I was born in 1972. I became a fan of Paul McCartney in 1979. Just in time to guarantee that'd I'd never ever get to see Wings play live!!

I had a lot of catching up to do when I first discovered Paul McCartney. I often searched through my parent's record collection, all vinyl back then. I loved music and use to take various LP's from my parents collection up to my bedroom to have a listen.

Amongst the records I chose was a copy of 'With the Beatles'. That's the only Beatles LP my mum had and it was the one that grabbed my attention. I played it over and over again. I was hooked.

I slowly began to listen to other Beatles LPs and learnt the names of each Beatle. It wasn't long before Paul became my favourite. I borrowed Beatles records off my friend's parents and just loved the music I was hearing.

I realised I'd have a lot of catching up to do as The Beatles had broken up a decade earlier. I began to receive Beatles books and records for my Christmas and birthday presents. I played the records constantly. If I think hard enough I can still remember how I felt listening to these records, how everything seemed so new and exciting. I was so young 8, 9, 10 years old. It was brilliant.

It was The Beatles I concentrated on in the early days. I didn't know anything about The Beatles solo careers then, The Beatles were all I knew.

I thought I was doing really well in collecting The Beatles back catalogue. As I said earlier most of my presents, if not all now consisted of Beatles books and records. I'd managed to get a lot of their studio albums and was learning more about this great group by the day. I thought I'd caught up with my favourite Beatle Paul's career until one evening my dad dropped a bombshell!!!

'Paul McCartney had another group you know' he said so matter of fact, 'called Wings'. He pulled out his copy of 'Band on the Run' that I'd never seen amongst all the vinyl in the house and placed the stylus on side one. 'Paul's voice sounds really fresh' said my dad as 'Band on the Run' began to play. And he was right, it did. I listened and as I did knew that I'd have to find out everything possible about Wings. I had more catching up to do!!!

I remember going to my local library which was in Fallowfield, Manchester. I borrowed Wings 1979 album 'Back to the Egg' on cassette and played it over and over again in my bedroom. I absolutely loved it and it's still my favourite Wings album.

More birthdays and more Christmases came and went and my presents not only consisted of Beatles books, records and merchandise but Wings albums and now Paul McCartney solo albums too.

I think I had properly caught up collecting Paul's entire back catalogue by 1983. That Christmas, 1983 my dad gave me a record box for storing your albums in. You know the type I mean; it was a sturdy box, held about 25 albums and had a push button type opening on the front to secure your beloved records.

I had a large collection of albums by then so was thrilled with this gift. I opened it ready to put my records in and as I did so I saw my dad had put something inside. It was a copy of Paul McCartney's brand new album 'Pipes of Peace'! I was so excited and that's the one Christmas that has stuck in my head all these years. I was 11 years old.

From that day forward I followed Paul's career in real time, having finally caught up properly with his back catalogue, buying his latest releases on 7" and 12" vinyl, sometimes on cassette too. I loved looking forward to Paul's new albums coming out same as I do today.

I loved watching 'Top of the Pops' to see if Paul had climbed the charts from the week before. It was so exciting back then. I bought Smash Hit's magazine to get the words to 'Pipes of Peace' and 'No More Lonely Nights'. I still have the cuttings stuck in a scrapbook with the words that helped me to sing along to Paul!

Those days are gone, the 7" vinyl days, the Smash Hits sticker collection days in which I swapped stickers of all the other artistes that my friends liked for the one of Paul wearing a flowery shirt. I remember getting up early to watch Paul on 'Saturday Superstore' and trying constantly to get through to the show to ask Paul a question. I never got through. Our phone had a dial, no re-dial button. I had no chance!!

It was great being a Paul McCartney fan as a youngster. I had a great time, visiting Beatle City in 1984, going to my first Beatle Convention in Liverpool in 1985 aged 12. It was all new, exciting and very magical.

3 January 1990 was the start of something even more exciting. Seeing Paul live in concert! I was 17 years old when my parents bought 3 tickets to see Paul in concert at the NEC in Birmingham.

 

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