Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Wings
Label: MPL Communications
Released: 1976
Length: 115:33
Rating: 5/5
»Wings Over America« is a double live album produced by the legendary Beatle Paul McCartney and his band of the time, Wings. It came out in December 1976, when Paul and Wings were at the peak of their popularity as far as his post-Beatles career goes. The LP version of this historic live document was released as a triple album, with a band poster tucked inside the sleeve: that is, Paul, his first wife and co-writer of plenty of songs Linda, and their backing crew, among whom the original The Moody Blues guitarist and singer Denny Laine, as an important co-writer, definitely stood out the most. »Wings Over America« was recorded in the middle of the American leg of a huge tour. Speaking of that tour, it’s a real hoot to mention that on September 21, 1976, Wings also played the Dom Sportova arena in Zagreb, which clearly shows how the former common state, which in the politically correct vocabulary of our ‘valiant, super-democratic leaders’ is so often called totalitarian, red and leaden these days, hosted the biggest Western music stars that people in the countries behind the then ‘Iron Curtain’ could only dream about.
»Wings Over America« contains all the biggest hits of Paul’s crew from the previous four Wings studio albums (minus songs from the debut »Wild Life«, 1971), as well as some popular Beatles hits on which Paul was the lead singer. The selection of numbers was of course carefully picked under Paul’s watchful eye, while for the Beatles classics he listed the duo ‘McCartney-Lennon’ as the writers, which, as you’d expect, rather irked Lennon, who was used to his surname coming before Paul’s. The fact is that the two legendary Beatles weren’t exactly on the best of terms back then, though things improved considerably in the last years before John’s death. The live energy between the band and the crowd is incredibly positive throughout, which you can already hear on the opening medley »Venus And Mars/Rock Show/Jet« and the always energetic classic »Let Me Roll It«. Beatles evergreens like »Lady Madonna«, »The Long and Winding Road«, »Blackbird« and especially »Yesterday« come off very well in the Wings treatment, although Paul could have swapped some of the Wings standards for a few more popular hits like, say, »Let It Be«, Hey Jude«, »Helter Skelter« and »Eleanor Rigby«.
But the focus of the live setlist was of course, partly because Paul didn’t want to weigh himself down too much with the glorious past back then, on the best Wings achievements, which are cast in an especially good light by the performances from the legendary album »Band On the Run« (1973), since the evergreens »Band On the Run«, »Jet«, »Let Me Roll It«, »Maybe I’m Amazed«, »Bluebird« and »Picasso’s Last Words« are among the highlights of the whole of »Wings Over America«. Somewhat less expected, but still thrilling live choices are lesser-known standards like »My Love«, Magneto and Titanium Man«, »Spirits of Ancient Egypt«, where the lead vocal, just like on »Picasso’s Last Words«, »Drink To Me«, »Richard Cory«, »Time To Hide« and »Go Now«, is handled by Denny Laine, and »Medicine Jar«, where guitarist Jimmy McCulloch turns into the lead singer. All of these performances are played with remarkable precision and a pathos that only the most heartfelt performers in rock history could muster. One of the highlights of »Wings Over America« also has to be the splendid version of the unforgettable classic »Live And Let Die«, which was launched into immortality by the film of the same name from 1973, the first James Bond with Roger Moore in the lead role. It was one of the few songs of Paul’s career that stood on the same level as the Beatles’ best work, which is why John supposedly always envied him its authorship and its universal popularity.
»Wings Over America« is one of the best live albums of the seventies and one of the most magnificent moments in the career of the ‘romantic Beatle’, who, after the end of Beatlemania, briefly set off a fresh wave of euphoria on the other side of the Atlantic too with his new band in the mid-seventies . Even if you’re not some hardcore fan and collector of Paul’s solo musical legacy, you have to have this recording in your collection, because it’s the ultimate live moment of his solo career, when years of hard work with Wings were rewarded with a triumph in front of the most spoiled audience in the world.
Lineup
Paul McCartney – vocals, backing vocals, acoustic guitar, bass guitar, piano, keyboards
Linda McCartney – backing vocals, piano, keyboards, percussion
Denny Laine – vocals on “Spirits of Ancient Egypt”, “Picasso’s Last Words (Drink to Me),” “Richard Cory,” “Time to Hide” and “Go Now”, backing vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, piano, keyboards, percussion, harmonica
Jimmy McCulloch – vocals on “Medicine Jar”, backing vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar and bass guitar
Joe English – backing vocals, drums, percussion
Tony Dorsey – trombone, percussion
Howie Casey – saxophone, percussion
Steve Howard – trumpet, horn, percussion
Thaddeus Richard – saxophone, clarinet, flute, percussion
Production
Paul McCartney
Track list
CD1:
1. Venus And Mars/Rock Show/Jet
2. Let Me Roll It
3. Spirits Of Ancient Egypt
4. Medicine Jar
5. Maybe I’m Amazed
6. Call Me Back Again
7. Lady Madonna
8. The Long And Winding Road
9. Live And Let Die
10. Picasso’s Last Words
11. Richard Cory
12. Bluebird
13. I’ve Just Seen A Face
14. Blackbird
15. Yesterday
CD2:
1. You Gave Me The Answer
2. Magneto And Titanium Man
3. Go Now
4. My Love
5. Listen To What The Man Said
6. Let ‘Em In
7. Time To Hide
8. Silly Love Songs
9. Beware My Love
10. Letting Go
11. Band On The Run
12. Hi Hi Hi
13. Solly
