Review: Paul McCartney and Wings’ ‘One Hand Clapping’ Offers Cause for Applause

RATING CHART:
1 note – Pass
1.5 notes – Mediocre
2 notes – Average
2.5 notes – Above Average
3 notes – Good
3.5 notes – Great
4 notes – Excellent
4.5 notes – Exceptional
5 notes – Classic

PAUL McCARTNEY & WINGS
ONE HAND CLAPPING
(Capitol/UME)
🎵🎵🎵🎵

Often bootlegged but unavailable commercially until now, One Hand Clapping originally served as the soundtrack to a documentary detailing Paul McCartney and Wings’ seminal recordings in Studio 3 at London’s Abbey Road, the same studios used by the Beatles throughout their collective career. An obvious choice for Macca completists, it features early versions of songs that would later appear on subsequent albums, including Band on the Run.

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That said, the more than two dozen entries included on the double CD also retrace a handful of Beatles songs, including “Let It Be,” The Long and Winding Road,” and “Lady Madonna,” the latter two combined in the form of a medley. Other offerings include revisits to McCartney’s early solo work in the form of “Maybe I’m Amazed” and “Wild Life,” as well as singles sides, orphans and outcasts, among them, “Junior’s Farm,” “Sally G,” “C Moon/Little Woman Love,” “Soily,” and a song of special interest, “Let’s Love,” originally written for and covered by Peggy Lee.

Nevertheless, One Hand Clappings should not be considered a mere rehash. While the familiarity factor plays into the proceedings, it’s clear that the band—comprising Paul and Linda McCartney, the ever-faithful Denny Laine (his take on his signature song “Go Now” qualifies as one of the album highlights), guitarist Jimmy McCulloch, and drummer Geoff Britton—was merely tinkering around in the studio to rev up and renew themselves for the serious to come. These casual run-throughs have an air of impromptu spontaneity, offering added interest given that the stripped-down settings differ significantly from the glossy, dutifully arranged versions that came later.. 

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The two tossed-out covers—“Blue Moon of Kentucky” and “Baby Face”— further affirm the unguarded nature of the proceedings. Of course, the classics still stand out, and while these primary takes on “Jet,” “Band on the Run,” “Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five,” and “Let Me Roll It” may lack the polish and precision of the finished performances, they’re compelling.

Ultimately, One Hand Clapping offers cause for applause.

Photo by Wood/Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)