Background and Recording
After recording Band on the Run as a three-piece with wife Linda and guitarist Denny Laine, McCartney added Jimmy McCulloch on lead guitar and Geoff Britton on drums to the Wings line-up in 1974. Having written several new songs for the next album, McCartney decided upon New Orleans, Louisiana as the recording venue, and Wings headed there in January 1975.
As soon as the sessions began, the personality clash that had been evident between McCulloch and Britton during Wings' 1974 sessions in Nashville became more pronounced, and Britton — after a mere six month stay — quit Wings, having only played on three of the new songs. A replacement, American Joe English, was quickly auditioned and hired to finish the album.
The sessions themselves proved to be very productive, not only finishing the entire album, but also several additional songs including two future McCartney B-sides: "Lunch Box/Odd Sox" and "My Carnival". McCartney also decided to link the songs together much like The Beatles had on Abbey Road to give the album a more continuous feel.
John Lennon, often in a nostalgic mood while in Los Angeles, had told May Pang (his then girlfriend) that he planned to visit the McCartneys during the recording sessions for Venus and Mars, but this was not to be. Lennon's planned visit would be permanently postponed due to his reunion with Yoko Ono.
Read more about this topic: Venus And Mars
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