James Paul McCartney (Television Special, 1973)

James Paul McCartney is the title of a 1973 television special produced by ATV and starring English musician Paul McCartney and his then current rock group Wings. It was first broadcast on 16 April 1973 in the United States on the ABC network, and was later broadcast in the United Kingdom on 10 May 1973. It was issued on DVD (its first home video release of any kind) as part of the super-deluxe Red Rose Speedway box set in December 2018.

Paul McCartney agreed to star in a television special for the British ATV company in order to settle his two-year legal dispute with Sir Lew Grade. As the owner of the network and its music publishing division – and, by extension, the Beatles' Northern Songs catalogue – Grade had objected to McCartney crediting his wife Linda as his co-writer since 1971, citing her lack of professional experience as a songwriter and musician. McCartney's commitment to the television project allowed him to retain the second composer's publishing royalties, which otherwise would have been assigned to Grade's company.

James Paul McCartney was McCartney's first such special since the Beatles' 1967 television film Magical Mystery Tour and was intended to showcase his versatility as an artist and entertainer. Many of the portions featured his band Wings; in others he would perform alone. ATV hired Gary Smith and Dwight Hemion as producer and director, respectively, although McCartney was assured full creative control over the programme's content. Having recently completed their second album, Red Rose Speedway, Wings travelled to Marrakesh in early February 1973 to plan and rehearse for the show.

00:00 Big Barn Bed
04:45 acoustic medley
08:33 Mary Had a Little Lamb
12:10 Little Woman Love / C Moon / My Love
19:00 Uncle Albert
21:30 Liverpool pub singalong
27:38 Gotta Sing, Gotta Dance
31:34 Live And Let Die
35:29 Beatles Medley
38:24 The Mess / Maybe I'm Amazed / Long Tall Sally
48:12 Well, That's the End of Another Day / Yesterday

51:22 acoustic medley outtakes
55:18 Hi Hi Hi