Red Rose Speedway was released in 1973 to what can only be described as a turgidly tepid reception by both rock critics and fans alike, and has largely, even by McCartney fanatics, been relegated to a rating slightly higher than forgettable. Now whilst this album has its detractors and defenders, me being both, the real tragedy behind this album’s release is that we only got half of the content upon release.

Originally this was to be a double album, a band album, a semi-live album, the early Wings magnus opus, and the band’s great statement to the world that they were not to be messed with. But due to reasons not fully disclosed, the record label decided that it was time to go George Martin on Red Rose and condense it down to a single, cheaper, and more marketable product. It’s like Capitol Records was giving us half a PS4 game but then refusing to give us the DLC. No remaster, no release, no ultimate edition, bugger all!!!



But what if it didn’t go down that way? What if the band didn’t back down? What if they said ‘sod it’ and decided to release all of their content all at once and to hell with the consequences? Well, that’s what we are here to find out. So here I am now, trying to right the wrongs that took place over 40 years ago today. Let’s see if I can’t make something a little bit better to take the sting out of the calamity that was Red Rose Speedway.

One of the alternate covers for Red Rose Speedway. Sexy or stoned, you decide!

The goal is to take all the existing songs we know that McCartney and the gang were working on during the recording sessions for the album. I will be taking all released, and unreleased tracks, assessing them on their own merits and out of that building a brand new Red Rose Speedway.

So what do I want to change here today? Well one of my immediate moves is to reverse one of the biggest missteps of the single disc was the display of apparent lack of faith in Denny Laine on lead vocal on the official album, or of the band in any capacity really. Along with more band jams this is less McCartney and Wings and more resoundly Wings.

Then there’s the overall sound of the album. This Wings double album will be much more of a rock orientated affair with much more of a focus on the input from guitarist Henry McCullough, and will add an edge to the band that would forever elude them. This will be a double-album that Henry would be proud to show his rocker friends, as opposed to his grandmother.

Thirdly, as you will have heard on our Wings at the Speed of Sound and Wings Over America episodes, one of Wings’ biggest early career blunders was their complete lack of a live presence on vinyl. Like the Beatles before them they were always better live and the original double disc had several live tracks that really rocked the house. You can also hear roaring crowds and applause abound which may go someway to improve their image as a band that you know…is liked.

Before we begin I do have to admit that I agree with McCartney in two ways when it comes to dragging up old songs out from the bottom of the barrel. Firstly, that some songs should just forever remain hidden to some extent, to keep the interest alive, and some songs just aren’t that good and deserved to be left on the cutting room floor. Those songs will be relegated to the same fate as Macca’s ‘Carnival of Lights’ except without any of the hype.

But without any further ado let us repair Red Rose Speedway…



My very own copy of Red Rose Speedway. Bought in Birmingham UK, 2016.

(Obviously we go into all of these songs that I am about to discuss down below in a lot more detail on episode 4 of ‘Paul or Nothing’ where I talk about the entire history of Red Rose Speedway, and more recently our first ‘Cold Cuts’ episode where I detail the more irregular McCartney releases.)

SIDE 1:

With side one I wanted to make a smoother transition from McCartney and Wings’ smaller country, folk-esque beginnings. This was chosen as it would blend the movements through RAM and Wild Life to just make it feel like it’s making more sense. The greatest, and possibly most obvious benefit of this decision, is that I get to put some of the strongest material at the start of the album where, at the time, would have counted the most, Wings are trying to course correct here so let’s do it with the best songs, and the songs with the most RAM in them. In fact all of the songs on side one have roots in McCartney’s psychedelic countryside classic. This gives the record a strong lead to hook fans who may have been a little unsure before about the quality of the band, without bombarding them with such a large, commercial detour too soon.





Big Barn Bed:



So I wanted to stick somewhat to the McCartney canon when creating this list, and there are some elements of the lore that you have to be faithful to, and the undeniable power of Big Barn Bed. You shouldn’t attempt to fix that which isn’t broken and I won’t. Paul knew how good this one was, and it’s always going to be the opener. Again, even though this song is only 7% RAM, that 7% gives it some real staying power, and it’s always been a crowd pleaser. Although the version from the Pure McCartney compilation with its louder and gruffer guitar sound would be used, as opposed to the overly acoustic original.

I Lie Around:

I make no secret that I think that ‘I Lie Around’ is one of the most tragically unremembered songs in the entire Wings discography. Denny Laine is here singing lead on the second song which goes against the whole Wings/Paul McCartney and Wings debacle. The band is clearly more democratic here, but not to the band’s detriment. It’s the album saying: this is Denny, and here’s a great song to go with him. I will admit that this is a little too personal, but history has to be re-written to some extent for this double album, one where ‘I Lie Around’ is a classic and ‘Junior’s Farm’ is the rightfully forgotten one.

Little Lamb Dragonfly:

I felt like we needed at least one sombre song on the first side, and fortunately I had this one, as ‘Little Lamb Dragonfly’ is just such a complete, ready to go, package. It could really go anywhere on the album. It’s no knockout classic, but its ability to convey genuine emotion, as well as its ever more sophisticated layering and harmonies was unparalleled for this period of the band.

Get On The Right Thing:

Again, like ‘Big Barn Bed’, this was never not going to be on side one. This is and always will be one of the standout tracks on the album, and what a way to end the first side, aye? In essence this song is a little more rewarding now that it comes a song later on the album, for me at least. The fact it follows the emotionally draining ‘Little Lamb Dragonfly’ as opposed to the saccharine ‘My Love’ means the song can have a much more bombastic and uplifting quality to it.



Oh my! The surprisingly risqué centrefold for Red Rose Speedway.

SIDE 2:

So following the RAM detour that was side one we have a side that can only be described as the kind of side the band was originally trying to go for. It is so all over the place it just about works. Again, there is no true, canon ‘Wings sound’ so if cohesion is what you’re after, this ain’t the band for you. This side shows the wide range of talents and styles the band can comfortably operate within, for good or for bad. But remember folks, that was meant to be the point of Red Rose Speedway, a very diverse range of songs that could potentially please any crowd, so I like to think there’s something for everyone here.

Live and Let Die:

I literally can’t think of a better way to start this side. You all know about this song, so do I even really need to sell it to you? It’s a freakin Bond song, one of the best for that matter. RIP Roger Moore. From those first classic piano coda’s you know how special this song is going to be, and to kick off side two with the massive sense of scale, and power just makes logistical sense. After this track there will be no one in 1972 England who wouldn’t be pumped up for the rest of the album after this track. This inclusion is also a financially motivated one. I know Paul doesn’t, or at least didn’t back then, like making people pay twice for the music, but the idea of not including this track on Red Rose Speedway in the present day would be seen as utter madness. The song was a phenomenal success and would have lent some credibility to the album, in a similar way that ‘Goodnight Tonight’ should have been on Back to the Egg, so again I am rectifying that mistake.

One More Kiss:

Make no mistake I am not this song’s biggest fan at all, but in the same vein as ‘Revolution 9’ and ‘Goodnight’ from The Beatles’ White Album, I just couldn’t resist the stark and jarring juxtaposition between such two different tracks as ‘Live and Die’ and ‘One More Kiss’. One is McCartney taking himself very seriously and trying to be a genre pushing badass, and this, well, this is the most twee and sentimental thing on the album. In terms of other songs potentially being in its place, it is the lesser of evils…that I occasionally feel is not completely without charm.

Night Out:

So we have our first ‘lost track’ appearing on side two, and it really is one of the best. I have no idea why this was left of the original release, to the extent where I consider it borderline criminal. The utterly infectious intro to this song sounds like a demented Marc Bolan track and it features a wicked riff and surprisingly perky, shouty chorus. Even though we only have rough mixes to go by, it’s clear this song had an energy and a pizzaz that was as of yet unseen on this album.

I Would Only Smile:

This alternate history now boasts not one, but two Denny Laine lead vocal performances. Right away this would paint a completely different picture of the band dynamic in this period. Perhaps if Wings (McCartney) had been more open to input from the rest of the group earlier on there would be less of a question whether the group was just his post-Beatles vehicle. This song was also a part of the Wings live repertoire during the 1972 tour so it would make sense to appear here. It’s not the best Denny Laine song, but it’s at least the quality of something like ‘Time to Hide’ or ‘Children Children’.

The Mess:

Very much like ‘Soily’ later on, these live Wings tracks are just custom built as bookends for other songs. Following that classical Wings “lets put on a big show” mantra, ‘The Mess’ once more offers us a window into the harder rock band that never was. Once more we would of had a more credible rock presence on display that could of allowed McCartney to achieve that ever unattainable dream of being a rock star instead of a pop star.

Another attempt at trying to make this album a lot cooler than it actually was.

SIDE 3:

So we are onto a whole new physical piece of vinyl, and to start off this new disc the idea was to create something which takes a break from all the democracy and hard rock soundscapes by allowing the man himself to do what he does best…indulge himself in silly love songs. Essentially this side, informally, could be referred to as ‘The Piano Side’, as it demonstrates to wide variety of tracks he can make whilst set in front of those familiar black and white keys. I picture this whole side being done in a stripped down live setting with Paul alone at the piano. Beautiful stuff.

My Love:

So, if we are going into pure McCartney mode then there was no other alternative than ‘My Love’. The hit single from the album, this song has been staple of Macca’s set lists ever since and sees him at his most romantically dorky. Rather than playing second fiddle to ‘Big Barn Bed’, I feel this song works much better as an opener; it makes you take notice of it a whole lot more, which befits its status as the leading single. It also makes the declarative statement to the eponymous “love” all the more powerful as it’s pushed right to the forefront.

Single Pigeon:

The song I will forever have a soft spot for. And to put it after My Love may seem risky at first, but the two songs compliment each other so instinctively to me. The first is the big, brash declaration of love, then Single Pigeon follows it up by a wholly shorter, more detailed, more introspective episode. There’s nothing wrong with two soppy McCartney numbers in a row, just so long as it is not the norm.

Jazz Street:

Another tragically unknown groover from the Red Rose Speedway sessions that just goes to show how much fun they were having experimenting with all types of songs and sounds. It was also nice to fit another instrumental track into this roomier double-disc. How can you not like a proper McCartney potboiler piano lick, backwards guitar loops in the form of an engrossing extended jam session. Wings truly are a band on this song. Theres no pretense, no bullshit, they just groove together.

Hold Me Tight/Lazy Dynamite/Hands of Love/Power Cut:

Now I know some people will question why I bothered to put the medley on this album when I left off other songs, but I’m telling you all that this was always going to make the cut and ‘When the Night’ never was, I too have my bias and I’m the one running this show. Yes, this medley has its detractors, again, myself partially included, but like so many McCartney numbers it fulfils its function well enough. I t still works as an album closer, but rather than being the very disappointing and muddled end of the entire album, it instead sits on the end of side three where it does a whole lot less damage. And anyway, at the end of the day ‘Power Cut’ is just so wonderful that it redeems the sluggish ‘Lazy Dynamite’ and I just had to include it.

My favourite covers for the My Love single. There were loads.

SIDE 4:

To round things off I wanted to create something a little more consistent in quality, but would once more showcase the many varying talents of the band. Here we have experimental prog, reggae, stoner rock and a big live jam. Wings has always been a mish mash of styles so it’s very hard to find themes for any particular album, although maybe this is just the part of the album that most accurately reflects the scattershot marijuana haze conditions that the album was recorded in.

Loup (The First Indian on the Moon):



I thought this would be the palette cleanser after the twiddly nonsense that is the medley at the end of side 3, making the avant-garde, space aged aspects of this song stand out all the clearer amidst the variety. This is another song that has warmed to me since my initial review on the podcast, and I must say for all of the original Red Rose Speedways flaws, it is certainly a much more interestingly puzzling song than people give it credit for.

C Moon:

I’m sticking C Moon on this album purely because it took me so damn long to come across C Moon of my own volition. This is one of the bands most delightfully laid back and silly affairs, and it quickly became a favourite of mine. However, as is the same with many B-sides (‘I Lie Around’, ‘The Mess’, ‘Little Woman Love’) this song was forever underrepresented except for obscure compilation albums. Plus its another kooky contrasting tonal shift from the quasi-epic journey of ‘Loup (The First Indian on the Moon’ to this chilled reggae outing.

Soily:

This is another one that was always going to find a new home here. Until Macca put this song on Wings Over America it remained a kind of bonus Easter Egg for fans who went to any of Wings early rock gigs. But now ‘Soily’ is officially a song over four years early, and can add to the already much more substantial number of rockers that the band had accumulated at this point. By this point I would like to think this has gone some way in solidifying the band as anything but armchair music, this was now stuff to move your feet to and jump around to.

Hi Hi Hi:



So I thought I would play it safe here by pre-emulating the fantastic closer from Wings Over America, except I swapped it around. Now in my alternate dimension the Wings giant live triple album now sports three tracks from Red Rose Speedway rather than one, and would have a nice poetic symmetry. This is another sure fire hit song that would have sat comfortably amidst a rockier double-album and the fact that there was even the remotest hint of a rebellious sense of ‘cool’ would have given the album, and the band as a whole, an extra dose of credibility with younger audiences.

Promotional shoot for Red Rose Speedway. Look how happy Henry looks.

So, what are we left with? Did anything not make the grade? Well, ‘When the Night’ and ‘Seaside Woman’ didn’t make the cut (sorry Linda), as well as more obscure tracks that just didn’t do anything for me like ‘Tragedy’, ‘Momma’s Little Girl’ and ‘1882 (live)’. In the end, I felt it was important not to just throw everything on the record for the sake of it as McCartney’s discography already has too much self indulgence going on, and the physical limitations of vinyl means there’s only so much room. Overall, I’d like to think I’ve picked the cream of the crop and reorganised the package into a more eclectic, yet cohesive experience.

So am I saying my version is better than what McCartney put out there? The Paul McCartney? Well, yes, yes I am. Look, I know as well as you do that Red Rose Speedway wasn’t perfect when it came out, and yet I will always have a soft spot for its mawkish sense of whimsy and kitsch fireside banality. And I wholeheartedly mean that in the best possible way. No irony. But the truth is whenever you listen to it you can all too easily spend too much time worrying about what could have been rather than really enjoying it. There are highs, yes, but it was the lows that made the rounds amongst fans.

This new album has such a grander and more amplified declaration of what this band is capable of, and it does the job it originally set out to do. This is an album that people would actually want to go out and buy. It’s not the quaint, dainty Red Rose Speedway from before, but instead a cornucopia of diverse and interesting songs. Many more of them have a distinct edge to them, with a greater focus on true rock sensibilities. This album would have been far more likely to strike it rich with those listeners eager to know whether their poorly received debut album Wild Life fiasco was just a one off hiccup.

Who knows? Maybe there is hope that in the future we will get a 50th anniversary edition of Red Rose Speedway akin to the recent Sgt. Pepper re-release, and that it will include the additions I have made here today (maybe more)*, but I wouldn’t hold your breath.

Let me know in the comments below whether you think I have successfully rebuilt Red Rose Speedway or not, or what changes you would have made yourself. You can also hit me up at paulmccartney@gmail.com to discuss anything Macca related.

You can find my Paul McCartney Podcast ‘Paul or Nothing’, on iTunes, YouTube and on other entries in this blog series.

Follow the show on Twitter @McCartneyPod.

*I know that edition would obviously include ‘When the Night’.