The Country Hams
Walking In The Park With Eloise

THE REVIEW

Behind the name The Country Hams is actually Paul McCartney's Wings. The track "Walking In The Park with Eloise" is an instrumental recorded by the group in Nashville in June 1974, featuring collaborations from guitarist Chet Atkins and pianist Floyd Cramer. The piece wasn't written by Paul but by his father James. In fact, Macca's dad was a jazz musician, playing the trumpet in his small band in Liverpool with a repertoire of genre classics and some self-composed pieces. Paul's first instrument was indeed a trumpet bought by his father, but he later switched to a guitar as it allowed him to play and sing simultaneously. "Walking In The Park With Eloise" is a pleasant jazz excursion probably dedicated to a girl from one of the musicians in James McCartney's band; it is a joyful and carefree piece with a melody typical of the small jazz bands of the '40s. Chet Atkins' guitar embellishes the sonic fabric with small, highly effective embroideries.

At the time, the single didn't achieve any success, partly because EMI didn't promote it. It is one of the many amusements of the eccentric talent of McCartney's son that were fortunate enough to see the light. The track was also reissued later in 1982. The B-side, "Bridge Over River Suite," is a piece dating back to the "Red Rose Speedway" sessions and was later completed in Nashville. It is a good instrumental based on a solid bass and drum foundation on which acoustic and electric guitars draw subtle and varied patterns.