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   CLUB SANDWICH 81

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SUE’S LETTER

            As I sit here writing this special edition of Sue's Letter, I gaze out onto a gloriously warm and sunny morning in London, which heralds the first feelings of spring. I don't normally write about the British weather (although, as an American, I have a few things I could say about it!), but I am especially pleased about this fine day, because it is today that Paul has been along to Buckingham Palace to be knighted by Her Majesty the Queen. As you know, Paul has received hundreds of honours over the years, including some highly prestigious ones, but a knighthood is the very pinnacle award for an Englishman, and we are all absolutely thrilled for him. (You are too, judging by the bundles of letters we've received.) No doubt about it, 11 March 1997 will go down as a red-letter day in the history books.
            And although Paul recalled his earlier visit to the Palace with the Beatles and said he was looking over his shoulder for the other three, this time it was his day, honoured for the strength of his considerable contribution to the music and culture of the 20th century. In fact, I heard a commentator on BBC Radio offering Paul her congratulations and remarking that "this must be the most popular knighthood of all time: no other person has brought such pleasure for so long to so many millions of people". How true.
            In a related feature, Paul's publicist, Geoff Baker, gives an insight into his job in TREAT ME LIKE YOU DID THE KNIGHT BEFORE, an astonishing account of the day last December when news broke about Paul's knighthood. While many of us were celebrating New Year's Eve, Geoff was up to his eyes and ears in media requests. Club Sandwich 81
            This issue is special for another reason too: Club Sandwich is now 20 years old. I have to be honest and say that none of us Sandwich makers can believe it, but there it is. Although I clearly remember planning the first issue, and Paul asking me to write the introductory column, I certainly can't say that "it really feels only like yesterday!" as the world has changed a great deal in the past 20 years!
            So appropriately, as Club Sandwich enters its third decade, we take a fond look back at these last 20 years - the covers, the contents and a piece by our editor Mark Lewisohn about how Club Sandwich came into being. Mark was not a part of the team back then, of course, but he's spoken with Paul and Linda, our art director Roger Huggett and with me about our roles in the production of the early issues way back in 1977. The supplementary piece, AH YES, I REMEMBER IT WELL, is a punchy reminder of each of the 81 Sandwich fillings.
            While Paul has kept out of the spotlight for some time, not having released an album since Off The Ground in 1993, this year is going to be very different. Apart from today's investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace, Paul will be unveiling his major new symphonic work, Standing Stone, in October, composed after being commissioned by EMI to produce a work to mark their centenary year. Even before that, though, we'll have the delight of Paul's new album, Flaming Pie, set for release sometime in mid May. First taster will be a single, out in April, 'Young Boy' (UK/ Europe) and 'The World Tonight' (USA). All who have heard the album seem to rank it as one of Paul's very best, so all the signs are pointing to a major success. In flaming l.p. we preview the new work, although, at this point, we really can't reveal too much. Next issue, I promise, we'll return to the subject!
            Paul also appears on three other CDs that can be found in the "New" racks of music stores. After a 16 year wait the world can now finally hear the beautiful duet 'My Old Friend' which Paul recorded with Carl Perkins during the 1981 sessions for Tug Of War. A couple of songs from Paul's 1970 album McCartney get a current airing on the soundtrack from the Oscar-nominated movie Jerry Maguire, and, perhaps most unusually of all, Paul contributes instrumentally to a poetry piece by his friend Allen Ginsberg; for details of this interesting collaboration see GO CATS, GO!
            Along with all the other regular features which round off this special celebratory Club Sandwich, it only remains for me to add warm congratulations to the five winners of the beautiful five-CD promotional sampler The MPL 25th Anniversary Collection, whose names were pulled from a hat in February. A huge number of you, sixty per cent of our readership, went in for the free draw announced in our Winter 1996 issue, which was easily our best ever reader-response. The lucky winners were Angela Hepburn of Edinburgh, Scotland; Lilly Ekberg of Bullaren, Sweden; Fernando Alhadeff of Buenos Aires, Argentina; Jennifer Pearson of New Jersey, USA; and Bibiane Hellsten of Vancouver, Canada; we're sure you are enjoying your prizes!
            Well, that wraps it up from me for another issue. I'm off to join the others to toast Sir Paul with a celebratory glass of champagne!

'til next time
Sue


Club Sandwich 81