Paul McCartney amp Wings - Wings over America (27 tracks) +Album Reviews

McCartney at his very best, live!!

Maccafan | Selma, Al | 04/14/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is one of the very best live albums ever!! Paul McCartney at his very best live and rocking!! The opening of Venus and Mars/Rockshow is one of the most exciting moments in rock history, Paul McCartney launched his return to the American concert stage with some loud hard rock and roll!

This is McCartney at his peak, with one of his very best bands. I really like the fact that the band is performing mostly their own music and not so much Beatles which is the case with his current tours.

Don't hesitate one second, get this one, it's a definite McCartney classic!!"

This album rocked the world in '76 and it's STILL ROCKIN' ON

Matthew G. Sherwin | last seen screaming at Amazon customer service | 06/09/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Paul, Linda and their band do a great job on this double CD set of the live, three LP album released in 1976. Paul's voice is full of energy and the band is electric. Their passion to perform enhances even further the great recordings on this two CD set.

The two CD set starts off strong with the medley of "Venus And Mars-Rock Show-Jet," then the tempo slows down in just the right way with a somewhat more mellow "Let Me Roll It." Awesome! It's great to hear the crowd enjoying these fine live performances. I really liked "Medicine Jar" in which Paul sings that "there's more to life than blues and reds;" Paul is referring to how life can be fresh and exciting without drugs. "Maybe I'm Amazed" is the classic song Paul wrote about his first wife Linda; and "The Long And Winding Road" never ceases to move me when I think of special people who have been in my life. "The Long And Winding Road" is also a slower, pensive song so when Paul and the rest launch into "Live And Let Die" there's just a little extra shock value at the beginning which is really awesome and helps you enjoy the song and its raw honesty about the cruelty in life all the more!

On the second CD, "You Gave Me The Answer" is a great song with a nice beat and a great musical arrangement! Love it! "Listen To What The Man Said" and "Silly Love Songs" are great songs, too. The two CD set ends nicely with "Soily."

This was not recorded all on one night; Paul, Linda and the band were on tour and they wanted only the very best versions of the songs for the album set. Nevertheless, don't be fooled: this is a WHOPPER of a two CD set. You'll never know that these songs were recorded on several different occasions; they were pieced together that professionally! I also agree with people who write that the sound is better than they would have expected for a live recording made at that time. I was pleased with the quality of the sound even when I listened to it all again on my portable CD player.

There are no liner notes; instead you get some awesome pictures of Paul, Linda and the band while they were on this tour. Some of the pictures have been colorized for an extra-special "psychedelic" effect; I liked that because it highlights the "intensity" with which the band played. And, if you have any doubts about that, get this CD and find out why I'm so enthusiastic!

I recommend this two CD set for Paul's fans (obviously), and fans of good ol' rock and pop. There are some classic Beatles songs, too, that add a nostalgic element to this song set and that's always a plus. Enjoy! Bless You, Paul! SMILES

"

Quite possibly one of the best live albums EVER

R. Morris | Idaho Falls, ID USA | 11/05/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Most albums, you can listen to every so often but spend most of their lives in the box. This one has been spinning on my turntable since it came out, even squeaking through my 8-track (in the seventies) and it is one of the few albums I just never get tired of listening to. For such an early live album, the sound is excellent. And I remember when it came out, and there were THREE records in it--WOW. If I remember right, this was the most expensive album I'd bought up to that time, and it was worth every penny. Listening to it, one feels as if they are transported back in time to a seventies rock show, with all its enthusiasm and energy. Wings was no Beatles, but it was a great band in its own right, and the mix of songs on this album is a perfect blending of Beatles songs, McCartney solo efforts, and Wings classics. And it all works.

Lovely sounds, the band obviously having a great time, playing well together to an energized audience. One listen to this live classic will take you right back to the great days of arena rock when one of the greatest musicians of all time came to America and gave it a special show.

"

Paul McCartney At His Best

Indiana Jeff Reynolds | Indianapolis, IN USA | 12/13/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

""Which musician had number one songs under the most different names?" Kasey Kasom asked on his top 40 program once in the late '70's. The answer was Paul McCartney, who had number one songs under the headings "The Beatles", "Paul McCartney", "Paul and Linda McCartney", "Paul McCartney and Wings", and "Wings".

This project is one of the longest live albums, being a triple album set in the dark ages (i.e. before CD's, when vinyl was still in style). To me, it almost seems more like a collection of live performances more than a single concert (there is no introduction at the beginning, nor any obvious encores like there are on, for example, Neil Diamond's "Hot August Night").

This project also is not just a collection of greatest hits. It does have several hit songs, both from the Beatle days ("Lady Madonna", "The Long And Winding Road", and "Yesterday") and from Wings ("Jet", "Listen To What The Man Said", "My Love", "Let Them In", "Silly Love Songs", and "Band On The Run"), as well as "Live And Let Die." There are also several good songs that were not hits, again both from the Beatles era ("I've Just Seen A Face", "Blackbird") and from the Wings era.

The concert is heavy on the "Band On The Run" and "Venus And Mars" projects. There is a segment from the then-most current project, "Wings At The Speed Of Sound", which was originally side 5 of the album and is currently tracks 6-9 of the second disk. Not performed in the concert are "Another Day", "Too Many People" and "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" (and you might argue for "Hey Jude" and "Get Back"), the only things keeping this from being a perfect review of Paul McCartney's career at that point. But it does include my two favorite Paul post-Beatle songs, "Listen To What The Man Said" and "Beware My Love".

This project has a lot of energy, that makes these recordings more exciting and lively than the originals in many cases (e.g. "I've Just Seen A Face", "Beware My Love", and "Letting Go"). The opening medley of "Venus and Mars", "Rock Show", and "Jet" is excellent.

This project is a welcome addition to any collection, both due to the songs on the project and their quality."

Waited a long time to hear again ...

Bob Show | Fremont, CA USA | 01/20/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I had forgotten how much I liked this set. I bought the 3 LP album when it first came out in the 70's and then put it away when cassettes and then CD's arrived on the scene. It was ridiculously expensive when I first saw it available on CD. When Paul released the "tripping" live set I bought that. When Paul released "back in the u.s.a." I received it as a gift. Both are fine live sets with good bands, but I kept thinking that WOA was better. Well, after buying this thru Amazon and listening I am wondering how it took me so long to return. It's just fantastic. His voice is still youthful and strong and at its peak, and the band is probably the best that he toured with (imho). I would trade any 3 of the beatle songs on this set (and throw in richard cory) for Let It Be or better yet Hey Jude just to hear how he would have performed them at the time. My personal highlights are Venus and Mars/Rock Show/Jet, Maybe I'm Amazed, Band On The Run, Hi,Hi,Hi, and even My Love. Paul has always had an eclectic library - Beatles to You Gave Me The Answer to Band On The Run to Let Em In to Soily - makes me think of Honey Pie and Helter Skelter on the White Album. This is one of the great live shows recorded and I highly recommend it to fans. My new WOA playlist is now constantly going in my office at work."

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