Sorry for the quality of these pictures...the camera had to be hidden in my pants to avoid the search at the entrance and the pictures were taken in secret to avoid the "security"
It was McCartney's first major tour outing in ten years, since Wings UK Tour 1979, and his first appearances in North America in thirteen years, since the 1976 Wings Over America Tour. It was also his first tour under his name.
The tour was documented by the 1990 live albums Tripping the Live Fantastic and Tripping the Live Fantastic: Highlights!,
and
the 1991 concert film Get Back.
A one-hour tour documentary & From Rio to Liverpool.
Tour band
Paul McCartney – lead vocals, guitars (acoustic, electric and bass), keyboards Linda McCartney – backing vocals, keyboards, percussion Hamish Stuart – backing vocals, guitars (acoustic, electric and bass) Robbie McIntosh – backing vocals, electric guitar Paul "Wix" Wickens – backing vocals, keyboards Chris Whitten – drums, percussion
related bootleg : Paul McCartney & Wings – Belgium 1972
Cine Roma, Antwerp, Belgium – August 22nd, 1972
Disc 1 (61:00): rock intro / Eat At Home, Smile Away, Bip Bop, Mumbo, Blue Moon Of Kentucky, 1882, I Would Only Smile, The Mess, Best Friend, Soily, I Am Your Singer, Seaside Woman, Say You Don’t Mind, Henry’s Blues, Give Ireland Back To The Irish, Cottonfields
Disc 2 (32:21): My Love, Mary Had A Little Lamb, Maybe I’m Amazed, Hi Hi Hi, Long Tall Sally. Bonus tracks: Best Friend #1 (acoustic guitar overdubs), Best Friend #2 (backing vocals / harmony / guitar overdubs), Best Friend #3 (alternate mix)
Wings’ Antwerp show is perhaps the definitive recording of the definitive show from their first line up. The audience recording has been in almost constant circulation for close to forty years, first pressed on Belgium 1972. “Best Friend” was used for the various incarnations of the Cold Cuts project that was never issued, and an incomplete, very good soundboard recording has been issued before on Cottonfields (GEMA 2325) in 1990, I Am Your Singer (Living Legend LLRCD 087) issued in 1991, Got Any Toothpicks? (Madman 72) in 1998 and most recently as bonus tracks on Birds On The Wings(Misterclaudel MCCD-65/66).
Voxx edited the soundboard recording with the audience to form a complete show. The edits are frequent since they edited all of the between-song banter not found on the soundboard tape, but they are very smooth and seamless and are not a distraction. The difference in sound quality between the two is also not an issue.
The show starts off with the audience recording which runs until the soundboard picks up with “Best Friend.” The soundboard picks up there and runs through “My Love.” The audience then picks up and runs to the end of the show.
Antwerp, along with the show from the Hague in Amsterdam, are among the best shows from the tour. Not only do the occur at the end where they are becoming a tight live act, but the band is aware they are recording the shows professionally for release and are determined to deliver a great concert.
The opening salvo is playful, getting the audience into a festive mood including a fun version of “Bip Bop.” It is an absurd song and one that McCartney would soon abandon and never play it again. The new song “1882” slows the show down, both for the slow tempo of the tune and for the surreal, depressing lyrics. Denny Laine’s “I Would Only Smile” is a nice pop confection which restores the energy level.
The soundboard recording thankfully preserves the best part of the show. “Best Friend” is good enough for consideration of an official release, but also “Seaside Woman” sounds tight, joyous and in tune. The soundboard also captures a very rare performance of Lead Belly’s “Cotton Fields.” In some shows they would play a bit of “Turkey In The Straw,” but they are lead into an impromptu performance of the classic. This is the only time Wings performed this number.
The show ends with “Hi Hi Hi” with “Long Tall Sally” as the only encore. Voxx include also the various versions of “Best Friend” from this show including extra overdubs. Belgium 1972 is packaged in a gorgeous cardboard gatefold sleeve made of glossy paper with extensive liner notes in the middle. This is the definitive version of one of the definitive shows from one of the first Wings’
related bootleg Got Any Toothpicks ? - Live in Antwerp, Belgium 1972
Got Any Toothpicks ? - Live in Antwerp, Belgium 1972
1 Best Friend 4:09
2 Soily 4:11
3 I Am Your Singer 3:22
4 Seaside Woman 4:04
5 Say You Don't Mind 3:21
6 Henry's Blue 6:33
7 Give Ireland Back To The Irish 3:30
8 Cottonfields 3:23
9 My Love 4:40
Tracks 1-19: Cine Rome, Antwerp, Belgium, 22 August 1972
10 Henry's Blue 6:5 (Concertgebouw In Amsterdam On August 20, 1972)
11 1182 6:28 (Live In The Hague)
12 Wild Life 2:20 (Live In The Hague)
13 Hi, Hi, Hi 2:28 (Live In The Hague)
14 Complain To The Queen 1.23
Details : And where does the title come from ? ... well, it's the opening words on the disc, spoken by Linda.
Liner Notes : "Wings Over Europe" hit the road in early July 1972, playing twenty-plus shows by the time the tour wrapped up at the end of August. The set list consisted of a mix of previously released McCartney/Wings tunes as well as providing a showcase for new material scheduled to be included on the group's forthcoming LP. Unfortunately, by the time 'Red Rose Speedway' hit the racks, it had been trimmed to a single disc of studio material, leaving the live recordings and a handful of outtakes by the wayside.
All of the recordings assembled here come from the last few dates on the tour, when the tapes were rolling...
This collection of highlights from the first "official" tour, opens with a portion of Wings'show at the Cine Roma in Antwerp, Belgium on 22nd August 1972. The tape picks up with the last number of the first set, 'Best Friend'. It was this performance that has served as the basic track for all the different versions prepared for the never issued "Cold Cuts" collection. The majority of the second set is also included with an added bonus. For the only time on the tour, Paul and Co. performed the Leadbelly standard "Cottonfields", a huge European hit for the Beach Boys in 1970.
"Hi, Hi, Hi" and 'Wild Life" both come from the soundtrack of the uncompleted MPL film project, The Bruce McMouse Show. These performances were captured at the Congresgebouw in The Hague on 21st August 1972. Also originating from this concert is Wings performance of "1882", an unreleased track originally slated to be included on "Red Rose Speedway". The version appearing here consists of the live recording after being subjected to additional studio overdubs, most noticeably additional vocals from Paul. On a side note, the commercially released live recording of "The Mess" was also recorded at this performance.
As Wings was a "real band" opposed to just being Paul's backing group, each member was afforded a solo spot during the show. "Henry's Blue", a lengthy, droning 12-bar, complete with unintelligible lyrics served as lead guitarist Henry McCullough's contribution. The second version on this collection comes from Wings appearance at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam on 20th August 1972. Also recorded this day was an interview for the Dutch radio program, "Popsmuk". To close the broadcast, Paul, Linda and Denny Laine huddled around Henry at the piano and offered an improvised performance entitled "Complain To The Queen".
As previously noted, these recordings represent Paul in a rare democratic 'group' setting, certainly the only time this situation has existed outside of the Beatles. Not surprisingly, this period was also Wings least successful in a commercial sense, forcing Paul to the fore on the "Red Rose Speedway" LP, evidenced by the 'Paul McCartney and Wings' moniker on the cover. This disc contains several of the surviving documents of that era.
related bootleg Paul McCartney & Wings – Cottonfields
Best Friend
Soily
I Am Your Singer
Seaside Woman
Say You Don't Mind
Henry's Blues
Give Ireland Back To The Irish
Cottonfields
My Love
This live performance from Wings was part of their European Tour that took place in July and August 1972.
It seems that the opening track Best Friend is still unreleased today. The song Seaside Woman is performed by Linda McCartney who also sings with Paul on I Am Your Singer. Denny Laine performs Say You Don't Mind and Wings' guitarist Henry McCullough plays Henry's Blues. Paul and the band performGive Ireland Back To The Irish which is the latest single from Wings at that date. They also play this strange title,Cottonfields, which doesn't seem to be a McCartney's composition. Paul finally ends the show with a cover of My Love which is unreleased at that date.
There aren't many because my camera was a very small one (pocket), with bulb flashes...and I wasn't too fortunate to buy many rolls of film so......sorry for the poor quality.
Setlist Cine Rome, Antwerp, Belgium - 22nd August 1972
Cine Rome, Antwerp, Belgium - 22nd August 1972
Coming on the heels of a tour of the universities, the Wings Over Europe Tour was intended to promote recent singles "Give Ireland Back tothe Irish"and "Mary Had a Little Lamb"
Setlist
Introduction/Eat At Home Smile Away Bip Bop Mumbo Blue Moon Of Kentucky 1882 I Would Only Smile The Mess
break
Best Friend I Am Your Singer Seaside Woman
Say You don't Mind
Give Ireland Back To The Irish
Cottonfields My Love Mary Had A Little Lamb Maybe I'm Amazed Hi Hi Hi Long Tall Sally
The band, with the McCartney children and their road crew, loaded up in a brightly coloured double decker bus for the tour of the continent. The tour proceeded largely without incident, but on 10 August in Gothenburg, Sweden, Paul and Linda McCartney were fined US$1,200 for possession of marijuana. Paul joked that the incident would “make good publicity” for the tour.
Wings' lineup for the tour was Paul and Linda McCartney, Denny Laine, Henry McCullough, and Denny Seiwe
some photos some bad, some very bad and in the end better and better, since cameras are allowed now
and other souvenirs
I hope you will enjoy these pages as much as I enjoyed meeting and listening to Paul.
*PAUL McCARTNEY'S MUSIC IS AN ENCYCLOPEDIA OF STYLES AND GENRES
*Paul McCartney is a singer, songwriter, painter, classical composer, avant-garde instrumentalist, occasional actor, activist, family guy and keeper of one of the greatest musical legacies of the past century.
*It goes without saying that Paul has written countless hit singles, orchestral scores, electronica works, film themes, and has consistently changed the world with his music. Listed by the Guinness Book of World Records as the World’s Most Successful Composer and Recording Artist of All Time, Oh, and there's that ex-Beatle thing.
*"Paul McCartney, what a gift to the world"........
