Welcome to the Beatles Rarity of the Week.
About three weeks ago, I made a post giving some details on the 2010 Band On the Run re-issue (that post is here). Since most reading are likely already familiar with the album, I focused largely on the bonus material coming with it. I have to say, I went all out and purchased the Deluxe Edition and now I am in love with this album all over again (I’ve included some Amazon links below in case you want to order a copy for yourself). In celebration of it’s release last Tuesday (Nov. 2, 2010), I am featuring a BROW this week that is somewhat related.
In August of 1974, Paul McCartney & Wings recorded a short documentary film called One Hand Clapping that ended up not being released or aired on television. At the time the line-up of Wings was Paul McCartney, Linda McCartney, Denny Laine, Jimmy McCulloch and Geoff Britton. For years now, people like me have been using whatever means they can to come with bits and pieces from this film (or the music from it) in any way they can on unauthorized recordings and the like. At the time I did my earlier write-up a few weeks ago, I mentioned material from One Hand Clapping would be on the BotR DVD, but I was not sure how much of it would be there. Now I’m happy to report that all 51 minutes of the film are on the disc (along with a few other bits of music and film shorts listed in my aforementioned earlier post). Since there is dialog over some of the tracks on the film, they are given again on the bonus music CD without the dialog. The music for the film was recorded live at Abbey Road studios without orchestrations. So if you would like to hear very raw “stripped down” versions of songs from the Band On The Run album like Jet, Bluebird, Nineteen Hundred And Eight Five and the all-too-familiar title track, then you will simply love this stuff. The bonus music CD also includes two tracks recorded for the film, but not used (Country Dreamer and Let Me Roll It). Another such out-take from the film’s sessions that was not included is, at last, the subject of this week’s BROW.
Paul McCartney during the Aug. 1974 filming of the documentary 'One Hand Clapping'
Suicide was first written by Paul McCartney messing around on a piano in 1956 when he was 14 years old. It apparently was never forgotten because there is a 46-second performance of it heard in the Get Back sessions from Jan. 26, 1969. About 15 months later, 8 seconds of the song actually surfaced on an official release. A snippet of it was tagged at the end of the track Hot As Sun/Glasses on the McCartney album. The version heard here from the One Hand Clapping sessions, was actually offered to Frank Sinatra, but he declined. There is also a shortened version he did in sessions at Abbey Road studios in 1975, and in 2001 he played a verse of it live on the Michael Parkinson Show. Between this little out-take and the bonus material on the BotR re-issue, that should round out the One Hand Clapping material well enough. If you decide to get the Deluxe Edition, there is a really nice hard back book that comes with it with lots of nice photos and more detailed information about all of the recordings and the sessions in Lagos Nigeria and London. The book also has lyrics and details about the ‘mugging’ in Africa where the original Band On The Run demo tapes were stolen. Finally, the third disc that comes with the Deluxe Edition is the exact same audio documentary disc that came with the 25th Anniversary edition of Band On The Run back in 1999.
Paul McCartney - Suicide
Wings in 1974 (L-R): Geoff Britton, Paul & Linda McCartney, Denny Laine & Jimmy McCulloch
Want to make a suggestion for a future Beatles Rarity of the Week? If so, I will do my best to deliver, so let me hear from you. To browse for ideas, check out this search-able listing of thousands of Beatle-related recordings to choose from. Then let me hear from you here.
The Band On the Run 2010 remaster edition packages discussed above are out! Click to read about or purchase your copies from Amazon.com:
1) Band On The Run [Deluxe Edition - 3CD+1DVD Combo]
2) Band On The Run [Special Edition - 2CD+1DVD Combo]
And new from Apple…The Red and The Blue albums remastered!
1) The Beatles 1962-1966 (Red) Remastered
2) The Beatles 1967-1970 (Blue) Remastered
3) And Amazon links for everything else: The Beatles
Related posts:
- Details about the upcoming Band On The Run reissue After these 2010 John Lennon remasters, can there still be more to buy? Of course, there is! I’m sure most...
- More on the ‘McCartney’ and ‘McCartney II’ expanded editions Last month I announced here that Paul McCartney will follow up last year’s expanded issue of Band On The Run...
I'm Happy Nat and I'm glad you dropped in! Feel free to listen to the latest BROW (Beatles Rarity Of The Week), watch the latest VOW (Beatles Video of the Week), and join the discussion by leaving comments or 
I was ecstatic when I heard One Hand Clapping was finally getting an official release! And I chuckled the whole way through, partly at how terrible and haphazard it is (as even a TV film), and partly at how bad the video quality was. But the fact that Paul, who traditionally doesn't care about bootlegs but also doesn't care to share what he thinks of as his worst, would include this questionable piece in a reissue says a lot. He showed similar openness with The McCartney Years video set, where in commentaries he basically said, "yeah we were stoned and this was the best we could do."
I am beyond excited for the rest of the reissues. Depending on the other pieces included, it may make me spend money on albums like At the Speed of Sound that I otherwise don't care about. But Ram is what I'm most excited for. I think he's truly out to satisfy every type of fan now in his twilight years. Damn that's gonna be good.
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