Thursday 29 July 1971 | Studio One, EMI Studios, Abbey Road, London
Producer: Paul McCartney
Engineers: Tony Clark, Alan Parsons
On 29 July 1971, Wings held the first overdub session for their debut album Wild Life at Studio One, EMI Studios, Abbey Road. The session focused on ‘I Am Your Singer’, a song written by Paul and Linda McCartney, whose backing track had been recorded on 24 July.
The musicians booked for the session were members of the Dolmetsch Family: Jeanne Dolmetsch, and Brian, Peter, Christine, and Paul Blood, who played recorders on the track. The family had worked with the McCartneys the previous month on the Thrillington album.
The Session
The working method on 29 July was unusual by pop recording standards. Paul McCartney explained what he wanted for the song, and the Dolmetsch musicians — classically trained — wrote out their parts from what McCartney played on the piano before recording. Brian Blood later described the session:
“Paul played what he wanted on the piano, and we, being classically trained musicians, wrote out our parts from what he played, and recorded the results. More experienced pop session musicians would probably have picked up what he wanted and played without music!”
— Brian Blood, 28 October 2016, quoted in The McCartney Legacy: Volume 1: 1969–73, Allan Kozinn & Adrian Sinclair
Blood’s observation captures something characteristic of McCartney’s working method: an instinctive, piano-led approach to communicating musical ideas that sat somewhat awkwardly with the formal notation habits of classically trained musicians, but which produced results. The recorder parts on ‘I Am Your Singer’ give the finished track a delicate, pastoral quality that distinguishes it from the rawer material elsewhere on Wild Life.
The Dolmetsch Family
The Dolmetsch Family were one of Britain’s most distinguished musical dynasties, associated above all with the revival of early music and the recorder. Arnold Dolmetsch (1858–1940) had been the central figure in the early music revival in Britain, and his descendants continued his work as performers, instrument makers, and educators. The family’s involvement in a Wings recording session in 1971 was an unlikely but characteristic McCartney touch — his instinct for combining the unexpected with the melodic producing a recorder arrangement on a rock album.
The Dolmetsch musicians had worked with the McCartneys the previous month on the Thrillington project — an orchestral instrumental version of the Ram album, recorded under the pseudonym Percy “Thrill” Thrillington and not released until 1977.
I Am Your Singer
‘I Am Your Singer’ was written by Paul and Linda McCartney and appeared on the Wild Life album, released in December 1971. It is one of the gentler tracks on the record — a tender duet between Paul and Linda, with the recorder arrangement adding a folk-like warmth. Linda McCartney’s vocal presence on the track was characteristic of her role in Wings: Paul had insisted on her inclusion in the band despite her limited prior musical experience, and ‘I Am Your Singer’ showcases the unpolished but genuine quality of their musical partnership.
Wild Life and the Formation of Wings
Wild Life was the debut album of Wings, the band Paul McCartney formed in 1971 following the dissolution of The Beatles. The lineup at the time of recording comprised Paul McCartney, Linda McCartney, Denny Laine (formerly of The Moody Blues), and Denny Seiwell on drums. The album was recorded quickly and with deliberate spontaneity — McCartney’s reaction against the perfectionism of the late Beatles sessions — and released in December 1971.
The engineer on the session, Alan Parsons, would go on to considerable fame as a producer and recording artist in his own right, most notably with The Alan Parsons Project. In 1971 he was a young Abbey Road engineer who had also worked on Abbey Road and Let It Be.
Key Facts: 29 July 1971
| Date | Thursday 29 July 1971 |
| Studio | Studio One, EMI Studios, Abbey Road, London |
| Producer | Paul McCartney |
| Engineers | Tony Clark, Alan Parsons |
| Session type | First overdub session for Wild Life |
| Track | I Am Your Singer (backing track recorded 24 July) |
| Session musicians | Jeanne Dolmetsch; Brian, Peter, Christine, and Paul Blood (recorders) |
| Album released | December 1971 |
Abbey Road Studios, St John’s Wood, London — where Wings recorded recorder overdubs for ‘I Am Your Singer’ on 29 July 1971.
Paul McCartney: Wings Collage
The band that began here. Officially licensed Wings merch.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is I Am Your Singer by Wings?
I Am Your Singer is a song written by Paul and Linda McCartney, recorded for Wings’ debut album Wild Life (December 1971). The backing track was recorded on 24 July 1971, with recorder overdubs by the Dolmetsch Family added on 29 July. It is a gentle duet between Paul and Linda, with a folk-like recorder arrangement.
Who were the Dolmetsch Family?
The Dolmetsch Family were a distinguished British musical dynasty associated with the early music revival and the recorder, founded by Arnold Dolmetsch (1858–1940). Members of the family — Jeanne Dolmetsch and Brian, Peter, Christine, and Paul Blood — played recorders on Wings’ I Am Your Singer in July 1971, having worked with the McCartneys the previous month on the Thrillington project.
What was the Thrillington album?
Thrillington was an orchestral instrumental version of Paul McCartney’s Ram album, recorded in 1971 under the pseudonym Percy “Thrill” Thrillington. It was not released until 1977. The Dolmetsch musicians worked with the McCartneys on this project in June 1971, before the Wild Life sessions.
Who was Alan Parsons?
Alan Parsons was a young Abbey Road engineer who worked on the Wild Life sessions in 1971, having previously worked on Abbey Road and Let It Be. He later became famous as a producer and recording artist with The Alan Parsons Project.
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