Wings Over The World (Misterclaudel mcdvd-13)
Jet [live], Bip Bop – Mama’s Little Girl [Scotland 1971], Lucille [first Wings’ rehearsal], Maybe I’m Amazed [live], Live And Let Die [rehearsal + live], Glasgow concert – Wings arrive on stage dressed with Scottish kilts, Paul arrives at an Australian airport, Paul and Linda are interviewed by Norman Gunston and received gold records, Letting Go [live], Wings in Sydney, Scrambled Eggs [rehearsal, excerpt], Yesterday [live], The Wings Tour: trucks are on the road / security people are briefed before the concert of Sydney / soundcheck, Magneto And Titanium Man [live], Silly Love Songs (live), Wings travel by plane. Arrival at the airport, Go Now [live], Beware My Love [live], Paul Linda and other Wings members riding horses, Let’em In [live], Band On The Run [live], Paul watching himself on the TV answering an interview, Seattle: fans sleeping at the entry of the Kingdome, Venus And Mars – Rock Show (live), Happy Birthday to Paul by Denny on stage / After the concert a Mexican band is playing for Paul, Hi Hi Hi [live] Ringo Starr joins Paul backstage, Soily [live]
Several years after Wings’ tour of the world between 1975 and 1976, both a television documentary and concert film were released. Both “Wings Over The World” and Rock Show were edited at the same time. The tour documentary was broadcast on CBS on March 16th, 1979 and and the concert movie wouldn’t be released in the theaters until November, 1980. With live footage intercut with off stage material, the scope of the seventy minute documentary encompasses more than just the world tour but touches upon Wings’ entire career.
It begins with Paul speaking at a press conference where the interview makes the comment, “Most would think of you as a very rich man who would have no need at all to perform before a live audience every again.” Paul replies: “We were in Nashville and, have ever heard of a guitar player named Jerry Reed? I told him we were going on the road. And he said, ‘Man, if I were Paul McCartney I’d buy the road.'”
“Jet” from Rock Show follows and is the first live song in the documentary. We are brought back to Paul’s farm in Scotland in 1971. Over footage of him riding horses by their sheep and playing “Bip Bop” for his kids, Paul speaks in voice over about the fear he had after the end of The Beatles and his reason for forming Wings.
This is followed by great footage of Wings’ first rehearsal singing “Lucille” with Paul, Linda, a short haired Denny Laine and Denny Seiwell on drums. “Maybe I’m Amazed” from the May 25th, 1976 New York show follows which is also in the movie. There is a short, black and white section of a rehearsal of “Live And Let Die” which segues into footage from the movie.
This is followed by some footage of the band landing in Perth for the Australian tour and Paul being interviewed on the tarmac about whether he is too old to be on a rock tour. This is followed by a press conference in Perth on November 2nd, 1975 where Wings are interviewed by comedian Norman Gunston and includes such exchanges as:
Gunston then turned to Linda, ‘Did you have any Beatlemania, Mrs McCartney?’
Linda answered, ‘Constantly.’
Gunston continued, ‘Which was your favourite, before you was related?’
Linda replied, ‘Er … Mick Jagger!’
Gunston turned to the camera to say, ‘I think she got him,’ pointing to Paul, ‘on the rebound.’ Then he said, ‘The marriage is OK?’
Paul answered, ‘It’s all right, but you’re not helping it, Norm.’
Gunston then turned to Linda and said, ‘It’s funny, you know. You don’t look Japanese.’
More of the press conference is available in the seldom seen Australian Tour Documentary 1975. The only live footage from Australia is in a strange edit of “Yesterday.” The song begins in the November 13th 1975 show in Melbourne and then switches to the May 25th 1976 footage from New York used in Rock Show and ends again in Melbourne.
Aerial shots of the tour trucks with “Wings Over America” printed on top are then shown and interesting footage of the drivers talking on their CB radios is a great time capsule of the mid-seventies. What is listed on the artwork as security briefings before the show in Sydney is not correct. Judging by the Texas accent of the police officers and the reference to this being the first show of the tour indicate this is from the Tarrant County Community Center in Fort Worth on May 5th, 1976.
“Magneto & Titanium Man” and “Silly Love Songs” from Rock Show are followed by footage of them landing at the wrong airport in Chicago and waiting for a taxi to take them to the next venue. After “Go Now” there is footage of the queue and opening moments from the June 13th show at the Cow Palace in San Francisco with “Beware My Love” from the film edited afterwards.
The song introduction was filmed in San Francisco and it makes one wonder if the entire show was filmed and if this footage still exists? The documentary ends with footage from Los Angeles showing all the celebrities who attended the final show including Elton John, Cher and Micky Dolenz of the Monkees. Ringo is shown after the show goofing with Paul and the television show ends with “Hi Hi Hi” and “Soily” from Rock Show.
As a bonus Misterclaudel include several minutes of amateur shot 8mm color footage from the May 24th, 1976 show at Madison Square Garden in New York. The first half has sound but the second half silent and none of the songs are complete.
It is interesting to see the shots which, for the most part, were filmed right in front of the stage. The proximity leads collectors to believe it comes from home movies shot by a member of the road crew. For Wings collectors this is all valuable footage and Misterclaudel has the best looking presentation of the tour documentary available pressed on silver disc. With the bonus track this is a great title worth having.
