[.ca] Wingspan Hits And History

From Amazon.co.uk:
Wingspan could be the collection that finally gives Wings the respect that they've long been due. Some people are wary of Wings simply because knocking them is the done thing. Others are dubious because they've actually tried listening to London Town or Red Rose Speedway all the way through. It's a truism that without a vociferous writing partner, Paul McCartney's sense of quality control could be rather lax, but it's easy to overlook how many fine tracks he and Wings produced from 1970 to 1983, the period covered on Wingspan. Compiling 40 of them on a two-CD set is a smart move--it allows you to purchase pretty much every post-Beatles McCartney song you could ever possibly want, all at once. The hits crowd together on the first disc, while the second cherry-picks album tracks and oddities; forget the inevitable "Mull of Kintyre", let "Maybe I'm Amazed", "Waterfalls" and "Back Seat of My Car" remind you of just what Paul McCartney could always do when he tried. --Taylor Parkes

Superb--but for the newcomer or casual fan.:
As a relative newcomer to the work Sir Paul did with Linda and his band after he left The Beatles, I used to be only a casual fan of Paul's work, listening to it mostly on the school bus going to and from school. However, when I saw this 2 CD set I sat up and took notice right away because I had a good hunch that there was quality to it. And from a newcomer's perspective I was right! GRIN The first CD consists mostly of the songs I remember hearing on the radio in the 1970s. There are fantastic songs such as "Listen To What The Man Said," "Silly Love Songs," and "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey." The listener also has the beautifully mellow "Mull Of Kintyre" paired up with the ever so aggressive "Live And Let Die" from a James Bond movie. The second CD offers the beautiful "The Lovely Linda," "Maybe I'm Amazed," and "Venus and Mars/Rockshow" (from the album Venus and Mars). Overall, this is an excellent retrospective for the newcomer or casual fan who wants to hear more of Paul's work or have a small encapsulation of his work with his peers. However, as many other reviewers have noted, even a relative newcomer like myself knows that there can be no way that 2 CDs alone can TRULY be a thorough retrospective of what Paul and the other great artists together have produced. Thus a complete retrospective this is not. Because I can't give 4 1/2 stars I give this 2 CD set 4 stars and hope along with many others that a FULL set of Paul's work is released for his fans soon!

Basically, a Good Collection, But It's Certainly Not Enough.:
Paul McCartney is my favorite ex-Beatle for good reason: There isn't a lot he can't do musically, from changing his voice to his amazing ability to manage so many different instruments, not to mention he has great songwriting chops. Unfortunately, you sometimes get the impression that he's overwhelmed by his own talent, and that makes it easier to figure out what motivates him to put out stuff that can't be labelled any other way than pompous drivel. It would seem most McCartney fans are agreed on this point, because each one has a different idea of what is good or bad about his music. One thing you definitely can't say is that, though he has a signature sound, he repeats himself. This two-cd set's release, launched by a highly publicized and highly forgotten ABC interview with his daughter Mary, sold more due to hype than actual content. Sure, you get all the hits, but I have yet to meet a McCartney fan that likes all of his hits. He's just too broadscale to appeal to everyone in the same way. For instance, I don't care if I never hear the lounge lizard stylings of "Goodnight Tonight" or the aggrivatingly hoarse yelping of "Coming Up" ever again. Some people probably can't stand "Silly Love Songs" or "My Love," so I'll like both for them. Now, certainly, I'm pleased with this collection in general, but I don't understand the inclusion of boring "Waterfalls" or the awful remix of "No More Lonely Nights." I do love that he included my favorite of all his songs, the beautifully jazzy "Take it Away" and the great Smokey Robinson flavored "Girlfriend." What's missing here, though, is a lot of great material that can't be covered by a two-disc compilation. I would love to see great songs on here like "Arrow Through Me," "Baby's Request," "Only Love Remains," "Ballroom Dancing," and "Somebody Who Cares." There are more that I can't think of right now, but other people have their favorites as well that have nothing to do with mine. Yes, this is a good collection for all practical purposes, but I think I speak for lots of Macca fans when I say we want more. Since he took liberties and included material that had nothing to do with Wings, is it asking too much for his next collection to include twice as many cd's? In the meantime, get yourself a copy of his 1982 album Tug of War and hear what a very nearly perfect McCartney disc is all about.

Strange Compilation - Great Songs:
A very strange compilation indeed; some but not all the greatest hits, some but still missing vital b-sides and album tracks and topping it all, this compilation includes Macca material both before the formation of Wings and solo material 2-3 years after he disbanded the group. Macca also had a TV program regarding his years with Wings around the release of this project. My guess is that all this was more a thinly disguised tribute to the late Linda rather than a Wings compilation. Being obviously incomplete in these aspects, this its still a very enjoyable album. Most of the hits are to be found here and many album tracks justify being given a second spin. The sound has been remastered and one can clearly hear the difference compared to some earlier CD pressings. Viewing this as a complete compilation and this is clearly a disaster; with an approach of a sampler and this is a great buy. Macca made great songs and a few fantastic records. He, however, also released music which should have been put aside, no such duds are to be found on this set.

SOME ODD CHOICES:
We can't complain too much because PAUL choose the tracks himself,but apart from the hits we all love he made some odd choices.Why two versions of NO MORE LONELY NIGHTS and the songs GOODNIGHT TONIGHT,GIRLFRIEND,TOMORROW,CALL ME BACK AGAIN and BIP BOP/HEY DIDDLE to name a few simply don't belong here.Where is the lovely ballad EBONY AND IVORY?The best thing to do i think is to choose your favorites and make your own cd.As it is,this collection should have been called HITS AND MISSES.It is still worth buying because you get tracks like JUNIOR'S FARM,UNCLE ALBERT,MAYBE I'M AMAZED AND VENUS AND MARS/ROCKSHOW that were not on ALL THE BEST US version.The booklet has pictures of WINGS with it's band members over the years.

Paul Mccartney: Another mucisians musician:
I got this with the 3-D cover just to add to my collection. However, I DID play this and was quite pleased with the selections and the quality of the cd. I myself would likened to have seen some of his more obscure tunes here as you could only get those on the limited series that were put out on Parolophone sometime in the mid '90's. That I think may have attracted more buyers. All in all this is a fair sampling of Paul McCartney who has kept us listening for all these years. A definite must have for any fan of the embodiment of Sir Paul.

• Listen To What The Man Said
• Band On The Run
• Another Day
• Live And Let Die
• Jet
• My Love
• Silly Love Songs
• Pipes Of Peace
• C Moon
• Hi Hi Hi
• Let 'Em In
• Goodnight Tonight
• Junior's Farm
• Mull of Kintyre
• Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey
• With A Little Luck
• Coming Up
• No More Lonely Nights
• Let Me Roll It
• The Lovely Linda
• Daytime Nightime Suffering
• Maybe I'm Amazed
• Helen Wheels
• Bluebird
• Heart Of The Country
• Every Night
• Take It Away
• Junk
• Man We Was Lonely
• Venus And Mars/Rockshow
• Back Seat Of My Car
• Rockestra Theme
• Girlfriend
• Waterfalls
• Tomorrow
• Too Many People
• Call Me Back Again
• Tug Of War
• Medley: Bip Bop/Hey Diddle/I Am Your Singer
• No More Lonely Nights