"Band on the Run" is the third studio album by Paul McCartney and Wings, released in December 1973. Although it's essentially a Paul McCartney album, featuring his wife Linda and Denny Laine as the only other full-time members of Wings, it's credited to Wings. The album was primarily recorded at EMI's studio in Lagos, Nigeria, as McCartney wanted to make an album in an exotic locale. However, shortly before departing for Lagos, two band members quit, leaving the group a trio.
Upon its release, the album was lauded for its music inventiveness and lyrical narratives. It became a commercial success topping the charts in both the UK and US, while yielding hits such as "Jet" and "Band on the Run." Not only did it re-establish McCartney's reputation after the disbanding of Beatles, but it also stands as McCartney's most successful album commercially and the most celebrated in his post-Beatles career.
Themes on the album range from crime and freedom to jet-setting hedonism. The title track, in particular, is a three-part suite that revisits the 1960s-era pop of the Beatles, while "Bluebird" is a distinctive ballad McCartney is known for. "Band on the Run" is considered a pop-rock classic, whose inventiveness and song-craft make it a high point in McCartney's distinguished catalogue.
In 1974, "Band on the Run" won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus, and was also nominated for Album of the Year. In 1993, it was remastered and reissued with several bonus tracks. A further remastered version, along with a deluxe edition, was released in November 2010.
