Editing Back to the Egg (section)

{{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 = [[Wingspan: Hits and History]]
| next_year  = 2001
| misc       = {{Extra chronology
 | artist     = [[Paul McCartney]]
 | type       = studio
 | prev_title = [[Wings Greatest]]
 | prev_year  = 1978
 | title      = Back to the Egg
 | year       = 1979
 | next_title = [[McCartney II]]
 | next_year = 1980
}}
 {{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 in 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.