POLL: How do you rate Paul McCartney/Wings "At The Speed Of Sound" album?

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by mrjinks, Nov 7, 2014.

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  1. Arnold Grove

    Arnold Grove Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC
    Not sure if "punky" is the right word. It rocks out for sure (especially the live version). But I personally don't think "punky". To me, "Mumbo" from Wild Life is punky.

    Arnie
     
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  2. Victor/Victrola

    Victor/Victrola Makng shure its write

    Not Bad. Paul's decision to make a 'real band record' didn't work out too well. All of side one is pretty good, and Wino Junko is probably the best non-Paul song on the record. Side two starts off with the mega-hit Silly Love Songs (a keeper) and Denny's Time To Hide is good, but the other songs on side 2 are pretty bland. It would have been improved greatly if Paul had included Junior's Farm. It sounds like it was a rush job, with not a lot of production tricks - maybe it was recorded and released at the speed of sound? :hide:

    I admit to listening to this album dozens of times though. I bought a copy on the first week of release and when I only had about 50 albums in my collection, this one got spun a lot.
     
  3. Folknik

    Folknik Forum Resident

    A solid effort and a bold step in giving everyone a lead vocal. For me, it's a bit of a step down after the wonderful Venus and Mars, but still a good album. I like "Let "em In" but never really thought it justified its 5-minute length. "Beware My Love" and "Wino Junko" are 2 of my favorites (both of them edgy rockers). "Warm and Beautiful" is one of Paul's prettiest songs and could have been a hit had it been released as a single. I also love "San Ferry Anne" and I may be almost the only person on the planet who genuinely loves "Cook of the House." It has a cool '50s-style roadhouse rock mojo and Linda's vocal fits the song nicely (although she and Paul probably winced at the frying bacon sound effect years later). The songwriter's credit on "Cook" just says McCartney. Did Paul write it or did Linda?
     
  4. Arnold Grove

    Arnold Grove Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC
    For most of Paul's 70s albums, the word "McCartney" was used for the songwriting credits---and this meant "Paul & Linda McCartney".

    The Archive sets are now listing Paul & Linda as the writers --- instead of just the word "McCartney".

    Arnie
     
    Last edited: Nov 8, 2014
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  5. Not Bad.

    'Beware My Love' is the best song, and 'Wino Junko' is great!

    The two hits 'Silly Love Songs' and 'Let 'Em In' are good, but not great.

    'Time To Hide' is MUCH better on Wings Over America.
     
  6. Frank

    Frank Senior Member

    I voted "A pretty solid effort - worth recommending". There's more good than bad here, and the good stuff is pretty much quintessential Wings.

    For reference, here's my album ranking. When I posted this list originally, I said "Levels I-III are my bread and butter. Levels I and II I'd probably listen to over popping in a Beatles CD (OK - maybe not Red Rose)." Still stands.

    Things move around within their levels, but it's very hard to break out of a level. The intra-level order is fungible and probably inaccurate.

    My emotional connection to Venus & Mars keeps wanting me to pop it up into Level I and the bonus tracks on the recent release are right there pushing me too, but there are no "skips" on RAM at all and I'm in total love with most of the songs, so I still think it sits up there alone.

    Level I:
    Ram

    Level II:
    Venus and Mars
    Band on the Run
    Flowers in the Dirt
    Back To the Egg
    Press To Play
    At the Speed of Sound
    Red Rose Speedway
    Off the Ground
    Wild Life

    Level III:
    New
    McCartney
    Flaming Pie
    Choba b CCCP
    Run Devil Run
    Memory Almost Full

    Level IV:
    Tug of War
    Driving Rain
    Chaos and Creation

    Level V:
    London Town
    McCartney II
    Pipes of Peace
    Broad Street
     
    Last edited: Nov 8, 2014
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  7. theMess

    theMess Forum Resident

    Location:
    Kent, UK
    It is interesting to see how the albums are stacking up against each other so far, based on the current votes (not including Speed Of Sound yet) :

    Band On The Run

    Flaming Pie

    McCartney

    Flowers In The Dirt

    New

    Back To The Egg

    Red Rose Speedway

    Memory Almost Full

    McCartney 2

    Wild Life

    Driving Rain

    Give My Regards To Broadstreet

    Pipes Of Peace


    I am not surprised to see BOTR leading, but I do find it surprising how Pipes Of Peace is behind Broadstreet.
     
  8. Arnold Grove

    Arnold Grove Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC
    Yep, that's my exact ranking so far too. How about that?

    Nahhh.... ;)

    Arnie
     
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  9. WolfSpear

    WolfSpear Music Enthusiast

    Location:
    Florida
    It's pretty gravy to me!
     
  10. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    "A pretty solid effort - worth recommending"
     
  11. Raunchnroll

    Raunchnroll Senior Member

    Location:
    Seattle
    A solid effort ('B') compared to his best works. The two big hits Silly Love Songs / Let Em In increase in stature for me as time goes on, Beware My Love is awesome, The Note You Never Wrote fits right in. Just goes to show a Wings / McCartney album need not be 100% Paul to be great...a Denny Laine fan anyway.
     
  12. Shem the Penman

    Shem the Penman Forum Resident

    Location:
    Pittsburgh, PA
    Lower tier, one of the lowest. The problem for me was that I never cared much for the singles and the album tracks were forgettable. The great songs on Wild Life or II lift up the rest of the material, but not here. Just seems lifeless compared to the previous one.
     
  13. I hardly ever play it. Its best known songs are nice enough (Silly Love Songs, Let 'Em In, Time To Hide), but they're all on the much more enjoyable Wings Over America. So it's lower tier McCartney for me.
     
  14. Hokeyboy

    Hokeyboy Nudnik of Dinobots

    Lower tier. Not entirely crap, but mostly.
     
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  15. anthontherun

    anthontherun Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago
    Just out of curiosity, if RRS is in the same level as BOTR, Egg, etc., why doesn't it also qualify for "probably listen to over popping in a Beatles CD" status?
     
  16. Frank

    Frank Senior Member

    There are a couple on there that I really like - as in Top 20 McCartney Songs kind of like - and things that I like well enough not to skip. That all puts it up in Level II

    The problem comes because the part that is bad (Loup) is so overwhelmingly bad it has literally has enraged at times. How did that happen? What did I do to deserve that?

    But an album with Big Barn Bed and When the Night on it has to be Level II.
     
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  17. Joe N

    Joe N Forum Resident

    This pretty much sums up my feelings about the album. He had done much better before and would do much better again. He sure struck gold with it commercially, though.
     
  18. driverdrummer

    driverdrummer Forum Resident

    Location:
    Irmo, SC
    Is the version on iTunes the new 2014 remaster?
     
  19. AFOS

    AFOS Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brisbane,Australia
    Somewhere between lower tier and not too bad but leaning towards the former. The two singles are good but the rest is kinda bland - and I have zero interest in songs that are not written/sung by Paul. Unless it's John & George...
     
  20. I went with "not bad", but... it's one of his half-dozen poorest efforts. It's better than his trio of worst- "McCartney II", "Press To Play" & "Pipes Of Peace", but it sits in the group just above that- "Wings At The Speed Of Sound", "Wild Life" & "London Town". There are great tracks on it ("Warm & Beautiful" & "Silly Love Songs" being my absolute faves...with "She's My Baby", "Beware My Love" & "Let 'Em In" also being quite good), but it's too much of a strained group effort & clearly, despite the high points, not one of his best.
     
  21. Chris from Chicago

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

    This could be a much better album if it only finished on a higher note. I think V&M was a better thought out album with a distinctive beginning/middle/end. Speed of Sound lacks an ending. As a result, this warrants a not bad.
     
  22. clayton

    clayton Senior Member

    Location:
    minneapolis mn
    Lower tier for me, I can't stand Silly Love Songs
     
  23. dudley07726

    dudley07726 Forum Resident

    Location:
    FLA
    It's Wings' best recorded album. Great sound!
     
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  24. richarm

    richarm Senior Member

    Location:
    UK
    Wonderful album, beats Venus and Mars by some distance IMHO.
     
  25. stingraex2000

    stingraex2000 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Las Vegas, NV, USA
    I voted clearly one of his best and essential. Reason being..it is to me. I was a teenager in 1976 and a major Beatles fan which really wasn't considered that cool at the time especially in the midwest where hard rock ruled. I remember hearing Silly Love Songs everywhere that Summer, even though I didn't really care for it that much it has grown on me greatly over the years. It just made me happy to hear some Paul music now & then in between all the hard rock. The album was also my introduction to learning about audiophile sound when the DCC version came out I bought it merely as a collectible gold cd. I started to notice how "transparent" the music was. It seemed to float about the room. And I started learning about mastering at that point all because of Steve's version. Anyway hard times later ensued and I ended up selling my DCC disks so now I am thrilled that the new remaster has allowed me the opportunity to hear that sound again. San Ferry Ann may be my favorite McCartney song of all time.
     
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