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{{For|the television special about the album|Back to the Egg (TV special)}}
{{Redirect|The Broadcast|the band|The Broadcast (band)||Broadcast (disambiguation)}}
{{good article}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2021}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2011}}
{{Infobox album
| name       = Back to the Egg
| type       = [[Studio album]]
| artist     = [[Paul McCartney and Wings|Wings]]
| cover      = BackEggCover.jpg
| alt        =
| released   = 8 June 1979
| recorded   = 29 June 1978 – February 1979
| venue      =
| studio     = Spirit of Ranachan, [[Campbeltown]]; [[Lympne Castle]], Kent; [[Abbey Road Studios|Abbey Road]] and Replica, London
| genre      = [[Rock music|Rock]]
| length     = 42:01
| label      = [[Parlophone]] (UK)<br/>[[Columbia Records|Columbia]] (US)
| producer   = 
* [[Paul McCartney]]
* [[Chris Thomas (record producer)|Chris Thomas]]
| prev_title = [[Wings Greatest]]
| prev_year  = 1978
| next_title = [[Wings 1971-73]]
| next_year  = 2018
| misc       =
 {{Singles
 | name        = Back to the Egg
 | type        = studio
 | single1     = [[Old Siam, Sir]]
 | single1date = 1 June 1979 (UK)
 | single2     = [[Getting Closer (song)|Getting Closer]]
 | single2date = 5 June 1979 (US)
 | single3     = [[Arrow Through Me]]
 | single3date = 14 August 1979 (US)
 | single4     = [[Rockestra Theme]]
 | single4date = 1979 (Europe)
}}
}}
'''''Back to the Egg''''' is the seventh and final [[studio album]] by the British-American [[Rock music|rock]] band [[Paul McCartney and Wings|Wings]], released on 8 June 1979 on [[Parlophone]] in the UK and [[Columbia Records]] in North America (their first for the label). Co-produced by [[Chris Thomas (record producer)|Chris Thomas]], the album reflects band leader [[Paul McCartney]]'s embracing of contemporary musical trends such as [[new wave music|new wave]] and [[punk rock|punk]], and marked the arrival of new Wings members [[Laurence Juber]] and [[Steve Holley]]. ''Back to the Egg'' adopts a loose conceptual theme around the idea of a working band, and its creation coincided with a period of considerable activity for the group, which included making a return to touring and work on several television and film projects.

Recording for the album began in June 1978 and lasted for almost a year. The sessions took place at Spirit of Ranachan Studios in [[Campbeltown]], Scotland; [[Lympne Castle]] in Kent, London's [[Abbey Road Studios]], and Replica Studio – the last of which McCartney built as an exact replica of Abbey Road's Studio Two when the latter became unavailable. Wings returned to Abbey Road in March 1979 to complete the album, before filming a series of promotional videos in Lympne and elsewhere, for what became the [[Back to the Egg (TV special)|''Back to the Egg'' TV special]].

''Back to the Egg'' received unfavourable reviews from the majority of critics, with ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' magazine deriding it as "the sorriest grab bag of dreck in recent memory".<ref name="White/RS" /> Although the album charted in the top ten around the world and was certified [[Album certification|platinum]] in the United States, it was viewed as a commercial failure relative to previous Wings releases, particularly in light of the generous financial terms under which McCartney had signed with [[CBS]]-owned Columbia Records. Of its singles – "[[Old Siam, Sir]]", "[[Getting Closer (song)|Getting Closer]]" and "[[Arrow Through Me]]" – only "Getting Closer" made the top 20 in Britain or America. The song "[[Rockestra Theme]]", recorded with a cast of guest musicians from bands such as [[the Who]], [[Led Zeppelin]] and [[Pink Floyd]], won a [[Grammy Award]] for [[Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance|Best Rock Instrumental Performance]] in 1980.

Wings toured the UK in support of the album, but the planned world tour ended in January 1980, when McCartney was arrested in Japan for possession of [[marijuana]], spending nine days in jail. The group disbanded early the following year after the departure of Laine. ''Back to the Egg'' was reissued in 1993, with bonus tracks, and in 2007 for [[iTunes]], with the addition of Wings' 1979 non-album single "[[Goodnight Tonight]]", in its extended form.

==Background==
After the release of the album ''[[London Town (Wings album)|London Town]]'' (1978), [[Wings (band)|Wings]] band leader [[Paul McCartney]] hired two session musicians, drummer [[Steve Holley]] and lead guitarist [[Laurence Juber]], to replace former members [[Joe English (musician)|Joe English]] and [[Jimmy McCulloch]].<ref name=Band120>McGee, p. 120</ref> With the new line-up – Wings' sixth since its formation in 1971<ref name="Doggett p 264">Doggett, p. 264</ref> – McCartney intended to record a raw rock and roll album and return to touring, for the band's first concerts since their successful [[Wings Over the World tour]] of 1975–76.<ref name=FAQ66>Rodriguez, p. 66</ref> McCartney also hoped to realise his longstanding plan of making a film adaptation of the [[Rupert the Bear]] cartoon series,<ref>Madinger and Easter, p. 239</ref> for which he owned the commercial rights,<ref>Clayson, p. 210</ref> and commissioned English playwright [[Willy Russell]] to write a feature film starring Wings.<ref>Sounes, pp. 345–46</ref>{{refn|The concept of a Wings film formed the basis of McCartney's poorly received<ref>''The New Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll'', p. 641</ref> cinematic release ''[[Give My Regards to Broad Street (film)|Give My Regards to Broad Street]]'' (1984).<ref>Sounes, pp. 345, 383, 396</ref> The Rupert project finally came to fruition in 1984 also,<ref>Madinger and Easter, p. 262</ref> condensed into an [[animated film|animated]] [[Short film|short]] titled ''[[Rupert and the Frog Song]]'', which played in theatres as the support film to ''Give My Regards to Broad Street''.<ref>Clayson, pp. 210, 211</ref><ref>Sounes, p. 397</ref>|group="nb"}}

Holley and Juber were recruited by Wings co-founder and guitarist [[Denny Laine]],<ref>Clayson, p. 190</ref> who had appeared as a guest on ''The [[David Essex]] Show'' in 1977 when Juber was working as a guitarist in the house band.<ref>Rodriguez, pp. 217, 220</ref> Holley, a neighbour of Laine's, joined Wings in time to appear in the [[Music video|promotional video]] for ''London Town''{{'}}s lead single, "[[With a Little Luck]]",<ref name=Band121>McGee, p. 121</ref> having turned down a position with [[Elton John]]'s band.<ref>Rodriguez, pp. 217, 219</ref> According to Wings biographer Garry McGee, Juber and Holley were each paid a weekly sum less than one-fifth of that paid to McCartney, his wife [[Linda McCartney|Linda]] (the band's keyboard player) and Laine.<ref name=Band121/>

For the new album, ''Back to the Egg'', McCartney collaborated in the studio with producer [[Chris Thomas (record producer)|Chris Thomas]],<ref name="Woffinden p 120" /> with whom he had begun working on the audio for two films documenting Wings' last world tour: ''[[Wings Over the World]]'', a television documentary,<ref name=Band122/> and the cinema release ''[[Rockshow]]'' (1980).<ref>Madinger and Easter, p. 228</ref> This was the first time Wings recorded with an outside producer since their 1973 single "[[Live and Let Die (song)|Live and Let Die]]", which [[George Martin]] had produced.<ref>Rodriguez, pp. 66, 269</ref> After working with [[the Pretenders]] and the [[Sex Pistols]], Thomas brought a [[punk rock]] and [[new wave music|new wave]] influence to Wings' sound,<ref name=W&M88/><ref>Sounes, pp. 344–45</ref> matching McCartney's desire to reflect contemporary musical trends.<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 240">Madinger and Easter, p. 240</ref><ref name="Rodriguez p 376">Rodriguez, p. 376</ref>

==Songs==
{{quote box|quote= The new wave thing was happening and&nbsp;... I sort of realized, "Well, so what's wrong with us doing an uptempo [album]?"&nbsp;... ''Back to the Egg'' was influenced just as what I had wanted to do at the time, the direction I felt I hadn't been in for a while&nbsp;...<ref name=Band192/>|source= – Paul McCartney, on his musical influences while making the album|width=25%|align=left|style=padding:8px;}}
Although ''London Town'' had featured a significant level of contribution from Laine as a songwriter,<ref name="Woffinden p 120">Woffinden, p. 120</ref><ref name="Rodriguez p 223">Rodriguez, p. 223</ref> all but one of the songs on ''Back to the Egg'' are credited to McCartney alone.<ref name=W&M90 /> The album was originally planned around a loose conceptual theme,<ref>Rodriguez, pp. 269, 391</ref> about which authors Chip Madinger and Mark Easter write in their book ''Eight Arms to Hold You'': "The idea was to have a theme of a working band, getting back on the road&nbsp;... or 'back to the egg' (or protective shell) of touring."<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 240" /> In the original [[LP record|LP]] format, the two album sides were labelled with the egg-related titles "Sunny Side Up" and "Over Easy".<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 599" />

==="Sunny Side Up"===
The album's opening song is "Reception", an instrumental, in which McCartney attempted to capture the effect of turning a radio dial and finding "about four stations at once".<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 241">Madinger and Easter, p. 241</ref> The track features a guitar-controlled [[synthesizer]] (played by Juber) over a [[funk]]-inspired [[bassline]], and spoken voices, including a reading of part of "The Poodle and the Pug", from [[Vivian Ellis]]'s opera ''Big Ben'' (1946).<ref name=W&M88-89>Benitez, pp. 88–89</ref> A brief segment from the track "The Broadcast", which appears later on ''Back to the Egg'', is previewed in this opening piece.<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 241" /> The next three songs – "[[Getting Closer (song)|Getting Closer]]", "We're Open Tonight" and "Spin It On" – adhere to the proposed album-wide concept.<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 240" /> Writing in ''[[Melody Maker]]'' in June 1979, Mark Williams interpreted "Reception" as representing a radio being tuned in a car, whereby "the occupant is on his way to a gig, hence 'Getting Closer' [to the venue] and, upon arrival, 'We're Open Tonight'".<ref name="Williams/MM">Williams, Mark (16 June 1979). "Wings: Taking off at Last". ''[[Melody Maker]]''. Available at [http://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/wings-taking-off-at-last Rock's Backpages] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140312224730/http://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/wings-taking-off-at-last |date=12 March 2014 }} (''subscription required'').</ref> The notion of live performance is then reflected in the sequencing of what Madinger and Easter term "heavier rock tracks such as 'Spin It On'".<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 240" />

[[File:SexPistolsNorway1977.jpg|thumbnail|right|185px|The [[Sex Pistols]] (pictured in concert in 1977), part of the punk and new-wave phenomenon that inspired some songs on ''Back to the Egg'']]
McCartney had recorded a piano [[Demo (music)|demo]] for "Getting Closer" in 1974, at which point the song had a slower [[tempo]].<ref name=W&M89>Benitez, p. 89</ref> Author and ''[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]'' contributor Tom Doyle describes Wings' version as "power-popping" and reminiscent of the English band [[Squeeze (band)|Squeeze]].<ref name="Doyle p 174">Doyle, p. 174</ref> The mellow "We're Open Tonight" was written at the McCartneys' farm in [[Campbeltown]], Scotland, and was the album's title track until Linda suggested ''Back to the Egg''.<ref name="Madinger & Easter pp 240, 242">Madinger and Easter, pp. 240, 242</ref>

Another song composed in Scotland,<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 242" /> the fast-tempo<ref name="Williams/MM" /> "Spin It On" was an obvious acknowledgment of punk and new wave;<ref name="Sounes p 345" /> author Vincent Benitez terms it "McCartney-esque whimsy on punk steroids".<ref name=W&M90 /> Laurence Juber talked about his guitar solo in Luca Perasi's book ''Back to the Egg. The Story of Wings' Last Album'': "It just seemed natural – especially with a song called ‘Spin It On’ – to get these spinning like guitar lines happening".<ref>Perasi Luca, ''Back to the Egg. The Story of Wings' Last Album'', L.I.L.Y. Publishing, 2025, {{ISBN|979-12-817581-9-3}}, p. 68.</ref> Laine's composition "Again and Again and Again" similarly has "echoes of [[the Clash]]", according to McCartney biographer [[Howard Sounes]].<ref name="Sounes p 345">Sounes, p. 345</ref> This song was originally two separate pieces, which Laine combined on McCartney's recommendation.<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 242">Madinger and Easter, p. 242</ref>

Although credited to McCartney alone, "[[Old Siam, Sir]]" marked "the most collective band involvement" as regards songwriting, Madinger and Easter suggest.<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 242" /> Similar in style to "Spin It On", the song features a keyboard [[riff]] written by Linda<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 242" /> and a Holley-composed [[middle eight]];<ref name="Rodriguez p 219">Rodriguez, p. 219</ref> in addition, Laine helped McCartney complete the composition,<ref name=W&M90>Benitez, p. 90</ref> an early version of which the previous incarnation of Wings had demoed in July 1976.<ref>Madinger and Easter, pp. 223–24</ref>{{refn|Laine and Holley each claimed to have written the main guitar riff to "Old Siam, Sir".<ref name=Band123/> On the day that Wings recorded the song, a disagreement over this issue almost led to a physical confrontation between the two musicians.<ref name=Band123/>|group="nb"}} "[[Arrow Through Me]]", a track more in keeping with McCartney's melodic pop style,<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 243">Madinger and Easter, p. 243</ref> is a song written from the perspective of a rejected lover.<ref name=W&M91>Benitez, p. 91</ref> With a musical arrangement that eschews guitar backing for synthesizer, [[Fender Rhodes piano]] and horns, Benitez views it as "reminiscent of the techno-pop style of [[Stevie Wonder]]".<ref name=W&M90 /> As Steve Holley told author Luca Perasi, the backing track was recorded with only McCartney and himself, with Holley playing drums and some special percussion.<ref>Perasi, Luca: ''Paul McCartney: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs (Vol.1) 1970-1989 '', L.I.L.Y. Publishing, 2023, {{ISBN|978-88-909122-9-0}}, p.301.</ref>

==="Over Easy"===
Opening side two, "[[Rockestra Theme]]" was a composition that McCartney had first recorded in 1974, on the same piano demo tape as "Getting Closer".<ref>Madinger and Easter, pp. 193–94, 599</ref> "Rockestra Theme" is an instrumental – except for the shouted line "''Why haven't I had any dinner?''", which author Robert Rodriguez describes as a "deliberate evocation" of [[Glenn Miller]]'s 1940 single "[[Pennsylvania 6-5000 (song)|Pennsylvania 6-5000]]".<ref name="Rodriguez p 376"/> Another rock track,<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 244">Madinger and Easter, p. 244</ref> "To You" includes a lyric aimed at a lover who has wronged the singer.<ref name=W&M92>Benitez, p. 92</ref> The guitar solo on the recording provides an unusual aspect for a Wings song,<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 244" /> in that Juber played the part through an [[Eventide, Inc.|Eventide]] [[harmonizer]] while McCartney simultaneously altered the harmonizer's settings from the studio's control room.<ref name=W&M92-93>Benitez, pp. 92–93</ref>

McCartney deemed the two [[Gospel music|gospel]]-influenced pieces making up "After the Ball/Million Miles" as being of insufficient quality to merit inclusion as separate tracks;<ref name=W&M93>Benitez, p. 93</ref> "After the Ball" ends with a guitar solo,<ref name=W&M93/> edited from parts played by McCartney, Laine and Juber, after which "Million Miles" consists of a performance by McCartney alone, on [[concertina]].<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 245">Madinger and Easter, p. 245</ref> This is followed by another [[medley (music)|medley]], "Winter Rose/Love Awake", both portions of which McCartney had demoed at Rude Studio, his home studio at Campbeltown, in 1977.<ref name=W&M94>Benitez, p. 94</ref>{{refn|"Million Miles" was another older song of McCartney's, dating from the 1974 demo session, which Madinger and Easter suggest was recorded in Los Angeles.<ref>Madinger and Easter, pp. 193–94</ref>|group="nb"}}

"The Broadcast" is another instrumental,<ref name=W&M95>Benitez, p. 95</ref> designed to give the impression of several radio signals interlaced, and bringing full-circle the concept established in the album's opening track, "Reception".<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 245" /> Over a musical backing of piano, [[mellotron]] and [[gizmotron]],<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 245" /> it features readings taken from the plays ''[[The Sport of Kings (play)|The Sport of Kings]]'' by [[Ian Hay]] and ''The Little Man'' by [[John Galsworthy]].<ref name="Woffinden p 121">Woffinden, p. 121</ref> As a return to the proposed working-band concept, "So Glad to See You Here", Rodriguez writes, "[evokes] the anticipation of a live act guaranteed to 'knock 'em dead'" and so recalls Wings' 1975–76 show-opening medley "[[Venus and Mars/Rock Show]]".<ref>Rodriguez, pp. 62–63, 269, 376</ref> During the outro, the band reprise a line from "We're Open Tonight".<ref name=W&M92/> The album ends with a [[jazz]]-inflected<ref name="Sounes p 345" /> ballad, "Baby's Request", which McCartney wrote for American vocal group [[the Mills Brothers]], after seeing them perform in the [[South of France]] during the summer of 1978.<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 245" />

==Production==
The band first rehearsed material for ''Back to the Egg'' in London, at the offices of McCartney's company [[MPL Communications]] in [[Soho Square]], before carrying out further rehearsals in Scotland, in June 1978.<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 240" /> As on his other Wings recordings over 1978–79, Thomas worked with [[Phil McDonald]] as his recording engineer, at McCartney's insistence, rather than [[Bill Price (record producer)|Bill Price]], who was the producer's preferred engineer.<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 238">Madinger and Easter, p. 238</ref>{{refn|Among their pre-''Back to the Egg'' recordings together, Wings worked in London on two McCartney songs intended for the 1978 Hollywood films ''[[Heaven Can Wait (1978 film)|Heaven Can Wait]]'' and ''[[Same Time, Next Year (film)|Same Time Next Year]]'',<ref name="Rodriguez p 219" /> neither of which was used at the time.<ref>Madinger and Easter, pp. 237, 238</ref>|group="nb"}}

===Recording and overdubbing===

====June–July 1978: Spirit of Ranachan Studios====
The recording sessions for ''Back to the Egg'' began on 29 June 1978 at Spirit of Ranachan Studios<ref name="Badman p 223">Badman, p. 223</ref> – another, larger recording facility on the McCartneys' Campbeltown farm – using equipment loaned from Mickie Most's [[RAK Studios|RAK Studio]] in London.<ref>Madinger and Easter, pp. 223, 240</ref> The basic tracks were recorded with a spontaneity that had been absent in Wings' past work,<ref name="Madinger & Easter pp 240, 242" /> employing an approach that Juber has described as a "back-to-basics, garage band kind of feel".<ref name=W&M88>Benitez, p. 88</ref>

Sessions at Spirit of Ranachan lasted until 27 July, during which the band taped and added [[Overdubbing|overdubs]] to "Arrow Through Me", "Again and Again and Again", "To You", "Winter Rose", "Old Siam, Sir" and "Spin It On".<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 240" /> Basic tracks were also completed for "Cage", a song that remained in the proposed running order for the album until early in 1979, "Crawl of the Wild", "Weep for Love", "Ballroom Dancing" and "Maisie".<ref name="Badman p 223" /> These last three compositions would all appear on solo albums by members of Wings between 1980 and 1982.<ref name=Band226 />{{refn|Laine's "Weep for Love" appeared on his album ''[[Japanese Tears]]'' (1980),<ref name=Band226>McGee, p. 226</ref> McCartney re-recorded "Ballroom Dancing" for ''[[Tug of War (Paul McCartney album)|Tug of War]]'' (1982), and the Juber-composed<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 246">Madinger and Easter, p. 246</ref> "Maisie" was included on the guitarist's solo debut, ''[[Standard Time (album)|Standard Time]]'' (1982).<ref>Badman, pp. 223, 264–65</ref>|group="nb"}}

In addition, the band filmed a promotional video for the ''London Town'' single "[[I've Had Enough (Wings song)|I've Had Enough]]" while in Scotland<ref name="Rodriguez p 219" /><ref>Madinger and Easter, pp. 232–33</ref> and, in early July, recorded demos of twelve pieces intended for the Rupert the Bear film soundtrack.<ref name=Band122>McGee, p. 122</ref> In the case of the latter activity, none of these compositions were revisited for what became ''[[Rupert and the Frog Song]]'' (1984).<ref>Madinger and Easter, pp. 239, 262</ref>{{refn|Of the twelve tracks that Wings recorded, some dated from fragments of songs played by McCartney during, variously, the Beatles' [[Let It Be (album)#Twickenham rehearsals|''Get Back'' rehearsals]] in January 1969, the initial recording for his and Linda's album ''[[Ram (album)|Ram]]'' in 1970, and demo sessions such as that for the 1974 piano tape.<ref>Madinger and Easter, pp. 239–40</ref>|group="nb"}}

[[File:LympneCastle.jpg|thumbnail|200px|left|[[Lympne Castle]] in Kent, where Wings recorded part of ''Back to the Egg'' and filmed the video for their single "[[Old Siam, Sir]]"]]

====September 1978: Lympne Castle====
After a break to allow for school summer holidays,<ref>Badman, pp. 223–24</ref> recording recommenced on 11 September at [[Lympne Castle]] in Kent, using the RAK mobile recording equipment, as before.<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 240" /> The choice of location was partly due to the castle's proximity to the McCartneys' property "Waterfall", in [[Peasmarsh]], East Sussex.<ref>Sounes, pp. 306–07, 346</ref><ref>Doyle, pp. 173–74</ref> During sessions lasting through to 29 September,<ref>Badman, p. 225</ref> the band recorded "We're Open Tonight", "Love Awake", "After the Ball", "Million Miles", "Reception" and "The Broadcast".<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 240" />

Recording took place mainly in the castle's [[great hall]], with Holly's drum kit positioned in the fireplace.<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 240" /> McCartney and Juber taped their acoustic guitar parts for "We're Open Tonight" in a stairwell.<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 242" /> Excerpted from books found in the library, the readings for "Reception" and "The Broadcast" were overdubbed in the kitchen and performed by the owners of Lympne Castle,<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 245" /> Harold and Dierdre Margary.<ref>Benitez, pp. 89, 94</ref>

====October–December 1978: Abbey Road Studios====
[[File:Abbey Rd Studios.jpg|thumbnail|right|195px|London's [[Abbey Road Studios]] – another location for the album's recording]]
Sessions moved to [[Abbey Road Studios]] in London on 3 October.<ref name="Badman p 226">Badman, p. 226</ref> That day, Wings joined with a [[Supergroup (music)|supergroup]] of guest musicians, collectively known as "Rockestra",<ref name=W&M91 /> to record the tracks "Rockestra Theme" and "So Glad to See You Here".<ref name="Badman p 226" /> A camera crew led by Barry Chattington filmed the proceedings,<ref name=Band123>McGee, p. 123</ref> and a 40-minute documentary, titled ''Rockestra'', was later compiled from the footage.<ref name="Badman p 226" /> Equipment used for this session included 60 microphones, a pair of mixing consoles and a [[Multitrack recording|16-track recording]] desk.<ref name=Band123/> [[James Honeyman-Scott]] of the Pretenders, [[Hank Marvin]] of [[the Shadows]], [[the Who]]'s [[Pete Townshend]], [[Pink Floyd]]'s [[David Gilmour]], [[Led Zeppelin]]'s [[John Paul Jones (musician)|John Paul Jones]] and [[John Bonham]], and [[the Attractions]]' [[Bruce Thomas (musician)|Bruce Thomas]] all took part.<ref name="Badman p 226" /> Also among the line-up was the horn section from Wings' 1975–76 world tour, consisting of [[Howie Casey]], Tony Dorsey, Thaddeus Richard and Steve Howard.<ref name=Band123/> [[Keith Moon]] was meant to participate, but he had died shortly before the session; [[Jeff Beck]] and [[Eric Clapton]] were also scheduled to appear.<ref name=Clayson191>Clayson, p. 191</ref>

On 10 October, Wings taped "Getting Closer" at Abbey Road, along with a demo<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 245" /> of "Baby's Request".<ref name="Badman p 226" /> McCartney had intended this recording of "Baby's Request" for the Mills Brothers to use as a guide, but after they asked to be paid for recording the song,<ref>Perasi, pp. 184–86</ref> he instead included the demo on ''Back to the Egg''.<ref name=Clayson191-192>Clayson, pp. 191–92</ref> Contrary to popular belief based on a photo shot in the studio, McCartney did not play the stand-up bass in the song, as revealed in an interview with Laurence Juber conducted by Perasi for his book ''Back to the Egg: The Story of Wings' Last Album''.<ref>Perasi Luca, ''Back to the Egg. The Story of Wings' Last Album'', L.I.L.Y. Publishing, 2025, {{ISBN|979-12-817581-9-3}}, p. 88.</ref> The band then continued with overdubs on these and other songs intermittently through October and November, finishing at Abbey Road on 1 December.<ref name="Madinger & Easter pp 240-41">Madinger and Easter, pp. 240–41</ref>

====December 1978–February 1979: Replica Studio====
Towards the end of the year, Wings also carried out overdubs at the newly built Replica Studio, located at MPL's Soho Square offices.<ref name="Madinger & Easter pp 240-41" /> Frustrated at the impending unavailability of Abbey Road's Studio Two<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 241" /> – which studio owner and record company [[EMI]] needed for its other acts, besides Wings<ref name="Sounes p 348">Sounes, p. 348</ref> – McCartney had constructed an exact replica of Studio Two in the basement at MPL.<ref name="Badman p 227">Badman, p. 227</ref>{{refn|According to Madinger and Easter, McCartney had to make way for block-booked sessions for [[Cliff Richard]]'s new album, ''[[Rock 'n' Roll Juvenile]]'' (1979).<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 241" /> Doyle writes that the competing project was in fact an album by "EMI's new darling", [[Kate Bush]].<ref>Doyle, pp. 176–77</ref>|group="nb"}} Among the work done on ''Back to the Egg'' at Replica, the band replaced the final twenty seconds of "So Glad to See You Here" with what Madinger and Easter describe as "a [[reggae]]-styled [[Coda (music)|coda]]", containing the "We're Open Tonight" [[reprise]].<ref>Madinger and Easter, pp. 241, 245</ref>

Sessions continued there in January and February 1979.<ref>Badman, p. 229</ref> During that time, the band recorded a non-album single – the [[disco]]-styled "[[Goodnight Tonight]]", backed with "[[Daytime Nighttime Suffering]]" – as a release to coincide with the airing of the long-delayed<ref name="McGee p 127">McGee, p. 127</ref> ''Wings Over the World'' special.<ref>Madinger and Easter, pp. 246, 247</ref> While noting that McCartney and Laine's relationship was beginning to unravel at this point, Sounes compares the freshness of these new recordings with the drawn-out sessions for ''Back to the Egg'' and writes that the album "was now so overworked it might more aptly have been titled ''Over-Egged''".<ref>Sounes, pp. 347–48</ref> Impatient at the amount of time being spent in the recording studio, Laine publicly admitted that he was "desperate" to go out on tour.<ref>Doyle, p. 177</ref>

===Final overdubbing and mixing===
In March, Wings moved back to Abbey Road Studios to complete the album.<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 241" /> Vocal overdubs were then added to "Winter Rose/Love Awake"<ref name="Badman p 230">Badman, p. 230</ref> and an orchestral-sounding mellotron part to the end of "Getting Closer".<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 242" /> Having worked with [[Black Dyke Band|the Black Dyke Mills Band]] in the 1960s, when he produced their 1968 single "Thingumybob" for [[Apple Records]],<ref>Spizer, p. 342</ref> McCartney invited the band down from Yorkshire to overdub brass accompaniment on "Winter Rose/Love Awake".<ref>Sounes, pp. 216, 348</ref> The overdub session, which took place on 1 April 1979, lasted "most of the day" and involved a 26-piece band.<ref>Perasi, Luca: ''Paul McCartney: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs'', L.I.L.Y. Publishing, 2023, {{ISBN|978-88-909122-9-0}}, pp.306-307.</ref>

While mixing the album during March, Wings finally discarded the song "Cage", which had been sequenced as the second track, following "Reception".<ref>Madinger and Easter, pp. 241, 247</ref> The same alternative running order paired the Rockestra recordings at the end of side two, so that the album closed with the "We're Open Tonight" coda.<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 241" /> Holly later recalled that whereas beforehand the band had been confident that ''Back to the Egg'' would be a strong album, during the final mixing process "[it] dawned on us there might be problems".<ref name="McGee p 128">McGee, p. 128</ref> At the last minute, "Baby's Request" replaced "Cage" and the running order was revised, with the result that the working-band concept became less pronounced.<ref>Madinger and Easter, pp. 240, 241</ref>

==Artwork and promotional videos==
The design for the album's artwork was by [[Hipgnosis]],<ref name=BTTEsleeve /> the company responsible for previous Wings album covers such as ''[[Venus and Mars (Wings album)|Venus and Mars]]'' (1975)<ref>Spizer, pp. 197, 199</ref> and the recent ''[[Wings Greatest]]'' compilation (1978).<ref name="Badman p 226" /> The front cover depicts the five members of Wings in a room, looking down through space at Planet Earth through an open hatchway in the floor; the statuette above the mantlepiece behind them is the same that appears in the ''Wings Greatest'' artwork. The picture was taken by photographer John Shaw<ref name=Band192/> at his London studio.<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 241" /> Photos of the individual band members appeared on the back cover, credited to Linda and Paul McCartney.<ref name=BTTEsleeve />

Working with film company Keef & Co., Wings filmed seven promotional videos for the album, which would later be compiled into the [[Back to the Egg (TV special)|''Back to the Egg'' TV special]].<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 247">Madinger and Easter, p. 247</ref> Filming took place between 4 and 13 June, at locations including Lympne Castle's main hall, a private airfield at Lympne, [[Camber Sands]] in East Sussex, and Keef & Co.'s London studios.<ref>Badman, pp. 233, 234</ref>{{refn|In their section covering the filming, Madinger and Easter list the same locations but give dates of 28 May to 6 June, during which Wings had also returned to Lympne Castle for a second set of recording sessions.<ref>Madinger and Easter, pp. 247–48</ref>|group="nb"}} "Old Siam, Sir", "Getting Closer", "Spin It On" and "Arrow Through Me" were among the tracks for which videos were made.<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 247" />

==Release==
"Goodnight Tonight" had been issued on [[Columbia Records]] in America,<ref>Badman, pp. 230, 232</ref> marking McCartney's break from EMI-affiliated [[Capitol Records]],<ref>McGee, pp. 125, 126</ref> although he and Wings remained with EMI's [[Parlophone]] label in the UK.<ref>Madinger and Easter, pp. 246, 247, 590</ref> McCartney's contract with Columbia made him the highest-paid recording artist in the world.<ref name="Badman p 230" /><ref>Doyle, p. 178</ref>{{refn|McCartney's royalty rate was 20 per cent of each copy of an album sold, a rate that McGee describes as "remarkable" for that time.<ref name=Band126>McGee, p. 126</ref>|group="nb"}} As an incentive for McCartney, Columbia's parent company, [[CBS Records International|CBS]], had added to his publishing portfolio by giving him the highly profitable<ref name="Doggett p 263">Doggett, p. 263</ref> Frank Music catalogue<ref name="Sounes p 348"/> – making McCartney the copyright holder to ''[[Guys and Dolls]]'' and other popular [[Musical theatre|musicals]] by [[Frank Loesser]].<ref>Clayson, p. 200</ref><ref>McGee, pp. 125–26, 147–48</ref>

''Back to the Egg'' was released on 24 May 1979 in the US<ref name="Badman p 232">Badman, p. 232</ref> (as Columbia FC-36057), and on 8 June in the UK (as Parlophone PCTC 257).<ref name=Band192>McGee, p. 192</ref><ref name="Madinger & Easter p 599">Madinger and Easter, p. 599</ref>{{refn|While the US release date was 24 May according to McGee<ref name=Band192 /> and ''Beatles Diary'' compiler Keith Badman,<ref name="Badman p 232" /> Madinger and Easter give it as 11 June, a week after Columbia issued the album's lead single there.<ref>Madinger and Easter, pp. 594, 599</ref>|group="nb"}} In Britain, "Old Siam, Sir" was the album's first single, whereas "Getting Closer" was the choice in America; in both cases, "Spin It On" was the [[B-side]].<ref>Madinger and Easter, pp. 590, 594</ref> On 11 June, an album launch party took place inside Abbey Road's Studio Two, which had been blacked-out like a large frying pan, while tables carrying yellow parasols represented fried eggs sitting in the pan.<ref name="Badman p 233">Badman, p. 233</ref> Part of Chattington's ''Rockestra'' documentary was screened during the event,<ref>McGee, pp. 127–28</ref> the only public airing the film received.<ref>Madinger and Easter, pp. 243, 244</ref>

The follow-up singles, issued in August, were "Arrow Through Me" in the US and "Getting Closer" in the UK,<ref>Badman, p. 235</ref> the latter release a [[double A-side]] with "Baby's Request".<ref name=Clayson191/> In some European countries, "Rockestra Theme" was released as a single.<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 244"/>

Compared to the major commercial success of previous Wings albums, sales of ''Back to the Egg'' were disappointing,<ref>Woffinden, pp. 117, 118, 124</ref><ref name="Sounes p 352">Sounes, p. 352</ref> and none of its singles became significant hits.<ref name=Clayson191/><ref>Rodriguez, p. 269</ref> In the UK, "Old Siam, Sir" and "Getting Closer" climbed to number 35 and number 60, respectively.<ref name="UKchart"/> On America's [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] chart, "Getting Closer" peaked at number 20, and "Arrow Through Me" at number 29.<ref>''The New Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll'', p. 640</ref><ref name="USchart"/> ''Back to the Egg'' reached number 6 in the UK<ref name="UKchart"/> and number 8 on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]],<ref name="USchart"/> although US chart compilers ''[[Cashbox (magazine)|Cashbox]]'' and ''[[Record World]]'' both listed it at number 7.<ref name=Band233>McGee, p. 233</ref> With heavy promotion from Columbia, the album sold over 1 million copies in America;<ref name="McGee pp 127, 128">McGee, pp. 127, 128</ref> in Britain, retail outlets soon slashed its price in an attempt to dispense with their surplus of stock.<ref name="Woffinden p 124" />

McCartney later reflected that for an act other than Wings, sales such as those for ''Back to the Egg'' would have been considered "very healthy".<ref name=Band192/> Given CBS's substantial investment in their new signing, Madinger and Easter write, the album's apparent failure led to a period of "mutual finger-pointing between Paul and Columbia Records", lasting until his contract expired in 1985.<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 241" />{{refn|Columbia had wanted to maximise the album's commercial potential by including "Goodnight Tonight", a worldwide hit,<ref name="Rodriguez p 389">Rodriguez, p. 389</ref> but McCartney had vetoed its inclusion.<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 241" /><ref name="McGee pp 127, 128" />|group="nb"}}

==Reception==
{{Album reviews
|rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
|rev1score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref name=AM />
|rev3 = ''[[Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies|Christgau's Record Guide]]''
|rev3Score = C<ref name="CG">{{cite book|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|year=1981|title=[[Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies]]|publisher=[[Ticknor & Fields]]|isbn=089919026X|chapter=Consumer Guide '70s: W|chapter-url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/get_chap.php?k=W&bk=70|access-date=9 March 2019|via=robertchristgau.com}}</ref>
| rev5 = ''[[The Essential Rock Discography]]''
| rev5Score = 5/10<ref>Strong, p. 696</ref>
| rev7 = ''[[MusicHound|MusicHound Rock]]''
| rev7Score ={{rating|1|5}}<ref>Graff and Durchholz, p. 731</ref>
|rev8 = ''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]''
|rev8score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref name=Q>{{cite news|last=Nicol|first=Jimmy|title=Re-releases: Paul McCartney ''The Paul McCartney Collection'' |work=[[Q (magazine)|Q]] |date=October 1993 |page=119}}</ref>
| rev10 = ''[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide]]''
| rev10Score = {{Rating|2|5}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/paul-mccartney/albumguide |title=Paul McCartney: Album Guide |publisher=[[Rolling Stone|rollingstone.com]] |access-date=13 October 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140704174106/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/paul-mccartney/albumguide |archive-date=4 July 2014 }}</ref>
| rev11 = ''[[Smash Hits]]''
| rev11score = 6/10<ref>Starr, Red (28 June–11 July 1979). "Albums", ''[[Smash Hits]]'', p. 25.</ref>
}}
''Back to the Egg'' received predominantly negative reviews on release;<ref name=W&M88/> author [[Alan Clayson]] writes of the album receiving "a critical mauling as vicious as that for ''London Town''".<ref name=Clayson191 /> In an especially unfavourable critique for ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' magazine,<ref>Woffinden, pp. 121, 124</ref> [[Timothy White (editor)|Timothy White]] described it as "the sorriest grab bag of dreck in recent memory" and lamented that none of the songs were "the least bit fleshed out", with the listener instead given "an irritating display of disjointed images and unfocused musical snapshots".<ref name="White/RS">{{cite magazine |first=Timothy |last=White |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/back-to-the-egg-19790823 |title=Paul McCartney ''Back to the Egg'' |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |date=23 August 1979 |pages=55–56 |access-date=17 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131220203617/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/back-to-the-egg-19790823 |archive-date=20 December 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref> After opining that, since 1970, "this ex-Beatle has been lending his truly prodigious talents&nbsp;... to some of the laziest records in the history of rock & roll", White wrote: "Who, one felt compelled to ask, is in charge here? ''Back to the Egg'' provides the final, obvious answer: ''no one''."<ref name="White/RS" />

''[[Village Voice]]'' critic [[Robert Christgau]] said of McCartney and the new Wings album: "When he's on, Paulie's abundant tunefulness passes for generosity. Here he's just hoping something will stick."<ref name="CG"/> In ''Melody Maker'', [[Ray Coleman]] wrote that McCartney "seems to be on a treadmill of banality".<ref name="Coleman/NME Originals" /> Coleman described "Rockestra Theme" and "So Glad to See You Here" as "creditable, rolling, raunchy and at least efficient, with Paul's voice at its rocking best on the last named track", but concluded: "This album gets Wings nowhere&nbsp;..."<ref name="Coleman/NME Originals">{{cite book|editor=Hunt, Chris|chapter=Chapter 4: 1976–1980|title=[[NME|NME Originals]]: Beatles – The Solo Years 1970–1980|year=2005|publisher=[[IPC Media – Inspire (Time Inc.)#Inspire|IPC Ignite!]]|location=London|page=123}}</ref> ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]''{{'}}s reviewer gave ''Back to the Egg'' "Spotlight" status (meaning "the most outstanding new product of the week's releases and that with the greatest potential for top of the chart placement") and commented: "The music features typical McCartney fare of late with nothing here that will distinguish it as one of his classics. The arrangements, though, are interesting, encompassing a variety of styles."<ref name="BB review">{{cite magazine|first=Ed (reviews ed.) |last=Harrison |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KSUEAAAAMBAJ&q=Chris+Thomas |title=Top Album Picks |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |date=23 June 1979 |access-date=26 November 2014|page=64}}</ref>

In a more positive assessment, for ''[[Creem]]'' magazine, Mitchell Cohen highlighted the album's second side as "a collection of McCartney performances that string together like abbey roadwork", and praised McCartney's vocals relative to his past work, writing: "all of the current tracks are terser, sung better, have less of what I suppose would be called the recording artist's equivalent of camera consciousness."<ref name="Cohen/Creem">Cohen, Mitchell (September 1979). "Wings: ''Back to the Egg'' (Columbia)". ''[[Creem]]''. Available at [http://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/wings-iback-to-the-egg-icolumbia Rock's Backpages] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140307094813/http://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/wings-iback-to-the-egg-icolumbia |date=7 March 2014 }} (''subscription required'').</ref> To ''[[NME]]'' critic [[Bob Woffinden]], the attempt at an album-wide concept was "a pretty half-baked one" and Hipgnosis' cover photo was "easily the album's strongest point".<ref name="Woffinden p 121" /> While identifying the songs as "particularly weak lyrically", Woffinden concluded: "It was the familiar McCartney problem. He had every essential creative requirement, except the discipline required to knead the parts into a perfect whole."<ref name="Woffinden p 124">Woffinden, p. 124</ref>

[[AllMusic]] critic [[Stephen Thomas Erlewine]] views ''Back to the Egg'' as "a set of [McCartney's] most undistinguished songs" that "have no spark whatsoever", and bemoans "the weak sound of the record and Wings' faceless performances".<ref name=AM>{{cite web |last=Erlewine |first=Stephen Thomas |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/back-to-the-egg-mw0000198282 |title=''Back to the Egg'' – Wings / Paul McCartney |publisher=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=30 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230227150534/https://www.allmusic.com/album/back-to-the-egg-mw0000198282 |archive-date=27 February 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref> Among McCartney biographers, Vincent Benitez writes that the songs are "uneven in quality",<ref name=W&M88/> and Howard Sounes describes the album as "a curate's egg, good in parts, with token attempts at sounding contemporary".<ref name="Sounes p 352" /> Tom Doyle views "the new wave-ish rockers" like "Spin It On" as "too smoothed out to be truly edgy" and the two spoken-word tracks as "weird – and not in a good way".<ref name="Doyle p 174" /> Doyle considers that while ''Back to the Egg'' has its "moments of inspiration", "There was too much material [recorded during the sessions], and yet not enough of it to gel into a cohesive album."<ref>Doyle, pp. 174, 209</ref> Perasi remarks that the album "represented another stylistic turning point for McCartney... and offers a fresh style" but at the same time it "contains the usual genre diversity which had always distinguished McCartney’s productions".<ref>Perasi, Luca: ''Paul McCartney: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs'', L.I.L.Y. Publishing, 2023, {{ISBN|978-88-909122-9-0}}, p.293.</ref>

==Aftermath and reissues==
{{quote box|quote= These days you talk to some young people and it's really cool if you don't make the charts. It's very alien to my way of thinking&nbsp;... [But] in a way it's quite cool to have a few albums that didn't make it. I didn't mean [''Back to the Egg''] to be underground, but it's nice.<ref>{{cite book|author=Du Noyer, Paul|chapter=Alone Again, or&nbsp;... |title=[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]: The Beatles' Final Years Special Edition|year=2003|publisher=[[Emap]]|location=London|page=64}}</ref>|source= – McCartney, 2001, reflecting on the relative failure of the album|width=25%|align=right|style=padding:8px;}}
With the album falling well short of Columbia's and McCartney's expectations commercially, McCartney spent the remainder of summer 1979 recording in Peasmarsh and Campbeltown, without Wings,<ref>Madinger and Easter, pp. 241, 248–49</ref> creating his solo album ''[[McCartney II]]'' (1980).<ref name="McGee pp 127, 128" /> During November and December 1979, US TV stations aired the 31-minute ''Back to the Egg'' special, as Wings undertook a nineteen-show [[Wings UK Tour 1979|UK tour]],<ref>Badman, pp. 238, 239</ref> the first leg of the proposed world tour.<ref name=FAQ66/> Among the songs in the setlist, they performed several tracks from ''Back to the Egg'': "Getting Closer", "Again and Again and Again", "Old Siam, Sir", "Spin It On" and "Arrow Through Me".<ref>Madinger and Easter, p. 254</ref>

The band were scheduled to tour Japan during January and February 1980,<ref name=FAQ66/> but the concerts, together with their tour dates elsewhere in the world,<ref>Benitez, p. 11</ref> were cancelled after McCartney was arrested for possession of drugs when entering the country.<ref name=Band135>McGee, p. 135</ref> Around this time, "Rockestra Theme" won the [[Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance]].<ref name=W&M91/> Wings regrouped in October 1980 to finish off songs for the planned ''[[Cold Cuts (Paul McCartney album)|Cold Cuts]]'' album,<ref>Madinger and Easter, p. 260</ref> a compilation that McCartney had suggested when CBS sought to recover part of its financial losses from ''Back to the Egg''.<ref name="Sounes p 365">Sounes, p. 265</ref>{{refn|Originally planned as an Apple Records budget release in 1974,<ref>Spizer, p. 199</ref> ''Cold Cuts'' was turned down by Columbia.<ref name="Sounes p 365" />|group="nb"}} The reunion with Wings was short-lived and the band discontinued upon Laine's departure in April 1981.<ref name=W&M97>Benitez, p. 97</ref>

On 20 June 1989, by which time McCartney had returned to Capitol Records,<ref>''The New Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll'', p. 639</ref> ''Back to the Egg'' was released on CD in America<ref>Badman, p. 425</ref> with three bonus tracks:<ref name=W&M95/> "Daytime Nighttime Suffering",<ref>Ingham, p. 143</ref> McCartney's 1979 [[Christmas]] single "[[Wonderful Christmastime]]", and the latter's B-side, "[[Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (song)|Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reggae]]".<ref>Madinger and Easter, pp. 207, 251, 608</ref> In August 1993,<ref>Badman, p. 508</ref> Parlophone reissued the album as part of ''[[The Paul McCartney Collection]]'' with the same three bonus tracks. Samples of "Reception" and "The Broadcast" appeared on [[The Fireman (music)|the Fireman]]'s ''[[Strawberries Oceans Ships Forest]]'' (1993) album, a collaboration between McCartney and [[Martin Glover|Youth]].<ref>Madinger and Easter, p. 350</ref> In 2007, ''Back to the Egg'' was released on [[ITunes Store|iTunes]], with a remix of "Goodnight Tonight" as a bonus track.<ref name=W&M95/>

==Track listing==
All songs written by [[Paul McCartney]], except where noted.

'''Side one: Sunny Side Up'''
# "Reception" – 1:08
# "[[Getting Closer (song)|Getting Closer]]" – 3:22
# "We're Open Tonight" – 1:28
# "Spin It On" – 2:12
# "Again and Again and Again" ([[Denny Laine]]) – 3:34
# "[[Old Siam, Sir]]" – 4:11
# "[[Arrow Through Me]]" – 3:37

'''Side two: Over Easy'''
# "[[Rockestra Theme]]" – 2:35
# "To You" – 3:12
# "After the Ball / Million Miles" – 4:00
# "Winter Rose / Love Awake" – 4:58
# "The Broadcast" – 1:30
# "So Glad to See You Here" – 3:20
# "Baby's Request" – 2:49

;CD bonus tracks
# "[[Daytime Nighttime Suffering]]" – 3:23
# "[[Wonderful Christmastime]]" – 3:49
# "[[Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (song)|Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reggae]]" ([[Johnny Marks]]) – 1:48

;2007 iTunes bonus track
# "[[Goodnight Tonight]]" (Extended Version) – 7:16

==Personnel==
Wings and additional personnel per Benitez.<ref>Benitez, pp. 88–94</ref> Rockestra line-up and production per sleeve.<ref name=BTTEsleeve>{{cite AV media notes|url=http://www.discogs.com/viewimages?release=374789|title=Back to the Egg |others=[[Wings (band)|Wings]] |year=1979 |type=inner sleeve credits |publisher=[[MPL Communications]] |id= PCTC 257}}</ref>

'''Wings'''
*[[Paul McCartney]]&nbsp;– lead and backing [[singing|vocals]], [[bass guitar|bass]], [[acoustic guitar|acoustic]] and [[Electric guitar|electric]] guitars, [[keyboard instrument|keyboards]], [[concertina]] on "Million Miles", piano and [[harpsichord]] on "Winter Rose"
*[[Linda McCartney]]&nbsp;– keyboards, backing vocals
*[[Denny Laine]]&nbsp;– lead vocal on "Again and Again and Again", electric and acoustic guitars, backing vocals
*[[Laurence Juber]]&nbsp;– electric and acoustic guitars, [[guitar synthesizer]], bass on "Love Awake"<ref name="Juberint">{{cite web |url=https://daytrippin.com/2010/10/15/exclusive-ex-wings-guitarist-laurence-juber-talks-about-having-paul-mccartney-as-a-boss |last=Terrill |first=Marshall |title=Exclusive: Ex-Wings guitarist, Laurence Juber, talks about having Paul McCartney as a boss |publisher=Daytrippin' Magazine |date=15 October 2010 |access-date=13 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160422020754/https://daytrippin.com/2010/10/15/exclusive-ex-wings-guitarist-laurence-juber-talks-about-having-paul-mccartney-as-a-boss/ |archive-date=22 April 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref>
*[[Steve Holley]]&nbsp;– [[drum kit|drums]], [[percussion instrument|percussion]]

'''Additional personnel'''
*[[Black Dyke Mills Band]] – horns on "Love Awake"
*Dierdre Margary, Harold Margary – book readings

'''Rockestra line-up on "Rockestra Theme" and "So Glad to See You Here"'''
*Denny Laine, Laurence Juber, [[David Gilmour]], [[Hank Marvin]], [[Pete Townshend]] – guitars
*Steve Holley, [[John Bonham]], [[Kenney Jones]] – drums
*Paul McCartney, [[John Paul Jones (musician)|John Paul Jones]], [[Ronnie Lane]], [[Bruce Thomas (musician)|Bruce Thomas]] – basses
*Paul McCartney, [[Gary Brooker]], John Paul Jones – pianos
*Linda McCartney, [[Tony Ashton]] – keyboards
*Speedy Acquaye, Tony Carr, [[Ray Cooper]], [[Morris Pert]] – percussion
*[[Howie Casey]], Tony Dorsey, Steve Howard, Thaddeus Richard – horns

'''Production'''
*Paul McCartney and [[Chris Thomas (record producer)|Chris Thomas]] – [[Producer (music)|producers]]
*[[Phil McDonald]] – [[Engineering (music)|engineer]]
*Mark Vigars – assistant engineer
*John Shaw – front cover photo
*Linda McCartney, Paul McCartney – back cover photos
*[[Hipgnosis]] – design<ref name="Sounes p 352" />

==Accolades==

=== Grammy Awards ===
{{Awards table}}
|-
| style="width:35px; text-align:center;"|[[22nd Grammy Awards|1980]] || "Rockestra Theme" || [[Best Rock Instrumental Performance]]<ref name="grammywinners">{{cite web|url=http://www.grammy.com/nominees/search?artist=Wings|title=Past Winners Search|publisher=[[National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences]]|access-date=3 October 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203150017/http://www.grammy.com/nominees/search?artist=Wings|archive-date=3 February 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> || {{won}}
|-
{{End}}

==Charts and certifications==
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}

===Weekly charts===
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|-
!scope="col"|Chart (1979)
!scope="col"|Peak<br />position
|-
!scope="row"|Australia ([[Kent Music Report]])<ref name="auchart">{{Cite book|title=[[Kent Music Report|Australian Chart Book 1970&ndash;1992]]|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=[[St Ives, New South Wales|St Ives, NSW]]|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6}}</ref>
|3
|-
!scope="row"|Austrian Albums ([[Ö3 Austria Top 40]])<ref name="ATchart">{{cite web|title=Wings – Back to the Egg |publisher=austriancharts.at |url=http://austriancharts.at/showitem.asp?interpret=Wings&titel=Back+To+The+Egg&cat=a |language=de |access-date=3 October 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121102221418/http://austriancharts.at/showitem.asp?interpret=Wings&titel=Back+To+The+Egg&cat=a |archive-date=2 November 2012 }}</ref>
|12
|-
!scope="row"|Canadian Albums ([[RPM (magazine)|RPM]])<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.4499a&type=1&interval=20&PHPSESSID=c6btf3r8hs459qqt5ln3o3dcv5|title=''RPM'' 100 Albums (11 August 1979)|publisher=[[Library and Archives Canada]]|access-date=17 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131105212051/http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.4499a&type=1&interval=20&PHPSESSID=c6btf3r8hs459qqt5ln3o3dcv5|archive-date=5 November 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>
|2
|-
!scope="row"|Dutch Mega Albums ([[MegaCharts]])<ref name="nlchart">{{cite web|title=Wings – Back to the Egg |language=nl |publisher=dutchcharts.nl |url=http://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Wings&titel=Back+To+The+Egg&cat=a |access-date=12 September 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131105220802/http://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Wings&titel=Back+To+The+Egg&cat=a |archive-date=5 November 2013 }}</ref>
|11
|-
!scope="row"|Italian Albums ([[Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana|FIMI]])<ref name="itayearend">{{cite web | url = http://www.hitparadeitalia.it/hp_yenda/lpe1979.htm | title = Hit Parade Italia – Gli album più venduti del 1979 | language = it | publisher = hitparadeitalia.it | access-date = 3 October 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110811065029/http://www.hitparadeitalia.it/hp_yenda/lpe1979.htm | archive-date = 11 August 2011 | url-status = live }}</ref>
|10
|-
!scope="row"|[[1979 in Japanese music|Japanese LPs]] ([[Oricon]])<ref name="Jachart">{{cite book|title=Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005|publisher=Oricon Entertainment|location=[[Roppongi]], [[Tokyo]]|year=2006|isbn=4-87131-077-9}}</ref>
|7
|-
!scope="row"|New Zealand Albums ([[New Zealand Albums Chart|RIANZ]])<ref name="nzchart">{{cite web|title=Wings – Back to the Egg |url=https://charts.nz/showitem.asp?interpret=Wings&titel=Back+To+The+Egg&cat=a |publisher=charts.nz |access-date=3 October 2011 }}</ref>
|9
|-
!scope="row"|Norwegian Albums ([[VG-lista]])<ref name="norcharts">{{cite web|title=Wings – Back to the Egg |publisher=norwegiancharts.com |url=http://norwegiancharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Wings&titel=Back+To+The+Egg&cat=a |access-date=12 September 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121102133756/http://norwegiancharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Wings&titel=Back+To+The+Egg&cat=a |archive-date=2 November 2012 }}</ref>
|5
|-
!scope="row"|Spanish Albums ([[Spanish Albums Chart|Promusicae]])<ref>{{cite book |last=Salaverri|first=Fernando|title=Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002|edition=1st |date=September 2005|publisher=Fundación Autor-SGAE|location=Spain|isbn=84-8048-639-2}}</ref>
|7
|-
!scope="row"|Swedish Albums ([[Swedish Albums Chart|Sverigetopplistan]])<ref name="sechart">{{cite web|title=Wings – Back to the Egg |url=http://swedishcharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Wings&titel=Back+To+The+Egg&cat=a |publisher=swedishcharts.com |language=sv |access-date=3 October 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121024151202/http://swedishcharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Wings&titel=Back+To+The+Egg&cat=a |archive-date=24 October 2012 }}</ref>
|5
|-
!scope="row"|[[UK Albums Chart]]<ref name="UKchart">{{cite web| url=http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/_/paul%20mccartney/| title=Artist: Paul McCartney| publisher=[[Official Charts Company]]| access-date=3 November 2013| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140306083144/http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/_/Paul%20McCartney| archive-date=6 March 2014| url-status=live}}</ref>
|6
|-
!scope="row"|US [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]]<ref name="USchart">{{cite magazine |title=Paul McCartney Chart History: ''Billboard'' 200 |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/paul-mccartney/chart-history/tlp/ |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |access-date=14 November 2024}}</ref>
|8
|-
!scope="row"|West German Albums ([[Media Control]])<ref name="GER1">{{cite web | url = http://www.officialcharts.de/album.asp?artist=Wings&title=Back+To+The+Egg&cat=a&country=de | title = Wings, Back to the Egg | language = de | publisher = charts.de | access-date = 4 November 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140724064901/http://www.officialcharts.de/album.asp?artist=Wings&title=Back+To+The+Egg&cat=a&country=de | archive-date = 24 July 2014 | url-status = dead }}</ref>
|16
|}
{{col-2}}

===Year-end charts===
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|-
!scope="col"|Chart (1979)
!scope="col"|Position
|-
!scope="row"|[[List of Top 25 albums for 1979 in Australia|Australian Albums]] (Kent Music Report)<ref name="auchart" />
|22
|-
!scope="row"|Canadian Albums (RPM)<ref name="CAYearend79">{{cite web|url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.6920&type=1&interval=20&PHPSESSID=c6btf3r8hs459qqt5ln3o3dcv5|title=''RPM'' Top 100 Albums of 1979|publisher=[[Library and Archives Canada]]|access-date=17 March 2014|archive-url=https://archive.today/20121205230432/http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.6920&type=1&interval=20&PHPSESSID=c6btf3r8hs459qqt5ln3o3dcv5|archive-date=5 December 2012|url-status=live}}</ref>
|20
|-
!scope="row"|French Albums<ref name="frayearend">{{cite web|url=http://www.infodisc.fr/B-CD_1979.php |title=Les Albums (CD) de 1979 par InfoDisc |language=fr |format=PHP |publisher=infodisc.fr |access-date=29 January 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140221165657/http://www.infodisc.fr/B-CD_1979.php |archive-date=21 February 2014 }}</ref>
|17
|-
!scope="row"|Italian Albums<ref name="itayearend" />
|37
|}

=== Certifications and sales ===
{{Certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Japan (Oricon Charts)|nocert=yes|salesamount=74,000|salesref=<ref name="Jachart"/>}}
{{Certification Table Entry|title=Back to the Egg|artist=Wings|type=album|relyear=1979|region=Canada|award=Platinum|number=2}}
{{Certification Table Entry|title=Back to the Egg|artist=Wings|type=album|relyear=1979|region=United Kingdom|award=Gold|id=670-1142-2}}
{{Certification Table Entry|title=Back to the Egg|artist=Wings|type=album|relyear=1979|region=United States|award=Platinum}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=yes}}
{{col-end}}

==Notes==
{{reflist|30em|group="nb"}}

==References==
{{Reflist|20em}}

==Sources==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book|last=Badman|first=Keith|title=The Beatles Diary Volume 2: After the Break-Up 1970–2001|publisher= Omnibus Press|location=London|year=2001|isbn=978-0-7119-8307-6}}
* {{cite book|last=Benitez|first=Vincent P.|title=The Words and Music of Paul McCartney: The Solo Years|year=2010|publisher=Praeger|location=Santa Barbara, CA|isbn=978-0-313-34969-0}}
* {{cite book|last=Clayson|first=Alan|title=Paul McCartney|year=2003|publisher=Sanctuary|location=London|isbn=1-86074-482-6}}
* {{cite book|last=Doggett|first=Peter|title=You Never Give Me Your Money: The Beatles After the Breakup|publisher=It Books|location=New York, NY|year=2011|isbn=978-0-06-177418-8}}
* {{cite book|last=Doyle|first=Tom|title=Man on the Run: Paul McCartney in the 1970s|publisher=Ballantine Books|location=New York, NY|year=2013|isbn=978-0-8041-7914-0}}
* {{cite book|editor-last1=Graff|editor-first1=Gary|editor-last2=Durchholz|editor-first2=Daniel|title=MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide|publisher=Visible Ink Press|location=Farmington Hills, MI|year=1999|isbn=1-57859-061-2|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781578590612}}
* {{cite book|last=Ingham|first=Chris|title=The Rough Guide to the Beatles|year=2003|publisher=Rough Guides|location=London|isbn=978-1-84353-140-1|edition=1st}}
* {{cite book|last=McGee|first=Garry|title=Band on the Run: A History of Paul McCartney and Wings|year=2003|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|location=Lanham, MD|isbn=978-0-87833-304-2}}
* {{cite book|last1=Madinger|first1=Chip|last2=Easter|first2=Mark|title=Eight Arms to Hold You: The Solo Beatles Compendium|publisher=44.1 Productions|location=Chesterfield, MO|year=2000|isbn=0-615-11724-4}}
* {{cite book|title=The New Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll|publisher=Fireside/Rolling Stone Press|location=New York, NY|year=1995|isbn=0-684-81044-1|url=https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonee00patr|access-date=9 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191120225619/https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonee00patr|archive-date=20 November 2019|url-status=live}}
* {{cite book|last=Perasi|first=Luca|title=Paul McCartney: Recording Sessions (1969–2013)|year=2013|publisher=L.I.L.Y. Publishing|location=[S.l.]|isbn=978-88-909122-1-4}}
* {{cite book|last=Perasi|first=Luca|title=Paul McCartney: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs (Vol.1) 1970-1989|year=2023|publisher=L.I.L.Y. Publishing|location=Milan|isbn=978-88-909122-9-0}}
* {{cite book|last=Perasi|first=Luca|title=Back to the Egg: The Story of Wings' Last Album|year=2025|publisher=L.I.L.Y. Publishing|location=Milan|isbn=979-12-817581-9-3}}
* {{cite book|last=Rodriguez|first=Robert|title=Fab Four FAQ 2.0: The Beatles' Solo Years, 1970–1980|year=2010|publisher=Backbeat Books|location=Milwaukee, WI|isbn=978-0-87930-968-8}}
* {{cite book|last=Sounes|first=Howard|title=Fab: An Intimate Life of Paul McCartney|year=2010|publisher=HarperCollins|location=London|isbn=978-0-00-723705-0}}
* {{cite book|last=Spizer|first=Bruce|title=The Beatles Solo on Apple Records|publisher=498 Productions|location=New Orleans, LA|year=2005|isbn=0-9662649-5-9}}
* {{cite book|author=Strong, Martin C. |year=2006|title=The Essential Rock Discography|publisher=Canongate|location=Edinburgh, UK|isbn=978-1-84195-827-9}}
* {{cite book|last=Woffinden|first=Bob|title=The Beatles Apart|publisher=Proteus|location=London|year=1981|isbn=0-906071-89-5}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
*{{Discogs master|type=album|48870|name=Back to the Egg}}

{{Wings}}
{{Paul McCartney}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1979 albums]]
[[Category:Paul McCartney and Wings albums]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Paul McCartney]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Chris Thomas (record producer)]]
[[Category:Albums with cover art by Hipgnosis]]
[[Category:Columbia Records albums]]
[[Category:Parlophone albums]]