Macca and McCulloch in country music’s mecca, Nashville.
Kronomyth 5.5: Rockin’ racoonteurs.
This became a “double” single when Paul McCartney re-issued it with the A and B sides flipped, in order to give Sally G more exposure. Sally’s a favorite among Macca fans and, as Paul’s country songs number few, it might be his most likeable cowboy act since “Rocky Raccoon.” I’ve always liked the original A side more. Junior’s Farm has a slightly subversive edge that stems from the treated vocals and guitars. In fact, you might make the case that this song anticipated the claustrophobic sound of power pop (or you simply might not care, which is probably the healthier response).
Note that the original single simply lists the writing credits as McCartney; visiting the MPL Communications song bank (found at www.mplcommunications.com) reveals that the song was co-authored by Paul and Linda. I know, it’s only a matter of time before Paul starts working Linda’s name into the songwriting credits for “Penny Lane” et cetera, and I honestly don’t know what to make of it, but in the absence of other information I defer to the Source. Incidentally, this was the last record Paul issued on Apple.
Original 7-inch single version
A1. Junior’s Farm (Paul McCartney/Linda McCartney) (4:20)
B1. Sally G (Paul McCartney/Linda McCartney) (3:37)
Promotional 7-inch single
A1. Junior’s Farm (edit mono) (Paul McCartney/Linda McCartney (3:03)
B1. Junior’s Farm (full-length stereo) (Paul McCartney/Linda McCartney) (4:20)
“Sally G” promotional 7-inch single
A1. Sally G (stereo) (Paul McCartney/Linda McCartney) (3:37)
B1. Sally G (mono) (Paul McCartney/Linda McCartney) (3:37)
The Players
Paul McCartney (vocals, bass), Geoff Britton (drums), Denny Laine (guitar, backing vocals), Linda McCartney (keyboards, background vocals), Jimmy McCulloch (lead guitar, backing vocals). Produced by Paul McCartney; engineered by Ernie Winfrey.
The Plastic
Released on October 25, 1974 in the UK and Ireland (Apple, R 5999) and Italy (Apple, 3C 006-05752), in October 1974 in Australia (Apple, A-10626) and the Netherlands (Apple, 5C 006-05752), on November 4, 1974 in the US and Canada (Apple, 1875), in November 1974 in Germany (Apple, 1C 006-05 752), on December 1, 1974 in Japan (Apple, EAR-10666) and in 1974 in Belgium (Apple, 4C 006 05752), Brazil (Apple, S7BT-78), France (Apple, 2C 004-05.752), New Zealand (Apple, NZP 3487) and Spain (Apple, 1J 006-05.752); “Junior’s Farm” reached #16 on the UK charts and #3 on the US charts (charted on November 9, 1974); “Sally G” reached #17 on the UK charts (charted on December 24, 1974 for 8 weeks) and #39 on the US charts (charted on February 22, 1975). Regional versions feature picture sleeve variations. Also released as promotional 7-inch single in 1974 in the US and Canada (Apple, P-1875) with A edit mono and full-length stereo versions. Later, also released as promotional 7-inch single in 1974 (or early 1975?) in the US (Apple, P-1875) with B stereo and mono.
