Disco de Paul McCartney: “Wings at the Speed of Sound [Bonus Tracks]”

1976's "Wings at the Speed of Sound" displays a McCartney who is experimenting with new sounds as he always had; in this case, one of the new sounds is disco. The fact that there is virtually no hard rock pretense on this album rubbed a lot of narrow minded rock critics the wrong way. These are the sort of people who don't find any value in a Burt Bacharach composition. Even the rocking "Beware My Love" is more a rock/disco hybrid; sort of Paul's punchy answer to Donna Summer's "Could It Be Magic". The pop side of McCartney was just as honest a part of him as the rock side. And "Speed of Sound" is far more honest in its disco influence than any of the songs rock acts put out post-Saturday Night Fever, in which they threw on generic disco bass just to score a quick hit. Every bass line on this album is pure McCartney, which brings us to "Silly Love Songs". The one thing that everyone compliments "Silly Love Songs" on is Paul's superb and funky bass-line. Yet, so many critics want to still dismiss the song. It goes to show you, how underappreciated bass is as an instrument. The bass is the driving instrument here; it's the main hook. Saying you like the bass on "Silly Love Songs" but not the song is like saying you like the guitar on "Foxy Lady" but not the song. And I think it's more disingenuous of an artist to embellish a mid-tempo rock song with a timely bass-line (like The Stones did with "Miss You", when they clearly didn't dig disco), than a musically eclectic artist like Paul McCartney, who whole-heartedly embraces the many aspects of the music while gifting it with individualistic touches. Paul experimented with disco bass and took it to a new place; he had already created the standard disco bass-line back on "1985" (the last track on "Band on the Run"). That song was released in 1973, before anyone even heard of disco, yet Paul is already groovin' to that beat. Paul plays up the funky side of his bass playing throughout "Speed of Sound". Even a bit in his song writing; "She's My Baby" sounds like the kind of easy-funk Stevie Wonder knocked out. And what's wrong with Linda's vocals on "Cook of the House"? It's just a fun novelty song and her singing suits it. If she was the keyboardist in some punk or indi-rock band, no one would complain about her limited range. And yes, this is the Wings' album that has a lot of songs from the other Wings guys. But don't believe the hype; they're not the best songs, but neither are they crap. All the songs are pretty tuneful. "The Note You Never Wrote" (sung by Denny Laine, but written by McCartney) is especially nice with a stark and moving production. "Wings at the Speed of Sound" isn't going to rock your world; it's just an enjoyable, top-notch, musically impressive pop record. And what's wrong with that?

(3 1/2 stars of 5)

For years I have heard/been told to avoid AT THE SPEED OF SOUND, because, afterall, McCartney actually 'allowed' the other members of Wings proper to have space on the album. I'm kicking myself for being so easily duped by those supposedly 'in the know.'

First and foremost, this is not a McCartney masterpiece, like RAM is, or BAND ON THE RUN, or FLOWERS IN THE DIRT, or McCARTNEY, or CHAOS AND CREATION IN THE BACKYARD or VENUS AND MARS. No, the lyrics are not as relevant as those aforementioned albums, and yes, other members of Wings get the spotlight, but in the end, AT THE SPEED OF SOUND is thoroughly enjoyable taken on its own merits.

There are several hidden and long lost McCartney gems found here. It's a sin that the absolutely rocking, throaty and gutsy "Beware My Love" has been forgotten by Paul when it comes time for things like the WINGSPAN album, which looks back at old career highlights. "Warm and Beautiful" is a melancholy McCartney ballad that ranks up there with his best '70s work, and I defy anyway to not listen to "She's My Baby" and not have it in your head for the next week or so.

Elsewhere, I really enjoyed the contributions of the other Wings members. Linda McCartney is quite enjoyable on the appealing "Cook of the House," where you can tell that Paul is playing upright bass. Take it for what it's meant to be, and it's great. Longtime Wings member Denny Laine shines here too, on the rocker "Time to Hide" and McCartney's own "The Note You Never Wrote", both of which I play just as much as the McCartney-sung tracks found on this album. Drummer Joe English surprisingly shows he's the second best singer in Wings with the very cool "Must Do Something About It" (also written by Paul), and Jimmy McCulloch contributes the airy and still fresh sounding "Wino Junko."

After all the years of being told to avoid this album, I should have looked at the facts. It was a #1 album for a very long time in 1976, sold loads of copies, and had two huge #1 singles in "Silly Love Songs" and "Let 'Em In." Only recently have I really appreciated the value of these two singles in the McCartney cannon. The latter song is just really cool---sublime and addictive in its presentation. And Paul's right...what exactly is wrong with a silly love song or two? "Silly Love Songs" is great based on the fact alone that it's Paul shouting out a big "F... you" to the critics (not literally, but you know what I mean.) I'll say this---these two singles hold up way better than anything John Lennon did after the IMAGINE album, and I go back to this Wings album more than, say, John's WALLS AND BRIDGES. So yeah, it's nice to see (from reading articles on the internet and overall chatter amongst those rediscovering the solo work of the individual Beatles) that the so-called hipsters are finally coming around to this album and some other forgotten McCartney works (like RED ROSE SPEEDWAY, which I just rediscovered myself).

Taken on its own merits, AT THE SPEED OF SOUND is highly enjoyable and well worth the money. Another highlight is the fact that Paul's awesome bass work is mixed pretty well up to the front on these tracks, and it really adds to the overall punch of the album. Bonus track "Sally G" (the b-side to the hit Wings single "Junior's Farm") is yet another long lost McCartney classic, increasing the value of this purchase.

This is an unusual work because it involves the whole band; not just a few as in most Wings offerings. There are some excellent cuts by Denny Laine and Jimmy McCullough, and of course, the one by the misses. Joe English also displayed his talents on what seems to be a showcase for the band (just before a tour, too, I might add) and Paul entered his "Silly Love Songs" and a heavy, rocking "Beware My Love", which starts out innocent enough and then springs into a full fledged cut worthy of its creator. The extra tracks are a tribute to Paul's dad (except "Sally G" and you figure that one) who used to play these with his own band years before. Don't expect anything earth shaking, but a true reflection of this time in McCartney history.

Ah, Wings At The Speed Of Sound. Or, as I like to call it, When Things Go Horribly, Horribly Wrong.

WatSoS is probably the first (and last) album that Wings was truly a full band. Of the 11 tracks, 5 of them were sung by someone other than Paul, and Denny Laine and Jimmy McCulloch also got songwriting credits on their songs. Even Linda got a number (more on THAT in a bit). After the bigtime sucess of Band on the Run and Venus and Mars, Wings was on a commercial and creative roll. So... what happened?

1976 started out pleasant enough. After a December 75 vacation in Hawaii where Paul wrote a bunch of songs (including "Silly Love Songs"), Wings hit the studio in January for the WatSoS sessions (in which the entire album was recorded in one shot. Including a studio version of "Soily" that has yet to surface.) Two months later the album dropped to... to, well, some pretty poor reviews. Paul seemed to be creatively bereft this time around. The album seemed to lack the hooks, catchy melodies, spontaneity, pretty much all of the energy of the previous albums.

That didn't stop the album from being a commercial success. It went Platinum and hit #1 in the US, #2 in numerous countries, and generally Top 10 across the world. Paul achieved yet another #1 hit with "Silly Love Songs", which spent 5 weeks topping the charts. The album's other big single, "Let 'Em In", also hit big, going as high as #3 and a #1 Easy Listening hit to bit.

And that's the issue with this album: it's a total foray into Adult Contemporary/Easy Listening territory. This was Paul in his mellow, sedate, smooth moves zone. The audio equivalent to a gentle laxative. The stylistic variety of "Venus and Mars" is gone, the epic songwriting of "Band on the Run" is nowhere to be found. This album has one vibe and one vibe only, and that's pure unadulterated Yacht Rock.

The hits are pretty much the only memorable songs on the album. I will flat out say that I have always loved and continue to love "Silly Love Songs". It sticks out on this album like a turd in a punchbowl precisely because it is the only track that seems to have any real fire to it. Aping some of the disco conventions of the era, it remains a great piece of pop workmanship. The "I love you / I can't explain the feeling's plain to me, now can't you see? / How can I tell you about my loved one?" vocal threeway between Paul, Linda, and Denny is so disarming, it's practically irresistable. And that happy horn section? Sappy, saccharine, maudlin? Maybe. But umm... what's wrong with that? Especially if it's done this musically. "Let 'Em In", on the other hand, is a lesser entry. In fact it's pretty dopey and plodding throughout, but again there's something memorable to it that sets it apart from the sea of mediocrity in which it is surrounded.

Denny Laine takes his first lead vocals on the album with "The Note You Never Wrote", a slow, sour synth-driven ballad that is as memorable as it is consequential, which is to say, not at all. This is one of the album's weaker tracks. "She's My Baby" is an OK tune; it has a late-era Steely Dan feel, only sung by Billy Joel and lyrics by Kenny Loggins. Something that you might hear waiting in line at the bank. In 1977. Pleasant enough, but nothing more. "Beware My Love" reminds me of something the Little River Band might have done as an outtake. Take that as you will. ("Cool Change" was a good song though, wasn't it?) It's repetitive and droning until you hit the tempo change roughly 1:40 into it, and it segues into kind of Abba-like territory. It never really gets any better than mediocre.

Jimmy McCullough takes over lead vocal on a song he co-wrote with Colin Allen, "Wino Junko". Another OK but nothing special song, it has the distinct honor of being the best song on the album NOT sung by Paul. It's a mellow, minor-key number, driven by electric keyboards and reverby vocals. Sort of reminds me of Steely Dan's "Do It Again", except not as memorable. Another song about drug abuse, this time booze, from someone who died from an overdose. Overall so far there's been a really morose vibe to this album, which is alleviated by "Silly Love Songs", thank heavens, because as great as that song is, it's killed... KILLED... by leading directly into "Cook Of The House".

That's right... "Cook Of The House". Linda McCartney's lead vocal debut. It's just about as singularly awful as singularly awful can get. Linda's voice has no character, no inflection, no vibrato, no range, nothing. It's like getting your Aunt Lydia to sing a song. She won't embarass herself necessarily, but she has no business being on record. The song's subject matter is just goofy too; an insipid rockabilly number about what a mighty thunderbitch she is in the kitchen. This could be McCartney's low point as a solo artist, and we still have "Temporary Secretary" to get to three albums from now.

So after that, we get Paul back, right? Nope. Denny takes the mic again for "Time To Hide". He's got good range as a vocalist but his tone is strained. The track is actually pretty OK for the most part, and I'll admit the chorus is kinda catchy. But for all the guitar riffing and the harmonica solo, we're still in that 70s adult contemporary vibe. I mean look, "Cook Of The House" might be the worst song on the album (and the worst solo track McCartney has recorded so far), but at LEAST it's trying to be something different. Unfortunately, we take a turn into Gordon Lightfoot-meets-Samantha Strong territory with the pretty terrible "Must Do Something About It". We don't even get our Paul back; Joe English takes lead vocals on this track. Surprisingly, he has a stronger voice than both Laine or McCullough, and he's left with lesser material. Alas. The song is terrible. Not "Cook of the House" terrible, but pretty bad.

Paul returns (at LONG last) with the folksy "San Ferry Anne", which is probably one of the better tracks on the album, which makes it only OK, maybe pleasant at best. The underlying sax on the second half of the track is pretty distracting, but then again the song doesn't do much to reel you in the first place. FINALLY, after seemingly hours of anguish, the album concludes with "Warm And Beautiful", a piano-driven ballad by Paul, the type of which he's done too many times before and BETTER. The lyrics are insipid, the music trite and lazy, and ends the album on a frustratingly bad note.

Wings At The Speed Of Sound is, quite simply, a bad album from Paul. Of the seven post-Beatles albums he's released up to this point, it is the weakest by FAR. If it wasn't for "Silly Love Songs" and to a lesser extent "Let 'Em In", the album would be a COMPLETE flop. In fact it pretty much is, as both songs are readily available on any "Greatest Hits" styled collection. There are simply NO album cuts here worth a damn. Of the 9 remaining tracks, 3 of them are TERRIBLE and the remaining six are FILLER.

In fact it's safe to say that those who decry Paul's solo career as lightweight, unmemorable tripe probably envision his entire career as the Wings at the Speed of Sound album.

Of all of McCartney's solo work , this cd seems to have gotten lost in the schuffle. The songs are amoung some of his best. It's a shame that this cd gets overlooked. Everyone knows Band on the Run, and in my mind this cd is it's equal.