Between the release of Wings at the Speed of Sound in 1976 and 1978’s London Town, the strangest of all McCartney’s solo work was released under the pseudonym of Percy “Thrills” Thrillington.
Getty images
The Thrillington album, as the cover slyly suggests, was an orchestral instrumental version of Paul and Linda’s Ram LP, recorded in 1971 and shelved for six years as attention shifted to Wings band projects.
There are more recent analogues: James Mercer’s “flipped” version of the Shins’ 2017 Heartworms LP (titled The Worm’s Heart) reinterpreted the album and reversed its running order. Pretty cool.
But Thrillington, which has never officially been credited to Paul McCartney, is truly outside the box.
With arrangements scored by Richard Anthony Hewson and recorded over three days of sessions in June of ’71, the record is truly a fresh, fun spin on a legendary album.
On its release it had some critics mystified as to whether McCartney himself was involved or not, making for some interesting album reviews.
As for the hoax, McCartney publicized the album’s release by taking out enigmatic ads in UK music papers–mentioning the character of Percy Thrillington but never associating himself in any way.
He and Linda even found an obscure Irish farmer–a guy they knew couldn’t be traced for verification–to model as Percy for photo ads perpetuating the deception.
Because Thrillington was believed by most to be a McCartney work, it became a collector’s item, but remains the least-heard of his albums.
Paul finally officially came clean in a 1989 interview, saying, “It was me and Linda–and we kept it secret for a long time”.
In a remarkable moment fortuitously caught on film, Paul McCartney, feeling the pressure of an approaching deadline on the Beatles eventual Let it Be project, makes productive use of time waiting for John Lennon, who is late to arrive.
It’s a breathtaking glimpse of songwriting genius–the birth of a hit song, verse and chorus, takes place in less than four minutes as Paul strums a bass guitar.
I can’t say it any better than the YouTube comments, so I’ll paste them here:
It’s just mind blowing, they’re sitting around waiting for John and this whole new song just falls out of Paul’s head. George is giving positive feedback, Ringo’s already working out the percussion… then John walks in, sits down and immediately picks up on it and joins in. The Beatles fully deserve to have their music listened to until the last human dies. To never be forgotten.
This is one of Paul’s most legendary songs and it was composed strumming his bass while waiting for John to show up. The guy was such a genius it’s not even funny.
The fact that this wasnt in the original Let It Be is baffling. What a moment. “We need another million selling hit single, lads” “Right, give me about 4 minutes”
My favorite song from the album and watching Paul just pull it out of his ass is pretty damn amazing. I’ve never understood how people can just create a song out of thin air like that.
This is a writer’s dream on how to create a song you’re proud of. You’re just noodling around the guitar or piano and suddenly magic happens. I’m sure there were times when Paul couldn’t come up with an idea to save his life, then something like that happens as if it’s always this easy. lol I love it.
“Hi guys, what have you been doing so far?” “…well, no big deal. In the meantime Paul has composed a new hit that will go down in music history, but stay humble!”
When Brian Ray joined Paul McCartney’s band in 2002, he was tasked with learning more than 40 songs — in one week.
“Fortunately, I listened to the Beatles nonstop throughout my life, so I already knew most of them,” he says. “Of course, it’s much different when you’re playing in a band that, oh yeah, is led by Paul McCartney himself. Needless to say, I immersed myself in the material.”
But Ray quickly discovered that there’s a difference between how the Beatles recorded the songs and how they need to be played onstage,
“It’s one thing to listen to these songs and appreciate them as a fan, as we’ve all done,” he says. “But when you start digging into them and analyzing them, you’re just astounded by the creativity and depth. Even stuff that sounds simple isn’t simple at all. I’m constantly amazed at the brilliance in these songs, and that feeling grows stronger all the time.”
Given his rarified position, Ray has some unique insights for guitar (and bass) players looking to incorporate Fab Four material into their repertoire.
“It’s important to have respect for the Beatles’ records,” he says. “On the other hand, you don’t want to sound like karaoke. And if you’re like me and you grew up on these records, they’re part of your DNA. You’ve memorized every upstroke and downstroke…
George asked both of them. Paul said he would participate, but only if the other three Beatles agreed to legally dissolve their partnership (which is what McCartney was at that point suing in court to achieve). George declined.
John actually showed up at the rehearsal, but when he asked what Yoko’s role in the concert would be (obviously expecting she would get a solo set of her own), George replied, “I would like her to enjoy the show.” In a huff, John and Yoko stalked out and did not perform.
John and Yoko did attend the film’s premiere in New York City, and he seemed to be enjoying himself by clapping and cheering the performances on the screen. However, during Bob Dylan’s performance segment, John and Yoko suddenly stood up and left the theater without explanation.
Every Moment Has A Song 