Wings Record ‘Suicide’ and Mix London Town Tracks – Abbey Road, 8 March 1977

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Recording and Mixing 'Suicide', 'London Town' and 'Girls School' – Wings at Abbey Road Studios, 8 March 1977

Tuesday 8 March 1977 | Paul McCartney, Studio, Wings

On 8 March 1977, Paul McCartney and Wings returned to work on the London Town album during a session at Studio Three, Abbey Road Studios in London. The session was produced by McCartney and engineered by Geoff Emerick.

The recording session came after a three-week break in the album's production and included work on several songs connected with the London Town project.

The Demo Recording of 'Suicide'

The session began with McCartney recording a demo of the song 'Suicide', a composition he had originally written in 1956, years before achieving fame with The Beatles.

McCartney had long imagined the song being recorded by Frank Sinatra. After attending a Sinatra performance at the Royal Albert Hall in London on 4 March 1977, McCartney decided to revisit the song and create a new demo recording.

The demo featured McCartney performing multiple parts, including:

• Vocals
• Piano
• Bass guitar
• Percussion

The recording captured McCartney's original vision for the song, which he had written more than two decades earlier.

Work on the London Town Album

During the same session McCartney also added an organ overdub to the track 'London Town', the title song of Wings' forthcoming album.

After the recording work, McCartney supervised stereo mixes of several tracks connected with the project:

• Suicide
• London Town
• Girls School

The session also included mixing of a studio jam by Wings, reflecting the experimental and relaxed working atmosphere that often characterised the band's recording sessions during this period.

Wings and the London Town Era

The work completed on 8 March 1977 formed part of the lengthy recording process for the London Town album, which would eventually be released in March 1978.

During this period Wings were experimenting with a variety of musical styles, combining polished pop production with looser studio performances and songwriting ideas that McCartney had developed over many years.

The recording of the 'Suicide' demo also highlighted McCartney's continued interest in revisiting early compositions and adapting them within the context of his later solo work.

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FAQs

What song did Paul McCartney demo on 8 March 1977?

McCartney recorded a demo of 'Suicide', a song he originally wrote in 1956 and once hoped would be recorded by Frank Sinatra.