Paul McCartney & Wings 50 year old documentary ‘One Hand Clapping’ will be seen worldwide in cinemas for the first time in September.
‘One Hand Clapping’ was filmed at Abbey Road over four days in 1974 while McCartney was testing his new Wings line-up for a world tour.
“It’s so great to look back on that period and see the little live show we did. We made a pretty good noise actually! It was a great time for the band, we started to have success with Wings, which had been a long time coming,” McCartney said.
The movie was directed by David Litchfield and the film provides an insight into the inner workings of the band as they work and play together in the studio. Including performances of tracks from Wings masterpiece Band on the Run (released in 1973), intimate footage of the band hanging out in the studio, combined with audio interview snippets, the film also includes previously unreleased in full footage of a solo acoustic performance by Paul called The Backyard Sessions.
Paul McCartney has filmed a new video introduction for the cinema audience in September.
One Hand Clapping showcased Wings’ new line-up, fresh off their return from Nashville where they recorded the classic single “Junior’s Farm”. Following the sudden departure of Denny Seiwell and Henry McCullough the previous year on the eve of recording the Wings masterpiece, released the year previously, Band on the Run, Paul (vocals, bass, piano, electric piano, Hammond organ, celeste, harmonium, acoustic guitar), Linda (Moog, electric piano, Mellotron, tambourine, backing vocals) and Denny Laine (vocals, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, bass) were now joined by guitarist Jimmy McCulloch and drummer Geoff Britton. Additionally joining the band in the studio were orchestral arranger Del Newman and saxophonist Howie Casey, who had previously played with Paul in Hamburg and would go on to join the Wings touring band.
Opening with an instrumental jam that would become the One Hand Clapping theme song, the intimate film features live-in-studio renditions of Wings classics, including “Live and Let Die”, “Band on the Run”, “Jet” and “My Love”. During the film Paul talks about his enjoyment at working in a band, his writing process and how he thought at 14 he might have a future as a cabaret singer. We hear from band members about their experience of being part of Wings and working with Paul. Paul is seen performing side by side with Linda and there are even some impressive Karate displays by drummer Geoff Britton.
One Hand Clapping serves as a celebration of the enduring legacy of Paul McCartney and Wings. It captured a moment when Wings had found and defined their signature sound – just as Paul had shaped popular culture the decade before with The Beatles, he was doing it once again in the 70s with Wings. This documentary gives an insight into the inner workings of the band as they work and play together in the studio.
The film, an intimate look at the recording, originally shot on 1970s videotape, has been scanned and restored at 4K. The between song dialogue has been de-mixed using Wingnut’s MAL software and the film features a new Dolby Atmos audio mix by Steve Orchard and Giles Martin.
Released in June, the album One Hand Clapping opens with an instrumental jam – the One Hand Clapping theme song. The album features live-in-studio renditions of Wings mega-hits “Live and Let Die,” “Band on the Run,” “Jet,” “My Love,” “Hi, Hi, Hi,” “Junior’s Farm,” Paul McCartney’s much loved solo song “Maybe I’m Amazed,” reworked extracts of Beatles’ classics “Let It Be,” “The Long and Winding Road,” and “Lady Madonna,” the Moody Blues’ hit “Go Now” with Denny Laine singing, and a Paul solo piano version of the Harry Akst/Benny Davis Tin Pan Alley classic “Baby Face.”
TICKETS ON SALE STARTING 16th AUGUST AT ONEHANDCLAPPING.FILM
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