Wings Greatest

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Wings Greatest
File:Wings Greatest.jpg
Compilation album by Wings
Released 2 November 1978 (UK)
1 December 1978 (US)
Recorded November 1970 – January 1978
Genre Rock
Length 54:28
Label Parlophone (UK)
Capitol (US)
Producer Paul McCartney
("Live and Let Die" co-produced with George Martin)
Wings chronology
London Town
(1978)London Town1978		 Wings Greatest
(1978)		 Back to the Egg
(1979)Back to the Egg1979
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
AllMusic 4.5/5 stars[1]
Robert Christgau B+[2]
The Essential Rock Discography 7/10[3]
MusicHound 3/5[4]
Q 4/5 stars[5]

Wings Greatest is a compilation album by Wings and is their eighth album as well as Paul McCartney's 10th since leaving the Beatles. It is notable as being the first official retrospective release from McCartney's post-Beatles career. Excepting interest in its vinyl LP mix, this collection has become largely irrelevant since the releases of All the Best! and Wingspan: Hits and History.

History

The album was compiled after McCartney's decision to leave EMI's American label, Capitol, for a six-year stay with Columbia (United States and Canada only), though he remained with EMI worldwide during his US sabbatical from Capitol. Four of the twelve tracks make their album debut with this compilation: "Another Day", "Junior's Farm", "Hi, Hi, Hi" and "Mull of Kintyre". "Live and Let Die" had previously appeared on the soundtrack album of the same name but did not appear on any previous McCartney albums.

All but two tracks were credited as "Wings" or "Paul McCartney & Wings", the exceptions being "Another Day" (single as "Paul McCartney") and "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" (as "Paul & Linda McCartney") from their 1971 album Ram.

Despite the fact that McCartney had amassed enough hits by late 1978 to fill a double album of hits, he kept it down to a single disc for commercial reasons. Thus, several songs would be overlooked for Wings Greatest. Indeed, not one song was excerpted from 1975's Venus and Mars, despite "Listen to What the Man Said" being a number 1 US hit. The album was promoted by a TV commercial in the UK, which featured several members of the public (played by actors) singing Wings tunes in public places. At the end a dustman, waiting in his lorry at a set of traffic lights (in Abbey Road), sings to himself an out of tune rendition of "Band on the Run", at which point Paul, Linda and Denny pull up alongside and Paul shouts out "You're a bit flat mate!". The driver leans out his window and says "Funny, I only checked them this morning!"[6]

The Bulgarian pressings of the album did not include the song "Live and Let Die".[7] In 1993, Wings Greatest was remastered and reissued as part of "The Paul McCartney Collection".

Track listing

Side One
No. Title Writer(s) Performer Length
1. "Another Day"   Paul McCartney, Linda McCartney Paul McCartney 3:42
2. "Silly Love Songs"   P. McCartney, L. McCartney Wings 5:52
3. "Live and Let Die"   P. McCartney, L. McCartney Paul McCartney and Wings 3:11
4. "Junior's Farm"   P. McCartney, L. McCartney Paul McCartney and Wings 4:21
5. "With a Little Luck"   P. McCartney Wings 5:45
6. "Band on the Run"   P. McCartney, L. McCartney Paul McCartney and Wings 5:10
Side Two
No. Title Writer(s) Performer Length
7. "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey"   P. McCartney, L. McCartney Paul and Linda McCartney 4:48
8. "Hi, Hi, Hi"   P. McCartney, L. McCartney Wings 3:07
9. "Let 'Em In"   P. McCartney, L. McCartney Wings 5:09
10. "My Love"   P. McCartney, L. McCartney Paul McCartney and Wings 4:08
11. "Jet"   P. McCartney, L. McCartney Paul McCartney and Wings 4:06
12. "Mull of Kintyre"   P. McCartney, Denny Laine Wings 4:43

Cover art

Aubrey Powell and George Hardie of Hipgnosis are credited with the design, as well as Paul and Linda McCartney.[8]

The front of the album cover depicts a chryselephantine (gold and ivory) statuette in the snow. The statuette of Semiramis was created by famed Art Deco sculptor Demetre Chiparus.[9] Having bought it, Linda wanted the flying lady photographed in the snow, so on 14 October 1978 she flew the statuette and photographer Angus Forbes to the Alps, where a snowdrift was created and the photograph was taken from a helicopter.[8]

The rear cover depicts the record covers of the twelve releases, mostly singles, from which each of the Greatest's songs were taken, in columns on either side of the album. In the middle is a photograph of Paul, Linda, and Denny Laine. The original photograph also had Jimmy Mucculloch and Joe English, but both members have left the band by the time this greatest hits album was issued and, as a result, were airbrushed out. The background is another scene of the Alps.

The statuette also appears on the inner sleeves of the original vinyl, as well as on the record's labels.[8] It can also be seen on the album cover of Back to the Egg in the background, on the mantelpiece.

Charts

References

  1. ↑ Wings Greatest at AllMusic
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Gary Graff & Daniel Durchholz (eds), MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide, Visible Ink Press (Farmington Hills, MI, 1999; ISBN 1-57859-061-2), p. 731.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Wings Greatest visited 2013-08-20
  9. ↑ Art Deco Semiramis Figurine Chiparus Statue Sculpture visited 2013-08-20
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Enter Greatest Hits in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Platinum in the field By Award. Click Search
  26. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH

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