Paul McCartney Wings / Band on the Run Newly Discovered Rough Mix Tapes

The complete version of the rough mix sound source (session tape in Lagos) of Wings' album "BAND ON THE RUN", which was released at an overseas auction last year and surprised maniacs all over the world, has finally been released! It was owned by Geoff Emerick, who was the engineer for the recording of the album, and it surprised maniacs all over the world as the first complete rough mix leaked from the album, which was lacking in rare sound sources. Since it is a first appearance sound source that has been talked about this year, several items have already been released by HMC label, etc., but the intervals between songs are subtly cut, and in other items, there is an unnatural volume adjustment where the tape hiss suddenly goes up and down, perhaps to make it easier to hear the conversation before and after the song, and the editing traces are worrisome. In addition, the content of the item has some problems with the release. It is inevitable that it tends to fall into such a situation because it is the first appearance sound source of Wings in a long time, and it was released quickly, but this title has been carefully made into a CD by obtaining the original sound source. On top of that, Disc-1 contains a version that has been remastered with the utmost care. This finish is really wonderful, and the raw texture and analog feeling that only a rough mix can have is finished to the maximum, making it an exceptional listening experience. The rounded, natural sound quality is highly polished in the current remaster, but it is in a different dimension from the modern finish. This analog-like sound quality really suits the Beatles and Paul. And the rough mix itself makes the difference very easy to understand. First of all, the decorative instruments such as strings and horns are not overdubbed in general, and there is no slide guitar part that decorated "BAND ON THE RUN". For example, there are no additional recordings of maracas or backing choruses in the opening song "Mamunia", and yet the balance of each instrument is modest. Also, in the title song of the album, Paul's chatter that was there when he was recording the song can be heard everywhere, and the band's performance is still in a basic state with some sounds added. On the other hand, when listening to the rough mixes of "Mrs. Vandebilt" and "Let Me Roll It," you can clearly hear the process of first recording the basic tracks with Paul's drums, Denny Laine's guitar, and occasionally Linda's simple keyboard, and then fleshing them out in various ways. The fact that most of the tracks start with Paul's count also reminds us of this. "BAND ON THE RUN [Underdubbed Mixes]," which was released last year and caused a stir, is merely a "new finished product" made by removing the decorative instruments, and is completely different in nature from the rough mix. The scene at the end of "Drink to Me (working title)" where Paul and Linda start singing "Banana Boat Song" caused a stir in "Underdubbed Mixes," but this time it sounds even louder because it's a rough mix. The sound source this time also includes a rough mix of "Helen Wheels," a single from the same period that was not included in the album, and when you hear not only Paul but also Linda counting before the performance begins, you can see that Linda, who at first glance seems to have a low contribution, is also participating in the session. In addition, in this rough mix, the volume of the added guitar parts disappears and appears, so it is literally a rough mix in the middle of the work. The second half of the first disc is another Geoff Emerick tape that appeared in 2021, a sound effect material prepared to be inserted into the album tracks. In particular, the effect that seems to have been prepared with the image of "escape" in "Band On The Run" is quite elaborate, but it was ultimately unused. The existence of this "escape" sound effect is also mentioned in the foreign book "The McCartney Legacy: Volume 1 1969-73" published in 2022, which states, "Paul thought that these sounds were going to be used to give a cinematic depth, but decided not to use them because it turned out to be overly dramatic." Track 13 is the original unmixed sound source of the French broadcast inserted in the middle of "Drink to Me". As it is the source before copying to the multi-track master, it is interesting to hear the crisp and vivid sound of AM radio. The first half of the second disc contains the "unprocessed" unedited source of this rough mixtape. Since no EQ processing or other processing has been added, the delicate and analog reel-like texture can be said to be in a "flat transfer" state, and you can enjoy the difference in the natural texture compared to the first disc. In addition, the connection of track 2, "Band on the Run," is choppy and not linked, but as the description of the auction stated, "Not yet linked together," this is the edited version copied directly from the tape (the remastered version on disc 1 has the missing parts patched in an underdubbed mix for easier listening). And as a bonus, it includes an unreleased soundtrack to the famous children's animation "Rupert," which he led with Wings. This was the earliest recording of the "BACK TO THE EGG" sessions for the final Wings lineup, and although it was completely completed as a soundtrack album for the animation, it was shelved. The content is completely different from the later animation "Rupert and the Frog Song," and it unfolds like a picture book reading, with Paul narrating between songs. However, even though it is aimed at children, the songs are filled with tracks completed by Paul and Wings, and the title track has a wonderful Mellotron melody and choruses by Linda and Denny, and also incorporates "Sunshine Sometime," an outtake from "RAM," "When The Wind Is Blowing," which was seen in the archive collection of "WILD LIFE," and "The Castle of the King of the Birds," which was also played in the Get Back sessions during the Beatles era, making it a very complete and enjoyable Wings album. Until now, when the acetates owned by the band members were converted to CDs, scratch noise was noticeable, especially in the narration of Paul, or there were titles on the Moonlight label of the Yellow Dog label that were heavily equalized to suppress it, but this time, the noise is almost unnoticeable and the sound quality is excellent, making it an upgrade. In addition, since this is a sound source that has been completely overlooked in recent years, there may be many people who will be exposed to it for the first time. Including this bonus, this is the best version of the much talked about "BAND ON THE RUN" first appearance rough mix, literally in the best condition! Direct sound source from the reel of the unreleased rough mix of "Band on the Run" owned by Geoff Emerick, which was put up for auction at Omega Auction last year! There is no padding using fake sound sources separated by AI, as was included in the previously released version! Disc 1 has been EQ corrected, and the missing part of track 2 "Band on the Run" from 2:17 to 2:22 has been patched with "Underdubbed Mix". Disc 2 contains the unprocessed version without EQ or patch! Bonus: upgraded sound source of the unreleased soundtrack of "Rupert The Bear" is included! Newly Discovered Rough Mix Tapes (From The Master Reel) STEREO SBD Disc 1: (46:18) Band on the Run: The Lagos Tapes (Remaster Version) Tape 1 - R243A Recorded at EMI studio, Lagos Nigeria 3rd-14th September 1973 01. Mamoonia (Mamunia) 02. Band on the Run 03. Helen Wheels 04. Mrs Vanderbilt (Mrs Vandebilt) 05. No Words 06. Let Me Roll It Tape 2 - R243B Recorded at Ginger Baker ARC Batakota Lagos Studio 17th September 1973 07. Drink to Me (Picasso's Last Words) Tape 3 - Sound Effects 08. Jail Noises (Unused) 09. Laughter 1 (Mrs Vanderbilt) 10. Laughter 2 (Mrs Vanderbilt) 11. Laughter 3 (Unused) 12. Laughter 4 (Unused) 13. French Broadcaster (Drink to Me) 14. Party Noises (Unused) Taken from the Geoff Emerick tapes Disc 2: (70:00) Band on the Run: The Lagos Tapes (Unprocessed Version) Tape 1 - R243A 01. Mamoonia (Mamunia) 02. Band on the Run 03. Helen Wheels 04. Mrs. Vanderbilt (Mrs. Vanderbilt) 05. No Words 06. Let Me Roll It Tape 2 - R243B 07. Drink to Me (Picasso's Last Words) -Bonus Tracks- Rupert The Bear: Unreleased Soundtrack Recorded at Spirit Of Ranachan Studio, Kintyre, Scotland, UK 5th July 1978 08. Rupert Song (Version 1) 09. Tippi Tippi Toes (Parents Theme) 10. Flying Horses 11. Cohen The Wind Is Blowing 12. The Castle Of The King Of The Birds 13. Sunshine Sometime 14. Sea/Cornish Wafer 15. Storm 16. Nutwood Scene 17. Walking In The Meadow 18. Sea Melody 19. Rupert Song (Version 2) Taken from the original acetate