Paul McCartney and Wings bootleg One Hand Clapping finally gets an official release

One Hand Clapping, featuring unreleased renditions of "Hi Hi Hi," "Junior's Farm," and some Beatles classics, will be available on June 14

Paul McCartney and Wings bootleg One Hand Clapping finally gets an official release
Paul and Linda McCartney Photo: Fraser Gray

It’s been a great few years to be a Beatles fan. Peter Jackson’s Get Back was followed by the “final” trackNow And Then,” which was followed by the expanded and remixed Red and Blue albums, followed by the newly restored Let It Be documentary. All this good fortune now extends to the greater Beatles universe with One Hand Clapping, the legendary 1974 recording session by Paul McCartney and Wings. Never before released in any official capacity, fans will be able to own the jam-packed live album beginning June 14.

Described as “one of the most bootlegged live albums in musical history,” One Hand Clapping was recorded as McCartney and his post-Beatles outfit were enjoying the blockbuster success of their album Band On The Run. Recorded at Abbey Road, the One Hand Clapping session was intended to be put out as a live album and a video documentary (directed by David Litchfield), but the audio was never officially released. Some of the tracks found their way onto other releases over the years (like the 2010 Band On The Run reissue), but several have never been heard through official channels. That includes renditions of Beatles songs like “Let It Be,” “Lady Madonna,” and “The Long And Winding Road,” The Moody Blues’ “Go Now” sung by Denny Laine, and the live studio version of Wings single “Hi Hi Hi” (which you can listen to below). Physical formats of One Hand Clapping further include songs recorded off-camera during the same session, including the unreleased track “Blackpool” and a cover of “Twenty Flight Rock” (famous for being the first song McCartney played for John Lennon when they first met).

Hi, Hi, Hi (One Hand Clapping Sessions)

One Hand Clapping serves as a celebration of the enduring legacy of Paul McCartney and Wings,” reads a press release for the new album. “It captured a moment when Wings had found and defined their signature sound—just as Paul had shaped popular culture the decade before with The Beatles, he was doing it once again in the 70s with Wings. This recording gives an insight into the inner workings of the band as they work and play together in the studio. It also underscores Paul’s incredible talent as a live performer: Fifty years on, Paul is still performing many of these songs in packed stadiums across the world.”

The tracklist for the digital album can be found below; the album is being released on vinyl and CD, including an exclusive 2LP + 7” with the aforementioned unreleased songs. These will be available in full beginning in June.

1. One Hand Clapping

2. Jet

3. Soily

4. C Moon/Little Woman Love

5. Maybe I’m Amazed

6. My Love

7. Bluebird

8. Let’s Love

9. All of You

10. I’ll Give You a Ring

11. Band on the Run

12 Live and Let Die

13 Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five

14. Baby Face

15. Let Me Roll It

16. Blue Moon of Kentucky

17. Power Cut

18. Love My Baby

19. Let It Be

20. The Long and Winding Road/Lady Madonna

21. Junior’s Farm

22. Sally G

23. Tomorrow

24. Go Now

25. Wild Life

27. Hi, Hi, Hi

 
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