I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by Los Angeles-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
Album # 418
Album Title: Band on the RunArtist: Paul McCartney & Wings
Genre: Rock
Recorded: EMI & ARC Studios, Lagos, Nigeria and AIR Studios in London, UK
Released: December, 1973
My age at release: 8
How familiar was I with it before this week: Somewhat
Song I am putting on my Spotify Mix: Let Me Roll It
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| Band on the Run Album Cover - Paul McCartney & Wings |
In a recent study, popular music was used with patients suffering from brain injuries to help them recall personal memories. The researchers, Amee Baird and Severine Samson, are the first to explore Music Evoked Autobiographical Memories (MEAMs) and have since expanded their studies to include patients suffering from Alzheimer's Disease and other forms of late-stage dementia. Music, it seems, engages broad neural networks, tapping into emotions, motor skills, creativity and memories. Consequently, it is being considered as a nonpharmacological treatment. Interestingly, these neural connections stay purer when a song has not been heard for years. This makes sense. Songs that are frequently played would constantly update these pathways and dilute the impact because other memories would take their place.
During my blog preparation, as the opening guitar lick to the title song from the Band on the Run album played on my stereo, I experienced a MEAM. I was transported to what Baird and Samson have called "an island of recollection" -- a mental state where memories fuse with emotions and senses, creating a rich, nostalgic experience.
A hot summer day in 1974 found me in the passenger seat of the family car. My father had stopped for gas at a rest-stop on the 401 highway -- the major thoroughfare that connects Detroit to Quebec, threading through many of the heavily populated cities of Southern Ontario.
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| 401 Highway (St. Catharines & Kingsville Shown) |
The two of us were travelling from St. Catharines, where I had lived for the past three years, to our new home in Kingsville. Perhaps to soften the blow of this transition, I had been told that there was a cabin on our new property and it was mine to use as a clubhouse. As I chewed gum, deep in thought about this structure ("Will it be a shanty or a chalet"?) the song Band on the Run began to play on the radio.
Suddenly, I felt something shift in my mouth and I realized I had cracked a tooth. There was no pain or blood, just a hunk of enamel mingled with my bubble gum. For reasons I still don't understand, I thought I would be in trouble. I wasn't. My dad examined my gnashers and reassured me that I'd be fine until I could see a dentist.
Fast forward to today and, as the familiar notes played, that moment sparked in my head. It was a quick, but powerful, MEAM that brought back everything -- the heat of the summer asphalt, the smell of gasoline, the taste of the gum, a vague feeling of optimism tinged with a sudden burst of worry. It was fleeting, but everything was there. Later, I replayed the song and the moment failed to return. I've experienced this perplexing phenomenon before and find it utterly fascinating. Thanks to the research of Baird and Samson, I'm starting to understand it better.
The Record
Band on the Run is the third studio album from Paul McCartney and his band Wings. It is the best selling and most celebrated of all McCartney's post-Beatle recordings. However, the story behind the music was tumultuous and rife with complications.
McCartney and his wife Linda wanted to record the album in "a glamorous, tropical location." It was their intention to be "creatively inspired" by a remote locale -- sunbathing on a beach during the day and recording at night. Unwisely, they chose EMI's studios in Lagos, Nigeria, a country still reeling from a recent civil war and run by a corrupt military dictatorship.
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| Country of Nigeria in Western Africa |
Days before the band departed, the drummer and guitarist quit and, upon arriving, the McCartneys and bass player Denny Laine found the studio well below standards. A few days later, Linda and Paul were robbed at knifepoint and among the items stolen were hand-written lyrics and cassettes containing demo-recordings of songs.
Shortly after, while recording his vocals, Paul began wheezing and could not catch his breath. He went outside for air and the intense heat exacerbated his condition and he collapsed. His wife panicked, thinking he had suffered a heart attack. Later, in hospital, it was revealed that he had experienced a bronchial spasm brought on by too much smoking.
Afrobeat legend and political activist Fema Kuti raised concerns that the band's visit might have ulterior intentions and that the McCartneys intended to appropriate African music and add it to their sound. These accusations were withdrawn after Kuti was invited to the studio to hear the recordings. Apparently, during the visit, Kuti made amends by sharing a joint that Paul later stated, was "the strongest marijuana he had ever smoked".
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| Linda & Paul McCartney in studio with Fela Kuti |
The band eventually returned to England to finish the record at George Martin's AIR studio in London. However, as a gesture of goodwill, McCartney left behind the audio equipment they had purchased for the studio, including a state-of-the-art soundboard.
And if you were wondering, the tooth was an easy repair and the cabin was more "chalet than shack". Perched on a bluff overlooking Lake Erie, it was a clubhouse to me and my friends for the 6 years I lived there.
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