Spirits of Ancient Egypt

"Spirits of Ancient Egypt"
Song by Wings
from the album Venus and Mars
Released	27 May 1975
Studio	Sea-Saint Recording Studio, New Orleans
Genre	Psychedelic music[1] ballad[2]
Label	Capitol Records
Songwriter(s)	Paul McCartney[3] Linda McCartney
Producer(s)	Paul McCartney
Venus and Mars track listing
13 tracks Side one "Venus and Mars" "Rock Show" "Love in Song" "You Gave Me the Answer" "Magneto and Titanium Man" "Letting Go" Side two "Venus and Mars (Reprise)" "Spirits of Ancient Egypt" "Medicine Jar" "Call Me Back Again" "Listen to What the Man Said" "Treat Her Gently/Lonely Old People" "Crossroads Theme"

"Spirits of Ancient Egypt" is a song by the English-American rock band Paul McCartney and Wings from their 1975 album Venus and Mars. Although it was written by Paul McCartney, Denny Laine sings lead vocals on the track.[4]

Background

"Spirits of Ancient Egypt" was written after Paul McCartney read a tome on the history of Egypt.[5]

Reception

Author Peter Ames Carlin stated that it "evoked shimmery kinds of mystery, but to no discernible end. The spirits get hung up on the telephone and we’re left with someone making dinner with a pound of love."[6] Music critic Eoghan Lang states that "English's percussion can be heard loudly, filling in the air holes that permeate in 'Spirits of Ancient Egypt', a jaunty tune ably sung by bassist Denny Laine."[7]

Personnel

The personnel is as follows:[8][9][10]

• Paul McCartney – bass,[8] backing vocals,[8], electric guitar,[9] synthesizer,[9] gismo,[10] moog[10]
• Linda McCartney – organ,[9] synthesizer.[9] backing vocals[8] string machine[10]
• Denny Laine – electric guitar,[9] vocals[8]
• Jimmy McCulloch – guitar,[8] vocals[9]
• Joe English – backing vocals,[10] drums,[8] gong[9]
• Alan O'Duffy – backing vocals[10]

References

1. Venus and Mars by Wings | Review, retrieved 2025-01-13
2. Nelson, Paul (31 July 1975). "Venus and Mars | Album Reviews". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
3. Rodriguez 2010, p. 247.
4. Schaffner 1978, p. 181.
5. White 2016, p. 267.
6. Carlin 2009, p. 237.
7. "Why 'Venus And Mars' is Wings greatest album". faroutmagazine.co.uk. 2022-03-23. Retrieved 2025-01-13.
8. Blaney 2007, p. 109.
9. "Spirits Of Ancient Egypt". The Beatles Bible. 2023-07-05. Retrieved 2025-01-13.
10. "Spirits Of Ancient Egypt (song)". The Paul McCartney Project. Retrieved 2025-01-13.

Sources

• Blaney, John (2007). Lennon and McCartney: Together Alone (1st ed.). Jawbone Press. ISBN 978-1-906002-02-2.
• Carlin, Peter Ames (2009). Paul McCartney: A Life. New York, NY: Touchstone/Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-1-4165-6223-8.
• Rodriguez, R (2010). Fab Four FAQ 2.0: The Beatles' Solo Years 1970–1980. Hal Leonard. ISBN 978-0-87930-968-8.
• Schaffner, Nicholas (1978). The Beatles Forever. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. ISBN 978-0-07-055087-2.
• White, Richard (2016). Come Together: Lennon and McCartney in the Seventies. Omnibus Press. ISBN 9781783238590.