Credit: Robert Ellis

Paul McCartney announces new book ‘Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run’

Wed 26 February 2025 17:46, UK

Paul McCartney has announced he will release a brand new book this coming autumn, chronicling his career with Wings in the 1970s.

Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run will be an oral history of the group’s journey, from their genesis in 1971, following the break up of The Beatles, to their emergence as sonic innovators in the ensuing decade with hits like ‘Let Me Roll It’.

Formed alongside guitarist Denny Laine and McCartney’s then-wife, keyboardist Linda McCartney, Wings marked somewhat of a career crossroads for McCartney, who hadn’t been exposed to the infancy of a musical project since the early Beatles days in The Cavern Club in the 1950s.

“I’m so very happy to be transported back to the time that was Wings and relive some of our madcap adventures through this book,” McCartney said in a press release from Penguin.

“Starting from scratch after The Beatles felt crazy at times. There were some very difficult moments and I often questioned my decision. But as we got better I thought, ‘OK this is really good.’ We proved Wings could be a really good band. To play to huge audiences in the same way The Beatles had and have an impact in a different way. It was a huge buzz”.

The book combines over half a million words and countless hours of interviews, as well as over 100 never-before-seen photographs of the band. Weaving together tales of studio recordings and live performances on the fraught societal backdrop of 1970s Britain, the book will bid to shed “new light on the immediate aftermath and seismic global impact of The Beatles’ break-up”.

The release of Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run will be part of a “larger reexamination and appreciation of the group and their catalogue” which is set to feature the 50th anniversary editions of the Wings albums Band on the Run and Venus and Mars, scheduled for release in February and March respectively.

Additionally, Academy Award-winning filmmaker Morgan Neville will produce a forthcoming documentary on Paul McCartney’s solo and Wings-related musical work of the 1970s.

Wings: The Story Of A Band On The Run will be available to pre-order at a later date and is set for official release on November 4th, 2025.