Rock, Metal

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

2010-06-07T21:39:45Z

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


01. Band On The Run - 5:10
02. Jet - 4:06
03. Bluebird - 3:21
04. Mrs Vandebilt - 4:37
05. Let Me Roll It - 4:47
06. Mamunia - 4:50
07. No Words - 2:33
08. Picasso's Last Words (Drink To Me) - 5:47
09. Nineteen Hundred And Eighty Five - 5:26

Personnel:
- Paul McCartney – vocals; lead, rhythm, acoustic and bass guitars, drums, 
piano, keyboards, percussion
- Linda McCartney – organ, keyboards, percussion, vocals
- Denny Laine – rhythm, lead, acoustic, flamenco and bass guitars, keyboards, 
percussion, vocals
+
- Howie Casey – saxophone
- Ginger Baker, Remi Kabaka – percussion
- Tony Visconti – orchestrations
- Ian and Trevor – backing vocals

Band on the Run is generally considered to be Paul McCartney's strongest solo effort. The album was also his most commercially successful, selling well and spawning two hit singles, the multi-part pop suite of the title track and the roaring rocker "Jet." On these cuts and elsewhere, McCartney's penchant for sophisticated, nuanced arrangements and irrepressibly catchy melodic hooks is up to the caliber he displayed in the Beatles, far surpassing the first two Wings releases, Wild Life and Red Rose Speedway. The focus found in Band on the Run may have to do with the circumstances of its creation: two former members quit the band prior to recording, leaving McCartney, wife Linda, and guitarist Denny Laine to complete the album alone (with Paul writing, producing, and playing most of the instruments himself). The album has the majestic, orchestral sweep of McCartney's Abbey Road-era ambition, with a wide range of style-dabbling, from the swaying, acoustic jazz-pop of "Bluebird" and the appealing, straightforward rock of "Helen Wheels" to the wiry blues of "Let Me Roll It" and the swaying, one-off pub sing-along "Picasso's Last Words (Drink to Me)." Though it lacks the emotional resonance of contemporaneous releases by John Lennon and George Harrison, McCartney's infallible instinct for popcraft overflows on this excellent release. ---Al Campbell, allmusic.com

John Lennon i Paul McCartney byli tymi Beatlesami, którzy mieli największe predyspozycje, aby osiągnąć sukces poza grupą. O ile jednak pierwszy z nich już od początku kariery solowej potrafił zabłysnąć utworami - jeśli nie całymi albumami - na poziomie dokonań Wspaniałej Czwórki, tak działalność McCartneya początkowo przynosiła przede wszystkim rozczarowanie. Po słabym przyjęciu przez krytykę brzmiącego jak demówka debiutu "McCartney" i wypełnionego mdłymi, popowymi melodiami "Ram", muzyk postanowił stworzyć prawdziwy zespół. Niewiele to jednak pomogło, bo dwa pierwsze albumy wydane pod szyldem Wings, "Wild Life" i "Red Rose Speedway", prezentowały niewiele wyższy poziom od wcześniejszych post-beatlesowskich dokonań Paula.

Przełomem okazała się kompozycja "Live and Let Die", napisana do kolejnego filmu o Jamesie Bondzie, "Żyj i pozwól umrzeć". Świetny utwór, pełen zmian nastroju i tempa. McCartney udowodnił nim, że wciąż ma potencjał, by stworzyć coś wielkiego. Co więcej, poziom udało się utrzymać na kolejnym długogrającym albumie Wings, "Band on the Run". Nagranym w składzie okrojonym o gitarzystę Henry McCullough i perkusistę Denny Seiwell, za to z pomocą saksofonisty Howiego Casey'a i słynnego perkusisty Gingera Bakera (znanego m.in. z Cream i Blind Faith).

Pierwsza strona albumu to właściwie przebój za przebojem. Rozpoczynający całość tytułowy "Band on the Run" wyróżnia się licznymi zmianami motywów - tak naprawdę są to trzy utwory połączone w jeden - i bardzo chwytliwym refrenem. Dalej pojawia się dynamiczny "Jet", oparty na gitarowo-saksofonowym riffie. Chwilę wytchnienia przynosi akustyczny "Bluebird", z cudowną solówką na saksofonie. Po chwili jednak znów jest bardziej dynamicznie - i przebojowo - w utworach "Mrs Vandebilt" i "Let Me Roll It". Co ciekawe, ten ostatni bardziej przypomina twórczość Lennona, niż McCartneya, także w warstwie wokalnej. Z kolei melodyjny "No Words" przypomina piosenki George'a Harrisona.

Otwierający drugą stronę longplaya, folkowy "Mamunia" jest ewidentnym wypełniaczem - do bólu banalny i kiczowaty kawałek. Na szczęście pozostałe utwory trzymają poziom. Po wspomnianym już "No Words" następuje trochę dziwny, eksperymentalny "Picasso's Last Words (Drink to Me)", w którym pojawiają się cytaty z innych utworów z albumu ("Jet" i "Mrs Vandebilt"). Finał to kolejny dynamiczny, rozbudowany utwór, "Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five", pokazujący, że McCartney potrafi tworzyć także bardziej ambitne kompozycje. W końcówce znowu pojawia się fragment innego utworu, tym razem wyjęty z "Band on the Run". Amerykańskie wydanie longplaya zawierało dodatkowo singlowy, trochę banalny "Helen Wheels". ---pablosreviews.blogspot.com

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Wings - Back To The Egg (1979)

2010-06-07T19:15:45Z

Wings - Back To The Egg (1979)


01. Reception - 1:07
02. Getting Closer - 3:21
03. We're Open Tonight - 1:28
04. Spin It On - 2:12
05. Again And Again And Again - 3:34
06. Old Siam, Sir - 4:11
07. Arrow Through Me - 3:35
(Over Easy):
08. Rockestra Theme - 2:35
09. To You - 3:12
10. After The Ball/Million Miles - 3:59
11. Winter Rose/Love Awake - 4:57
12. The Broadcast - 1:29
13. So Glad To See You Here - 3:19
14. Baby's Request - 2:48
Bonuses:
15. Daytime Nighttime Suffering - 3:20
16. Wonderful Christmastime (1979 Paul McCartney solo single and solo performance) - 3:45
17. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reggae (1979 Paul McCartney solo single and solo performance) - 1:45

Personnel:
- Paul McCartney - bass, guitars, piano, keyboards, recorder, synthesizer, vocals
- Linda McCartney - keyboards, percussion, mini-moog, vocals
- Denny Laine - guitars, bass (06), piano, keyboards, flute, vocals
- Laurence Juber - guitars, vocals
- Steve Holley - drums, percussion, piano (06), vocals
Rockestra line-up (tracks 8 & 13):
- guitars: Denny Laine, Laurence Juber, David Gilmour, Hank Marvin, Pete Townshend
- drums: Steve Holly, John Bonham, Kenney Jones
- basses: Paul McCartney, John Paul Jones, Ronnie Lane, Bruce Thomas
- pianos: Paul McCartney, Gary Brooker, John Paul Jones
- keyboards: Linda McCartney, Tony Ashton
- percussion: Speedy Acquaye, Tony Carr, Ray Cooper, Morris Pert
- horns: Howie Casey, Tony Dorsey, Steve Howard, Thaddeus Richard

Back to the Egg is Paul McCartney's attempt to get back to rock & roll after the soft rock of London Town. Assembling a new lineup of Wings, McCartney leads the group through a set of his most undistinguished songs, ranging from the forced arena rock of "Old Siam, Sir" to the formulaic adult contemporary pap of "Arrow Through Me" -- and those are two of the more memorable cuts on the record. Part of the problem is the weak sound of the record and Wings' faceless performances, but the true problem is the songs, which have no spark whatsoever. On the basis of Back to the Egg, it's no wonder that McCartney returned to solo recordings after its relative failure. ---Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AllMusic Review

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Wings - London Town (1978)

2013-06-09T16:03:55Z

Wings - London Town (1978)


01. London Town (Paul McCartney/Denny Laine) - 4:09
02. Cafe On The Left Bank - 3:23
03. I'm Carrying - 2:42
04. Backwards Traveller - 1:09
05. Cuff Link - 1:58
06. Children Children (Paul McCartney/Denny Laine) - 2:22
07. Girlfriend - 4:39
08. I've Had Enough - 3:03
09. With A Little Luck - 5:44
10. Famous Groupies - 3:36
11. Deliver Your Children (Paul McCartney/Denny Laine) - 4:16
12. Name And Address - 3:07
13. Don't Let It Bring You Down (Paul McCartney/Denny Laine) - 4:34
14. Morse Moose And The Grey Goose (Paul McCartney/Denny Laine) - 6:27
15. Girls School - 3:15

Personnel:
- Paul McCartney - lead vocals, bass, drums, percussion, guitar, violin, keyboards, flageolet, producer
- Linda McCartney - keyboards, percussion, female vocals
- Denny Laine - guitar, bass, flageolet, recorder, percussion, vocals, lead vocals (06,11)
- Jimmy McCulloch - guitar, percussion, backing vocals
- Joe English - drums, percussion, harmonica, backing vocals

Reduced to the core trio of McCartney, McCartney, and Laine after the successful Speed of Sound tour, London Town finds Wings dropping the band façade slightly, turning in their most song-oriented effort since Band on the Run -- which, not coincidentally, was recorded with this very trio. And although its high points don't shine as brightly as those on its two immediate predecessors, it's certainly stronger than Speed and, in its own way, as satisfying as Venus and Mars. What London Town has in its favor is Wings' (or, more likely, McCartney's) decision to settle into slick soft rock, relying on glossy, synth-heavy productions as he ratchets up the melodic quotient. This gives the album a distinctly European flavor, a feeling that intensifies when the lyrics are taken into the equation, and this gives London Town a different flavor than almost any other record in his catalog. And if its best moments aren't as strong as McCartney at his best they, along with the album tracks, find him skillfully crafting engagingly light, tuneful songs that charm with their offhanded craft, domesticity, and unapologetic sweetness. McCartney's humor is in evidence here, too, with the terrific "Famous Groupies," which means there's a little of everything he does here, outside of flat-out rocking. It's a laid-back, almost effortless collection of professional pop and, as such, it's one of his strongest albums. --- Stephen Thomas Erlewine, allmusic.com

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Wings - Venus and Mars (1975)

2010-06-07T23:12:43Z

Wings - Venus and Mars (1975)


01. Venus And Mars – 1:20
02. Rock Show – 5:30
03. Love In Song – 3:02
04. You Gave Me The Answer – 2:14
05. Magneto And Titanium Man – 3:15
06. Letting Go – 4:31
07. Venus And Mars (Reprise) – 2:05
08. Spirits Of Ancient Egypt – 3:03 (lead vocal by Denny Laine)
09. Medicine Jar (Jimmy McCulloch/Colin Allen) – 3:36 (lead vocal by Jimmy McCulloch)
10. Call Me Back Again – 4:54
11. Listen To What The Man Said – 4:01
12. Treat Her Gently - Lonely Old People – 4:20
13. Crossroads (Tony Hatch) – 0:59
Bonuses:
14. Zoo Gang (Theme from the UK TV series The Zoo Gang, 1974)– 1:58
15. Lunch Box/Odd Sox (B-side of "Coming Up", 1980) – 3:47
16. My Carnival (B-side of Spies "Like Us", 1985) – 3:56

Personnel:
- Paul McCartney - lead vocals, bass, guitars, keyboards, piano
- Linda McCartney - keyboards, percussion, vocals
- Denny Laine - guitars, keyboards, vocals
- Jimmy McCulloch - guitars, vocals
- Joe English - drums, percussion
+
- Geoff Britton - drums (3, 6, 9)
- Kenneth "Afro" Williams - congas (2)
- Dave Mason - guitar (11)
- Tom Scott - saxophone (11)
- Allen Toussaint - piano (2)

Band on the Run was a commercial success, but even if it was billed as a Wings effort, it was primarily recorded by Paul, Linda, and Denny Laine. So, it was time to once again turn Wings into a genuine band, adding Joe English and Jimmy McCulloch to the lineup and even letting the latter contribute a song. This faux-democracy isn't what signals that this is a band effort -- it's the attitude, construction, and pacing, which McCartney acknowledges as much, opening with an acoustic title track that's a salute to arena rock, leading to a genuine arena rock anthem, "Rock Show." From that, it's pretty much rocking pop tunes, paced with a couple of ballads and a little whimsy, all graced with a little of the production flair that distinguished Band on the Run. But where that record was clearly a studio creation and consciously elaborate, this is a straightforward affair where the sonic details are simply window dressing. McCartney doesn't really try anything new, but the songs are a little more varied than the uniform, glossy production would suggest; he dips into soft-shoe music hall shuffle on "You Gave Me the Answer," gets a little psychedelic with "Spirits of Ancient Egypt," kicks out a '50s rock & roll groove with "Magento and Titanium Man," and unveils a typically sweet and lovely melody on "Listen to What the Man Said." These are a slight shifts on an album that certainly feels like the overture for the arena rock tour that it was, which makes it one of McCartney's more consistent listens, even though it's possible to scan the song listing after several listens and not recognize any song outside of "Listen to What the Man Said" and the opening medley by title. ---Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AllMusic Review

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Wings - Wild Life (1971)

2010-06-07T20:14:23Z

Wings - Wild Life (1971)


01. Mumbo – 3:52
02. Bip Bop – 4:07
03. Love Is Strange (Mickey Baker, Ethel Smith) – 4:47
04. Wild Life – 6:37
05. Some People Never Know – 6:35
06. I Am Your Singer – 2:11
07. Bip Bop Link – 0:47
08. Tomorrow – 3:22
09. Dear Friend – 5:45
10. Mumbo Link – 0:44
Bonuses:
11. Give Ireland Back To The Irish (single, 1972) – 3:41
12. Mary Had A Little Lamb (single, 1972) – 3:29
13. Little Woman Love (B-side single, 1972) – 2:06
14. Mama's Little Girl (Paul McCartney) (unissued) – 3:40

Personnel:
- Paul McCartney – vocals, bass, guitar, piano, keyboards, percussion
- Linda McCartney – keyboards, piano, percussion, female vocals
- Denny Laine – guitars, bass guitar, percussion, keyboards, vocals
- Denny Seiwell – drums and percussion
+
- Alan Parsons – engineer

The irony of the first Wings album is that it seems more domesticated than Ram, feeling more like a Paul 'n' Linda effort than that record. Perhaps it's because this album is filled with music that's defiantly lightweight -- not just the cloying cover of "Love Is Strange" but two versions apiece of songs called "Mumbo" and "Bip Bop." If this is a great musician bringing his band up to speed, so be it, but it never seems that way -- it feels like one step removed from coasting, which is wanking. It's easy to get irritated by the upfront cutesiness, since it's married to music that's featherweight at best. Then again, that's what makes this record bizarrely fascinating -- it's hard to imagine a record with less substance, especially from an artist who's not just among the most influential of the 20th century, but from one known for precise song and studiocraft. Here, he's thrown it all to the wind, trying to make a record that sounds as pastoral and relaxed as the album's cover photo. He makes something that sounds easy -- easy enough that you and a couple of neighbors who you don't know very well could knock it out in your garage on a lazy Saturday afternoon -- and that's what's frustrating and amazing about it. Yeah, it's possible to call this a terrible record, but it's so strange in its domestic bent and feigned ordinariness that it winds up being a pop album like no other. ---Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AllMusic Review

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Wings - Wings at the Speed of Sound (1976)

2010-06-08T13:19:45Z

Wings - Wings at the Speed of Sound (1976)


01. Let 'Em In – 5:08
02. The Note You Never Wrote – 4:20 (Lead vocal by Denny Laine)
03. She's My Baby – 3:06
04. Beware My Love – 6:25
05. Wino Junko (Jimmy McCulloch/Colin Allen) – 5:17 (Lead vocal by Jimmy McCulloch)
06. Silly Love Songs – 5:52
07. Cook Of The House – 2:37 (Lead vocal by Linda McCartney)
08. Time To Hide (Denny Laine) – 4:32 (Lead vocal by Denny Laine)
09. Must Do Something About It – 3:41 (Lead vocal by Joe English)
10. San Ferry Anne – 2:05
11. Warm And Beautiful – 3:11
Bonuses:
12. Walking In The Park With Eloise (James McCartney) (1974) – 3:07
13. Bridge On The River Suite (Paul and Linda McCartney) (1974) – 3:07
14. Sally G (1974) – 3:37

Personnel:
- Paul McCartney - guitars, bass, drums, keyboards, vocals
- Linda McCartney - keyboards, vocals
- Denny Laine - guitars, keyboards, vocals
- Jimmy McCulloch - guitars, vocals
- Joe English - drums, vocals
+
- Tony Dorsey, Thaddeus Richard, Steve Howard, Howie Casey - horns
- Chet Atkins - electric guitar (12)
- Geoff Britton - drums (12,14)
- Floyd Cramer - piano (12)
- Bobby Thompson - banjo (12)
- Don Sheffield - trumpet (12)
- John Gimble - fiddle (14)
- Dennis Good - trombone (12)
- Dale Quillen - trombone (13)
- Lloyd Green - pedal steel & slide guitar (14)
- Barry McDonald, George Tidwell - trumpet (13)
- Billy Puitt - clarinet (12), saxophone (13)
- Norman Ray - baritone saxophone (13)
- Thaddeus Richard - saxophone (13)

If Venus and Mars had the façade of being an album by a band, At the Speed of Sound really is a full-band effort, where everybody gets a chance to sing, and even contribute a song. This, ironically, winds up as considerably less cohesive than its predecessor despite these efforts for community, not because Wings was not a band in the proper sense, but because nobody else in the band pulled as much weight as McCartney, who was resting on his laurels here. Consider this: the two hits "Let 'Em In" and "Silly Love Songs" are so lightweight that their lack of substance seems nearly defiant. They have sweet, nice melodies and are well crafted, but as songs they're nonexistent, working primarily as effervescent popcraft of their time. And that's the case for most of At the Speed of Sound, as tracks like "She's My Baby" play like the hits, only without memorable hooks. There is a bit of charm to the record, arriving in Linda McCartney's awkwardly sung "Cook of the House," the mellow "Must Do Something About It," and especially "Beware My Love," the best-written song here that effortlessly moves from sun-drenched harmonies to hard rock. Apart from the latter, these are modest pleasures buried on an album that may have been a chart-topping blockbuster, but now seems like one of McCartney's most transient works. ---Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AllMusic Review

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Wings - Wings Over America (1976)

2013-12-11T16:54:53Z

Wings - Wings Over America (1976)

Side One
01 - Venus And Mars / Rock Show.
02 - Jet.
03 - Let Me Roll It.
04 - Spirits Of Ancient Egypt.
05 - Medicine Jar.

Side Two
01 - Maybe I'm Amazed.
02 - Call Me Back Again.
03 - Lady Madonna.
04 - The Long And Winding Road.
05 - Live And Let Die.

Side Three
01 - Picassos' Last Words.
02 - Richard Cory.
03 - Bluebird.
04 - I've Just Seen A Face.
05 - Blackbird.
06 - Yesterday.

Side Four
01 - You Gave Me The Answer.
02 - Magneto And Titanium Man.
03 - Go Now.
04 - My Love.
05 - Listen To What The Man Said.

Side Five
01 - Let 'Em In.
02 - Time To Hide.
03 - Silly Love Songs.
04 - Beware My Love.

Side Six
01 - Letting Go.
02 - Band On The Run.
03 - Hi Hi Hi.
04 - Soily.

Musicians:
    Paul McCartney – lead and backing vocals, acoustic and bass guitars, piano, keyboards
    Linda McCartney – backing vocals, piano, keyboards, percussion
    Denny Laine – vocals, acoustic, guitars, piano, keyboards, percussion, harmonica
    Jimmy McCulloch – lead vocals, acoustic, electric and bass guitars
    Joe English – backing vocals, drums, percussion
    Tony Dorsey – trombone, percussion
    Howie Casey – saxophone, percussion
    Steve Howard – trumpet, flugelhorn, percussion
    Thaddeus Richard – saxophone, clarinet, Western concert flute, percussion

Basically, there are two things that rock bands do: they make an album and they go on tour. Since Paul McCartney fervently wanted to believe Wings was a real rock band, he had the group record an album or two and then took them on the road. In March of 1976 he released Wings at the Speed of Sound and launched a tour of America, following which he released Wings Over America, a triple-album set that re-created an entire concert from various venues. It was a massive set list, running over two hours and featuring 30 songs, and it was well received at the time, partially because he revived some Beatles tunes, partially because it wasn't the disaster some naysayers expected, and mostly because -- like the tour itself -- it was the first chance that millions of Beatles fans had to hear McCartney in concert properly (the Beatles had toured, to be sure, and had played before millions of people between 1963 and 1966, but as a result of the relatively primitive equipment they used and the frenzied, omnipresent screaming of the mid-'60s teen audiences at their shows, few of those present had actually "heard" the group). Wings were never a particularly gifted band, and nowhere is that more evident than on Wings Over America. Matters aren't really helped by the fact that the large set list gives McCartney full opportunity to show off his vast array of affected voices, from crooner to rocker to bluesman. Also, the repertory, in retrospect, is weighted too heavily toward the recent Wings albums Wings at the Speed of Sound and Band on the Run, which weren't really loaded with great tunes. (It's also hard to believe that there were two Denny Laine vocals so early in the program, or that the concert ended with the plodding rocker "Soily," which was never released on any other McCartney album.) In its defense, the album offers bracing renditions of "Maybe I'm Amazed" -- arguably the best of McCartney's post-Beatles songs and possibly his single greatest composition -- and "Band on the Run," as well as nicely distilling the harder side of his repertory, with a few breaks for softer songs such as "My Love" and "Silly Love Songs"; another highlight is the rippling bass sound, showing off that instrument in a manner closer in spirit to, say, a John Entwistle solo LP than to McCartney's more pop-focused studio work. The triple LP, issued two weeks before Christmas of 1976, was priced so low that it was offered by most stores as a "loss leader" to pull customers in; what's more, the Beatles mystique was still very much attached to record and artist alike -- at the time, John Lennon had seemingly burnt out a major chunk of his talent, George Harrison was losing his popular edge and had done a disastrous 1974 American tour, and no one was expecting great things from Ringo Starr -- and it seemed like McCartney represented the part of the group's legacy that came closest to living up to fans' expectations. Thus the album ended up selling in numbers, rivaling the likes of Frampton Comes Alive and other mega-hits of the period, and rode the charts for months. The double-CD reissue offers considerably improved sound, though the combination of workmanlike performances and relatively pedestrian songs diminishes the appeal of such small pleasures as the acoustic Beatles set or the storming "Hi Hi Hi." Wings Over America is most valuable as a souvenir for hardcore fans and also as a reminder of the excitement -- beyond the actual merits of the group's work -- that attended McCartney and Wings' work in the lingering afterglow of the Beatles. --- Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi

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