORMATS
2LP + 7” (D2C)
*Previously released 2010 Band on the Run Archive Collection DVD
** Previously released as bonus audio on Archive Collection releases
Disc 1
SIDE ONE
1. One Hand Clapping*
2. Jet*
3. Soily*
4. C Moon/Little Woman Love*
5. Maybe I’m Amazed*
6. My Love*
SIDE TWO
1. Bluebird*
2. Let’s Love*
3. All of You*
4. I’ll Give You a Ring*
5. Band on the Run*
6. Live and Let Die*
7. Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five*
8. Baby Face*
Disc 2
SIDE ONE
1. Let Me Roll It**
2. Blue Moon of Kentucky
3. Power Cut
4. Love My Baby
5. Let It Be
6. The Long and Winding Road/Lady Madonna
SIDE TWO
1. Junior’s Farm
2. Sally G
3. Tomorrow
4. Go Now
5. Wild Life
6. Hi, Hi, Hi
Disc 3 (7”)
1. Blackpool
2. Blackbird
3. Country Dreamer**
SIDE TWO
1. Twenty Flight Rock
2. Peggy Sue
3. I’m Gonna Love You Too
2LP / 2CD
Disc 1
SIDE ONE
1. One Hand Clapping*
2. Jet*
3. Soily*
4. C Moon/Little Woman Love*
5. Maybe I’m Amazed*
6. My Love*
SIDE TWO
1. Bluebird*
2. Let’s Love*
3. All of You*
4. I’ll Give You a Ring*
5. Band on the Run*
6. Live and Let Die*
7. Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five*
8. Baby Face*
SIDE ONE
1. Let Me Roll It**
2. Blue Moon of Kentucky
3. Power Cut
4. Love My Baby
5. Let It Be
6. The Long and Winding Road/Lady Madonna
SIDE TWO
1. Junior’s Farm
2. Sally G
3. Tomorrow
4. Go Now
5. Wild Life
6. Hi, Hi, Hi
Digital
1. One Hand Clapping*
2. Jet*
3. Soily*
4. C Moon/Little Woman Love*
5. Maybe I’m Amazed*
6. My Love*
7. Bluebird*
8. Let’s Love*
9. All of You*
10. I’ll Give You a Ring*
11. Band on the Run*
12 Live and Let Die*
13 Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five*
14. Baby Face*
15. Let Me Roll It**
16. Blue Moon of Kentucky
17. Power Cut
18. Love My Baby
19. Let It Be
20. The Long and Winding Road/Lady Madonna
21. Junior’s Farm
22. Sally G
23. Tomorrow
24. Go Now
25. Wild Life
27. Hi, Hi, Hi
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