Paul McCartney - Wingspan (Hits & History) (2CD) [EAC-FLAC] [ReP

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Paul McCartney - Wingspan (Hits & History)

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CD: Paul McCartney - Wingspan 1 - Hits

Digital Remasters 2001

2001 MPL Communications Ltd./Inc. under exclusive licence to EMI

Records Ltd. YEAR: 2001



01. Listen To What The Man Said [0:03:57.02]

02. Band On The Run [0:05:13.05]

03. Another Day [0:03:43.13]

04. Live and let die [0:03:12.57]

05. Jet [0:04:08.48]

06. My Love [0:04:08.40]

07. Silly love song [0:05:55.05]

08. Pipes Of Peace [0:03:26.67]

09. C Moon [0:04:35.20]

10. Hi Hi Hi [0:03:09.28]

11. Let 'Em In [0:05:10.55]

12. Goodnight Tonight [0:04:21.47]

13. Junior's Farm (DJ Edit) [0:03:03.70]

14. Mull Of Kintyre [0:04:45.73]

15. Uncle Albert - Admiral Halsey [0:04:50.67]

16. With a Little Luck (DJ Edit) [0:03:13.50]

17. Coming Up (Live) [0:03:51.20]

18. No More Lonely Nights [0:04:47.23]





CD: Paul McCartney - Wingspan- Hits & History (Disc 2)



01. Let Me Roll It [0:04:51.65]

02. The Lovely Linda [0:00:45.60]

03. Daytime Nightime Suffering [0:03:23.52]

04. Maybe I'm Amazed [0:03:52.55]

05. Helen Wheels [0:03:46.48]

06. Bluebird [0:03:26.05]

07. Heart Of The Country [0:02:24.67]

08. Every Night [0:02:34.60]

09. Take It Away [0:04:05.30]

10. Junk [0:01:57.03]

11. Man We Was Lonely [0:02:59.60]

12. Venus And Mars & Rockshow [0:03:46.07]

13. Back Seat Of My Car [0:04:29.68]

14. Rockestra Theme [0:02:37.12]

15. Girlfriend [0:04:44.05]

16. Waterfalls [0:03:24.48]

17. Tomorrow [0:03:27.20]

18. Too Many People [0:04:12.47]

19. Call Me Back Again [0:04:59.43]

20. Tug Of War [0:04:04.40]

21. Bip Bop & Hey Diddle [0:03:36.52]

22. No More Lonely Nights (Playout Version) [0:03:55.30]





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THE ALLMUSIC REVIEW

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Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine



Paul McCartney always got the short end of the stick when he was in the Beatles

and again in the '70s, as he and his erstwhile partner John Lennon pursued solo

careers. McCartney was attacked for his virtues -- for his melodicism and his

domesticity, along with his desire to form a real touring band following the

Beatles. None of these were celebrated at the time, but he moved many, many

records and sold countless concert tickets, which only hardened opposition

toward him. But, in retrospect, McCartney's albums make for the most fascinating

body of work among any of the ex-Beatles, and really among any of his peers.

Yes, there were pitfalls among the heights, but that's part of what makes his

career so fascinating -- each record is distinctive, and even if the songs

themselves are shallow, at least lyrically, the melodic skill and studio savvy

behind each are hard not to admire. This may require a bit of conversion, and if

you're not up to trudging through his individual works, even such masterworks as

Ram (truly the roots of homemade pop), the double-disc set Wingspan is ideal.

McCartney has had a number of career overviews before, including such seemingly

comprehensive discs as All the Best, but those were plagued by vaguely haphazard

sequencing. This is nearly perfectly executed, dividing McCartney's career

between the "hits" and "history," with the latter being devoted to album tracks

that are acknowledged classics, yet never were singles. Now, it's true that this

isn't completely comprehensive -- some will notice that superstar duets with

Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson are missing, and others will wonder where such

terrific latter-day singles as "Press" are or why such charting hits as "So Bad"

are bypassed, or why album tracks like "Ballroom Dancing" are absent -- but

nothing has come as close to capturing the quirky brilliance of McCartney's solo

career, how it balanced whimsical pop with unabashedly sentimental romantic

ballads, piledriving rockers, and anything in between. And what makes Wingspan

so impressive is how the "History" disc fills in the gaps that "Hits" leaves,

whether it's on the tremendous "Maybe I'm Amazed" (one of the very best songs he

ever wrote), the charming "Junk," the clever "Take It Away," or such absolutely

stunning miniatures as "Heart of the Country," an effortless folk-pop tune that

ranks among his very best songs. That's why Wingspan isn't just a good hits

collection -- it's a convincing argument that McCartney's solo recordings are a

rich, idiosyncratic body of work of their own merits. Ram, Red Rose Speedway,

and London Town all have their merits, but if you need to be converted, this is

where to start.





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SOME WIKIPEDIA INFO

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Wingspan: Hits and History is a greatest hits compilation album by Paul

McCartney featuring material spanning his first solo album McCartney in 1970 to

the 1984 Give My Regards To Broad Street movie soundtrack. This set is

officially credited to Paul McCartney, although the bulk of the music included

was performed by McCartney's former band Wings.



American and British editions of the album vary slightly, as the UK edition

contains the studio version of "Coming Up," while the U.S. edition contains

"Coming Up (Live at Glasgow)," which had reached number one on the Billboard

singles chart. The Japanese version of the album also includes "Eat at Home,"

which had been issued as a 1971 single in the non-English-speaking world, as a

bonus cut on the "Hits" disc.



History



McCartney was involved in 15 albums during this period: five solo albums; one

album with his wife Linda; and nine albums with Wings (including a greatest hits

compilation). Wingspan features songs from each of those albums, as well as a

few singles that had not been included on Wings Greatest.



Wings was active from 1971 to 1980, but this set also includes material from

McCartney's albums from earlier (1970-71) and later (1980-84) years. It does

not, however, include any of McCartney's well-known collaborations with Stevie

Wonder or Michael Jackson, which took place during the latter period.



The album is separated into two distinct sets: a "Hits" component which

highlights commercially successful material, while "History" showcases less

generally known McCartney favourites from the same period. On the U.S. release,

14 of the 18 songs on "Hits" were performed by Wings, but only 9 of the 22 songs

on "History" are by Wings.



Released in 2001 in conjunction with a prime time TV documentary simply called

Wingspan, the associated soundtrack was a commercial success, reaching #5 in the

UK and #2 in the US. The album was eventually certified Double Platinum by RIAA.

A DVD release of the documentary, which dealt with McCartney's relationship with

Linda Eastman and their eventual marriage, the traumatic final year of the

Beatles' career and his own role in their breakup, and the story of Wings'

formation and career through the 1970s toward their final dissolution in 1980,

was produced by Mary McCartney, who also interviewed her father in the film.







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SOME ALLMUSIC REVIEWS, ON INDIVIDUAL TRACKS CONTAINED HERE

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ANOTHER DAY by Scott Janovitz



Paul McCartney's first solo single, 1971's "Another Day," remains among his best

post- Beatles work. As a legal maneuver to keep royalties coming into his

household while his own affairs with Apple and Northern Songs were tied up, the

always business savvy McCartney credited his wife, Linda McCartney, with co-

writing his songs. While for the most part this was simply a loophole, on

"Another Day" Linda earns her pay, delivering her finest supporting performance

on any of her husband's records. Of course, the show is Paul's, and the raw

material here is undeniably of the highest quality. "Another Day" features the

best of what he is capable of: an incredibly catchy melody; an organic, acoustic

arrangement; complex and well-orchestrated harmonies; and an active, melodic

bass line. And again, lyrically, this type of song is where he shines. It's a

picture of seemingly average life, about a woman who gets up everyday and goes

to work. But McCartney is able to expose the darkness underneath the surface of

this life, describing her hopes and disappointments and, ultimately, her

breakdown. It is one of McCartney's gifts, like a pop Rodgers & Hammerstein, to

be able to match the music to the change in lyrical tone within the same song,

making it sound seamless and natural. "Another Day" bounces along with the

cheery banality of the woman's routine before making sharp detours into menacing

territory as he describes her sadness and her highs and lows as "the man of her

dreams" appears. But he apparently uses her and leaves her again in despair.

Dramatic swells and releases mark this event: "And he comes, and he stays/But he

leaves the next day/So sad." This is also the point where Linda's contribution

comes to the fore. Her harmony on this latter line matches Paul's lead vocal in

presence, and the passionate swell in volume is truly the selling point of the

song. She sings well throughout the song (parts no doubt arranged by Paul), but

perhaps the importance of her part here is not just her complete commitment to

it, but also the fact of the female voice being identifiable with the song's

subject character. Paul pleads, "Ah, stay/Don't stand her up," but it's Linda,

becoming the character and doubling the plea, who injects reality into the

moment. The tone of her voice as it changes from a falsetto background voice to

a prominent, full voice is distressingly and perfectly sad. The culmination of

the song is the woman's breakdown: "As she posts another letter to the sound of

five/People gather round her as she finds it hard to stay alive." McCartney then

leaves this scene to refrain. Just the hint of it is enough to convey the

despair of her life. Earlier, he indicates this impending breakdown in a

mirroring verse as he says, "At the office where the papers grow she takes a

break/Drinks another coffee as she finds it hard to stay awake." This betrays

the foreignness of this office setting to McCartney himself ("at the office

where the papers grow") and thus, to the character he's created, who has

difficulty surviving there when it's all she lives for (since the rest of her

life is so unrewarding). However, the final verse is a repetition of the first

verse, describing her getting up and going to work again, indicating that it's a

cycle she will not break out of. Nothing has changed for her, and therefore,

nothing will.







GOODNIGHT TONIGHT by Donald A. Guarisco



With this 1979 hit, Wings joined fellow British rockers like the Kinks and the

Rolling Stones in experimenting with the disco trend on "Goodnight Tonight."

Some rock fans turned up their nose at it as a result but a close listen to the

song reveals it is not the sell-out that these fans claimed. In fact, "Goodnight

Tonight" is a good example of Paul McCartney’s ability to incorporate the sounds

of the day into his usual blend of pop and rock elements without ever losing his

unique musical personality. The lyrics have a low-key charm not usually present

in disco songs as they present a would-be romeo trying to talk his date out of

going home before he can work his magic: "Don’t be too tired for love/Don’t let

it end/Don’t say goodnight to love/It will never happen again/Don’t say it,

Don’t say it/Say anything but don’t say goodnight tonight." The music has a

surprisingly jazzy edge to it as it pairs elegant verses full of wistful melodic

twists to a chorus that delivers its hooks in a swinging style. Wings’ recording

of "Goodnight Tonight" into a fusion of rock and disco elements: steady drumming

and a percolating bass line give it a dance-friendly flair but these elements

are balanced with some hard-rocking twin guitar work (including an amusing solo

break where two guitars ‘answer’ each other in call-and-response fashion) and

mellow electric piano work. McCartney keeps this sonic brew afloat with a slick

vocal that affects a silky croon on the verses but shifts into a bluesy wail for

the chorus. The result had enough of a solid beat for the discos but enough pop

and rock elements to please non-disco fans and it became a top-five hit as a

result. McCartney also produced a 12-inch version of "Goodnight Tonight"

especially for dance clubs. Today, the song remains a favorite because its solid

hooks and adventurous arrangement have made it strong enough to outlive the

disco backlash.





HELEN WHEELS by Donald A. Guarisco



Man critics and pop fans wrote Paul McCartney off as a mere purveyor of sugary

pop in the 1970's due to hits like "Silly Love Songs" but a close look at his

work from this era reveals he also recorded several bracing rockers. One of the

best was "Helen Wheels," a raucous 1973 single that was added to American

pressings of Band On The Run. The lyrics were inspired by Paul McCartney’s land

rover and pay homage to Chuck Berry’s travelling-themed rockers like "The

Promised Land" as they describe a trip from Scotland to England on the M-6

motorway: "M6, south down to Liverpool/Where they play the west coast

sound/Sailor Sam, he came from Birmingham/But he never will be found." This

narrative is pumped up by an exciting melody that builds from swinging,

breathlessly paced verses into a shout-along chorus that underlines the phrase

"Helen - hell on wheels" with go-for-broke enthusiasm. McCartney raises the

excitement level even higher on his recording of "Helen Wheels" with a gutsy

arrangement that marries snarling electric guitars to a shuffling, ska-styled

beat. McCartney wails over the top of this driving sound with an abandon

reminiscent of his early Beatles, adding the ideal final touch to make it a fun

rocker. As a result, "Helen Wheels" became a top-10 hit for McCartney. It did

simarly well around the world and stands alongside "Jet" and "Junior’s Farm" as

one of McCartney’s finest rockers from this era.





BLUEBIRD by Donald A. Guarisco



Many pop fans consider Band On The Run to be the gem of Paul McCartney’s solo

catalog because of the high amount of craftsmanship that distinguishes each of

its songs. Indeed, even the album’s simplest tracks benefit from the intensive

amount of work put into the album - a case in point is "Bluebird," a simple bit

of acoustic pop that overflows with hooks thanks to a slick arrangement. The

lyrics are simple but