London Town is the sixth studio album by the
band
Wings, released in 1978. Recording the album was a
long and tumultuous project which saw the loss of two band
members, the birth of a baby and the release of the then
best-selling single in
British history. Wings band member
Denny Laine covered "Children Children" and "Deliver
Your Children" in 2007 on his album
Performs the Hits of
Wings. After some final overdubbing in January 1978,
London Town was completed and preceded by the US #1 "
With
a Little Luck" that March, while the album was released
a week later. The album also features the song "
Girlfriend"
which was also recorded by American pop star Michael
Jackson, who featured it on his 1979 album
Off the Wall.
London Town generally fared well with the critics and
in the charts, reaching #4 in the UK and #2 in the US where
it sold over one million copies and went platinum. But after
its strong start, it did not have the staying power of
Wings' previous releases, with subsequent singles "
I've
Had Enough" and the title track becoming small hits.
Although the advent of
punk music (which sent the music industry into a period
of change) would certainly have contributed to the slightly
smaller sales of
London Town, the album is now
considered to mark the end of Wings' commercial peak and the
beginning of a minor commercial slump for McCartney. Paul McCartney was reportedly displeased with
Capitol Records in the US, where "Mull of Kintyre"
flopped (its B-Side, "Girls School," did make a modest dent
in the Top 40, reaching #33), and was further dismayed at
what he viewed as lacklustre promotion for
London Town.
With his contract at an end, he promptly signed up with
Columbia Records for North America only (remaining with
EMI
worldwide) and would stay there until 1984, before returning
to
Capitol in the US.
