Label:       Midnight Beat

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FROM LINER NOTES: JAMES PAUL McCARTNEY A hour-long television special made by Sir Lew Grade's company ATV.  It was described by the promotional blurb as "... a personal project of Sir Lew Grade, realised through the genius of Paul McCartney and the expertise of producer Gary Smith and director Dwight Hewison."
In fact, Paul agreed to do the show in a deal struck to heal the breach caused between him and Sir Lew when Paul co-shared the composing credits with Linda on 'Another Day'.   Grade initially believed this was a ruse to cut into the royalties due to his company through its ownership of Lennon and McCartney material.
The TV show was filmed in various places: on location in Scotland; in a Liverpool pub, where Gerry Marsden, former leader of Gerry and the Pacemakers, joined Paul and locals in a rousing singalong; and at ATV's Boreham Wood studios in front of a live audience, with Paul and Wings performing 'Big Red Barn' [sic], 'The Mess', 'Maybe I'm Amazed' and 'Long Tall Sally'. Paul also performed a medley of 'Bluebird', 'Michelle', 'Heart Of The Country', 'Mary Had A Little Lamb', and 'Yesterday'.
Finally, Paul ended the show singing 'Yesterday' to his own acoustic guitar accompaniment.   The show's major number was a Budby Berkeley-style musical spectacular, to the tune of 'Gotta Sing, Gotta Dance', a number Paul had originally written for Twiggy.  This featured a long-haired moustachioed Paul in a white tail-suit, dancing with a host of showgirls whose costumes and make-up were half male, half female.  There were also scenes of Linda taking photographs of Paul, and a clip from the new James Bond movie Live And Let Die.  Other numbers in the show were 'Little Woman Love', 'Uncle Albert', 'Another Day', 'Oh Woman Oh Why' and 'Hi Hi Hi'.
The programme was first screened in America on 16 April 1973 and in Britain on 7 June of the same year.  Paul was to comment: "You could say it's fulfilling an old ambition. Right at the start I fancied myself in a musical comedy.  But that was before the Beatles.  Don't get me wrong.  I'm no Astaire or Gene Kelly and this doesn't mean the start of something big. I don't want to be an allrounder.  I'm sticking to what I am."
The reviews in general were not exactly enthusiastic, Melody Maker calling it "overblown and silly."