Wild Life I struggle with as an album but everyonce in while I have a desire to listen to side one and I enjoy it. It just has a certain feel to it that sounds cool and goes well with a good microbrew. Maybe it's just me.
I don't think Wild Life is empirically a very good album -- I'm being kind, I think it's pretty bad -- but nevertheless, it has an unassuming modesty that makes it fairly listenable. It has at least one classic ("Tomorrow") and a couple others that could have been classics if they had been fine-tuned past the "rough draft" stage and recorded and produced better. ("Some People Never Know" would be much improved with a remix to tone down the backing vocals, and I have a fondness for "Wild Life" [the song] that blinds me to the silly lyrics.) I really wish "Dear Friend" was better, considering the sentiment, but I find it not very memorable and too long; maybe an edit (as mentioned above) would help. But still -- that's half the album right there. If you add the singles from that period, you have a nice little snapshot of Paul trying to get Wings off the ground. (heh) Meanwhile, if you hate the '80 production of at least half of Flowers, there's no getting past it. So sure, I think on a songwriting level Flowers is a better album than Wild Life, but if I had to pick one to listen to all the way through, it'd be Wild Life. I expect that to change, however, once I get my hands on disc 3 of the Flowers box -- then, the whole 1987-1989 period will probably rise considerably in my estimation. Then again, if we ever get a Wild Life Archive set with a live set from 1972, the see-saw could tilt the other way again. That's the beauty of these reissues -- they don't JUST give you the same stuff you already have; they offer you new things that cause you to re-evaluate the whole period.
His vocals were amazing around that time. He could have sang Mary Had A Little Lamb, and I would still listen.
I love that single. But have never admitted it, or played it for a friend. There's kind of a boozy, druggy early 70s post psychedelic vibe to Mary, Hi Hi Hi, Cmoon. I think Wildlife benefits more than any other Wings-McCartney album. The 8 songs are long and have a air of "sameness" about them. Adding the different sounding bonus tracks makesa huge difference What do you guys consider the proper historically accurate bonus tracks to be ? I can't see any correlation in writing, singing, production, or anything else between Wildlife & Flowers. Nothing. One has 47 different producers, the other no producer at all. One has carefully crafted layered songs. The other bare outlines about two degrees past adlib jamming. I think none of the bonus tracks, technically belong. Because Henry hadn't even joined yet. But as a practical matter, to elevate Wildlife to a higher level. I'd add Mary Lamb, Give Ireland Back, C-Moon, Hi Hi Hi, Little Woman Love, Mamas Little Girl.... That gets dicey cause of the unreleased album of RRS stuff, which kind of has a stronger claim...
I've been wondering for a decade since I heard the rough jam, if there's a better mix or half decent take of "African Yeah Yeah" the take is so bad, hardly any lyrics, but it's so right in the pocket with the songs on the album... It fits right in with Mumbo & all the other stuff. But it's just not usable, is there a multitrack of that.. Whoever said all of side 2 abysmal on Flowers I register hearty disagreement. The last couple songs are pretty bad, but not the entire side. Finally, I hate Oui est Lesoilel, I just don't like that Tony Visconti kind of music, whether it's Bowie, or the Bee Gees or anybody, I'm anti dance disco I guess. Just don't enjoy it. But I gotta say, it's really well done, the bass player in McCartney must've wanted to do one of those. I can personally dislike something, but recognize it as highly professional & well done. Part of it is my own prejudice, I like McCartney when he sounds Beatley or Wingish, or in certain styles, obviously his palette casts a wider net, incorporating disco & different things. Motor of Love is exceptionally well done also. I think the title is stupid in conjunction with spirituality, Let it be = good, Motor of love = huh ? Really ? & It's really long & meandering, it ain't no Hey Jude... But hey what is. But that's personal taste, technically, nice melody, exceptional recording . I don't think the huge vocal pastiche in his mind, made it to tape very well, out of those 15-20 producers, maybe a vocal guy could of helped. But to just dismiss all that work & effort, & talent, with a cutting remark, that's not true. There is value & merit there.
Both are among my favorite parts of Wildlife, and I wish more of his work would have sounded like that through the years.
I remember being upset that it was rumored it wasn't going to come up on any other iTunes stores after it floated on the Norway iTunes store for a few hours and then it was deleted. The rumor also insisted that this small hour release window made the recordings viable for copyright protection. It just seemed so out of place that there was a Beatles release released a month and a week after On Air - Live At The BBC, Vol. 2 and there was not much promotion for it. This was also released back when I was a regular at the Fab Forum.
They are cut out from the Spotify version. I had to import local fiels of them to be able to listen to them.
One of the guys in my old high school group would say that to move the conversation if it was unsettling He'd follow that phrase with "they're going to win the Super Bowl this year".
For me, I like the links and " I Am Your Singer" less than "Dear Friend", but everything else is better to me. I'm in the midst of updating my favorite Paul McCartney songs list for the year and while first doing the songs within their albums before putting all of the songs together, "Dear Friend" is my 7th favorite on Wild Life. The only changes I made within the Wild Life album from last year's ranking was that I switched "Bip Bop" and "Dear Friend". Like what @supermd said, it basically goes on for too long. However, I don't find it boring but compared to the other Wild Life tracks how they are so full of energy and just straight out rocking, it does kind of seem boring, but every McCartney album needs their ballad and it's inclusion was a nicely timed response to "How Do You Sleep?" (Although I would laugh if Paul really did come up with a song called "Quite Well, Thank You" or whatever he coined in some interview).
Well, the 'Mumbo Link' does - it's a snippet of the overdubs without the main track. But 'Bip Bop Link' doesn't seem to be related in any specific way.
I think Paul should have gone all the way and released a 20-minute version of 'Mumbo' on Side 1, and a 20-minute version of 'Dear Friend' on Side 2. And that's it Seriously though, as I've said before the length of 'Dear Friend' perfectly suits the subject matter, IMO - Paul asking himself the same questions over and over, as if doing so might reveal the answers. But there are no answers, every verse concluding with that doom-laden minor chord instead.
But the original LP did NOT name the links, correct? Those were added at a later date by someone (who?).
Yeah I can dig that. The exact reasons you love Wildlife as a piece of musical art, an intimate snapshot. I'm suggesting ways to ruin its original beauty. Adding catchier songs, editing songs. I'm thinking as producer how to improve, & you're appreciating the actual beauty of the painting. Actually I do adore the 72 singles & B's. Probably a full seperate album could be made out of them. Hi Hi Hi, C-Moon, Mary Lamb, Give Ireland Back ... Simply by adding several of the unused RRS tracks. But then the problem is The Mess, Tragedy, Jazz Street, that stuff is only 80℅ finished, they lack sweetening overdubs & final mixes.... I hear there is a 72 studio Soily as well. I'd love to hear that. According to Denny Siewell there is 'NO' studio version of 1882 at all. I wonder if the live with overdubs could be made to sound studio with a new mix. Night Out has no lyrics, I would only smile sounds finished. I think there's enough for a stand alone Hi Hi Hi album. Mama's Little Girl, Little Woman Love, there's enough. Maybe steal A Love For You if needed, or not. I'd still like to add Irish to Wildlife, at least make it a 9 song album, with one hit on it.
I would think that McCartney is the leader in most musical circumstances, without doing much for it. No need to bulldoze. People are in awe.
