Wings - London Town (1978)

Note: the CD I listened to was the imported 1993 reissue in The Paul McCartney Collection which added 2 bonus tracks.

Generally regarded as one of the lesser albums put out by Wings, but that's only because it is unfairly compared to other McCartney/Wings releases and, perhaps subconsciously, Beatles albums. Hardly fair to compare this release to Revolver or Band On The Run, but I guess that's human nature. This album certainly doesn't measure up to those classics. Nevertheless, it sold platinum and almost topped the charts in the spring of 1978, bested only by the mega-selling Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. It's not bad at all, there are some examples of classic McCartney harmonies and chord progressions combined with his innate sense of melody. McCartney was also blessed with a good voice; I think his vocals were at their best in the late '70s and that includes his work here.

Back in 2018, I placed the chart-topping single With A Little Luck as my fifth favorite song of 1978, writing

this tune, with it's opening electric piano, positive lyrics, and easily singable melody, is easily the highlight of the album. There's also a lot of synth pads for 1978. It transports me back to '78, one time so suddenly I actually welled up for no immediately discernible reason. Music, right?

Press of the time:

• Robert Christgau: B
• High Fidelity: "There are probably fewer hit-bound tracks on this fifty-minute disc than on Wings's last several, but it may be a far better album because of that."
• CashBox: "Overall, a brilliant collection"
• Record World: "more subdued than his previous albums"
• Billboard: "McCartney still has a flair for writing clean, intelligent rock'n'roll"
• Record Mirror: "Forget the new wave - this is the true sound of the medium wave"
• Rolling Stone: "Even the best songs here...sound as if Wings were only half trying"
• Stereo Review: "There's only one problem, Paul. You keep releasing these terrible albums."

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard Top 200: #2
• CashBox: #2

Tracks: With A Little Luck (#1 pop, #5 adult contemporary) is worth the price of admission by itself, but I also like all the tunes on what was side one (tracks 1-8 on CD). That includes the other singles released from the album: I've Had Enough (#25 pop) and the title track (#39 pop, #17 AC). I also dig the Supertramp-ish track Morse Moose And The Grey Goose as well as Name And Address, a rockabilly throwback that would make Carl Perkins proud.

Bonus tracks: Also included is the double A-side single from 1977, Girls' School (#33 pop) and Mull Of Kintyre (#45 adult contemporary). The former is a fun, energetic rocker, albeit one with disturbing lyrical content. Of the latter, I've previously written "Mull Of Kintyre sounds like an old Scottish pub singalong waltz, complete with bagpipes. Not bad, but not for me." But what do I know? The single was Wings' biggest hit in Britain and is one of the best selling singles of all time in the UK, where it became the 1977 Christmas number one and was the first single to sell over two million copies nationwide.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:

Egypt Station (2018)	Unplugged: The Official Bootleg (1991)
New (2013)	All The Best! (1987)
Memory Almost Full (2007)	Give My Regards To Broad Street (1984)
Chaos And Creation In The Backyard (2005)	Pipes of Peace (1983)
Wingspan: Hits and History (2001)	Tug of War (1982)
Wingspan Sampler (2001)	Wings at the Speed of Sound (1976)
Flaming Pie (1997)	Band On The Run (1973)

Paul McCartney - Wingspan: Hits and History Special Advance Sampler (2001)

The US 10 track, promotional, special advance sampler for the 2001 double CD release of the Wingspan compilation.

Tracks: 10 tracks, 43 minutes

	Year	US	UK
Listen To What The Man Said	1975	1	6
Band On The Run	1974	1	3
Another Day	1971	5	2
Live And Let Die	1973	2	9
Jet	1974	7	7
My Love	1973	1	9
Silly Love Songs	1976	1	2
No More Lonely Nights	1984	6	2
Maybe I'm Amazed	1970	*	*
Venus And Mars/Rockshow (Single Edit)	1975	12
*original studio version included here. Live version from Wings over America peaked at #10 in the US and #28 in the UK in 1977.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None. In fact, I have no idea how this CD got on my shelves. If you broke into the house or placed it on the shelf during a party, thanks much.

Previously revisited for the blog:

Egypt Station (2018)	New (2013)
Memory Almost Full (2007)	Chaos And Creation In The Backyard (2005)
Wingspan: Hits and History (2001)	Flaming Pie (1997)
Unplugged: The Official Bootleg (1991)	All The Best! (1987)
Give My Regards To Broad Street (1984)	Pipes of Peace (1983)
Tug of War (1982)	Wings at the Speed of Sound (1976)
Band On The Run (1973)

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)

Paul McCartney & Wings - Band On The Run (1973)

Note: the CD I listened to was the 25th Anniversary Edition released in 1999 with a bonus disc, excellent liner notes, and a reproduction of the poster that came with the LP.

Last night I read a NME blog post which called Paul McCartney the "Greatest Living Songwriter." I thought about that statement for only a few seconds before fully agreeing with it. Who else could it be? So I'm listening to some McCartney this morning. What a great way to start the day.

From Sir Paul's own website:

Band on the Run is one of those rare albums that spans a magically self-contained world. From the unfolding promise of its title track – itself a pocket symphony of dawning optimism and thrilling new horizons – this is music that takes us places. Is it a ‘concept album'? Not exactly. There is no continuous narrative nor any hidden pattern. The beauty of Band on the Run is simply that it feels complete. Released in late 1973, Band on the Run was Paul's fifth album since the break up of The Beatles and it triumphed both critically and commercially. The Grammy award-winning album was recorded in Lagos and became Wings most successful album. Band on the Run was the top selling album in the UK in 1974 and reached no.1 in the US on 3 separate occasions. It went on to sell 7 million copies world-wide. Its success has endured and in 2000 the album was included in Q magazine's list of Greatest British Albums Ever, as well as Rolling Stone magazine's 500 greatest albums of all time list.

Which Grammy award? Best Pop Vocal Performance By a Duo, Group or Chorus. Band On The Run lost Album Of The Year honors to Stevie Wonder's Fulfillingness' First Finale. I'm glad I wasn't asked to help with that decision.

Peak on the US Billboard 200 chart: #1 (4 weeks between April 13 - July 6, 1974)

Tracks: 5 of the 10 tracks appear on the Wingspan compilation (Band On The Run, Jet, Bluebird, Let Me Roll It, and Helen Wheels). It's a mystery to me as to why Let Me Roll It wasn't a massive hit. In my mind, the chorus of that song is a insistent earworm; I find myself singing it often (usually in inappropriate locations/situations). The other 5 songs are clearly filler, but they're McCartney filler, so even in a song like Picasso's Last Words there are moments when you think "that's a clever little thing he did there."

Bonus disc: On the back cover, this disc is described thusly:

The newly-produced additional CD relives the period when the album was made and includes the voices of Paul and Linda McCartney, Dustin Hoffman and the celebrities who appear on the cover. Running in excess of 50 minutes, the programme also includes previously unreleased versions of some Band On The Run tracks.

Based on that description, my expectations were low. It turns out that it's a fairly decent, cohesive disc in the style of a self-important radio special, containing interviews, rehearsal outtakes, and sound checks from more recent tours. I don't listen to it often, but it's not a wasted hour.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:
Chaos And Creation In The Backyard (2005)
Wingspan: Hits and History (2001)
Flaming Pie (1997)
Unplugged: The Official Bootleg (1991)
All The Best! (1987)
Tug of War (1982)

Paul McCartney - Wingspan: Hits and History (2001)

Big Paul fan here. Seeing him live in 2005 was one of my life's concert-going highlights (recounted here and here). This is a 40 track double disc set with disc one being the "hits" and the second disc titled "History" which features longtime fan favorites that, for the most part, weren't released as singles. Curiously (or wisely), none of the hit duets with Stevie Wonder or Michael Jackson appear here. An accompanying TV documentary was released at the same time. Very minor complaints: 1) I would have preferred chronological order, 2) the omission of both Arrow Through Me (1979, #29) and Getting Closer (1979, #20), and 3) the inclusion of the 1970 album version of Maybe I'm Amazed. Would have preferred the 1977 live version that reached #10.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #2

Tracks: If you're reading this, you're most likely familiar with most of these tunes, so let's try something different today - a quick recap of peak US chart positions and my preferred tacks (✔):

Disc 1 (Hits):

• Listen To What The Man Said (1975, #1) ✔
• Band On The Run (1974, #1) ✔
• Another Day (1971, #5) ✔
• Live And Let Die (1973, #2) ✔
• Jet (1974, #7) ✔
• My Love (1973, #1) ✔
• Silly Love Songs (1976, #1) ✔
• Pipes Of Peace (1983, US B-side) ✔
• C Moon (1972, did not chart)
• Hi Hi Hi (1972, #10)
• Let 'Em In (1976, #3) ✔
• Goodnight Tonight (1979, #5) ✔
• Junior's Farm (1974, #3)
• Mull of Kintyre (1977, did not chart)
• Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey (1971, #1) ✔
• With A Little Luck (1978, #1) ✔
• Coming Up (Live at Glasgow, 1980, #1) ✔
• No More Lonely Nights (1984, #6)

Disc 2 (History):

• Let Me Roll It (1974, did not chart) ✔
• The Lovely Linda (1970, not released as a single) ✔
• Daytime Nighttime Suffering (1979, B-side)
• Maybe I'm Amazed (1970, not released as a single) ✔
• Helen Wheels (1974, #10)
• Bluebird (1974, B-side) ✔
• Heart Of The Country (1971, B-side)
• Every Night (1970, not released as a single)
• Take It Away (1982, #10) ✔
• Junk (1970, not released as a single) ✔
• Man We Was Lonely (1970, not released as a single)
• Venus And Mars/Rockshow (1975, #12)
• The Back Seat Of My Car (1971, not released as a single in US) ✔
• Rockestra Theme (1979, not released as a single in US) ✔
• Girlfriend (1978, not released as a single)
• Waterfalls (1980, #106)
• Tomorrow (1971, not released as a single) ✔
• Too Many People (1971, B-side) ✔
• Call Me Back Again (1975, not released as a single) ✔
• Tug Of War (1982, #53) ✔
• Bip Bop/Hey Diddle (1971, previously unreleased)
• No More Lonely Nights (Playout Version) (1984, B-side)

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: With A Little Luck really got to me today and that totally caught me off guard. 1978 was a year of transition for me and hearing the song this time brought back memories of those transitions. Hard to explain - painful, but comforting at the same time.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Chaos And Creation In The Backyard (2005)
Flaming Pie (1997)
Unplugged: The Official Bootleg (1991)
All The Best! (1987)
Tug of War (1982)

Blog post #900

Paul McCartney - All The Best! (1987)

UK Import

For the most part, this is familiar music I grew up with, but let's be honest - this isn't really all of McCartney's best (you may remember he was in a band before Wings).

This UK version differs from the US release by 4 songs (which requires a slightly differently album cover). Dropped from the US version: Junior's Farm, Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey, Goodnight Tonight, and With A Little Luck. Added to the UK version: Pipes Of Peace, Once Upon A Long Ago, We All Stand Together, and Mull Of Kintyre. Advantage: US version. The difference really doesn't matter, I guess, because if you wanted a Paul McCartney greatest hits package now, you'd opt for the superior Wingspan: Hits and History from 2001 (we'll get to that set another time) or you'd simply download your favorite singles.

Tracks:

Song	Album	Year	UK	US
Jet	Band On The Run	1973	7	7
Band On The Run	Band On The Run	1974	3	1
Coming Up	McCartney II	1980	2	1
Ebony And Ivory	Tug Of War	1982	1	1
Listen To What The Man Said	Venus And Mars	1975	6	1
No More Lonely Nights	Give My Regards To Broad Street	1984	2	6
Silly Love Songs	Wings At The Speed Of Sound	1976	2	1
Let 'Em In	Wings At The Speed Of Sound	1976	2	3
C Moon	non-album single	1972	5	-
Pipes Of Peace	Pipes Of Peace	1983	1	-
Live And Let Die	Live And Let Die Soundtrack	1973	9	2
Another Day	non-album single	1971	2	5
Once Upon A Long Ago	All The Best!	1987	10	-
Say Say Say	Pipes Of Peace	1983	2	1
My Love	Red Rose Speedway	1973	9	1
We All Stand Together	non-album single	1984	3	-
Mull Of Kintyre	non-album single	1977	1	-

My favs here are the '70s tracks with Wings: Jet, Band On The Run, Listen To What The Man Said, Silly Love Songs, Let 'Em In, Live And Let Die, Another Day, and My Love. I'm disappointed that they included the studio version of Coming Up instead of the live version I'm more familiar with (of course it's the live version that's included on the US release). Pipes Of Peace isn't a great song, but I just can't resist that introduction, which may be the most beautiful eight measures on this disc.

There are three songs with which I was unfamiliar before buying this disc. Once Upon A Long Ago was the "new" single from this CD, reaching the top ten in the UK. It's a nice ballad (think Billy Joel meets 10cc with an electronic violin solo). We All Stand Together is a song written for McCartney's animated British children's short film and sung by frogs. Nothing more need be said. Mull Of Kintyre sounds like an old Scottish pub singalong waltz, complete with bagpipes. Not bad, but not for me.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: Spanning the years 1970-87, songs here are in four categories: songs that remind me of childhood fun in the desert in the '70s, songs that remind me of high school shenanigans in the early '80s, a single from a movie that came out when I was a freshman in college and the few I'd never heard before my parents gave me this disc.

In the early '80s, it was common to make jazz band arrangements of pop songs, most often with horrible results. In 1984, my high school jazz band played a real stinker of an arrangement of Say, Say, Say. I sure hope we never played that crap in public.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Tug of War (1982)