Wings At The Speed Of Sound (1976)

Note: the CD I listened to was the double disc 2014 "Archive Collection" reissue.

So I got this in the mail yesterday and it's practically all I've been listening to since, so I thought I'd go ahead and write it up. For all you audiophiles: yes, the remastering sounds great and if you're a fan of the album, you should spring for this reissue. The problem with this particular edition isn't the sound, it's the lack of liner notes (we get lyrics and that's it) and the almost pointless bonus disc.

We all know that Wings was Paul McCartney's joint, but on this album, he attempted to truly embrace the band concept - every band member sings lead on at least one track and the group records two songs written by band members other than McCartney. As a result, it's a little uneven, but it's a fine album - cleverly arranged, recorded, and produced. As mentioned in the 1976 Rolling Stone review below, "McCartney, like almost no one else, seems able to play the studio as an instrument." And while that's true, there still more than few memorable pop melodies to be found here. After all, we're talkin' 'bout Sir Paul. So, like most post-Beatles McCartney releases, most of the critics panned it and the fans loved it. Put me in the latter group.

Press of the time:

• Rolling Stone: "lacks melodic sparkle"
• Stereo Review: "occasionally brilliant nonsense presided over by a master of dazzle."
• Robert Christgau (B-): "The only substantial talent in this group is bassist-producer Paul McCartney"
• Billboard: "a solid collection of listenable songs"

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard Top 200: #1 for seven non-consecutive weeks
• CashBox: #1 (6 consecutive weeks)

Tracks:  The top track is, and has always been, Silly Love Songs. Other favorites include Let 'Em In, The Note You Never Wrote, She's My Baby, Beware My Love, and Warm And Beautiful. And while they've never sounded better on this edition, I usually skip Wino Junko and Cook Of The House.

Bonus disc:  At only 22 minutes in length, this disc is light on material (the whole edition could have fit on one CD), but there are two points of interest that should be heard at least once: an alternate take of Beware My Love with John Bonham on drums and a version of Must Do Something About It with Paul on lead vocals. The rest are demos, which are the musical equivalent of eating an empty taco shell.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD:  the singles from this album were all over the radio during the summer in which I turned 10. Even though I lived in the hot, hot West Texas desert, I spent most of that summer outdoors terrorizing my neighborhood, usually with my transistor AM radio in hand, blaring tunes like the ones found here. My usual mode of transportation at that time was my Mr. America bicycle (with sweet banana seat) that I had gotten at Christmas a few years earlier:

Previously revisited for the blog:
Wingspan: Hits and History (2001)
All The Best! (1987)
Band On The Run (1973)