Recorded: February 1977 – January 1978
Producer: Paul McCartney
Released: 31 March 1978 (UK), 27 March 1978 (US)
Paul McCartney: vocals, guitar, bass guitar, keyboards, violin, autoharp, recorder, flageolet, Mellotron, Gizmo, drums
Linda McCartney: vocals, keyboards
Denny Laine: vocals, guitar, recorder, flageolet, keyboards
Jimmy McCulloch: vocals, guitar
Joe English: drums
Tracklisting:
London Town
Cafe On The Left Bank
I'm Carrying
Backwards Traveller
Cuff Link
Children Children
Girlfriend
I've Had Enough
With A Little Luck
Famous Groupies
Deliver Your Children
Name And Address
Don't Let It Bring You Down
Morse Moose And The Grey Goose
The penultimate Wings album was recorded throughout much of 1977 and released the following year.
While McCartney was accustomed to working quickly, the recording of London Town was protracted due to various reasons, some beyond his control. His wife Linda found she was pregnant with their third child, and Wings' drummer Joe English and guitarist Jimmy McCulloch both left the group.
Five songs on London Town – the title track, Children Children, Don't Let It Bring You Down, Deliver Your Children and Morse Moose And The Grey Goose – were written by McCartney and Laine. Another song, Girlfriend, was written by McCartney for Michael Jackson, who recorded it for his 1979 album Off The Wall.
In the studio
Having completed their world your in October 1976, Wings took a three-month break before reconvening at Abbey Road on 7 February 1977. Six groups of sessions followed throughout the year, one of which was devoted mainly to the non-album song Mull Of Kintyre.
EMI Studios: 7 February – 31 March 1977
The first set of sessions lasted until 19 February; the following day Paul and Linda left England for a two-week holiday in Jamaica. These sessions saw pre-production for the album with Pete Henderson engineering.
Geoff Emerick, who had worked extensively with McCartney since The Beatles' days, took over after the Jamaican break. At least three songs were recorded before 31 March: London Town, Deliver Your Children, and Girls' School, the b-side of the standalone Mull Of Kintyre single.
Fair Carol: 2-31 May 1977
On 30 April the group relocated for the second set of sessions, which took place on the Fair Carol, a motor yacht stationed at Watermelon Bay in St John's in the Virgin Islands. Most of Wings lived on another boad, the Samala, while the McCartneys stayed on the El Toro.
We hired a charter boat that people use for holidays. The captain went spare when he saw all the instruments. We remodelled his boat for him, which he wasn't too keen on. We converted his lounge into a studio and we turned another deck into a sound control room, and it was fantastic! We had a recording boat and two others we stayed on. We didn't have any problems with salt water in the machines or sharks attacking us. At night, there was much merriment, leaping from top decks into uncharted waters and stuff. I had a couple too many one night and nearly broke something jumping from one boat to another. But then you always break yourself up on holiday. The studio worked out incredible well and the very first day we got a track down. There was a nice free feeling. We'd swim in the day and record at night.
Melody Maker, November 1977
The Virgin Islands was Emerick's idea; he had recently worked in Hawaii with the group America, albeit in a land-based studio. Inspired by the setting, the group toyed with using the title Water Wings for the forthcoming album.
Wings arrived in the Virgin Islands on 1 May, and began recording on the following day. The sessions lasted until the end of the month, with the bulk of 13 songs being taped. The group typically worked in the mornings and evenings, using 24-track equipment belonging to the Record Plant West in Los Angeles.
The first song to be recorded aboard the Fair Carol was Cafe On The Left Bank. Also recorded were I'm Carrying, I've Had Enough, With A Little Luck, Famous Groupies, Don't Let It Bring You Down and Morse Moose And The Grey Goose, plus six unreleased songs: Boil Crisis, El Toro Passing, Running Round The Room, Standing Very Still, After You've Gone and Fairy Tale.
The stay in the Virgin Islands wasn't without incident. US Customs officials raided the three boats in a search for marijuana. Although no arrests were made, an official warning was given.
Furthermore, various ailments beset the group during their stay. McCartney cut his knee and bruised a leg, Laine experienced severe sunburn, and McCulloch injured a knee and suffered temporary deafness in one ear. Sound engineer Geoff Emerick electrocuted his foot, and Alan Crowder of McCartney's management company MPL slipped on a stairway and broke his heel.
Spirit of Ranachan Studio: August 1977
Following the Virgin Island sessions, Wings took a break until August 1977, when they reconvened in the Spirit of Ranachan Studio in Campbeltown, Scotland. The studio was a converted barn owned by McCartney which housed a 24-track mobile recording unit.
Much of the time in Scotland was spent working on Mull Of Kintyre. Jimmy McCulloch did not participate in the sessions, although joining the group on bagpipes for what became Wings' biggest hit were the Campbeltown Pipe Band.
Also completed during the Campbeltown sessions was Girls' School. Wings also re-recorded the punk rock-inspired Boil Crisis, but McCartney decided it should remain unreleased.
EMI Studios: 25 October – 1 December 1977
A lengthy break separated the Scottish sessions and Wings' return to Abbey Road, due to the birth on 12 September of James Louis McCartney, Paul and Linda's first and only son.
Jimmy McCulloch had officially left the group by this time, to join the reformed Small Faces. During the EMI sessions Joe English also left Wings, leaving them a trio once again with the core line-up of McCartney, McCartney and Laine.
Six songs were recorded: Backwards Traveller, Cuff Link, Children Children, Girlfriend, Name And Address and the unreleased Waterspout.
AIR Studios: 3-14 December 1977
No new songs were recorded at George Martin's AIR Studios in London towards the end of 1977. Instead, the sessions were for overdubs to the previously-recorded tracks, including the string arrangements.
EMI Studios: 4-23 January 1978
The final set of recordings for London Town took place once again at EMI Studios, Abbey Road. Finishing touches were added to the album with the help of arrangers Will Malone, Mike Vickers and Bobby Richards. The work included the addition of McCartney's lead vocals to I've Had Enough, the backing track for which had been recorded in Watermelon Bay, and the mixing of the entire album.
Cover artwork
The artwork and photography for London Town were credited to the McCartneys and Laine, with art coordination by Aubrey Powell and George Hardie. Additional photography was by Henry Diltz and Graham Hughes.
The inner sleeve for London Town had the lyrics for the songs and a repeated image of Tower Bridge. The album also came with a double sided 33"x23" poster and a postcard. None of the artwork featured Joe English or Jimmy McCulloch.
The release
The single With A Little Luck, with Backwards Traveller/Cuff Link on the b-side, was released ahead of London Town in March 1978. It topped the US Billboard Hot 100, and peaked at number five in the UK.
London Town followed a week later. In the US it reached number two on the Billboard 200, on which it spent a total of 28 weeks. In the UK its highest position was number four, and it spent 23 weeks on the album chart.
A second single, London Town/I'm Carrying, was issued in August 1978. It fared badly in the charts, peaking at number 39 in the US and number 60 in the UK.
London Town was released on compact disc for the first time in August 1989, with Girls' School as a bonus track. The album was remastered and reissued in April 1993, with Girls' School and Mull Of Kintyre as extras.
Denny Laine also co-wrote ‘Deliver Your Children’.
Thanks Albert.
Whilst London Town is not Wings greatest album I have fond memories of when it was released. Likewise there are songs on this I really love. The title track London Town is a beautiful number. With a Little Luck was a huge hit and I instantly loved it when it was released. I’ve Had Enough is a great rocker.
This is up there with Band On The Run for me. It may just be sentimental reasons but I love this album.
I’m Carrying alone makes this essential. Intensely moving, simple, not a note or a breath wasted. Perfect work of art.
All songs on this album are good, I mean good enough to deserve to be on a Beatles album. The melodies are fantastic, the song “London town” and “I’m carrying”, “Girlfriend” etc…This album really moves me, in the same way “ram” does. Paul was really inspired then, the trouble with paul seems to be that he never has enough brilliant material for one LP to stand on its own as a masterpiece. But this album is exceptional, containing a great variety of styles. Although it was released in 78, there’s no disco influence here, it’s pure handicraft, Remember 78, Beatle people? Ringo released “bad boy”, George released nothing and John had retired. “London town” the album is one of the best Mc Cartney’s albums, very few fillers here, even better than “Band on the run”.
The US version did not contain the postcard did it? Just the UK I think.
No postcard in mine, which I bought in July 1978. The poster was fun, though.
No disco on “London Town” He save that for “Goodnight Tonight” he recorded in 1978 but released it in 1979.
I think it’s so good because he made it for himself.