Spin It On

Released: 8 June 1979 (UK), 11 June 1979 (US)

Available on:
Back To The Egg

Personnel

Paul McCartney: vocals, bass guitar
Linda McCartney: vocals, keyboards
Denny Laine: vocals, electric guitar
Laurence Juber: electric guitar
Steve Holley: drums

‘Spin It On’ is the fourth track on Wings’ last album Back To The Egg.

Recording for Back To The Egg began at the Spirit Of Ranachan Studio at the McCartneys’ Scottish farmhouse on 29 June 1978, lasting for five weeks until 27 July.

The barn had a mobile RAK recording unit, which had previously been utilised for London Town. Backing tracks for at least eight Back To The Egg songs were recorded there: ‘To You’, ‘Again And Again And Again’, ‘Arrow Through Me’, ‘Winter Rose’, ‘Spin It On’, ‘Old Siam, Sir’, ‘Maisie’, and a rough version of ‘Love Awake’.

Paul McCartney played his 1962 Epiphone Casino, which he bought in December 1964, and Laurence Juber played a 1963 Fender Stratocaster.

With ‘Spin It On’, when I recorded the solo, it was just me sitting in the control room with Paul and basically just playing guitar licks for Paul McCartney. That was kind of a challenge, but it was inspiring. I think the thing that I enjoyed most about that whole process as a lead guitarist is that stuff was drawn out of me that I wasn’t in my comfort zone. I was being pushed, and I liked being pushed like that. And so you got this creative spark that comes out. There’s stuff in ‘Spin It On’ that I would have necessarily thought: ‘Oh, that’s my style.’ But I can look back now and say, actually that’s where I go with things.

‘Old Siam, Sir’ was released as a UK single ahead of Back To The Egg on 1 June 1979. ‘Spin It On’ was on the b-side.

It was not a commercial success, and peaked at number 35 on the official UK charts.

The single was included in the 2022 box set The 7″ Singles Box.

Video

Since Wings were not due to tour Back To The Egg until the end of 1979, McCartney commissioned Keff and Co to create a set of promotional films. Filmed during the Lympne Castle sessions from 4-13 June 1978, they were intended to be shown as separate clips or as a half-hour film.

The entire set was screened by various US television stations from November-December 1979. In the UK they weren’t shown as one until the BBC broadcast them on 10 June 1981. The running order was ‘Getting Closer’, ‘Baby’s Request’, ‘Old Siam, Sir’, ‘Winter Rose’, ‘Love Awake’, ‘Spin It On’, ‘Again And Again And Again’, ‘Arrow Through Me’, and ‘Goodnight Tonight’.