"Can't Fight Lightning" / "Stop And Smell The Roses" sessions

From Wikipedia:

Soon after meeting soon-to-be second wife Barbara Bach on the film set of Caveman in early 1980, Ringo Starr met fellow former-Beatle Paul McCartney, and his wife, Linda, at a hotel while they had earlier visited the 33rd annual Cannes Film Festival, on 16 May. Starr asked McCartney whether he would like to play on and possibly produce Starr’s next album, to which McCartney agreed. Starr started sessions in France for a new album, at this point titled Can’t Fight Lightning, on 11 July, at Super Bear Studios, lasting until 21 July. With Wings then in limbo and McCartney II just released, McCartney booked time with Starr to record three songs: “Private Property” and “Attention” (both McCartney originals) plus a cover of “Sure to Fall”. They also recorded the song “You Can’t Fight Lightning”, which Starr wrote after he and Bach were nearly stuck by lightning. Following on from a brief holiday, Starr and Bach flew to Los Angeles on 27 July. Recording moved to Devonshire Sound Studio in Hollywood on 11 August.

Laurence Juber, in interview with DAYTRIPPIN’ BEATLES MAGAZINE, August 9, 2010:

Daytrippin’: In July 1980 you recorded “Private Property” and “Attention” with Paul and Linda McCartney for Ringo Starr’s Stop and Smell the Roses. What was it like watching Paul and Ringo interact and work together?

Juber: Simply amazing. The fact that I’m sitting there in the studio watching Paul and Ringo work and I say to myself, “Wow, there’s half of the Beatles. How cool is this?” They had a sixth sense about each other and where to go musically. It was magical to watch the two interact. We also did  “Sure to Fall” and Linda’s tune “Love’s Full Glory” that ended up on Wide Prairie.

About Super Bear Studios, from the official Facebook page:

Super Bear Studios was the world’s most successful, privately owned residential recording studio from 1977 and 1986. Forging a reputation for technical excellence and service innovation, it created a musical legacy which has been compared to Abbey Road and Muscle Shoals.

With state-of-the-art acoustic design by Tom Hidley (Eastlake Audio), a quadraphonic control-room sporting one of the first automated, analogue mixing desks (MCI JH-500), an impressive list of outboard gear, microphones and studio instruments, Super Bear was the destination of choice for some of the biggest names in the music industry; Pink Floyd, Queen, Elton John, Paul McCartney, Kate Bush, Van Morrison, Ringo Starr, The Police, and Alan Parsons Project, to mention a few.Located in the foothills of the Alpes Maritimes near the city of Nice, France, the bijou mediaeval village of Berre-les-Alpes provided an idyllic setting for this discreet musical hideaway. Situated only minutes from the buzzing nightlife of Monte Carlo and beaches of the Cote d’Azur, it was owned and operated by Damon Metrebian and a small group of young British expats. […]

What do you say to Ringo Starr, and Paul and Linda McCartney when they visit your recording studio? Some of the greatest legends in music graced the studio with their presence. It wasn’t the first time I had met them though. I knew Ringo from a few encounters in Monaco, where we both lived. And I met Paul and Linda when I had auditioned for Wings a few years earlier. I always think of it as having half of The Beatles in the studio. Oh, so did the press who kept calling to ask if the group was reforming!

Damon Metrebian, owner of Super Bear Studios, from Facebook

Interview with Sheila Casey, wife of Howie Casey:

In the 1980s you worked with Paul and Ringo. That would’ve been in the studio?

Yes. The studio was in Southern France and I did backing vocals with Linda (McCartney), Lezlee Livrano Pariser and Paul McCartney. It was good fun. It was two weeks of just having a nice time, to be honest. The work was easy and well paid for. (laughs) I got to know Linda fairly well and liked her a lot. She was a perfect lady. We would go to the local shops (in Nice, France) and hang out and chatted a lot. It was really great. And of course Paul always had his kids with him. He always liked to have his family around him wherever he went. His kids were just little at the time. It was a great time. Really enjoyable.

Sheila Casey – from ClassicBands interview by Gary James

Session activities

1. Private Property

   Written by Paul McCartney

   Recording

   AlbumOfficially released on Stop and Smell the Roses

2. Attention

   Written by Paul McCartney

   Recording

   AlbumOfficially released on Stop and Smell the Roses

3. Sure to Fall (In Love with You)

   Written by Carl Perkins, Bill Cantrell, Quinton Claunch

   Recording

   AlbumOfficially released on Stop and Smell the Roses

4. You Can't Fight Lightning

   Written by Richard Starkey

   Recording

5. Love's Full Glory

   Written by Linda Eastman / McCartney

   Recording • Not intended for Ringo, but for an upcoming Linda McCartney project.

   AlbumOfficially released on Wide Prairie

Staff

Production staff

Going further

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