Wednesday 12 July 1978 | Spirit of Ranachan Studio, Low Ranachan Farm, Campbeltown, Scotland
Producers: Paul McCartney, Chris Thomas | Engineers: Phil McDonald, Mark Vigars, Tim Summerhayes
Wings began recording two songs for the Back To The Egg album on 12 July 1978 at their private studio at Low Ranachan Farm near Campbeltown on the Kintyre peninsula in Scotland. The songs were 'Winter Rose' and 'Love Awake'. Although presented as a medley pair on the finished album, they were recorded separately.
Spirit of Ranachan Studio
The Spirit of Ranachan Studio was a private recording facility set up by Paul McCartney at his farm on the Mull of Kintyre — the remote Scottish peninsula that had inspired his 1977 number one single 'Mull of Kintyre'. Recording at the farm gave Wings a degree of creative freedom and privacy away from commercial studios, and several tracks for Back To The Egg were recorded there.
Winter Rose
The basic track for 'Winter Rose' featured:
- Paul McCartney — piano
- Denny Laine — acoustic guitar
- Laurence Juber — acoustic guitar
- Steve Holley — drums
Recording continued over the following days, with precise session information not fully documented. McCartney subsequently added bass guitar and harpsichord, Laine overdubbed a 12-string acoustic guitar part, and Holley recorded additional percussion.
Love Awake
The basic track for 'Love Awake' featured a different configuration:
- Paul McCartney — acoustic guitar, guide vocal
- Denny Laine — acoustic guitar
- Laurence Juber — bass guitar
- Steve Holley — drums
- Linda McCartney — Mellotron
The Back To The Egg Album
Back To The Egg was released on 8 June 1979. It was the final Wings studio album and was co-produced by McCartney and Chris Thomas, who had previously worked with The Beatles on the White Album and with Roxy Music and the Sex Pistols. 'Winter Rose' and 'Love Awake' appeared as a linked pair on the album, with 'Winter Rose' flowing directly into 'Love Awake'.
The album also featured the Rockestra sessions, which brought together an all-star lineup of rock musicians including Pete Townshend, David Gilmour, John Bonham, and others.
The Wings Lineup in 1978
- Paul McCartney — vocals, bass guitar, piano, guitar
- Linda McCartney — vocals, keyboards
- Denny Laine — vocals, guitar
- Laurence Juber — guitar (joined Wings in 1978)
- Steve Holley — drums (joined Wings in 1978)
Key Facts: 12 July 1978
| Date | Wednesday 12 July 1978 |
| Studio | Spirit of Ranachan Studio, Low Ranachan Farm, Campbeltown, Scotland |
| Producers | Paul McCartney, Chris Thomas |
| Engineers | Phil McDonald, Mark Vigars, Tim Summerhayes |
| Songs recorded | 'Winter Rose'; 'Love Awake' |
| Album | Back To The Egg, released 8 June 1979 |
| Presentation on album | Medley pair ('Winter Rose / Love Awake'), recorded separately |
Campbeltown, on the Kintyre peninsula in Scotland — where Paul McCartney's Low Ranachan Farm and Spirit of Ranachan Studio were located.
Paul McCartney & Wings
The final Wings studio album, Back To The Egg, was recorded across 1978–79. Officially licensed Wings merch.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Spirit of Ranachan Studio?
The Spirit of Ranachan Studio was a private recording facility set up by Paul McCartney at his farm at Low Ranachan, near Campbeltown on the Kintyre peninsula in Scotland. Several tracks for the Back To The Egg album were recorded there in 1978.
What is the Back To The Egg album?
Back To The Egg was the final Wings studio album, released on 8 June 1979. Co-produced by Paul McCartney and Chris Thomas, it featured the Rockestra sessions alongside more intimate recordings made at McCartney's Scottish farm studio.
Who were the members of Wings in 1978?
The 1978 Wings lineup was Paul McCartney, Linda McCartney, Denny Laine, Laurence Juber (guitar, joined 1978), and Steve Holley (drums, joined 1978). Juber and Holley replaced the departing Jimmy McCulloch and Joe English.
What is a Mellotron?
The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical keyboard instrument that plays pre-recorded tape loops of real instruments when keys are pressed. It was widely used in rock and pop recordings of the 1960s and 1970s, and is particularly associated with the orchestral sounds on Beatles recordings such as 'Strawberry Fields Forever'.
Who produced Back To The Egg?
Back To The Egg was co-produced by Paul McCartney and Chris Thomas. Thomas had previously worked with The Beatles as an assistant on the White Album (1968) and went on to produce landmark albums for Roxy Music, the Sex Pistols, and Pink Floyd.
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