POLL: How do you rate the Paul McCartney/Wings "Venus & Mars" album?

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by mrjinks, Mar 30, 2015.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. mrjinks

    mrjinks Optimistically Challenged Thread Starter

    Location:
    Boise, ID.
    Album poll #23 (of 25) for McCartney's post-Beatle albums! Only two to go after this one!

    The ground rules: this poll, like the others, is designed for people familiar with the album in question and with at least some familiarity with some of his other post-Beatle catalog (for comparison purposes). If the poll doesn't interest you, please kindly move on to a thread that does. I intentionally don't name "comparison albums" on the best-to-worst scale, as some may think a particular album of his is awesome, while others may have a completely different take on the same album. Just consider how YOU would rate it in comparison with his other post-Beatles work.

    For those who question/dislike the poll choices, I take full blame. My fullest attempt to explain the "logic" behind the rating options is explained here.

    If you've missed a previous poll, feel free to vote below. Here's a recap of how the others have rated so far:
    The "New" poll. 389 votes, with an average rating of 3.64 (edging slightly towards "solid effort").
    The "Back To The Egg" poll. 358 votes, with an average rating of 3.60.
    The "Wild Life" poll. 390 votes, with an average rating of 2.90 (just below "not bad").
    The "Driving Rain" poll. 307 votes, with an average rating of 2.77.
    The "Flowers in the Dirt" poll. 372 votes, with an average rating of 3.75.
    The "Flaming Pie" poll. 343 votes, with a very favorable average rating of 4.11.
    The "McCartney II" poll. 281 votes, with an average ratingof 3.13.
    The "Red Rose Speedway" poll. 305 votes, with an average rating of 3.32.
    The "Memory Almost Full" poll. 231 votes, with an average rating of 3.35.
    The "Pipes of Peace" poll. 239 votes, with the lowest average rating to date of 2.46.
    The "Band on the Run" poll. 419 votes, with the highest average rating of 4.64 (!!).
    The "Give My Regards to Broad Street" poll. 225 votes, with an average rating of 2.54.
    The "McCartney" poll. 342 votes, with an average rating of 4.02.
    The "At The Speed Of Sound" poll. 341 votes, with an average rating of 3.14.
    The "CHOBA B CCCP" poll. 177 votes, with an average rating of 3.01.
    The "London Town" poll. 219 votes, with an average rating of 3.24.
    The "Kisses on the Bottom" poll. 227 votes, with an average rating of 2.56.
    The "Off The Ground" poll. 239 votes, with an average rating of 2.90.
    The "Run Devil Run" poll. 139 votes, with an average rating of 3.70.
    The "Tug of War" poll. 234 votes, with an average rating of 4.10.
    The "Electric Arguments" poll. 204 votes, with an average rating of 3.69.
    The "Press to Play" poll. 237 votes, with an average rating of 2.64.

    Thanks to all those who continue to take place in the voting! We've managed to get an average of 282 votes/album to-date (and an average rating of 3.33), so that's a pretty good sampling of opinions. We just need some of you to bust out his "oldies" albums, so they can both get over the 200-vote threshold!
     
    Paulwalrus, OneStepBeyond and theMess like this.
  2. tommy-thewho

    tommy-thewho Senior Member

    Location:
    detroit, mi
    After BOTR this was a letdown.
     
  3. bluesbro

    bluesbro Forum Hall of Shame

    Location:
    DC
    Solid. It has grown on me.
     
  4. Digital-G

    Digital-G Senior Member

    Location:
    Dayton, OH
    So after one of the best albums he ever did, you're saying this one wasn't as good. :shrug: Probably true, but taken on it's own merits I think it's a pretty good album.

    I'll say it's clearly one of his best works, noting that I think of this album (along with Speed of Sound) as being closer to a true band album. Yes, it's still Paul's show but he's definitely sharing the vocals with the band.
     
    theMess likes this.
  5. quicksilverbudie

    quicksilverbudie quicksilverbudie

    Location:
    Ontario
    I like it, and the fact that is NOT all Paul is interesting.

    sean
     
  6. ampmods

    ampmods Forum Resident

    Location:
    Boston, MA, USA
    It's pretty good. But nearly all the material is better on WOA.
     
    Geoffsterpiano and anthontherun like this.
  7. CybrKhatru

    CybrKhatru Music is life.

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    I love it.
     
    theMess likes this.
  8. Digital-G

    Digital-G Senior Member

    Location:
    Dayton, OH
    I know a lot of people hold this opinion, but I've never felt that way. Then again, I'm not a huge fan of live albums.
     
    Yorick and jeatleboe like this.
  9. RockWizard

    RockWizard Forum Resident

    Solid. And honestly, I'm a little biased. It was recorded in New Orleans around the corner from my house at Sea Saint Studios. Outside of that though, this record is really good. One that I would recommend to one wanting to get into Wings.
     
  10. Bobby Morrow

    Bobby Morrow Senior Member

    Like At The Speed Of Sound it's grown on me over the years. It's biggest blessing is Listen To What The Man Said, which in my eyes is his best single of the 70s.

    I can understand people who wanted Band On The Run 2 being a little disappointed, but there's more than enough stuff on V&M that's stood the test of time. The album is always fun to hear.
     
    mark winstanley and theMess like this.
  11. Rne

    Rne weltschmerz

    Location:
    Malaver
    For Paul fans, essential. For me, a nice solid enjoyable album.
     
  12. ampmods

    ampmods Forum Resident

    Location:
    Boston, MA, USA
    I heard WOA first. So hearing the studio versions I was surprised how slow and weak they were in comparison. The WOA versions really rock. For instance, Rock Show sounds really kind of tame on the studio album. Although that bonus track of the long version and that mix were pretty powerful.
     
    Digital-G likes this.
  13. RayS

    RayS A Little Bit Older and a Little Bit Slower

    Location:
    Out of My Element
    Top tier for me, with one of the best "deep cuts" in the entire catalog - "Treat Her Gently/Lonely Old People".
     
    Bemagnus, gentt1963 and theMess like this.
  14. gillcup

    gillcup Senior Member

    Location:
    Raleigh, NC, USA
    One of my favorites by Paul.
     
    theMess likes this.
  15. Sean

    Sean Senior Member

    Location:
    Ottawa
    I like it very much.
     
    theMess likes this.
  16. jeatleboe

    jeatleboe Forum Resident

    Location:
    NY
    One Of His Best -- Essential Listening!
     
    DLant, DonnieT and theMess like this.
  17. YouKnowEyeKnow

    YouKnowEyeKnow Forum Resident

    Location:
    Lexington Kentucky
    Excellent album that I place up there with "Back To The Egg" as grossly underrated.
     
    Fullbug, DonnieT, KASHMIR and 2 others like this.
  18. Folknik

    Folknik Forum Resident

    Fantastic album! Every bit as good as Band on the Run. (Of course I did get it as a birthday gift in 1975 during a very good time in my life and hearing it now flashes me back to that.)
     
  19. Larry Seinfeld

    Larry Seinfeld Forum Resident

    Location:
    Philly Pa. USA
    One of his best
     
    theMess likes this.
  20. Scope J

    Scope J Senior Member

    Location:
    Michigan
    *
    Clearly one of his best works - essential listening for Paul fans
     
    theMess likes this.
  21. jeatleboe

    jeatleboe Forum Resident

    Location:
    NY
    I think VENUS AND MARS flows better as a whole than BAND ON THE RUN does. I like several great songs off BOTR, but there are some that don't so much for me.
     
    YouKnowEyeKnow likes this.
  22. greenhorn

    greenhorn Forum Resident

    Love It
     
    theMess likes this.
  23. ralph7109

    ralph7109 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Franklin, TN
    For me there is McCartney, Ram and Band on the Run in the top tier.

    I also love Chaos and Creation. For some reason it feels like a cohesive piece of art.

    Then there is Venus and Mars. Some great songs but it suffers sonically so much that it makes me angry to listen to it. Plus it has Magnito and Titanium along with Medicine Jar and Spirits of Egypt which are almost unlistenable to me.

    So it gets the middle grade.
     
    Shaddam IV and mando_dan like this.
  24. Culpa

    Culpa Forum Resident

    Location:
    Philadelphia, PA
    A great album, a great listening experience. It's like settling in to watch a big fun over-the-top musical variety show, with a bit of that '70s sci-fi-pop vibe. With three lead vocalists, I always wished Linda had sung one also. And no McCartney album since has been as good!
     
    streetlegal likes this.
  25. Chris from Chicago

    Chris from Chicago Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes

    This is a really solid album. Definitely worth recommending. And it benefited greatly by being remastered. It's high parts are really high. But it's low parts are enough to keep it out of the top spot (You Gave Me the Answer.)

    Like many, I heard the live version of many of these first. But I never held that against V&M. It was a very solid follow up to BOTR.
     
    DLant likes this.
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page

molar-endocrine