Search - Paul McCartney, Wings :: Wingspan: Hits & History

The hits of Macca

Candace Scott | Lake Arrowhead, CA, USA | 04/13/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Serious or even marginally serious McCartney fans will already have all these songs on various other albums and greatest hits packages. But it's convenient to have all of these songs on two CD's, especially if you're listening to the music in a car. It's impossible not to give such wonderful music 5 stars, but there are some serious omissions and problems with this collection.1. There are seven songs edited for brevity. A casual listener will never notice the changes, but to all of us who grew up in the 70's and memorized every downbeat and nuance, you will most definitely notice. It's very irritating to hear Junior's Farm butchered by more than two minutes and Venus and Mars cut to shreds. There are other glaring examples. As explained on the liner notes, these are the "single edits" released to DJ's of the era, but there's no excuse for these versions appearing on a quasi-offical collection, selected by Paul himself.The playlist contains all of Wings hits and even sneaks in some solo Paul work from the early 80's. Since they include Take it Away and Pipes of Peace, why do they neglect much superior songs from the same years, such as the beautiful Here Today, or Average Person? There are also some curious inclusions which should never have seen the light of the day on a greatest hits package: Bip Bop, Man We Was Lonely and Tomorrow should have been replaced with Sally G., Girls School, I'm Carrying and Nineteen Eighty Five.McCartney fans will always quibble about such things, but rest assured, you'll get your money's worth on this eclectic, fantastic collection. No one in the history of popular music could consistently write so many catchy tunes. If you're new to the solo years of McCartney, this is *the* disc to buy first."

The Definitive Collection and Good Sound Quality!

Frederick Baptist | Singapore | 12/31/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is the best Wings compilation that's out there and has been remastered very well for a good sound. There are even a few of Macca's solo tracks thrown in here for good measure. The product description is referring to some other version as this version on this link is the U.S. release version and unfortunately has the 'live' and not the much better studio version of "Coming Up" the track on which Macca plays every instrument and recorded at his home studio.



All tracks here were selected by Macca himself as what he considers to be the band's best work. The packaging of the version that I have which I presume is the same that's being sold here is very good too as it comes in a sturdy booklet with a felt, cloth cover as well as colour pages and photos of the band throughout the years and also comes with a slipcase with a cool plastic cover that gives a 3-D effect when you look at it from different angles.



It just shows that a lot of planning and time and effort has gone into this as well as personal attention from Macca himself - all the ingredients for an exceptional best of compilation. For the fan who wants all the best on one album with great sound quality and track selections, this is the one to get. Highly recommended."