PAUL McCARTNEY & WINGS – ICA REHEARSALS 1972 (DVD-R)

Description

The Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA), London, England 1st February 1972 PRO-SHOT
In anticipation of the upcoming University Tour

　Although the existence of the ICA rehearsal, the oldest known footage of Wings, has been known for a long time, it has been frustratingly only ever been seen in fragments, starting with “Lucille” included in their 1976 tour documentary “WINGS OVER THE WORLD.”

　It was finally released in 2018 as part of the “WINGS WILD LIFE” Super Deluxe Edition DVD…or so we thought, but fans were disappointed to find that the running time was less than 15 minutes.

　The video essentially condenses only the parts shot on black and white film into 15 minutes, and the absence of the familiar long version of “Lucille” was quite disappointing.

　However, around last month, audio of parts that had never been heard before was unearthed… which meant there must be video as well, right? And sure enough, it appeared on the internet.

　In the 90s, Paul’s fan club newsletter delved into this footage, explaining that it had only been shown in snippets up until then (and will continue to be shown in the future…), but that it was actually 85 minutes long. This only increased the dissatisfaction among fans.

　The ICA rehearsal had become something of a holy grail, but the fact that the full version of it appeared so casually, and in such amazing quality, is very fitting for 2026.

　The opening scene of the Wings members heading to the ICA is a nostalgic sight, reminiscent of the 2001 film ‘WINGSPAN,’ but here it’s captured for a much longer duration. This alone should amaze any fan.

　”Lucille,” which followed from there, is the full version of the performance glimpsed in the aforementioned “WINGS OVER THE WORLD,” and of course, it’s in color. What we’ve now realized from this discovery is that it was indeed filmed in both color and black and white, and that the 2018 release was primarily in black and white.

　Furthermore, the first half had a tense atmosphere, as if it were right after the start of rehearsals, and the performance was stiff, but the performance started to come together around the time they played the cover of “Blue Moon Of Kentucky,” and when Linda sang “Seaside Woman #1” without flinching even in front of the camera, you could feel the energy in the performance.

　Even more remarkable is the hilarious moment when, due to the timing of the playful performance during a film change, there is no video footage, but Linda sings Chuck Berry’s “Maybelene” (!), an extremely rare and unforgettable moment. You absolutely cannot miss this.

　After finally seeing the full version of the ICA rehearsal, I realized that the recording was choppy in many places, and that the ‘WINGS WILD LIFE’ Super Deluxe Edition had extracted only the solid filming and performance parts, totaling 15 minutes.

　At the same time, it made me realize that the DVD only contained safe, unremarkable scenes, and that it completely lacked any of the interesting moments or energetic performances that were captured in color.

　And knowing that the results of these rehearsals were showcased on last year’s stunningly upgraded masterpiece, ‘FIRST FLIGHT,’ makes it even more enjoyable. The complete ICA rehearsal footage, long awaited by fans worldwide, has finally been unearthed!

1. ICA Gallery And Theatre
2. Henry McCullough
3. Denny Laine
4. Denny Seiwell
5. Lucille #1
6. Intermezzo : Seaside Woman
7. The Mess #1
8. The Mess #2
9. Intermezzo
10. The Mess #3
11. The Mess #4
12. Blue Moon Of Kentucky
13. Wild Life #1
14. Give Ireland Back To The Irish #1
15. Give Ireland Back To The Irish #2
16. Seaside Woman #1
17. Maybelene (snippet)
18. Give Ireland Back To The Irish #3
19. Seaside Woman #2 / Jam
20. Seaside Woman #3
21. The Mess #5
22. Bip Bop
23. My Love #1
24. My Love #2
25. My Love #3 & 4
26. Lucille #2
27. The Mess #6 & 7
28. The Mess #8
29. The Mess #9
30. Blue Moon Of Kentucky (snippet)
31. Wild Life #2
32. Seaside Woman Jam
33. Seaside Woman #4
34. The Mess #10
35. My Love #5

Paul McCartney – Vocal, Bass, Guitar, keyboards
Linda McCartney – Vocal, Keyboards
Denny Laine – Vocals, Guitar
Henry McCullough – Vocal, Guitar
Denny Seiwell – Drums

PRO-SHOT COLOUR / B&W NTSC Approx.85min.