Paul McCartney used to be co-leader of a group called the Beatles, who were, according to some assessors, either the biggest thing in the history of rock 'n' roll, or showbiz, or both. That does not, however, explain why Paul McCartney is currently running neckand-neck with Elton John for the title of most popular recording artist in the world, nor why he recently re-signed with Capitol records for what may be the largest multimillion dollar contract in history, or at least until Stevie Wonder finishes his current negotiations with Motown.

Beatle nostalgia does not explain McCartney's Grammy Award for Band on the Run, nor, really, the spectacular success of his current tour of the United States. The last time Paul played here was with the Beatles, at Candlestick Park in San Francisco on August 29, 1966. His old fans have not seen him in ten years, and many of the new ones he has picked up 'with Wings have never seen him, may not even have been Beatle fans. This Wings tour has been described by one of its own. employees as a "military operation," and it certainly bears some of the earmarks of one — an entourage of 33 people plus offand-on publicists are hitting 20 cities for 31 performances in large arenas, climaxing a world tour that began in England late last year. The two and a half hour set includes 27 songs, elaborate new sound and light apparatus, a glowing silver stage with flashing lights, smoke bombs, brass section and laser beam climax. All tickets have been sold out immediately - they broke sales records in L.A., selling out two Forum shows in three hours and fifteen minutes, and New York, where they sold Qut Madison Square Garden in four hours. Furthermore, this has probably been covered more extensively by the "straight" press than any other rock tour in recent memory — NBC, CBS, the daily press on all levels including photos on page two of five separate editions of the New York Post and a New York Daily; News centers, ead. The New York Times ran an article on ticket sales for Wings, Newsweek devoted a full page and Time a cover article, and there has been a blanket local TV coverage at every step. Not only that, but he and Linda even took the kids along.