Wings (2) – Wings At The Speed Of Sound

Got a clean copy, and it sounds great. No real complaints, just make sure to brush out that static

My copy is clean as a whistle and sounds it, dead quiet and flat. Bought the record for Let em in. The rest is a decent but nowhere near what most might expect from Paul. Has some moments. It clearly has one brilliant song that has a fantastic feel, so it’s a must have no matter.

If I had but one world to describe this album it would be, a record comprised of ‘effervescence,’ where Wings nearly invite listeners to spend a day with them. Though with that invitation comes not only a good deal of pleasure, but also some finger wagging.

As with most of McCartney’s records, and now Wings’, small quiet musical ideas comprise the theme through intently channeled and arranged changes within those small structures. Paul, in his ostensibly pleasant manner, can’t help but do some lecturing here as well, though luckily not about John Lennon … here he takes on the music critics who bashed his lovebird verses on the album Venus and Mars, all in defense of his rather lightweight if not silly, ‘moon’, ‘June’ and ‘spoon’ rhymes that mean nothing to the listeners, yet here he takes the time to comment on that fact, where a great many were feeling that his ‘oh I’m so in love,’ musical marital direction was getting rather wearisome, so he politely lashes back with “Silly Love Songs.”

This is another album that’s not unpleasant, it’s merely colorless and amateurish, filled with studio effects of running water and a sizzling pan on “Cook of the House,” causing me to wonder how many times I can listen to this before I drop the track from my collection. Though in all fairness, during these years, and prior, Paul wasn’t the only one filling his records with effects, Pink Floyd were surely the masters, though sizzling pans (McCartney) and cash s (Pink Floyd) don’t age well for me, leaving this listener to wish that I had a ‘Lose The Effects’ button on my stereo. That being said, the record lacks a melodic sparkle, it also lacks a dynamic energy, ion and structural breadth, leaving the album to sound oddly both mysterious and defensive. On the other hand, At The Speed Of Sound has been dynamically recorded and arranged, where I could only wish for lyrics with more meat on them, something that I could think about and ponder, rather than dropping this bit of plastic onto the turntable and instantly feeling that I should be vacuuming the carpet or dusting the furniture while it spins.

The other misstep this record took is that everyone in the band gets a turn at the microphone, even drummer Joe English, causing me to wonder if there’s an actual band leader anymore, or if Wings has become an autonomous collective, leaving the record to sound disconnected and disted, coming off as a series of songs, and while a themed album isn’t necessary, none of the tracks sound in any manner connected to any other for any purpose. Regardless, I image this aspect is in itself is another reaction to critics who were touting the notion that Wings was merely a vehicle of Paul McCartney, and not a proper band; though surely, this wasn’t the way to do that.

Quite simply, this is a less than desirable album from Paul or Wings, take your pick. Of the seven post-Beatles albums Paul’s released or been part of up to this point, this is the weakest by far, where if it weren’t for “Silly Love Songs” and the better number “Let ‘Em In”, the album would have been a complete flop.

Review by Jenell Kesler

Hi: So I cleaned this on my Nitty Gritty system and it's noisy as heck! Please advise.