Spins: Paul McCartney • Man On the Run
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Paul McCartney
Man on the Run (Music from the Motion Picture Soundtrack)
(Capitol/UMe/MPL)
Morgan Neville’s documentary Man on the Run examines Paul McCartney in the 1970s, covering McCartney’s early solo career in the tumultuous wake of the Beatles’ breakup and his drive to bring his ensuing band Wings to global success. The accompanying soundtrack album collects 50 minutes of music featured in the film. Rather than another compilation of greatest hits, the music accompanies story elements from McCartney’s transformative decade.
“That Would Be Something” from 1970’s homemade McCartney and “Long Haired Lady” (with Linda McCartney’s comically salty vocal) and bitter rocker “Too Many People” from sophomore solo LP Ram emerge from post-Beatles soul-searching and time at home with wife Linda and their young family. McCartney gets alliterative with the spontaneous pop-rock of “Big Barn Bed” from Red Rose Speedway, which still sounds like a direct influence on “Can You Picture That” by Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem. In evidence of the soundtrack’s emphasis away from the biggest hits, the song is chosen over the album’s chart-topping single “My Love.”
Although the album showcases these deeper cuts, the selections will already reside in the collection of most fans. There are a few rarities to draw the devotees, though. The soundtrack includes the first album release of schmaltzy song-and-dance showtune “Gotta Sing Gotta Dance” from the 1973 James Paul McCartney TV variety special. The song’s source is unknown, but the audio is the quality of a decent VHS bootleg. McCartney scats through a vocal version of the horn parts in a rough mix of “Arrow Through Me” from Wings’ swan song Back to the Egg. Linda introduces the bombastic “Live and Let Die” to an enthusiastic stadium crowd, drawn from Wings’ Rockshow concert film. “Silly Love Songs” is included as a charming demo with Paul and Linda singing at the piano. Wings’ ascent from unannounced university concert performers with the kids in tow to stadium-packing powerhouse is traced through other songs, peaking with the smash success of “Band on the Run.” “Mull of Kintrye” is somewhat less familiar to US audiences, but was a groundbreaking success in the UK and particularly beloved in Scotland where the bagpipe-featuring love song to home turf struck a chord of pride with listeners within and without McCartney’s regular audience. Lively solo song “Coming Up” and Wing’s “Let Me Roll It” complete the collection.
This set doesn’t attempt to compete with late 2025’s 3xLP Wings set, but it misses the opportunity to fill a couple of essential gaps by not including essential non-Wings fare like “Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey” and “Maybe I’m Amazed.” Although inessential overall, the soundtrack does testify to the breadth of McCartney’s stylistic chops and melodic gifts while offering an interesting cross-section of songs with more insight into the decade than the typical McCartney overview.
— Jeff Elbel
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Category: Featured
