Little did I know that when Garry and I attended a Wings concert in college that he was composing this book in his head. Excellant read, interesting, complete and full of fun information. If you love Paul, then you will love this book. Congrats, Garry on a great book. Can't wait for your next book to get published!

if your a fan of wings and paul mccartney this is the one book you must have. garry has done his research well and has got the whole story behind the scenes. it tells the fans why wings was so successful and of all the problems withen the band. the book tells all the sides and has not sugar coated them. the book also contains many rare wings promo material, a complete discography and a interview with former guitarist henry mccullough.

Band On The Run: A History Of Paul Mccartney And Wings by Garry McGee (who spend more than twenty years in collecting materials and interviews for this book) is the informative biography of the famous former Beatles member that concentrates exclusively on the music Paul McCartney made after he left the Beatles and strived to refine his music with a personally chosen group of studio musicians. Based on twenty years' worth of research and interviews, Band On The Run successfully strives to present an accurate portrait of Paul McCartney, the Wings band, and their musical contribution to popular culture in the twentieth century.

I love this book, even though alot of the poems are songs that I've heard before, like "yesterday" and "maybe I'm amazed". I especially liked the poem he wrote for John (the title escapes me at the moment) and another called "jerk of all jerks". Overall, it's great, and I especially like the gold signature (on the normal version of the book).

It is one thing to hear the words being sung, but to read them is a completely different experience! It's almost like being able to see inside Paul's head and feel his feelings and emotions, think his thoughts and touch his life and experiences. To anyone else, it would be a book of lyrics, but this is without a doubt the true essence of modern poetry. Well done!

Light from Within was one of Linda McCartney's last projects, completed by her daughter Mary and Martin Harrison, and subtitled "photojournals". Before the advent of photography, journals were written records, of journeys, or just life, and keeping a journal is often recommended to writers, as a way of capturing moments of revelation and reflection that might be of use in another sort of work altogether. In fact, the word photography means writing with light. This book is a real journal, a record of the author's preoccupations, her perceptions, and most of all, her tastes in life.

The phrase "light from within," of course, is also a lyric from another of her last projects, a song named from the chorus: "Oppression won't win. The light comes from within." She's clearly thinking of another kind of light than sunlight, which was crucial to her photographic methods. She preferred to photograph natural light falling on unposed people and the natural world, usually animals or landscapes. But the light from within is a different concept, and seems to have meant the light of the human mind and spirit, shining out from people's faces. It can mean curiosity, warmth, passion, humor, vision, and above all, creativity. So this book has been organized by the artist to reflect the light from without falling on the light from within.

In fact, I think Linda McCartney had a positive genius for finding something revelatory in the most ordinary scenes. (Which reveals that they weren't ordinary at all?) The cover photo is a case in point, and one we have seen before, unlike most of the photos in the book. It is not a conventionally well composed picture--there are too many focal points: a boy, a girl, a man, and a dog haphazardly arranged in an unimproved yardscape. But it is a great shot of a family: a flying five-year-old boy, a nine-year-old girl hunkered down over something in the grass, and the pater familias, who, from his expression, is offering admonishment to the flying child. The dog is calmly doing his dog thing. We will probably never know what the boy is doing: from the way he's holding his hands, he might be making a shadow figure, and watching to see how it will change when he moves. Perhaps, like any kid that age, he just feels like *jumping.* It is also not clear what the girl finds so fascinating in the grass, or why the father (clothed so conventionally in robe and slippers) is taking a morning stroll on top of a fence. (And *if* the father is telling the boy not to jump carelessly from Land Rovers, he's missing the irony of his own perch, one of the many pitfalls of parenthood.) The people and the animal are all related-- and busy being themselves.

Did Linda McCartney go out looking for scenes that might attract her? It seems more likely that she waited for them to happen next to her elbow and then whipped her camera out. She finds what she's looking for in faces very often: children's faces, artists' faces, aged faces, in people unaware they're being photographed, or carelessly aware. The first photo in the book is of her son James peering over her shoulder, trying perhaps to understand the magical act his mother performs with a camera, not conscious that his curious face in the rear-view mirror is magical. She catches Simon and Garfunkel in intense conversation under a leafless forest of microphones. She loves the contrast (and resemblance) between youth and age: a springy five-year-old riding a mechanical giraffe and an elderly man in suit, tie, and wedding ring, making his slower way with two canes. If a picture composes itself accidentally, she has no objection to snapping that, as when the three plump dancers in blue, yellow, and pink confront Brian Clarke who is stork-like in black and offers them cheerful homage. But the subjects are the point, not the abstract composition. Twice she takes a great shot immediately after a more conventionally composed photo has broken up: of a group of aged men in front of a wall, and a group of children wearing hats like flowers. There is innocence in the children's waves, and merriment in an old man's grin. In fact, the sight of this photographer tends to elicit grins and sometimes waves: in the case of her husband, he waves one foot from a ladder in one of his vaudeville imitations. And there is a stunning photo of McCartney's grown daughters, Mary and Stella, who glow with quiet inner passion and seem quite unaware of their own beauty.

McCartney was in love with the life and beauty of animals, and one glorious shot is of an animal of transcendant homeliness, the javelina, standing on a lawn transfigured by the setting sun. Besides getting drunk on her own senses, the photographer got the shot. The mystery of beauty is everywhere in this book, especially the most unlikely places.

And the last series of photos is particularly moving, in the context of the photographer's life at the time she was composing it: a set of shots of tables and whole walls wrecked by the efforts of artists to render their visions in paint. They are like battlefields after the shooting stops. The next-to-last photo in the book is a self-portrait of the artist looking into a cracked mirror, standing straight and serene, a woman with very good bones and very short hair, who was an instinctive and accomplished artist. It's a beautifully composed picture of meanings that I cannot render in words.

If we wish to learn to see the beauty that is all around us, all the time, this book is a fine place to start--to start looking at the faces we pass in the street, at our own families and friends, at the people who sell us newspapers, and at the passing poodles and javelinas of life.

Over 30 years of photography from the wild 60s of life among musicians & travel to her later years in & around her home this photographer has recorded her life with wit & grace in the form of surreal landscapes, spontaneous portraits reflecting her eclectic passions & interests.

Linda McCartney's particular point of view of America, Japan & England capture moments in time most of us wouldn't give a second glance to until you see her photos. Musicians in action: grimacing, angry, jaunty or sad. Children in motion: happy, sad, lost or hungry; elders in groups: talking, walking & looking back at us. Sumo wrestlers preparing; billboards like wallpaper - all in colors or black & white - all the busy-ness of our hectic world.

I like especially Linda's love of textures - the smooth with the rough, the close-up with distance, fabric upon brick, shadow over land. The pink water pistol tucked into a girl's hip pocket.

Linda McCartney's books of photographs grow on you, make you want to share her visions & talk about them.

Sun printing relies on natural sunlight to produce an image on paper brushed with a mixture of minerals. Linda's sunprints have a mystical & elusive quality & in this modern woman's perspective we see combinations of spontaneous poses with still backgrounds; overlays & tonal changes in cyan & sepia.

Such gently detailed, whimsical & earthy sights of a boy print or an amarylis; a castle reflected in its watery moat; a terrace balustrade casting sunny shadows upon snow; a stalwart cactus in a desert or a triad of lanterns on a London bridge; of lively faces & ancient hands; of birds & beaches & seasons' abundance. Meditative, heart-warming, peaceable pictures, some simply swatches of brush strokes offering glimpses of what her eyes had seen.

Linda McCartney's photographs always have stories to tell & make me want to talk about them!

To photograph well is to paint with light: to see what the fall of light on common or uncommon subjects can reveal, and then to capture that image. Linda McCartney photographed mostly by natural light, and her effort to find a way of developing images in the simplest and most natural way fit in with her basic philosophy of life. I feel sure she was pleased with the notion of making what she called a "strong image" (a good "contrasty" photograph) with the sun's light, and then developing it with sunlight and non-toxic chemicals. At the beginning of her career, she photographed rock musicians with unusual insight--she captured the essential child in some of them: the wicked little girl in Janis Joplin, and the sweet, shy boy in Jimi Hendrix. By the time she was experimenting with the process described and illustrated in this book, she was able to photograph people with the same insight she had always had and to find a sort of classic beauty in the commonest household scenes and landscapes. There are a number of striking photographs here, all enhanced by the "limitations" of the developing method. Photos of her son James, at about the age of ten or eleven, reveal a sturdy elf who glows from within. Her portraits of famous and anonymous people capture their presences with enormous respect, tenderness, and some amusement. One of my favorite juxtapositions places a serious dog named Merdock opposite a shot of her husband peering through a magnifying glass. The dog has much more dignity. This is a book of photographs by a master of her art--she captures a rainbow of insights in earthy browns and true blues. I bought this book second hand for more than twice the price of the new edition. We are fortunate to have a new edition, and, if we like photography at all, real stupid not to buy it right now.

I was practically inseperable with this book for weeks after I first got it. Well-written and exhaustively in-depth look at every aspect of the four ex-Beatles solo careers. This has all the info you could ever want on solo albums, tours, TV appearances, bootlegs, etc. The only drawback is that I got so into it I was forced to buy all the solo records I hadn't already owned!

This volume includes forty-six fun arrangements of familiar Lennon and McCartney tunes. All are arranged for both lever and pedal harp. Some have only a few lever or pedal changes, while others are more involved. Chord symbols, all the words, and a discography are also included. This volume is highly recommended for intermediate to advanced students and professionals alike.

Almost ten years ago I bought this book --hardcover-- in Mexico City, noy quite knowing its content. As a growing Beatles fan myself, I found it as a perfect guide to the group's development into studio techniques. If one wants to know how the Beatles turned the recording studio into an instrument in itself, one just has to read in detail: the 1962-1966 period (when the simplest, most straightforward music was composed) has only 60 pages, whereas the complex 1966-1970 period accumulates 120. One can know the origin of the backwards tapes, the tape edition (ie, at the end of "...Mr Kite!"), the outside musicians, the psdychedelic "sonic textures", the fundamental roles of producer George Martin and engineers Norman Smith and Geoff Emerick. One can even know the names of the orchestra performers. One can know the problematic "Get Back" sessions held in January 1969. This book opens a window to the landscape of the big experiments going on in Abbey Road studio two where the history of popular music changed. It's no surprise Paul McCartney calls this book "the bible".

I have been a dedicated Beatles fan for many years. The Beatles have been with me for years and have inspired many of my own works. Listening to the albums and watching the Beatles' movies has been a very important part in my life, and owning this book is the ultimate experience. I'm twenty-two and unlike my mother and father who were actually around to experience The Beatles, I have grown up only listening and watching everything about them. If you have ever wondered about the background of a certain song or the reasons behind certain lyrics, you need only turn this book. I bought this at a flea market when I was about twelve and I continue to pick it up and read or find about a certain song or recording day in the life of the amazing group that we call The Beatles. This book is a must have for the Beatles collector, and will be more valuable beyond its price.

Anybody with even a passing interest in The Beatles must have this book. Set out in a diary format it gives details of all recording sessions by the group. Sometimes it gets fairly technical with details about recording equipment, overdubs, etc but it is still essential information. One criticism, if you can call it that - most Beatles songs have gained legendary status and it can be quite disconcerting at times to have them clinically dissected in this fashion. But that is a small criticism. The fact that the book is apparently out of print is deplorable. It would be good if it were issued free whenever anybody buys their first Beatles CD, it is that important. It isn't a book, it's a rite of passage.

Yes, this is an odd book. Some of the entries were very funny, some very odd, and some were really quite disturbing. However, despite being put off by some of the stories, I did thoroughly enjoy the way Lennon wrote. The play on words were especially humurous if very hard to interpret at times.

This book may not be for those who enjoy traditional comedy, but it's certainly worth a read if you're looking for something new. The complete randomness and, well, weirdness of Lennon's style (and, perhaps, mind) are very intriguing, whether you find it funny or not.

The introduction by Yoko Ono is also worth a look at (it's a little suprising, but oddly thought-provoking).

I love The Beatles and I love nonsense so this was a perfect match. When you feel you've been thinking too much for one day this is the book to read it is just pure fun. The little short stories just make you giggle even if you're one of those people who never laughs when reading. This book also makes John Lennon seem more human since he has become this legend you get to see this silly but still genius side to him. Just a warning don't try making sense of this book it will just give you a headache just read it for kicks. To quote dear Mr.Lennon "this correction of short writty is the most wonderfoul larf I've ever ready."

One of the best books I read in a while. John lennon puts all his wit/humor that is his whole aura of his famous personality. I also enjoyed his little pictures though out the book. So even if your not a fan of his music you'll be a fan of his writing and maybe get to appreciate a little more by venturing in his mind a bit.

First off- the book itself is just beautiful; an amazingly well designed book. It's just HUGE, and every page is a treasure; lovely to look at. My big problem was the cost- I wouldn't mind so much if all (or even SOME..) of the proceeds went to charity. Do the Beatles (and the inexplicable Yoko) not have enough money?

That said, I enjoyed the book a lot. The book is laid out in a way that makes you feel that you're sitting around a table with The Fab Four, just shooting the breeze. Their stories are fascinating, especially the way their memories don't...quite....gel. John, unfortunately, comes off as something of an egomaniac, and a rather pompous one at that. It seems that everything of any worth (in his opinion) was his idea. I'm still a fan of his music, I'm just a little less a fan of the man.

My only real beef with the book is the lack of a narrative voice- The Beatles mention John's car accident, Mary Quant, etc., but there is no narrator to let the unenlightened in on what happened, who that person was, etc. Otherwise, Beatles fans will spend many a happy hour reading this book.

So very many books were written about the Beatles, and so many TV documentries were made about them. Anthology is definitely the best one yet, and I don't think there will ever be another book as complete and sincere as it. For the first time the Beatles tell their own story (yes, even John - material from old intreviews with him are beautifuly collected and edited into the book), along with some help from George Martin, Derek Taylor and Neil Aspinall and some old quotes from Brian Epstein, Mel Evans, Pete Best and others, and that makes Anthology a truly unique experience. The story is told from such a personal viewpoint that you will feel like you're part of the band. George, Ringo, Paul and John will become your closest friends for the period of reading the book.

Anthology covers every (well, probably almost every) aspect of the Beatles' life and musical career. It starts as four seperate stories as every band member describes his childhood, then melds into the story of the band. All the interviews from the wonderful Anthology TV series are in the book, but so are many more. There are far more details - especially about the music itself, which was neglected in the series. While in the series some albums were hardly mentioned, in the book the Beatles refer to almost every song, telling a thing or two about its background. Also, more touchy subjects which were avoided in the series appear here - such as, the (phony) death of Paul McCartney, the (real) death of Stuart Sutcliffe, the unfortunate Hell's Angels incident and the terrible case of Charles Manson and his connection to the White Album. The photographs and documents shown in the book are facsinating as well.

And no, it's NOT too long. The only problem with the book is its weight, which makes it quite uncomfortable to read. Anthology is a superb book, which reminded me why I used to love the Beatles so much and got me to hear all their albums again - twice.

The Beatles story is an incredibly fascinating one. In so many ways their history is not merely of a musical group, even a great one. The Beatles transcended mere music. From 1962-1970, the entire period of their recording career, the Beatles recorded hundreds ofbrilliant songs, groundbreaking albums and lived enough advenutre to fill a lifetime. When this book was published, the three surviving Beatles had lived more than twice as many years since the breakup as the entire time the group was together. It is really remarkable to read (or see in the video) McCartney, Starr and Harrison talking about the Beatle's times from the perspective of late middle age. The story itself will be familiar to any Beatle's fan. The early days in Britain, the crazy days of Beatle mania, the acid drenched mid-sixties when the times began to influence the Beatle's sound and the Beatle's music so headily influenced the times. The flirtation with Indian religion, the death of Brian Epstein, Yoko Ono, the slowly growing rigt and finally the acrimonious breakup. All in an incredible 8 years. What makes this book unique, even from earlier books that quote the Beatles is the perspective of time which has clearly mellowed the three surviviors. Lennon's quote's are necessarily taken from before his death in 1980 and it is interesting to see how his failure to reach middle age lends a different perspective to his memories of the Beatles, in his case memories less than fifteen years old. How fascinating to hear Paul and George discussing the making of "Let it Be" where the bitterness was clear. Paul essentially apologizes and it is nice to know he and George settled their differences before Harrison's death late last year. Not only do I recommend this book, it cannot be missed by anyone interested in the Beatle's history in their own words. No other auto-biography will be as comprehensive for one reason. It will require much of the book to focus on pre and post Beatles years. As I stated, the Beatles recording career lasted 8 years. Today a top band would record at most three albums in that time. Don't miss the book or the video collection

"Wingspan" is a glossy book of photos for fans, combined with some scraps of comment by McCartney (interviewed, it should be noted, by his own daughter Mary.) It's good to finally get some information about Paul's Wings years. This is obviously Paul making his own case, though he is certainly honest about matters such as his frustration with the band's ever-changing lineup, as well as his 1980 arrest for pot in Japan. Overall, one cannot help but admire the bravely carefree attitude with which Paul formed this new band and made some spotty but often good music. Above all this book is meant to be a tribute to Linda McCartney, a defense of her role in the band, and an inspirational look at how a family man can combine work and play. Personally I would have liked to see more in-depth interviewing by someone more impartial, as well as interviews with other band members, most especially Denny Laine who stayed with Wings through the entire decade but is given rather short text shrift here. But then, I'm grateful for what we get. As Paul comments, Wings wasn't rocket science, it was just making music, and this is a fun, breezy book about a fun band.

As a second generation Beatles fan, I truly loved Wings. It's a shame so little has been written about Paul and his band....until now. While I do wish more details would emerge about Paul's relationship with Denny Laine and Jimmy McCullough, I am grateful for Wingspan (DVD and book). If Linda had lived to help with this project, I believe she would have felt free to recollect both good and not so good times on the road. Because the Beatles legacy is so huge, I feel not enough respect and appreciation is given to Wings' legacy, not even by Paul himself! Perhaps in time, we'll learn more. For now, Wingspan is the best tribute yet.

Has Paul McCartney finally found the writing partner to fill the void created by the breakup of his liaison with John Lennon? If "Wingspan" is anything to go by, then he may well have done so. Mark Lewisohn, the much-celebrated Professor Emeritus of Beatledom, proves himself to be the ideal sidekick to Macca, collaborating with the Great Man on a wonderfully informative book that leaves no stone unturned in its effort to detail every facet of a fascinating period in the life of a multitalented artist. So vivid are the recollections that it's almost as if you're right there with Paul, Linda and their troupe of kids and collaborators. Lennon & McCartney were a legendary team, but Lewisohn & McCartney are a pretty formidable pair in their own "write". They should try working together on some songs...