Spirits of Ancient Egypt

"Spirits of Ancient Egypt"
Song by Wings
from the album Venus and Mars
Released27 May 1975
Recorded23 January 1975
StudioSea-Saint Recording Studio, New Orleans
Genre
Length2:58
LabelCapitol
Songwriters
ProducerPaul McCartney
Venus and Mars track listing
13 tracks
Side one
  1. "Venus and Mars"
  2. "Rock Show"
  3. "Love in Song"
  4. "You Gave Me the Answer"
  5. "Magneto and Titanium Man"
  6. "Letting Go"
Side two
  1. "Venus and Mars (Reprise)"
  2. "Spirits of Ancient Egypt"
  3. "Medicine Jar"
  4. "Call Me Back Again"
  5. "Listen to What the Man Said"
  6. "Treat Her Gently/Lonely Old People"
  7. "Crossroads Theme"

"Spirits of Ancient Egypt" is a song by the English-American rock band Paul McCartney and Wings from their 1975 album Venus and Mars. Denny Laine sings lead vocals on the track.[4]

Background

"Spirits of Ancient Egypt" was written after Paul McCartney read a tome on the history of Egypt, Secrets of the Great Pyramid by Peter Tompkins, which had been recommended to him by Chet Atkins.[5][6][7] Although the idea of a song based on ancient history appealed to him, McCartney could not come up with a story line after beginning the chorus with the lines "Spirits of ancient Egypt/Shadows of ancient Rome".[6] Instead, he ended the chorus with the lines "Hung on the tele/hung on the tele/hung on the telephone", which do not flow from the opening lines of the chorus speaking of ancient Egypt and Rome.[6] Similarly, he started each verse with the line "You're my baby" or "I'm your baby" but continues the verses with lines that don't connect to the opening, such as "You could sell an elevator to Geronimo".[6]

Composition and recording

An initial attempt was made to record the song at recording sessions at Sea-Saint Recording Studios in New Orleans between 20 and 22 January 1975.[8] Laine sang a guide vocal and played electric guitar, Paul McCartney played bass guitar, Linda McCartney played organ and Geoff Britton played drums.[8] The band was dissatisfied with the result, and particularly felt that the drumming was not inventive or interesting enough.[8]

On 23 January, more recordings were made. Jimmy McCulloch, who missed the earlier sessions due to issues with his work visa, joined on electric guitar.[9] Britton had quit the band and Joe English was brought in as a session musician to do the drumming.[9] McCartney was pleased with English's drumming.[9] According to McCartney biographers Allan Korzinn and Adrien Sinclair, English recognized that McCartney was looking to capture the New Orleans sound and played his drum part alternating "between sparse African rhythm and a funky rock pattern."[9] At these sessions, Laine struggled getting the lead vocal to his satisfaction, particularly the high G in the chorus which was outside his vocal range.[9]

Overdubbing was done in mid-February, with Paul McCartney adding Moog guitar and guitar with Gizmotron effects, Linda McCartney adding synthesized strings, English adding a gong to the beginning of the track, and the whole band adding vocal harmonies.[10] In addition, a telephone busy signal was recorded to include at the end of the song.[10] In mid-March, the lead vocal was recorded, with Paul McCartney joining Laine on the chorus to cover the high G.[11]

"Spirits of Ancient Egypt" is set in the key of E major.[12] The verses move between E major and its subdominant of A major, but the chorus varies the harmony a little more.[12] Music professor Vincent Benitez described the music as being a "blues-flavored rocker".[12]

Live performances

"Spirits of Ancient Egypt" was included in the set list for the Wings Over the World tour from the start of the tour, initially as one of two vocal showpieces for Laine along with "Go Now".[13] A live version of the song recorded at the 10 June 1976, show in Seattle, Washington was included on the 1976 live album Wings Over America.[14][15] This version contains an extended guitar solo.[16]

Reception

Beatle biographer John Blaney described the song as "a pedestrian rocker" but said it "was saved by a lyric as surreal as a Dali painting.[16] Ottawa Citizen xritic Bill Provick said that "It works surprisingly well, mainly because of the contrasts – much like something found along Abbey Road".[17] New York Daily News critic Josh Mills praised it as "different and very, very nice", noting especially that "singing is especially moving, and unlike anything Paul has done recently."[18] Author Peter Ames Carlin stated that it "evoked shimmery kinds of mystery, but to no discernible end. The spirits get hung up on the telephone and we’re left with someone making dinner with a pound of love."[19] Messenger-Press critic Steve Wosahla called it a "mediocre [effort] that should have been eliminated" from Venus and Mars.[20] Shreveport Journal critic Charles Ray called it a "not-so-hot tune", particularly criticizing the "innocuous" lyrics.[21] Ultimate Classic Rock critic Nick DeRiso rated it as Laine's 9th best song, stating that McCartney's "counterpoint vocal" is "great" and particularly praising the live version from Wings over America.[22]

Personnel

The personnel is as follows:[23][24][25]

References

Citations

  1. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Venus and Mars by Wings | Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 13 January 2025.
  2. ↑ Nelson, Paul (31 July 1975). "Venus and Mars | Album Reviews". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
  3. ↑ Rodriguez 2010, p. 247.
  4. ↑ Schaffner 1978, p. 181.
  5. ↑ White 2016, p. 267.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Kozinn & Sinclair 2024, pp. 101, 114.
  7. ↑ Spizer 2005, p. 196.
  8. 1 2 3 Kozinn & Sinclair 2024, pp. 178–179.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 Kozinn & Sinclair 2024, pp. 183–184.
  10. 1 2 Kozinn & Sinclair 2024, pp. 207–208.
  11. ↑ Kozinn & Sinclair 2024, p. 225.
  12. 1 2 3 Benitez 2010, p. 66.
  13. ↑ Kozinn & Sinclair 2024, p. 262.
  14. ↑ Ingham 2006, p. 149.
  15. ↑ Kozinn & Sinclair 2024, p. 448.
  16. 1 2 Blaney 2007, p. 110.
  17. ↑ Provick, Bill (5 June 1975). "Venus, Mars and McCartney much more than merely alright". Ottawa Citizen. p. 74. Retrieved 11 May 2026 – via newspapers.com.
  18. ↑ Mills, Josh (1 June 1975). "Variety is the spice of McCartney". Daily News. p. Leisure 11. Retrieved 11 May 2026 – via newspapers.com.
  19. ↑ Carlin 2009, p. 237.
  20. ↑ Wosahla, Steve (3 July 1975). "In the Groove". Messenger-Press. p. 7. Retrieved 11 May 2026 – via newspapers.com.
  21. ↑ Ray, Charles (1 August 1975). "New Paul McCartney album disappointing". Shreveport Journal. p. 7B. Retrieved 11 May 2026 – via newspapers.com.
  22. ↑ DeRiso, Nick (5 December 2023). "Top 10 Denny Laine songs". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 9 September 2025.
  23. ↑ Blaney 2007, p. 109.
  24. ↑ "Spirits Of Ancient Egypt". The Beatles Bible. 5 July 2023. Retrieved 13 January 2025.
  25. ↑ "Spirits Of Ancient Egypt (song)". The Paul McCartney Project. Retrieved 13 January 2025.

Bibliography

  • Benitez, Vincent (2010). The Words and Music of Paul McCartney: The Solo Years. Praeger. ISBN 978-0-313-34969-0.
  • Blaney, John (2007). Lennon and McCartney: Together Alone (1st ed.). Jawbone Press. ISBN 978-1-906002-02-2.
  • Carlin, Peter Ames (2009). Paul McCartney: A Life. New York, NY: Touchstone/Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-1-4165-6223-8.
  • Kozinn, Allan; Sinclair, Adrian (2024). The McCartney Legacy: Volume 2 1974-80. Dey Street Books. ISBN 9780063000759.
  • Ingham, Chris (2006). The Rough Guide to the Beatles (2nd ed.). London: Rough Guides/Penguin. ISBN 978-1-84836-525-4.
  • Rodriguez, R (2010). Fab Four FAQ 2.0: The Beatles' Solo Years 1970–1980. Hal Leonard. ISBN 978-0-87930-968-8.
  • Schaffner, Nicholas (1978). The Beatles Forever. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. ISBN 978-0-07-055087-2.
  • Spizer, Bruce (2005). The Beatles Solo on Apple Records. 498 Productions. ISBN 0966264959.
  • White, Richard (2016). Come Together: Lennon and McCartney in the Seventies. Omnibus Press. ISBN 9781783238590.
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