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Paul McCartney’s Wings Oral History Details His Post-Beatles Collapse, Comeback and Creative Future

Released November 4, the book compiles fresh interviews to chart his reinvention through Wings, with McCartney saying he has 25 songs nearing completion.

Overview

  • McCartney writes he felt "in so many ways... dead" as The Beatles split, citing draining legal battles and the resurfaced 1969 "Paul is dead" rumor.
  • He recounts retreating with Linda and daughter Mary to a Scottish farm to reset his life, then suing in 1970 to dissolve The Beatles’ partnership, a decision later backed by a London court.
  • The oral history tracks Wings’ early criticism and impromptu university gigs through to blockbuster success with Band on the Run and the UK record-setting single Mull of Kintyre.
  • He describes a Lagos mugging during the Band on the Run sessions in which demo cassettes were stolen, forcing him to reconstruct songs from memory.
  • New passages include his account of learning of John Lennon’s 1980 killing and his note that he is actively finishing about 25 new songs.