Revisit Oobu Joobu, the radio show hosted by Paul McCartney
Alongside John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney changed the face of popular music more so than any other contemporary or subsequent act over the 1960s. The Beatles began their mission thrashing out lovelorn ditties in the Cavern Club and ended it cowering from the press at Apple Corps dressed like the Scooby-Doo cast singing about yellow submarines, meter maids, walruses, tangerine trees and marmalade skies.
The ubiquitous divinity surrounding the foursome is such that many of us feel we experienced the rollercoaster ride alongside The Beatles as we listen to their unparalleled oeuvre. The band split up in 1970, and after the tears dried, attention dispersed as we welcomed the stars of glamorous and progressive rock.
Following the split, The Beatles’ power was divided into four sparring solo careers. Or at least, this is how the post-Beatles climate was often publicised. Deep down, the group remained in each other’s fondest thoughts amid some apparent friendly rivalry.
McCartney’s post-Beatles activity saw him embark on several landmark solo exploits and some sterling output with Wings. In the ’70s, his focus shifted to family, but from his Scottish farmland retreat, he and his wife Linda kept things musical, pumping out seven Wings albums over the decade.
After Wings disbanded in 1981, Linda remained a common feature of her husband’s live shows alongside her animal rights activism and business exploits heading up Linda McCartney Foods.
Tragically, Linda was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1995 and died from the disease three years later, aged 56. At around the time of her diagnosis, Paul took up residency at the New York City radio station Westwood One. His recurring show was named Oobu Joobu, inspired by a BBC production of Alfred Jarry’s play, Ubu Cocu.
During the show’s 15 episodes, the former Beatle would introduce, play and discuss an array of demos, rehearsal tapes, live recordings and some of his own unreleased recordings.
Below, we introduce you to the archival recordings of the first two episodes. In the first instalment, McCartney goes old-school with Little Richard, tells a story about his father and plays some rare, unreleased music written by his wife, Linda. In the second episode, he returns to his roots with ‘Cumberland Gap’ by The Quarrymen and funks things up with James Brown and Talking Heads.
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