Wings At The Speed Of Sound
(Parlophone Records 1976 PAS10010)
UK Pressing
Sleeve in Nr MINT condition
Inner Sleeve in nr MINT condition
Vinyl in Nr MINT condition
(there are some light surface marks visible on the vinyl when held up to the light but they don’t affect the sound quality)
Wings, also known as Paul McCartney and Wings, were an Anglo-American rock band formed in 1971 by former Beatle Paul McCartney with his wife Linda on keyboards, session drummer Denny Seiwell, and former Moody Blues guitarist Denny Laine. Wings were noted for frequent personnel changes as well as commercial success, going through three lead guitarists and four drummers. However, the core trio of the McCartneys and Laine remained intact throughout the group’s existence and McCartney continued playing bass and other assorted instruments, just as he had done with The Beatles.
Created following the McCartneys’ 1971 album Ram, the band’s first two albums, Wild Life and Red Rose Speedway (the latter featuring guitarist Henry McCullough), were viewed as artistic disappointments beside Paul McCartney’s work with the Beatles. After the release of the title track of the James Bond movie Live and Let Die, McCullough and Seiwell resigned from the band. The McCartneys and Laine then released 1973’s Band on the Run, a commercial and critical success that spawned two top ten singles in “Jet” and the title track. Following that album, the band recruited guitarist Jimmy McCulloch and drummer Geoff Britton, only for Britton to quit shortly afterwards and be replaced by Joe English. With the new line-up, Wings released Venus and Mars, which included the US number one single “Listen to What the Man Said”, and undertook a highly successful world tour over 1975–76. Intended as more of a group effort, Wings at the Speed of Sound was issued midway through the tour and featured the hit singles “Silly Love Songs” and “Let ‘Em In”.
In 1977, the band earned their only UK number one single, with “Mull of Kintyre”, which became the then-best selling UK single in history. Wings experienced another line-up shuffle, however, with both McCulloch and English departing before the release of the group’s 1978 album London Town. The McCartneys and Laine again added new members, recruiting guitarist Laurence Juber and drummer Steve Holley. The resulting album, Back to the Egg, was a relative flop, with its singles under-performing and the critical reception negative. During the supporting tour, Paul McCartney was arrested in Japan for cannabis possession, putting the band on hold. Despite a final US number one, the live version of McCartney’s solo single “Coming Up”, Wings broke up permanently in 1981.
Wings at the Speed of Sound is the fifth album by Wings and was recorded and issued in 1976 in the midst of a large world tour as the follow-up album to the popular Venus and Mars. It is the band’s only album where every member sings lead on at least one song.
Track listing
All songs written by Paul and Linda McCartney, except where noted.
- Side one
- “Let ‘Em In” – 5:10
- “The Note You Never Wrote” – 4:19
- lead vocal by Denny Laine
- “She’s My Baby” – 3:06
- “Beware My Love” – 6:27
- “Wino Junko” (Jimmy McCulloch/Colin Allen) – 5:19
- lead vocal by Jimmy McCulloch
- Side two
- “Silly Love Songs” – 5:53
- “Cook of the House” – 2:37
- lead vocal by Linda McCartney
- “Time to Hide” (Denny Laine) – 4:32
- lead vocal by Laine
- “Must Do Something About It” – 3:42
- lead vocal by Joe English
- “San Ferry Anne” – 2:06
- “Warm and Beautiful” – 3:12
Personnel
- Paul McCartney – vocals; acoustic, electric and bass guitars; keyboards; double bass
- Linda McCartney – vocals; keyboards
- Denny Laine – vocals; acoustic, electric and bass guitars; piano
- Jimmy McCulloch – vocals; acoustic, electric and bass guitars
- Joe English – vocals; drums
Additional musicians
- Tony Dorsey – trombone
- Thaddeus Richard – saxophone, clarinet, flute
- Steve Howerd – trumpet, flugelhorn
- Howie Casey – saxophone
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