Wings over America

Wings over America is a triple live album by the British–American rock band Wings, released in December 1976. The album was recorded during the American leg of the band's 1975–76 Wings Over the World tour. It peaked at number 8 on the UK Albums Chart and reached number 1 on the US Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart.

Wings over America
Live album by
Wings
Released10 December 1976
Recorded7 May – 23 June 1976; October–November 1976 (studio overdubs)
StudioAbbey Road, London (overdubs)
GenreRock
Length115:33
LabelCapitol
ProducerPaul McCartney
Wings chronology
Wings at the Speed of Sound
(1976)		 Wings over America
(1976)		 Thrillington
(1977)
Singles from Wings over America
  1. "Maybe I'm Amazed"
    Released: 4 February 1977

In addition to including several of McCartney's hits with Wings, the album features performances of five Beatles songs: "Yesterday", "Lady Madonna", "I've Just Seen a Face", "Blackbird" and "The Long and Winding Road". The album cover was designed by Hipgnosis – who were nominated in 1978, together with McCartney's production company MPL, for a Grammy Award for Best Album Package for this album – and depicts an airliner about to open its cabin door.[1] Wings over America was remastered and reissued in May 2013.

Recording

Originally, Wings over America was to be a two-record set of highlight performances but this was rethought due to the success of a bootleg called Wings from the Wings, which was released as a triple record set on red, white, and blue vinyl, and contained the entire 23 June 1976 concert recorded at The Forum in Los Angeles.[2] This caused McCartney to release the album as a three-record set, compiled from various shows from the band's North American tour during May–June 1976. McCartney's sound engineer listened to 800 hours of tape and selected the five best performances of each song from the 30-song set list.[3] McCartney chose and mixed the final set of recordings, mostly taken from the 23 June show.[1] "Soily" was recorded on 7 June 1976 at McNichols Sports Arena in Denver.[4] The live recordings then received studio overdubs during October–November 1976.[5] According to Wings' drummer Joe English, "it took forever to get those 'Wings over America' tapes ready for the live album. We had to go into the studio and overdub most of the backing vocals."[6]

Release and reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[7]
American Songwriter[8]
Consequence of SoundB[9]
The Essential Rock Discography6/10[10]
MusicHound2/5[11]
PopMatters[12]
Rolling Stone(favourable)[13]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[14]
Ultimate Classic Rock7/10[15]
Uncut7/10[16]

Wings over America was issued six months after the end of the band's US tour. It was another commercial success for Wings, reaching number 1 in the US in early 1977 (the last in a five-album stretch of consecutive chart-topping albums for the band)[17] and number 8 in the UK.[18] For the five Beatles songs included, McCartney elected to reverse the songwriting credit to McCartney–Lennon.[19] Years later John Lennon's widow Yoko Ono complained about the same songwriting credit on McCartney's Back in the U.S. album but neither Lennon or Ono publicly voiced any disapproval about the change made in 1976.[20]

Wings over America was the first triple set by a group to reach number 1 in the US, and was a critical success.[21] "Maybe I'm Amazed" was released as a single on 4 February 1977,[21] peaking at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US, and at number 28 on the UK chart.[22]

In a retrospective review, AllMusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine explained the wild success of the triple album: "The Beatles mystique was still very much attached to record and artist alike – at the time, John Lennon had seemingly burnt out a major chunk of his talent, George Harrison was losing his popular edge and had done a disastrous 1974 American tour, and no one was expecting great things from Ringo Starr – and it seemed like McCartney represented the part of the group's legacy that came closest to living up to fans' expectations. Thus the album ended up selling in numbers, rivaling the likes of Frampton Comes Alive! and other mega-hits of the period."[7]

Two related releases followed the album: the TV documentary Wings Over the World and a film titled Rockshow, purporting to contain a complete show from Seattle.[19] Although publicity material presented Rockshow as a document of this Seattle concert, it contains only five songs that were filmed at Seattle's Kingdome; the remainder of the film's 30 songs come from the band's New York and Los Angeles shows.[23] Limiting their relevance, however, these additional releases appeared three and four years, respectively, after the 1976 live album.[19]

Wings over America was issued as a double-compact disc in 1984 on Columbia.[nb 1] The album was first released in the UK on compact disc on 26 May 1987 by Parlophone.[nb 2][1] Along with McCartney's Ram and Tug of War albums, Wings over America was reissued in the US on compact disc on 18 January 1988.[nb 3][25] The album was issued by EMI two more times on CD, in 1989[nb 4] and on 19 February 1990.[nb 5][1] A 1999 reissue of the album by Toshiba-EMI in Japan reinstated the three-disc format from the original LP issue, and is the only edition of the album to do this.[nb 6][26] Up to this point, the Japanese CD edition was the only one that was remastered.[27] On 14 April 2008, the album was released as a digital download on both iTunes and Amazon. It was removed for some time off of digital music sites in 2010 and 2011, but as of August 2011 it is available for sale on iTunes.[28]

The album was reissued on 27 May 2013 as part of the Paul McCartney Archive Collection.[29] The reissue was accompanied by the Record Store Day exclusive edition of "Maybe I'm Amazed" EP.[30] Rockshow was also reissued, this time on DVD and Blu-ray, with its audio remixed into 5.1, on 10 June 2013.[29]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Paul McCartney & Linda McCartney, except where noted.

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Venus and Mars/Rock Show/Jet" 9:56
2."Let Me Roll It" 3:51
3."Spirits of Ancient Egypt" 4:04
4."Medicine Jar"McCulloch, Allen4:02
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Maybe I’m Amazed"P. McCartney5:10
2."Call Me Back Again" 5:04
3."Lady Madonna"McCartney–Lennon2:19
4."The Long and Winding Road"McCartney–Lennon4:13
5."Live and Let Die" 3:07
Side three
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Picasso’s Last Words (Drink to Me)" 1:55
2."Richard Cory"Simon2:50
3."Bluebird" 3:37
4."I’ve Just Seen a Face"McCartney–Lennon1:49
5."Blackbird"McCartney–Lennon2:23
6."Yesterday"McCartney–Lennon1:43
Side four
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."You Gave Me the Answer" 1:47
2."Magneto and Titanium Man" 3:11
3."Go Now"Banks, Bennett3:27
4."My Love" 4:07
5."Listen to What the Man Said" 3:18
Side five
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Let ’Em In" 4:02
2."Time to Hide"Laine4:46
3."Silly Love Songs" 5:46
4."Beware My Love" 4:49
Side six
No.TitleLength
1."Letting Go"4:25
2."Band on the Run"5:03
3."Hi, Hi, Hi"2:57
4."Soily"5:10
Total length:115:33

2013 remaster

Wings over America was reissued in several packages:[26]

  • Standard Edition 2-CD; the original 28-track album
  • Remastered vinyl 3-LP version of the Standard Edition
  • Deluxe Edition Box Set 3-CD/1-DVD; the original 28-track album, a bonus tracks disc, DVD of the TV documentary Wings over the World, 112-page book, assorted memorabilia, 60-page photograph book, 80-page sketch book and download link to all of the material
  • Remastered (Record Store Day 2013 exclusive) vinyl 12-inch single of "Maybe I'm Amazed"[31]
  • Rockshow on DVD and Blu-ray digitally restored from the 35mm negative with remixed 5.1 surround sound[32]

Discs one & two (Standard Edition): Sides one to three are on disc one, while sides four to six are on disc two.

Disc three

(Live at The Cow Palace) (Deluxe Edition Box Set and Best Buy Special Edition)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Let Me Roll It" 4:19
2."Maybe I’m Amazed"Paul McCartney5:27
3."Lady Madonna"McCartney–Lennon3:22
4."Live and Let Die" 3:38
5."Picasso’s Last Words (Drink to Me)" 2:14
6."Bluebird" 4:28
7."Blackbird"McCartney–Lennon2:38
8."Yesterday"McCartney–Lennon1:57

All tracks previously unreleased, recorded live at Cow Palace, San Francisco, 13 and 14 June 1976.

Disc four

DVD (Deluxe Edition Box Set)
No.TitleLength
1."Wings Over the World"1:15:46
2."Photographer’s Pass"7:45

Personnel
  • Paul McCartney – lead and backing vocals, bass (sides 1, 5 & 6), acoustic guitar (side 3), piano (sides 2 & 4), keyboards
  • Linda McCartney – piano, keyboards, backing vocals, percussion
  • Denny Laine – electric guitar, acoustic guitar (side 3), bass (on the songs where McCartney plays piano), backing vocals, piano ("Go Now"), keyboards, percussion ("Spirits of Ancient Egypt"), harmonica ("Time to Hide"), lead vocals on "Spirits of Ancient Egypt", "Richard Cory," "Time to Hide", and "Go Now", harmony lead vocal on "Picasso's Last Words (Drink to Me)"
  • Jimmy McCulloch – electric and acoustic guitars, bass, backing vocals, lead vocals on "Medicine Jar"
  • Joe English – drums, percussion, backing vocals
  • Tony Dorsey – trombone, percussion
  • Howie Casey – saxophone, percussion
  • Steve Howard – trumpet, flugelhorn, percussion
  • Thaddeus Richard – saxophone, clarinet, Western concert flute, percussion

Charts

References

Footnotes

  1. US Columbia C2K 37990[24]
  2. UK Parlophone CDPCSP 720[1]
  3. US Capitol CDP 7 46715 2/CDP 7 46716 2
  4. UK Parlophone CZD 292[1]
  5. Europe Parlophone CDS 7 46715 8[1]
  6. Japan Toshiba-EMI TOCP-65507[26]

Citations

  1. Calkin, Graham. "Wings Over America". Jpgr.co.uk. Retrieved 7 April 2013.
  2. Heylin, Clinton (2010). Bootleg! The Rise And Fall Of The Secret Recording Industry. London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-217-9.
  3. Gambaccini, Paul (16 December 1976). "Paul Won't Rest His Wings". Rolling Stone. San Francisco.
  4. Madinger, Chip; Mark Easter (2000). Eight Arms To Hold You: The Solo Beatles Compendium. Chesterfield, MO: 44.1 Productions. p. 222. ISBN 0-615-11724-4.
  5. Rodriguez, Robert (2010). Fab Four FAQ 2.0: The Beatles' Solo Years, 1970–1980 (illustrated ed.). New York: Backbeat Books. p. 171. ISBN 9780879309688.
  6. King, Bill (December 1978). "Inside Wings: An Interview With Ex-Drummer Joe English". Beatlefan. Decatur, Georgia.
  7. Wings over America at AllMusic
  8. Horowitz, Hal (5 June 2013). "Paul McCartney and Wings Wings over America – Deluxe Edition". American Songwriter. Retrieved 26 March 2014.
  9. Eisinger, Dale (27 March 2017). "Album Review: Paul McCartney and Wings – Wings over America [Reissue]". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  10. Strong, Martin C. (2006). The Essential Rock Discography. Edinburgh, UK: Canongate. p. 696. ISBN 978-184195-827-9.
  11. 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.
  12. Bergstrom, John (27 March 2017). "Paul McCartney & Wings: Wings Over America". PopMatters. Retrieved 26 March 2014.
  13. Ken Tucker (10 February 1977). "Wings Over America [Bonus Tracks] | Album Reviews". Rolling Stone.
  14. "Paul McCartney: Album Guide". rollingstone.com. Archived from the original on 4 July 2014. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
  15. Gallucci, Michael (16 May 2013). "Paul McCartney & Wings, 'Wings Over America' – Album Review". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 26 March 2014.
  16. Mulholland, Garry (June 2013). "Paul McCartney and Wings – Wings Over America". Uncut. Retrieved 26 March 2014.
  17. "Wings Over America". paulmccartney.com. Retrieved 7 April 2013.
  18. "PAUL McCARTNEY | Artist". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
  19. McGee, Garry (2003). Band on the Run: A History of Paul McCartney and Wings. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 107. ISBN 9780878333042.
  20. Garcia, Gilbert (27 January 2003). "The ballad of Paul and Yoko". salon.com. Archived from the original on 19 June 2009. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
  21. McGee, Garry (2003). Band on the Run: A History of Paul McCartney and Wings. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 106. ISBN 9780878333042.
  22. Calkin, Graham. "Paul McCartney – Maybe I'm Amazed". Jpgr.co.uk. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
  23. Madinger, Chip; Easter, Mark (2000). Eight Arms to Hold You: The Solo Beatles Compendium. Chesterfield, MO: 44.1 Productions. pp. 220, 221, 228. ISBN 0-615-11724-4.
  24. "Wings Over America by Wings : Reviews and Ratings". Rate Your Music. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
  25. Miles, Barry; Badman, Keith, eds. (2001). The Beatles Diary After the Break-Up: 1970–2001 (reprint ed.). London: Music Sales Group. ISBN 9780711983076.
  26. "Paul McCartney / "Wings Over America" deluxe edition track listing". superdeluxeedition. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
  27. Rodriguez, Robert (2010). Fab Four FAQ 2.0: The Beatles' Solo Years, 1970–1980 (illustrated ed.). New York: Backbeat Books. p. 174. ISBN 9780879309688.
  28. Live Buzz website Archived 2 November 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  29. "'Wings over America' To Be Reissued in May". paulmccartney.com. 9 April 2013. Archived from the original on 8 May 2013. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
  30. "PAUL MCCARTNEY & WINGS Maybe I'm Amazed". recordstoreday.com. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
  31. "Paul McCartney – Maybe I'm Amazed (Vinyl)". PaulMcCartney.com. 19 April 2013. Archived from the original on 8 May 2013. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
  32. "Rockshow DVD and Blu-Ray". PaulMcCartney.com. 26 April 2013. Archived from the original on 25 May 2013. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
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