Wingspan (Hits & History)
Capitol - Capitol
Paul McCartney
Release date: 2001-05-08
Audio CD
AM Pop, Adult Contemporary, Album Rock, England, Pop, Pop/Rock, Pop/Rock Music, Rock, Rock & Roll, Rock/Pop, Soft Rock
1. Listen To What The Man Said
2. Band On The Run
3. Another Day
4. Live And Let Die
5. Jet
6. My Love
7. Silly Love Songs
8. Pipes Of Peace
9. C Moon
10. Hi Hi Hi
11. Let 'Em In
12. Goodnight Tonight
13. Junior's Farm
14. Mull of Kintyre
15. Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey
16. With A Little Luck
17. Coming Up
18. No More Lonely Nights
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Wingspan (Hits & History)
Date undefinedI was a Paul Fan back in the day. Thought I would marry him one day. Hey hey hey!
Stop that madness. Paul married well the second time. I'm so glad. Not only does he pay tribute to the late Linda McCartney in the second song ("The Lovely Linda") on the second CD, but he provides happiness to his fans both old and new in this Wings compilation. Seven years after its release, it is just now playing in my car. Actually, I intended to purchase Venus and Mars, one of my all-time favorite albums (which vinyl version I have not replaced). Because the music store did not have it, I bought "Wingspan" instead.
The two CDs in the set are so different. The first CD is a selection of some of Wings greatest hits, while the second is surprises (for me). This disc is more ballads and love songs and blues with a couple of hits mixed in.
The liner notes tell us that Paul struggled to find his niche after the Beatles breakup, both alone and in a group. During that time I remember the negative reaction to Linda's inclusion in the band (I was one of the voices). Her addition seemed out of kilter for a master singer and songwriter. But as I have been listening recently, I hear Linda with "fresh" ears--as a retrospective. Whatever her contribution, Paul apparently wanted her there. That's a real tribute to a marriage in a fishbowl.
There is absolutely no reason to list any songs. A Paul fan knows them. Maybe a Paul-fan-in-the-making might like a rehash, but there are better reviews for that. However, THE song that jumps out at me is "Mull of Kintrye." I didn't even know what he was saying until I read it, then got out a map and discovered it is in Ireland. The other song I will mention is "Live and Let Die," my favorite James Bond theme song. The discordance fits perfectly with the evil always present in a Bond story. "Band on the Run" and "Jet" are two other excellent Wings songs.
On the second CD the two that stand out are "Venus and Mars/Rockshow" and "Maybe I'm Amazed."
Overall, it was truly interesting to hear the songs that Paul calls "some of our best work."
Wingspan (Hits & History)
Date undefinedThis CD brings back all of those great memories of listening to Paul McCartney and the Wings in the 70's! It has all the hits and some. Enjoy!!
Wingspan (Hits & History)
Date undefined"Wingspan" does a pretty good job of presenting hits and "History" as McCartney refers to the second disc of album tracks, singles and b-sides that he felt were overlooked previously.
The first disc focuses on McCartney's singles as both solo artist and in Wings duplicating most of "Wings Greatest" but it does offer a more generous and comprehensive overview of McCartney's career post-Beatles. Fans should be warned, however, that some of these are the single edits NOT the original full length songs (for example "Junior's Farm" is about a minute shorter than the original single).
The selections on the second disc are a bit more problematic. This disc allows McCartney to highlight some really good songs that were buried on crap albums or highlighting an album track that might have been overlooked on an outstanding album. Some are brilliant inclusions ("Heart of the Country", "Every Night") while others are a bit odd ("No More Lonely Nights"-Playout Version recorded for the closing credits of "Give My Regards to Broadstreet", "The Lovely Linda" which is charming but little more than a fragment McCartney made up on the spot to test his recording equipment).
The sound is pretty decent on this compilation although it doesn't sound quite as good as "Wings Greatest". The mastering here is more compressed and louder lacking the dynamic range of the earlier CDs but it is the only place to get some of the single edits and other rarities. Nevertheless this is a solid anthology and if you only want one McCartney anthology with a healthy collection of hits and some album tracks, this would be the one to get.
The two CD set also has a booklet with information on the recordings, photos, etc. The first edition comes with a lenticular cover and with the CDs housed on a cardboard hardcover cover. As other reviewers mentioned it is missing some key tracks but with only two CDs to cover a 31 year solo/Wings career, that's to be expected I suppose. There are some odd choices though on the "History" portion of the set but more often than not the McCartney gets it right as to key album/single tracks that were important to his career.
This is a pretty good compilation if all you're looking for is the hits along with key album track but if you want something with better fidelity I would go with "Wings Greatest" (for his career through 1978)and/or "All The Best" (which has its own flaws as well)first and expand from there.
