乐团上路 (1973)

Band on the Run is the third studio album by the British rock band Paul McCartney and Wings, released on 30 November 1973 in the United Kingdom and 5 December 1973 in the United States. It was Paul McCartney's fifth album after leaving the Beatles in April 1970 and his final album on Apple Records. A rock and pop rock album, Band on the Run's songs reflect themes of escape and freedom.

The album was mostly recorded at EMI's studio in Lagos, Nigeria, as McCartney wanted to make an album in an exotic location. Shortly before departing for Lagos, drummer Denny Seiwell and guitarist Henry McCullough left the group. With no time to recruit replacements, McCartney went into the studio with just his wife Linda and Denny Laine. McCartney therefore played bass, drums, percussion and most of the lead guitar parts. The studio was of poor quality, and conditions in Nigeria were tense and difficult; the McCartneys were robbed at knifepoint, losing a bag of song lyrics and demo tapes. After the band returned to England, they completed final overdubs and further recording in London, mostly at AIR Studios. Clive Arrowsmith's cover photograph, shot at Osterley Park, West London, depicts the McCartneys and Laine with six celebrities dressed as convicts, and posed as though caught by a prison searchlight.

Although sales were modest initially, its commercial performance was aided by two hit singles – "Jet" and "Band on the Run". McCartney did not want any singles, but agreed because of modest sales. At Capitol Records' request, the non-album single "Helen Wheels" was added to the American version of the album for commercial reasons. Enhanced by the success of the singles, Band on the Run topped the album charts in the UK and the US and became the top-selling studio album of 1974 in the UK and Australia. It remains McCartney's most successful album.

After a string of poorly received projects, Band on the Run revitalised McCartney's critical standing, becoming his best-reviewed album following the break-up of the Beatles. It remains celebrated as one of McCartney's best solo albums and one of the best by a Beatle. It appeared on lists of the greatest albums of all time by Rolling Stone in 2012 and by NME in 2013. The album has been reissued numerous times with bonus tracks, most recently in 2024 for its 50th anniversary.

Background

By 1973, three years after the break-up of the Beatles, Paul McCartney had yet to regain his artistic credibility or find favour with some music critics for his post-Beatles work. After completing a successful UK tour with his band Wings in July 1973, he planned their third album as a means to re-establish himself after the mixed reception given to Wild Life (1971) and Red Rose Speedway (1973).