'Band On The Run' : Story Of An Album Quiz

Answer: Lagos, Nigeria

Nigeria was still under military rule when Wings arrived for the recording. As Pete Paphides of 'The Times' noted in August 2008: "That they stayed the course seems miraculous when you consider the departure of two band members and a knifepoint mugging in which the McCartneys had to surrender their album demos". Paphides included 'BOTR' in his guide to "the best albums of all time".

He noted: "In spite (or perhaps because) of such troubles, there isn't a weak link in here".

Answer: 1973

It was Macca's fifth album after leaving the Beatles, and the third outing for Wings. 'BOTR' was the best-selling album of 1974. At the time, John Landau of 'Rolling Stone' magazine called it: "The finest record yet released by any of the four musicians who were once called The Beatles". 'BOTR' was named as the 418th greatest album of all time by Rolling Stone magazine in December 2003.

In the UK in 2000, 'Q Magazine' placed 'BOTR' at number 75 in its list of the 100 best albums ever.

Answer: Two

In 1975 the album was awarded "Best Pop Vocal Performance By a Duo, Group or Chorus" and picked up the 'Best Engineered Recording, Non-Classical' award for Geoff E. Emerick.
Throughout his career, McCartney earned 27 Grammys (for solo work, with Wings, and with the Beatles) and an Oscar (for 'Let It Be'). The Beatles were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988, and McCartney (solo) in 1999.

Answer: Nineteen Hundred And Eighty Five

In fact, 'Zoo Gang' was the 'B' side in the UK, where it only reached No 3. McCartney claimed that the phrase "if we ever get out of here" in the song was one that George Harrison had used during a lengthy Apple Corps. board meeting. [Source: Nicholas Shaffner, 'The Beatles Forever']

Answer: Foo Fighters

It was the band's contribution to the album "Radio 1. Established 1967", a celebration of 40 years of Britain's foremost pop radio station. In June 2008, McCartney was joined onstage by 'Foo Fighters' founder and lead singer Dave Grohl for a performance of the song in Liverpool.

Answer: John Conteh

As well as the McCartneys and Denny Laine, others on the cover were: Michael Parkinson (chatshow host); Kenny Lynch (actor and singer); James Coburn (actor); Sir Clement Freud (broadcaster and Member of Parliament); and Christopher Lee (actor).
The photo was shot in October 1973 and was meant to portray the participants as escaping convicts caught in a spotlight against a prison wall. The wall was, in fact, that of a garden in Brentwood, England.

Answer: Pablo Picasso

It was called 'Picasso's Last Words (Drink To Me)'. "The grand old painter died last night/His paintings on the wall/Before he went he bade us well/And said goodnight to us all. Drink to me, drink to my health/You know I can't drink any more...". Picasso was born in Malaga, Spain in October 1881 and died in Mougins, France in April 1973.

He is best known as a co-founder of the Cubist movement and on the rare occasions they come on the market, Picasso originals sell for phenomenal prices. ( 'Garçon à la pipe' sold for $104 million at Sotheby's in May 2004).

Answer: Keyboards

Some critics were, frankly, disparaging about Linda McCartney's vocal and musical contributions to 'Wings'. She was, after all, a photographer by training but Macca kept faith with her. The renowned rock drummer Ginger Baker, who was living in Lagos at the time, played on one track.

Answer: Denny Laine

Laine was the longest serving of the Wings guitarists. He was in at the creation in 1971, along with drummer, Denny Seiwell. He was still there when Wings broke up in 1981. Henry McCullough also played with Wings. Seiwell and McCullough quit before 'BOTR'. Tim Renwick was lead guitarist with The Sutherland Brothers & Quiver. Do you really need to ask who George Harrison was?

Answer: Three

They were April 13 - April 19, 1974; June 8 - June 21, 1974 and July 6 - July 12, 1974. Sales of the album went Triple Platinum in the USA on November 27, 1991. Sales have topped three million, and it was one of the most downloaded albums from the iTunes Store.

Answer: Howie Casey

Casey was regarded as one of Britain's best ever tenor sax players. He appeared on numerous Beatles recordings. His initial background was in jazz, but he moved on to skiffle and had his own band 'Howie Casey and the Seniors'. After the less than successful initial recording of 'BOTR' in Lagos, Macca called Casey in to work on the London recording sessions. He was to be a long time sideman for Wings after that.

Ravenscroft was the man behind that memorable sax solo in Gerry Rafferty's song 'Baker Street'. Clemons was a key part of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band and John Coltrane was one of the greatest saxophonists of all time.

Answer: False

Of the nine tracks on the original UK 1973 album, all were by McCartney, except 'No Words' which was by McCartney and Denny Laine. The US album had a 10th song, "Helen Wheels'. 'The Paul McCartney Collection' of 16 albums in a boxed set, released in 1993, added 'Helen Wheels' and 'Country Dreamer' to the 'BOTR' line-up.

Answer: Two

They were 'Jet', backed by 'Let Me Roll It' and 'Band On The Run' backed by the instrumental 'Zoo Gang'. 'Zoo Gang' was not on the initial album (it was written for a TV show). 'BOTR' reached number three in the UK singles chart and 'Jet' reached number seven.

Answer: False

The single topped the US Billboard charts, but peaked at No 3 in the UK. The album reached number one in both countries. 'BOTR' was backed by 'Nineteen Hundred And Eight Five' in the USA. A second single, 'Jet', topped out at No 7 in both markets.

Answer: Bluebird

Writing in The Times in August 2008, Pete Paphides, the paper's chief rock critic, described 'Bluebird' (along with 'Mrs Vandebilt' and 'Picasso's Last Words') as "among Macca's most overlooked classics". 'Bluebird' was released as a single in continental Europe in 1974, but not in the UK or USA.