Man on the Run: Paul McCartney in the 1970s

This is an underrated book. I've come to appreciate and respect Paul McCartney more and more, and his odd eccentricities and quirks seem lovable here. I think the '70s may have been Paul's best time: he launched out on his own, devoted wife at his side, post-Beatles, almost as an "indie artist," and ended the decade successful and "on top." Then there was the rude awakening of John's murder. And the 1980s seemed hard for him. Ironically, I only "knew" Paul McCartney in the '80s, in the wake of Lennon's traumatic end, and it was hard to get a fix on him then, especially since the literature on the Beatles was so superficial at the time. But this book helps enormously.Although there is no fanfare about it, a careful reader will learn quite a lot about the Lennon-McCartney relationship. No one has covered Paul's intense grief and anger after John's death better than Doyle. His pain was almost comically misconstrued at the time. Now it all makes sense. One sees the glimmers of a much deeper story here, one that was cut short. Above all, and this is hard to put into words, it's clear that Lennon and McCartney never stopped spurring each other on and emotionally reacting to each other, just as they had in the Beatles, but in a more cloaked and secretive way, while the press simply fixated on, and fed off, their animosity to each other. I was left with a feeling of admiration for Paul, though. He kept trying to mend things with Lennon, and it seemed like by the end of the decade, he was getting somewhere. I think he had a vision of what he wanted (since he had had it before) and that makes what transpired all the more tragic. "I felt robbed," he admits to Doyle, among other things.As for Linda, I never doubted her strength, but the book confirms it. Her early promise to Paul, "I can make you a nice home," seems quite poignant. She made huge sacrifices to keep her marriage strong, which included roughing it in Scotland with a depressed, self-medicating ex-Beatle, then going on the road with a band for ten years. But as an artist herself, though one with no need to hog the spotlight, she must have felt creatively fulfilled as well.Doyle covers the decade of music carefully, throwing out insights and clues. I have only ever owned one Paul McCartney album, and that was "Tug of War," from 1982, which I was mostly too young to understand at the time. Now I think I will buy "Ram," and appreciate it all the more, knowing what lead up to it, and what came after.

This book contains so much information that I wasn't aware of, answered so many questions, that I was very impressed by it. It is about McCartney, his life, WINGS, and all related subjects as they transpired during the Seventies, and on into the Eighties. I did know enough to be able to discern accuracies throughout the text, but those facts were confirmed to the point that I believe the additional information provided. And let me say that the author REALLY provides the answers to questions I had, along with info that I was glad to read.The Seventies were my favorite decade, and Paul, along with Wings, provided the soundtrack to those years. I listening to "RAM" coming back from Birmingham late one night in 1972. I loved "Monkberry Moon Delight", and still think "Admiral Halsey" is one of his best songs ever. I remember how everyone I knew believed "Band on the Run" was incredible, and equal to any of the Beatles albums. I couldn't wait to hear "Venus & Mars', and really enjoyed Jimmy Mac's guitar on that one, (although I always regretted that Henry Mac had left the band too soon; he was an untapped talent in my opinion.) "Medicine Jar" & "Spirits of Ancient Egypt" are great songs to me. Then, there was a time I was in the college bookstore, getting books for the next quarter, and "With a Little Luck" came on the store's sound system, and I stopped to hear the new Wings tune for a minute. All those great songs were deeply entwined throughout everything I did back then. I could tell of more, but I really don't want to recollect all the memories of those years. I will say that "Silly Love Songs" has probably the best bass playing of any song I ever heard; along with the WORST lyric I ever heard! But that is Paul McCartney!Back to the book, ...if you think he is the best artist in the history of Pop music, then you will enjoy this read as much as I did. The Beatles were the brilliant teachers of how to write, and perform Pop music, and Elvis was the best singer ever, (but he didn't have Paul's range.) But James Paul McCartney was the guy that took it all to the highest level. He did it as well as anyone will ever do "Pop Music", and this book fills in all the blanks about everything from why he did the college tour, the ridiculous "Wild Life" album, Denny Laine, the Japanese bust, and the horror of December 08, 1980. I will never forget that Monday night, which friends I called, stayed up all night watching the TV coverage, ...this book addresses the whole decade well.Now, if someone would just write one about the Ninties, all these great tours and musicians he plays with now, & Nancy S.then I will be one satisfied puppy!!

I was a teenager in the 1970s, obsessed with music and the charts especially. Let me tell you that McCartney was a massive pop star then, always in the top ten, catchy songs like Listen to what the man said, Band on the Run, Silly Love Songs, everywhere; Radio, TV, fairgrounds, the lot. The book does not stress this nearly enough. It concentrates far too much on band member changes in Wings (who knows or cares about these people). But worse, keeps harping on about John Lennon every few pages. I admire Lennon but he was nowhere near as prolific or commercially successful in the 70s and the book is supposed to be about Macca. But in general it is interesting and informative, worth a read.

In the introduction to this book Tom Doyle attempts to reconcile some of the fundamentally contradictory aspects of Paul McCartney. As one of the most famous figures in the world over the last fifty years, it seems like we should known him very well - after all there has been no shortage of interviews with the man over the decades, and this year in particular, with the release of his new album, has seen him crop up on many television and radio programmes.But as all his previous biographers have found, when you distill the numerous interviews the real McCartney is still a nebulous figure, and understanding the man behind the public facade isn't an easy task.Man on the Run draws on several interviews conducted in recent years by Tom Doyle with Paul. Do they offer any particular new insights? A few little nuggets, but no, not really, so we still have to rely on eye-witnesses from the period, such as the other members of Wings, to get a real insight into what was happening.Plenty of other writers have traveled this road, so whilst the events chronicled are fascinating - the break-up and legal wranglings of the Beatles, the fledgling evolution of Wings, the early ad-hoc tours, the bizarre recordings such as Mary Had a Little Lamb, the return to form with Band on the Run, the triumphant 1976 World Tour and McCartney's Japanese imprisonment in 1980 - there isn't a lot here that will be new to anybody who has read a selection of the many books published about McCartney over the last three decades or so.But for those who come fresh to this period, then Man on the Run manages to capture the era very well, a time when McCartney did exactly what he pleased - both musically and personally - with only the Japanese bust and John Lennon's death bringing this chapter of his story to a sober end.

Wings were one of my favorite bands in the 70's, and I was lucky enough to see them in 1973 (Red Rose Speedway tour). As with many fans, I'm frustrated by McCartney's disregard for so much of the material he made then. Almost as if he's trying to gain favor with the critics by joining their side against some of his own achievements?Tom Doyle's book is supported by several interviews with McCartney and although much of the information will be very familiar to long term fans like myself, it proved to be a very enjoyable read. However, I STILL say "Wildlife" is a good album, and that "Ram" has to be best solo Beatle album of all time.

Being one, of two of the greatest songwriters in the world, this book gives a fascinating insight to what happened next. I can still remember where I was when I first heard certain tracks, and throughly enjoyed the journey through the 70s again, wonderful read and a smart set of photos to complement.

This book helped me to understand the decisions Paul McCartney made in his music and wider life during the 1970s. Written with McCartney's blessing, the book paints a colourful picture of life immediately after the Beatles, touring with Wings, his attitude toward making new music and his battles (and reconciliations) with John, George and Ringo.Really enjoyable.