Paul McCartney
and
Wings

Paul McCartney and Wings, the controversial band the critics disliked, but proved to be a great band

I admit to being a late starter in being a fan of Paul McCartney and Wings. At the time Paul put Wings together, it was thought there was no way an ex-Beatle could ever put together a band that would come near to The Beatles. And Linda in the band? Instead of John? No way!                             And this was this was the general opinion at the time. It was a very anti Paul time, with his early solo stull “McCartney” and “Ram” receiving generally negative reviews from the public and press. But Paul McCartney and Wings had other ideas.

“McCartney”, coming out in April 1970, largely recorded at home by Paul and Linda alone, got to No.2 in the U.K., where it stayed for 3 weeks. In the U.S., by 15May, the album had sold over 1million copies, and from 23 May, held No.1 on the Billboard charts for 3 weeks.

The next album “Ram” was recorded mainly in New York come out in May 1971. This was credited to Paul and Linda alone, but also featured guitarist David Spinozza, Drummer Denny Siewell, and guitarist Hugh McCulloch. This is where Paul started to think about working with a band again.

Again, badly received by press, and in particular his former Beatle bandmates, (especially John) the album did well. It got to No. 1 in the U.K. and No. 2 on the U.S. Billboard chart. The album has grown in status since, and several reissues score well.

After “Ram” Paul invited Deni Siewell, and Hugh McCulloch to form his new band. McCulloch declined; Siewell agreed.

Paul McCartney and Wings Get Together

Paul then contacted his old mate from The Moody Blues, Denny Laine. Denny dropped his current project and joined Paul and Linda. The band, named Paul McCartney and Wings, or just Wings,  immediately convened at Paul's recording studio in Scotland, named Rude. Here they quickly rehearsed the songs that would become “Wild Life”. The album was done in under a week, the idea being to create a spontaneous approach to their music.

The album, of course, received a mediocre reception when released on December 7^th in both the U.S., and U.K. It was “rushed, defensive, badly timed and overrated”. But it went to No. 10 on Billboard, No. 5 on the Cashbox chart, and 11 in the U.K. Down here in Australia, it reached No.3.

Paul McCartney and Wings then toured the album, piling into a bus, stopping wherever they thought looked good, and sought out gigs where they could find it. "Dear Friend", recorded during the Ram sessions, was apparently an attempt at reconciliation with John Lennon. It followed Lennon's attack on McCartney in the song "How Do You Sleep?", from the album Imagine, which had been in retaliation for McCartney's perceived digs at Lennon in "Too Many People" on Ram. Music critic Ian MacDonald cited "Dear Friend" as a counterargument to the caricature of McCartney as an emotional lightweight.

“Wild Life” also included a reggae remake of Mickey & Sylvia's 1957 top 40 hit "Love Is Strange". A promotional single was distributed in the UK by Apple in December 1971 with catalogue No. R5932, but the commercial release was cancelled due to poor album sales.

“Red Rose Speedway” followed, released in April 1973. Credited to Paul McCartney and Wings, the single “My Love” came off the album as a single and featured a great guitar solo by recently recruited Henry McCulloch.

Again, heavily criticized by the press, eg "Quite possibly the worst album ever made by a rock and roller of the first rank", “lightweight”, “vacuous and facile” (!). But one critic liked it, Tony Tylor in the NME noted “with all the current heaviness and after-me-the-apocalypse brain studs around, I for one am bloody pleased to discover a lightweight record that not only fails to alienate, but actually succeeds in impressing via good melodic structure, excellent playing and fine production."

Wings Back to a Trio

Eventually, the album reached No.5 on the UK charts, No. 1 in the U.S., and No.1 in Australia. As Paul and Linda prepared for the next album, Paul and Henry McColloch had a disagreement, some say over money, some over different opinions on guitar playing. He packed up his guitar and left.

Paul Linda and Denny were planning on heading to Lagos to do the next album. Drummer Denny Siewell was not so keen without a full band, so he bowed out as well.

Paul’s response? “Let’s make an album they wish they were on!”

And they did! This is when Paul McCartney and Wings at last earned some credibility.

“Band On the Run” was recorded between August and October 1973 at EMI and ARC in Lagos, Nigeria. Released in the U.K. 30 November, and U.S. December 5, it received mostly favorable reviews.  Author Robert Rodriguez wrote of the album, "It was exactly the record fans and critics had long hoped he would make …", Rolling Stone named Band on the Run one of the Best Albums of the Year for 1973.

And this is the album that got me in to Wing. Strangely, it was at a Status Quo concert here in Adelaide. While waiting for the bands to start, music was played over the P.A system, and that’s when I heard “Band on the Run”.

The album was a slow starter commercially, getting to No.9 in the U.K. on 22 December, where it stayed for two weeks before dropping to No.9. In the U.S. Billboard to No 7 in February ’74 then went to the lower 10’s of the chart. Because of this lack of performance, Paul was convinced singles from the album should be released.

"Jet" was issued on 28 January in America. In the U.K, it was released on 15 February. The single's success provided new impetus for the album, which hit number 2 in the UK at the end of March and topped Billboard's listings on 13 April. Apple issued "Band on the Run" on 8 April in America, the UK release followed on 28 June,

 

Due to the popularity of "Band on the Run” single,  the album returned to number 1 on Billboard on 8 June, when the single simultaneously topped the Hot 100. In Britain, the album finally hit number 1 on 27 July, for the first of seven consecutive weeks at the top. During that time, its chart performance similarly reflected the popularity of the two singles, with the album spending three weeks at number 2 in April, and six weeks at number 1 throughout August and the first week of September. Not bad really!

The album topped the Billboard chart on three separate occasions during 1974,[60] and was the top selling album of that year in Australia and Canada. In Britain, it came second in the year-end standings, behind the compilation "The Singles: 1969–1973" by the Carpenters.  

Paul McCartney and Wings New Line-Ups, and New Albums.

Preceded by the single "Listen to What the Man Said" in May 1975, Venus and Mars appeared two weeks later to generally favorable reviews and brisk sales. The album got number 1 in the United States, the United Kingdom and other countries around the world (as did "Listen to What the Man Said" in the US) and sold 4 million copies worldwide. The reaction, though mainly positive, was less than what had greeted "Band on the Run" a year earlier.

As a reaction to critics who believed Wings was merely a vehicle for Paul McCartney, the album featured every member of the band taking lead vocals on at least one song, and two songs from the album are written or co-written by band members other than the McCartney’s. 

So, Denny Laine contributing “The Note You Never Wrote”, Linda gave us “Cook of the House” and Joe English came up with “Must Do Something About It”.

Although again receiving a lukewarm reception, the album reached number 2 in the United Kingdom (and was the 4th best-selling album of 1976). It became McCartney's most successful American chart album since his days in The Beatles, spending seven non-consecutive weeks at number 1 throughout the summer (and blocking the new Beatles compilation Rock 'n' Roll Music, which reached number 2). "Wings at the Speed of Sound" sold 3.5 million copies worldwide.

London Town received generally unfavorable reviews from music critics. In the charts, it peaked at number 4 in the UK and number 2 in the US, where it sold over one million copies and went platinum. After a strong start initially, however, it lacked the staying power of Wings' previous releases. The album's follow-up singles, "I've Had Enough" and the title track, became relatively minor hits. The album marked the end of Paul McCartney and Wings' commercial peak and the beginning of a minor commercial slump for McCartney.

Paul McCartney was reportedly displeased with Capitol Records in the US, where "Mull of Kintyre" was ignored by radio programmers; its B-side, "Girls School", reached only number 33 on the US charts. He was further dismayed at what he viewed as Capitol's lackluster promotion for London Town. With his contract at an end, he signed up with Columbia Records for North America (remaining with EMI elsewhere in the world) and would stay there until 1984, before returning to Capitol in the US

 The album was certified platinum in Australia on the day of its release. 

Paul McCartney, Apollo Stadium, November 1975

Paul McCartney brought Wings down under in 1975. I was at my record shop when my friend Allan Fryer, ( formerly with Adelaide band Soldier, and then US with Heaven) came rushing in telling me extra seats had just been released, did I want to go. 

Did I !!

So Allan rushed it to town and grabbed our tickets. It was of course a great show, Paul in fine form with Denny Laine and brilliant drumming from Joe English

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