If I was a clever blogger I would have combined this post with the recent one on John Lennon. But I'm not clever, so it's separate.
It's basically a Greatest Hits of Wings, and Macca's 'solo'. I am pretty certain that I taped this off my brother Matt. Quiz question for one virtual brownie point. Where did Wings make their live debut?
No one can say that Macca isn't innovative. In the Sixties he wrote songs in the then dominant Beatles-style genre. Hang on, didn't he (co-)invent that genre. Or, as the Amazon review says
Truth-in-packaging regulations are strained to the breaking point--some previous work with a former band was pretty darn "best" too
In the 70s, he used the prevailing concept-rock fashion to produce songs such as Band on the Run. It is very typical of that in that long slow build up, a complete change of tempo heralded by Denny Laine's great little guitar riff. Obfuscatory lyrics, in fact the whole bang shoot. There's another passage , on bass, I think, that sounds very Seventies, but is used again in anticipating-the-Eighties-way on Goodnight Tonight, which, incidentally, I really like. Then in the Eighties he went very poppy.
I really love Ebony and Ivory. I'm sure some cynical bastard is reading this and making sicky-throwy-up noises. Guess what, Cynical Bastard, I don't care. There are three really good aspects of this record - the words, which were still pretty revolutionary in 1982; the ying/yang contrasts of the voices of Macca and Stevie Wonder; and thirdly, a certain je ne sais quoi, which may just be a trick of a clever studio engineer, but there is a pillar of depth of sound. I will add that I would take it away and edit it, cutting that silly half-rapped bit. But I guess that was pretty much bleeding edge in 1982. It just so happens that Labi Siffre and Madonna both did the pseudo-gospel much better.
I also like We All Stand Together. When it was out, I used to sing it and Matt would do a brilliant Frogs' Chorus. And I love Mull of Kinytre. So there...!
Macca is a legend, a supremely talented songwriter, a genius. But he also had the odd afternoon off over the years. These include Listen to Waht the Man Said; C-Moon; Maybe I'm Amazed; and Say Say Say.
