Thrillington

Thrillington is an album produced by English musician Paul McCartney, under the pseudonym Percy "Thrills" Thrillington, released in April 1977 in the UK and in May 1977 in the US. It is an instrumental cover version of Paul and Linda McCartney's 1971 album Ram. Recorded in June 1971, the album was shelved upon the formation of Wings. Although McCartney initially kept his involvement a secret, he revealed himself to be Thrillington in 1989. The album was re-issued as part of the deluxe edition of Ram in 2012.

Thrillington
Studio album by
Percy "Thrills" Thrillington
Released29 April 1977 (UK)
17 May 1977 (US)
RecordedJune 1971
StudioAbbey Road, London
GenreEasy listening, jazz, lounge[1]
Length44:50
LabelRegal Zonophone (UK)
Capitol (US)
ProducerPercy "Thrills" Thrillington
Paul McCartney chronology
Wings over America
(1976)		 Thrillington
(1977)		 London Town
(1978)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
MusicHound2/5[3]
Rolling Stoneunfavourable [4]

History

The album was recorded in June 1971 – with McCartney as producer – and with an intended release shortly thereafter. Arranger Richard Anthony Hewson was asked to work on the orchestration before Ram had yet been released.[5] When Paul and Linda decided to form Wings, the album was shelved.

In preparation for the release of Thrillington, McCartney invented the fictitious socialite Percy Thrillington, and even took out ads in various UK music papers announcing Thrillington's so-called comings and goings to generate curiosity and interest.

Released in April 1977, McCartney's name was mentioned only in the main liner notes where he is described as a friend of Percy. Thrillington went mostly unnoticed upon its release although it was reviewed by Rolling Stone magazine and mentioned in the "Random Notes" section.[6] It was widely assumed that this was McCartney working under a pseudonym and the album became a collector's item. McCartney finally admitted his role to journalist Peter Palmiere at a Los Angeles press conference on 27 November 1989 during his world tour: "What a great question to end the conference. The world needs to know! But seriously it was me and Linda – and we kept it a secret for a long time but now the world knows! – you blew it!"[7]

In 1990 Paul McCartney also admitted to Palmiere, via an autograph request, that he was indeed Clint Harrigan – the liner notes writer for Thrillington and Paul McCartney and Wings' Wild Life album. The first person to reveal the identity of Clint Harrigan was John Lennon, who stated as much during a well-publicised letter feud with McCartney in the New Musical Express in 1972.

The full story of the Thrillington album was told in detail in 1995 in Beatles fanzine Good Day Sunshine[8] and in music journalist Ian Peel's book The Unknown Paul McCartney (Reynolds & Hearn, 2002). Peel tracked down various musicians who brought McCartney's vision to life – including Richard Hewson, Herbie Flowers and the Mike Sammes Singers – as well as those that were involved in creating its mythology.

Re-release

Thrillington was issued on CD in 1995 and 2018, the latter with an accompanying vinyl version.

Thrillington was re-issued as part of the deluxe edition of Ram on 21 May 2012.[9] To coincide with this release, McCartney started a Twitter account under the Thrillington name, posting tweets in a manner similar to the original newspaper announcements. The album was re-issued on CD, vinyl, and limited edition coloured vinyl on 18 May 2018.[10]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Paul and Linda McCartney, except where noted.

Side One
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Too Many People"Paul McCartney4:31
2."3 Legs"Paul McCartney3:41
3."Ram On"Paul McCartney2:49
4."Dear Boy" 2:50
5."Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" 4:56
6."Smile Away"Paul McCartney4:39
Side Two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Heart of the Country" 2:27
2."Monkberry Moon Delight" 4:36
3."Eat at Home" 3:28
4."Long Haired Lady" 5:44
5."The Back Seat of My Car"Paul McCartney4:51

Personnel

Musicians

Production

References
  1. "The Rough Guide To The Beatles", by Chris Ingham, Rough Guides, 2003, Page 152:
  2. Thrillington at AllMusic
  3. Gary Graff & Daniel Durcholz, MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide, Visible Ink Press (Farmington Hills, MI, 1999), p. 731.
  4. Swenson, John. "The rock heard 'round the world" Rolling Stone 30 June 1977: 94, 97
  5. Sounes, Howard (2010). Fab: An Intimate Life of Paul McCartney. London: HarperCollins. p. 284. ISBN 9780007321551.
  6. "Random Notes" Rolling Stone 2 June 1977: 37
  7. Sounes, Howard (2010). Fab: An Intimate Life of Paul McCartney. London: HarperCollins. p. 284. ISBN 9780007321551.
  8. "Thrillington", by Matt Hurwitz, Good Day Sunshine Magazine, 1995
  9. "Paul and Linda McCartney's Legendary Album RAM Set for Deluxe Reissue". paulmccartney.com. 2 June 2013. Archived from the original on 23 March 2012. Retrieved 22 March 2012.
  10. "Paul to Reissue Four Catalogue Titles". PaulMcCartney.com. 23 March 2018. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
  11. "Thrillington," by Matt Hurwitz, Good Day Sunshine Magazine, 1995
  12. Richard Hewson, personal interview with Matt Hurwitz, July 2015
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