UK Release date : Friday, April 29, 1977
Thrillington
By Percy "Thrills" Thrillington • LP • Part of the collection “Paul McCartney • Classical albums”
Last updated on May 4, 2022
UK Release date : Friday, April 29, 1977
By Percy "Thrills" Thrillington • LP • Part of the collection “Paul McCartney • Classical albums”
Last updated on May 4, 2022
Previous album Sep 26, 1976 • "Ringo's Rotogravure" by Ringo Starr released in the US
Article April / May 1977 • Club Sandwich N°2 published
Album Apr 29, 1977 • "Thrillington" by Percy "Thrills" Thrillington released in the UK
Article May 1977 • Press coverage for "Thrillington"
Session May 1 to May 31, 1977 • "London Town" sessions #2
Next album May 06, 1977 • "Holly Days" by Denny Laine released in the UK
This album was recorded during the following studio sessions:
Jun 15, 1971
Jun 16, 1971
Jun 17, 1971
Jun 18, 1971
Written by Paul McCartney
4:32 • Studio version • C • Stereo • Instrumental version
Percy "Thrills" Thrillington : Producer Richard Hewson : Arrangements, Orchestration Tony Clark : Mixing engineer, Recording engineer Vic Flick : Guitar Clem Cattini : Drums Herbie Flowers : Bass Steve Gray : Piano Jim Lawless : Percussion Alan Parsons : Second engineer The Swingle Singers : Vocals Unknown musician(s) : Alto saxophone, Trumpet The Mike Sammes Singers : Vocals (?)
Session Recording: Jun 15, 1971 • Studio EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Session Overdubs: Jun 16, 1971 • Studio EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Session Overdubs: Jun 17, 1971 • Studio EMI Studios, Studio One, Abbey Road
Session Mixing: Jun 18, 1971 • Studio EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Written by Paul McCartney
3:42 • Studio version • C • Stereo • Instrumental version
Percy "Thrills" Thrillington : Producer Richard Hewson : Arrangements, Orchestration Tony Clark : Mixing engineer, Recording engineer Vic Flick : Guitar Clem Cattini : Drums Herbie Flowers : Bass Steve Gray : Piano Jim Lawless : Percussion Alan Parsons : Second engineer
Session Recording: Jun 15, 1971 • Studio EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Session Overdubs: Jun 16, 1971 • Studio EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Session Overdubs: Jun 17, 1971 • Studio EMI Studios, Studio One, Abbey Road
Session Mixing: Jun 18, 1971 • Studio EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Written by Paul McCartney
2:52 • Studio version • C • Stereo • Instrumental version
Percy "Thrills" Thrillington : Producer Richard Hewson : Arrangements, Orchestration Tony Clark : Mixing engineer, Recording engineer Vic Flick : Spanish guitar Clem Cattini : Drums Herbie Flowers : Bass Steve Gray : Piano Jim Lawless : Percussion Alan Parsons : Second engineer Unknown musician(s) : Boys choir, Clarinets, Flutes, Harp, Piccollo, Saxes
Session Recording: Jun 15, 1971 • Studio EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Session Overdubs: Jun 16, 1971 • Studio EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Session Overdubs: Jun 17, 1971 • Studio EMI Studios, Studio One, Abbey Road
Session Mixing: Jun 18, 1971 • Studio EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Written by Paul McCartney, Linda Eastman / McCartney
2:51 • Studio version • C • Stereo • Instrumental version
Percy "Thrills" Thrillington : Producer Richard Hewson : Arrangements, Orchestration Tony Clark : Mixing engineer, Recording engineer Vic Flick : Guitar Clem Cattini : Drums Herbie Flowers : Bass Steve Gray : Piano Jim Lawless : Congas, Percussion Alan Parsons : Second engineer The Swingle Singers : Vocals The Mike Sammes Singers : Vocals (?)
Session Recording: Jun 15, 1971 • Studio EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Session Overdubs: Jun 16, 1971 • Studio EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Session Overdubs: Jun 17, 1971 • Studio EMI Studios, Studio One, Abbey Road
Session Mixing: Jun 18, 1971 • Studio EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Written by Paul McCartney, Linda Eastman / McCartney
4:58 • Studio version • C • Stereo • Instrumental version
Percy "Thrills" Thrillington : Producer Richard Hewson : Arrangements, Orchestration Tony Clark : Mixing engineer, Recording engineer Vic Flick : Guitar Clem Cattini : Drums Herbie Flowers : Bass Steve Gray : Piano Jim Lawless : Percussion Alan Parsons : Second engineer Unknown musician(s) : Flutes, Harpsichord, Recorder, Strings, Trombones, Trumpets Carl Dolmetsch Family : Recorders
Session Recording: Jun 15, 1971 • Studio EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Session Overdubs: Jun 16, 1971 • Studio EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Session Overdubs: Jun 17, 1971 • Studio EMI Studios, Studio One, Abbey Road
Session Mixing: Jun 18, 1971 • Studio EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Written by Paul McCartney
4:41 • Studio version • C • Stereo • Instrumental version
Percy "Thrills" Thrillington : Producer Richard Hewson : Arrangements, Orchestration Tony Clark : Mixing engineer, Recording engineer Vic Flick : Guitar Clem Cattini : Drums Herbie Flowers : Bass Steve Gray : Piano Roger Coulan : Organ Jim Lawless : Percussion Alan Parsons : Second engineer Unknown musician(s) : Saxophone Chris Karen : Guica
Session Recording: Jun 15, 1971 • Studio EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Session Overdubs: Jun 16, 1971 • Studio EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Session Overdubs: Jun 17, 1971 • Studio EMI Studios, Studio One, Abbey Road
Session Mixing: Jun 18, 1971 • Studio EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Written by Paul McCartney, Linda Eastman / McCartney
2:27 • Studio version • C • Stereo • Instrumental version
Percy "Thrills" Thrillington : Producer Richard Hewson : Arrangements, Orchestration Tony Clark : Mixing engineer, Recording engineer Vic Flick : Guitar Clem Cattini : Drums Herbie Flowers : Bass Steve Gray : Piano Roger Coulan : Organ Jim Lawless : Percussion Alan Parsons : Second engineer The Swingle Singers : Vocals The Mike Sammes Singers : Vocals (?)
Session Recording: Jun 15, 1971 • Studio EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Session Overdubs: Jun 16, 1971 • Studio EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Session Overdubs: Jun 17, 1971 • Studio EMI Studios, Studio One, Abbey Road
Session Mixing: Jun 18, 1971 • Studio EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Written by Paul McCartney, Linda Eastman / McCartney
4:39 • Studio version • C • Stereo • Instrumental version
Percy "Thrills" Thrillington : Producer Richard Hewson : Arrangements, Orchestration Tony Clark : Mixing engineer, Recording engineer Vic Flick : Guitar Clem Cattini : Drums Herbie Flowers : Bass Steve Gray : Piano Roger Coulan : Organ Jim Lawless : Percussion Alan Parsons : Second engineer Unknown musician(s) : Alto saxophones, Clarinets, String section, Trombones, Trumpets, Tuba
Session Recording: Jun 15, 1971 • Studio EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Session Overdubs: Jun 16, 1971 • Studio EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Session Overdubs: Jun 17, 1971 • Studio EMI Studios, Studio One, Abbey Road
Session Mixing: Jun 18, 1971 • Studio EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Written by Paul McCartney, Linda Eastman / McCartney
3:30 • Studio version • C • Stereo • Instrumental version
Percy "Thrills" Thrillington : Producer Richard Hewson : Arrangements, Orchestration Tony Clark : Mixing engineer, Recording engineer Vic Flick : Guitar Clem Cattini : Drums Herbie Flowers : Bass Steve Gray : Piano Roger Coulan : Organ Jim Lawless : Percussion, Timbales Alan Parsons : Second engineer The Swingle Singers : Vocals Unknown musician(s) : Saxophone The Mike Sammes Singers : Vocals (?)
Session Recording: Jun 15, 1971 • Studio EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Session Overdubs: Jun 16, 1971 • Studio EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Session Overdubs: Jun 17, 1971 • Studio EMI Studios, Studio One, Abbey Road
Session Mixing: Jun 18, 1971 • Studio EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Written by Paul McCartney, Linda Eastman / McCartney
5:49 • Studio version • C • Stereo • Instrumental version
Percy "Thrills" Thrillington : Producer Richard Hewson : Arrangements, Orchestration Tony Clark : Mixing engineer, Recording engineer Vic Flick : Guitar Clem Cattini : Drums Herbie Flowers : Bass Steve Gray : Piano Jim Lawless : Percussion Alan Parsons : Second engineer The Swingle Singers : Vocals Unknown musician(s) : Other strings, Pizzicatto strings, Trombones, Trumpets The Mike Sammes Singers : Vocals (?)
Session Recording: Jun 15, 1971 • Studio EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Session Overdubs: Jun 16, 1971 • Studio EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Session Overdubs: Jun 17, 1971 • Studio EMI Studios, Studio One, Abbey Road
Session Mixing: Jun 18, 1971 • Studio EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Written by Paul McCartney
4:51 • Studio version • C • Stereo • Instrumental version
Percy "Thrills" Thrillington : Producer Richard Hewson : Arrangements, Orchestration Tony Clark : Mixing engineer, Recording engineer Vic Flick : Guitar Clem Cattini : Drums Herbie Flowers : Bass Steve Gray : Piano Jim Lawless : Percussion Alan Parsons : Second engineer Unknown musician(s) : Horns, Recorder, Saxophone, Strings Carl Dolmetsch Family : Recorders
Session Recording: Jun 15, 1971 • Studio EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Session Overdubs: Jun 16, 1971 • Studio EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Session Overdubs: Jun 17, 1971 • Studio EMI Studios, Studio One, Abbey Road
Session Mixing: Jun 18, 1971 • Studio EMI Studios, Abbey Road
From the sleeve notes:
Percy ‘Thrills’ Thrillington was born in Coventry Cathedral in England in 1939. As a young man he wandered the globe. His travels took him to Baton Rouge, Louisiana in the US where he studied music for five years. He later moved to LA where he gained expertise in conducting and arranging as well as the marketing end of the music business. Eventually his path led to London where his lifelong ambition to form an orchestra was finally realized… he takes all the songs from Paul and Linda McCartney’s Ram album and, with the help of some of London’s best orchestra and ‘big band’ musicians, forges the pop music themes into new orchestral versions. He is assisted by Richard Newson [sic] who arranged and conducted. When McCartney heard what ‘Thrills’ was doing he even gave the project his seal of approval.
Clint Harrigan
“Clint Harrigan” is a pseudonym Paul McCartney used to write this sleeve note. He previously used it to write the sleeve notes of Wings’ first album, “Wild Life“.
From Wikipedia:
Thrillington is an album produced by English musician Paul McCartney, under the pseudonym Percy “Thrills” Thrillington. It was 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, and not released for nearly six years. When Thrillington was finally issued, it did not attract much attention, and did not chart. McCartney initially kept his involvement with the project a secret; nevertheless, the project’s nature and the rather bizarre pseudonym chosen for the credited artist led the few contemporary reviewers who wrote about Thrillington to conclude that “Percy Thrillington” was in fact McCartney working incognito. McCartney formally revealed himself to be Percy Thrillington in 1989, and the following year also admitted to being “Clint Harrigan”, who wrote the album’s liner notes.
In addition to reissues in 1995 and 2018, Thrillington was re-issued as part of the deluxe edition of Ram in 2012.
History
The album was recorded in June 1971 and with an intended release shortly thereafter. Paul McCartney produced the sessions, although he did not play or sing at all on the album, and all arrangements were by Richard Anthony Hewson, who was asked to work on the orchestration before Ram had yet been released. The album was completed in three days of recording sessions, but when Paul and Linda decided to form Wings, the (at that point untitled) Thrillington album was shelved.
Years later, in late 1976, McCartney decided to release the long-in-storage project, and devised a plan to publicize the album while obscuring his own involvement with it. 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. Variety also reviewed the album, noting that “Whether Percy Thrillington is Paul McCartney or not is really irrelevant. What matters is that he (they) is (are) having fun.”
Because it was widely assumed that Thrillington was the product of McCartney working under a pseudonym, 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!“
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.[citation needed]
The full story of the Thrillington album was told in detail in 1995 in Beatles fanzine Good Day Sunshine 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. 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. […]
Notice any inaccuracies on this page? Have additional insights or ideas for new content? Or just want to share your thoughts? We value your feedback! Please use the form below to get in touch with us.
Mark • 4 years ago
Is there anyway to identify the 2004 issue? So far I have noticed three variants: 1) MADE IN THE UNITED KNGDOM 2) MADE IN THE EU 3) MADE IN EU. The two EU versions have slightly different layouts of the text on the label.
The version I bought has no label on it but is identical in every other respect to the 3) version.
Mark F • 4 years ago
What is the difference beytween the 1995 & 2004 CD releases of Thrillington? I have identiified 3 variants: 1) Made In The United Kingdom 2) Made In The EU 3) Made In EU. All of these are Swndon pressings. I noticed on Discogs another EU pressing with ims http://www.imsgroup.it around the centre of the CD disc.
Eoghan Lyng • 3 years ago
You might be interested in this interview: https://wearecult.rocks/richard-hewson-the-thrillington-interview
The PaulMcCartney Project • 3 years ago
Ah awesome, thanks for sharing Eoghan !
