Paul McCartney’s ambitious yet ultimately abandoned collaboration with legendary sci-fi author Isaac Asimov has been unveiled in vivid detail through a new book, The McCartney Legacy, Volume 2: 1974–80, by Adrian Sinclair and Allan Kozinn.
Released Tuesday (Dec. 10) via HarperCollins, the book dives into a little-known chapter of McCartney’s post-Beatles career, shedding light on the surreal project that never came to fruition.
The proposed film, tentatively titled Five and Five and One, featured an eccentric plot that intertwined aliens, McCartney’s band Wings — consisting of his wife Linda and ex-Moody Blues guitarist Denny Laine — and their efforts to take Earth by storm. McCartney’s original treatment for the story was brief, about 400 words long, but Asimov expanded it into a more detailed 1,800-word version. A fragment of McCartney’s treatment reveals the unique premise:
“A ‘flying saucer’ lands. Out of it get five creatures. They transmute before your very eyes into ‘us’ [Wings]. They are here to take over Earth by taking America by storm and they proceed to do this supergroup style. Meanwhile — back in the sticks of Britain — lives the original group, whose personalities are being used by the aliens…”
McCartney personally approached Asimov in 1974 to collaborate on the script, meeting in New York since Asimov had an aversion to flying. He quipped about the author’s reluctance: “He can imagine himself into far-off galaxies, but he wouldn’t get on a plane.”
Asimov expanded on the story, evolving the alien invaders into “energy-beings” from a dying planet who sought to occupy the Wings members rather than clone them. However, the beings were unable to comprehend human emotions like love, adding a philosophical layer to the narrative.
Despite the intriguing concept, the project stalled. By early 1975, the collaboration was shelved, with Asimov reportedly leaving a pointed critique scrawled on the first page of his treatment: “Nothing ever came of this because McCartney couldn’t recognize good stuff.”
The new book, part of a larger series chronicling McCartney’s career, follows the first volume covering 1969–1973, which was published in 2022.
To capture the full scope of this era, authors Sinclair and Kozinn interviewed former Wings members, producers, and recording engineers, offering readers an in-depth exploration of McCartney’s post-Beatles years.
Paul McCartney’s Billboard achievements are nothing short of extraordinary. He has written or co-written a record-breaking 32 songs that have topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart. This includes not only his work with the Beatles but also his solo hits and collaborations with Wings, Linda McCartney, and other artists.
McCartney achieved the remarkable feat of having the No. 1 song of the entire year on Billboard three times: “I Want to Hold Your Hand” in 1964, “Hey Jude” in 1968, and “Silly Love Songs” in 1976—an accomplishment unmatched by any other artist in the chart’s history.
