Wednesday 25 October 1978 | Stereo mixing | Studio Two, Abbey Road Studios, London
On 25 October 1978, stereo rough mixes were made of “Rockestra Theme” and “So Glad to See You Here” during work on Wings’ Back to the Egg. The session took place in Studio Two at Abbey Road, with Paul McCartney and Chris Thomas credited as producers.
Neither of these particular mixes was used on the album. That does not mean the songs were rejected: both appeared on Back to the Egg in other mixes.
The session therefore belongs to the production history between recording and release. It was not the original gathering of the Rockestra musicians, and it was not the creation of the final album masters.
25 October 1978: the essential facts
| Date | Wednesday 25 October 1978 |
|---|---|
| Artist | Wings |
| Project | Back to the Egg |
| Songs | Rockestra Theme; So Glad to See You Here |
| Work | Stereo rough mixing |
| Studio | Studio Two, Abbey Road Studios, London |
| Producers | Paul McCartney and Chris Thomas |
| Were these mixes used on the album? | No |
| Did the songs appear on the album? | Yes, in other mixes |
| Original ensemble recording date | 3 October 1978, with further work in the recording chronology |
Rough mixes, not rejected songs
The most important distinction in this daily entry is between a song, a recorded performance and a mix. A song can pass through several mixes before one is selected for release.
A rough mix provides a stereo presentation of recorded material during production. It can help the team assess the arrangement and balance without committing that particular version to the finished album.
The dated account establishes that the two 25 October mixes were rough versions and that neither was used on Back to the Egg. It does not establish that the underlying performances were discarded.
Nor does it identify every fader setting, edit or instrumental difference between these rough mixes and the released versions. Describing a specific change in the drums, guitars or vocals would require comparison evidence beyond the session summary.
The original Rockestra recording
The ensemble session behind the two songs took place on 3 October 1978, also in Abbey Road’s Studio Two. It brought Wings together with a much larger group of guest musicians under the Rockestra name.
The official Back to the Egg credits identify multiple guitarists, bass players, drummers, keyboard players, percussionists and horn players on the two tracks. The scale of that ensemble is part of what distinguishes the recordings from an ordinary five-piece Wings performance.
The existence of an all-star recording date should not be carried forward into an invented attendance list for 25 October. The rough-mixing entry concerns work with recordings already made; it does not say that the complete ensemble reconvened to perform again.
That distinction also prevents photographs or film from the original recording day being miscaptioned as documentation of this later mixing session.
Where this date fits in the production sequence
Work on the Rockestra material did not end when the ensemble performance was captured. The dated chronology includes further work and mixing before the 25 October session.
For example, the 10 October entry identifies stereo mixing of “Rockestra Theme”, including versions with the ensemble and a rough version without horns. Those are earlier mixes, not automatically descriptions of the two made on the 25th.
A broader album mixing session is also documented on 20 October. The existence of additional rough mixes five days later shows that preparing the album was an ongoing process rather than a single irreversible pass through the recordings.
The chronology then continues beyond this date. In particular, the recording history of “So Glad to See You Here” includes later December work, another reason not to call the October rough mix its finished release master.
McCartney and Chris Thomas
The session’s production credit pairs McCartney with Chris Thomas. Thomas also shares the production credit on the finished album.
The official album notes connect Thomas’s earlier experience to the Beatles’ 1968 White Album period. By the Back to the Egg sessions, he was collaborating with McCartney on a different band and a different collection of material.
A production credit should not be treated as a complete list of everyone in the control room. No session-specific engineering assignment is added here without confirmation from the dated account.
Both songs on Back to the Egg
McCartney’s official discography lists both “Rockestra Theme” and “So Glad to See You Here” on Back to the Egg, with the album release dated 8 June 1979. The two titles appear at different points in the running order rather than as a single combined track.
The album’s Wings personnel were Paul McCartney, Linda McCartney, Denny Laine, Laurence Juber and Steve Holly. The Rockestra credits expand that line-up for the two ensemble recordings.
For a broader view of the release sequence, explore our Paul McCartney solo discography guide. Our McCartney biography follows the wider career context.
A different Abbey Road task one year earlier
On 25 October 1977, Wings had been completing “Café on the Left Bank” at Abbey Road with vocal and cowbell overdubs. Our Café on the Left Bank recording article covers that earlier day.
The calendar connection highlights two distinct studio tasks: adding performances to a recording in 1977 and preparing rough mixes of existing material in 1978. Neither should be described simply as recording the album from start to finish.
Location map: Abbey Road Studios
The session location was Abbey Road’s Studio Two in London. This map identifies the studio complex rather than the internal position of a mixing desk or any reconstruction of the 1978 room layout.
Frequently asked questions
What did Wings mix on 25 October 1978?
Stereo rough mixes of Rockestra Theme and So Glad to See You Here.
Where did the session take place?
Studio Two at Abbey Road Studios in London.
Who were the producers?
Paul McCartney and Chris Thomas.
Were these rough mixes used on Back to the Egg?
No. Neither of the two mixes made on this date was used on the album.
Were the songs left off the album?
No. Both songs appeared on Back to the Egg in other mixes.
Was 25 October the original Rockestra recording day?
No. The ensemble recording session took place on 3 October 1978. The 25 October entry concerns later rough mixing.
Continue exploring: Wings at Abbey Road, 25 October 1977 · Paul McCartney solo discography · On This Day in Beatles History.
Selected reference: Back to the Egg in Paul McCartney’s official discography.
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