By AVA LIVERSIDGE
If you’re a fan of Wings or Paul McCartney, the fact that their live studio recording One Hand Clapping has only been available on bootleg since August of 1974 has not stopped you from reveling in it.
In fact, One Hand Clapping stands as one of the most widely bootlegged albums in all of music history.
And, on Friday, June 14, it will finally receive its proper due. McCartney, and the remaining Wings, will officially release the LP in its totality this Friday. Wings was founded in 1971 by McCartney, his wife Linda, who played keyboards, Denny Laine on guitar, and drummer Denny Seiwell.
Filmed and recorded at Abbey Road Studios by David Litchfield, the band initially set out to create a documentary and studio recording following the Goliathan success that was their third studio album Band on the Run (1973). Though never officially released, snippets of the film were used elsewhere in the band’s catalog, but the audio tapes remained largely untouched, at least by any label.
Part of the bootleg’s rapid proliferation can be attributed purely to the set list. The Wings arrived at the studio high off of their weeks-long run on top of UK album charts, and set out to play their hits. And not only did they play their hits, but they played with the confidence and tact that seven weeks at the top of your home country’s charts tends to inspire in artists.
Highlights include fan favorite renditions of “Jet,” “Live and Let Live,” and “Band on the Run,” plus a solo performance of the previously unreleased track “Blackpool.”
The long, long-awaited Wings live album One Hand Clapping, is out on all streaming platforms Friday, June 14.
Check out ‘One Hand Clapping’ tracks here:
