Paul McCartney announces "captivating" new Wings documentary ‘One Hand Clapping’

9 August 2024, 11:01

It's been half a century since the live studio album was recorded.

Wings were fresh off the back of a period of major success for the band, having topped the UK album charts for seven weeks with the iconic album, Band On The Run.

In an attempt to capture lightning in a bottle twice in quick succession, Paul McCartney and co re-entered the studio.

Abbey Road Studios to be precise, where they intended to record a live studio album and a documentary to coincide with it.

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Titled One Hand Clapping, the album sadly never got a full official release, despite bootleggers getting their hands on it over the years.

Now, fifty years on, Macca is revisiting the period and with the help of director David Litchfield has announced a documentary exploring Wings' iconic recording sessions of the time.

Premiering as an exclusive cinema event on 26th September 2024, the documentary shows a never-before-seen perspective of the recordings.

Delving into the making of One Hand Clapping, it'll show rare footage, interviews with the band, and share insights from the creative team around it.

The documentary will also include previously unreleased Backyard Sessions, where Paul McCartney plays classic tracks from his discography on acoustic guitar.

There are other songs too, like 'Blackpool' and covers like 'Twenty Flight Rock', the song Paul ever played John Lennon after they first met.

The footage was originally shot on seventies-era videotape but has been restored immaculately in 4K. Check out the trailer below:

Paul McCartney and Wings – One Hand Clapping: Band On The Run (Film Clip)

Talking about the upcoming documentary, Paul McCartney said: "It’s so great to look back on that period and see the little live show we did."

"We made a pretty good noise actually. It was a great time for the band, we started to have success with Wings, which had been a long time coming."

CEO of Trafalgar Releasing, Marc Allenby added: "We are looking forward to bringing the legendary music of Paul McCartney to the big screen and offering fans a front-row seat to his enduring legacy."

"This cinematic experience will transport audiences back to a golden era of rock and roll while captivating new fans with the magic of this iconic band. It’s a must-see event for music lovers of all generations."

The announcement of One Hand Clapping comes after Paul released the 1974 studio album back in June 2024, a release which has been fifty years in the making.

"One Hand Clapping showcased Wings‘ new line-up, fresh off their return from Nashville where they recorded the classic single 'Junior’s Farm'," a press release read.

"Following the sudden departure of Denny Seiwell and Henry McCullough the previous year on the eve of recording the Wings masterpiece Band on the Run, Paul, Linda McCartney, and Denny Laine were now joined by guitarist Jimmy McCulloch and drummer Geoff Britton."

Opening with an instrumental jam and the One Hand Clapping' theme song, the album also features renditions of hits ‘Live and Let Die’, ‘Band on the Run’, ‘Jet’, ‘My Love’, ‘Hi, Hi, Hi’, ‘Junior’s Farm’, and Macca’s much loved solo song ‘Maybe I’m Amazed’.

There are also reworked extracts of The Beatles' classics such as ‘Let It Be’, ‘The Long and Winding Road’ and ‘Lady Madonna’, alongside the Moody Blues hit ‘Go Now’ which Laine was formerly a member of.