Here's the news release on Luca Perasi's new McCartney-focused book, "Wings: London Town. The Story of an Adventurous Album," which is available now from Amazon.
Details:
Published on 23 April 2026 the volume Wings: London Town. The Story of an Adventurous Album by Luca Perasi (L.I.L.Y. Publishing, 156 pages, both available in paperback and hardcover) tells of one of McCartney's most brilliant, although eccentric, records.
“This is by far my favourite Wings’ album,” says the author, who in 2022 was credited in the booklet of Paul McCartney’s compilation The 7” Singles Box for additional research with the MPL team. “It’s the most ‘atmospheric’ of their albums. Every time I listen to it, I’m transported to a sunny place, or suddenly I’m in London.”
The author also has a personal memory linked to this record. “One day in autumn 1989, on a cloudy, rainy Saturday morning, I accompanied my dad, who had some work to do,” he adds. “At some point, I was waiting for him in the car with this album playing on the cassette player. It was a peaceful day, and I was savouring the moment of just being with him and having McCartney's music with me. There's something special about ordinary things.”
In its detailed account of the album's creation and analysis of its songs, based on contemporary sources and in-depth interviews by the author with assistant engineers Tim Summerhayes (“Mull of Kintyre”) and Tom Anderson (who helped Geoff Emerick on the Fair Carol boat) or arrangers Wil Malone and Mick Vickers, the book walks readers through various aspects of the album, from the technical side (the recording equipment used in the Caribbean, the instrumentation) to McCartney’s skills for arranging and producing music, with his usual strokes of genius scattered throughout.
Enriched by images and photos, London Town. The Story of an Adventurous Album tells of one of McCartney's most brilliant, although eccentric, records. “This is what I call an almost ‘impressionistic’ album, and some songs are true oil-on-canvas painting created en plein air.” says the author. “Plus, the music has often a filmic quality, full of strange sounds and effects.”
The volume covers the timeline of the sessions, the stories behind the songs of the album, other material from the period (the many McCartney demos including the legendary “Waterspout”, the single “Mull of Kintyre” / “Girls’ School”), their harmonic and rhythmic inventions, the lyrics’ analysis, the commercial success, the promotional strategy, the critical reception. The departures of Wings’ members Jimmy McCulloch and Joe English are also explored, as well as Denny Laine’s project Holly Days.
Innocent and sinister, elegant and grotesque, dreamlike and sullen, catchy and inconsequential, romantic and salacious; ladies and gentlemen, London Town.
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