POLL: How do you rate Paul McCartney/Wings' "Wild Life" album?

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by mrjinks, May 15, 2014.

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  1. mrjinks

    mrjinks Optimistically Challenged Thread Starter

    Location:
    Boise, ID.
    :laughup:
     
  2. numer9

    numer9 Beatles Apologist

    Location:
    Philly Burbs
    It's "Tape it Tony"
     
  3. goodboyfred

    goodboyfred Forum Resident

    I received Wild Life as a Christmas present when the album was first released. My first choice for my present was the Bangladesh Triple album but it's $9.99 cost was out of line with price of gifts in my house at that time. From the beginning I've always enjoyed Wild Life for it's simple straight forward song selection. From the rocking Mumbo to reggae Love Is Strange to heartfelt Dear Friend, I find it an enjoyable listen to this day.
     
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  4. Rfreeman

    Rfreeman Senior Member

    Location:
    Lawrenceville, NJ
    For all those who like BTTE "because it rocks", it's really got nothing that comes close to Mumbo in that respect. Spin It On and Getting Closer are pretty lite in comparison.
     
  5. tommy-thewho

    tommy-thewho Senior Member

    Location:
    detroit, mi
    I'd have to rate it lower tier...
     
  6. I voted for "Not bad - some good/great tracks, but plenty of the usual throwaways ".
    The very lowest tier of Macca solo for me would be- "Press To Play", "McCartney II" & especially "Pipes Of Peace".
    It's a step, or two maybe, up to the next lowest tier, & that where this one lands- "London Town", "Wings At The Speed Of Sound" & "Wings Wild Life".
    It's almost like a longer EP, with only 8 songs & it's cut into 2 clear halves for me...the top half has "Some People Never Know" which is the absolute, king of the hill, classic here with "Tomorrow" very close behind it, as the other truly great song. After that "Dear Friend" & "Mumbo" represent extreme different ends of the spectrum & are both strong winners too.
    For the other, much less consequential half of the album, I like both "I Am Your Singer" & the cover of "Love Is Strange" more than I do either "Bip Bop" or "Wild Life".
    I dig the bonus tracks a fair amount with "Mama's Little Girl" & "Little Woman Love" being the best...I quite like "Give Ireland Back To The Irish" & actually do like "Mary Had A Little Lamb" too, but they aren't on the actual album & I digress ;)
     
  7. Very much 'lower tier' - I no longer have the patience to listen all the way through and just select the 3 or 4 songs I think are classic McCartney - the rest is pretty dire.

    Best Wishes,
    David
     
  8. TonyR

    TonyR Forum Resident

    Location:
    Atlanta GA
    Well, it won me over from the very first words ("Take (or tape) it Tony"). Bought it as a 16 year old, probably my 5th or 6th McCartney album then. I've always enjoyed it, but recognize that it's not for everybody. I think "Mumbo" is a cool jam, and I like the off-the-cuff vocalization. "Some People Never Know" and "Tomorrow" are excellent songs. I even like "Bip Bop", though I know it's just a throwaway. Still, I find it catchy, with some neat touches that I enjoy.

    Altogether, I feel its a decent album, but one I would only recommend to like-minded fans. Not top-tier McCartney, but interesting.
     
  9. HeavensAbove

    HeavensAbove Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sacramento
    Not bad. WL has some OK tracks that I have grown to appreciate over time.

    ...but it is definitely my least fave Macca album from the 70's. Falls squarely within the lower tier for me, if judging his entire discography (along with Off The Ground and Driving Rain).
     
  10. zen

    zen Senior Member

    Music for the soul.
     
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  11. apple-richard

    apple-richard *Overnight Sensation*

    I got it when I was 12 in 1972 and played it to death. Side two more than side one but have to admit Love Is Strange is one of my favorite tracks. Wish it had actually come out as a single since it was slated. I still love it and play it probably more than any other McCartney LP with the exception being Venus and Mars. I don't rank LPs I either like them or I don't. All the surrounding 45s are great too. Give Ireland Back To The Irish, Mary Had A Little Lamb and Hi Hi Hi. I love early Wings.
     
  12. Chris from Chicago

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

    It speaks volumes, regarding his songwriting at the time, that the finest moment on this album is a cover song. The wonderful, reggae infused Love is Strange.
     
  13. Probably in his top three listenable albums
     
  14. 905

    905 Senior Member

    Location:
    Midwest USA
    I like it, and certainly recommend it. Just a heads up- it's more like the cherries album than Ram.
     
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  15. jon9091

    jon9091 Master Of Reality

    Location:
    Midwest
    It's a dog.

    I never really liked it when it came out....still don't. It was a huge drop off from Ram.
     
  16. rockledge

    rockledge Forum Resident

    Location:
    right here
    My favorite Wings album easily.
    Second only to Cherries as far as non-Beatles albums Mr McCartney was involved with.
     
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  17. chacha

    chacha Forum Resident In Memoriam

    Location:
    mill valley CA USA
    One of my favorite Paul albums
     
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  18. Matt I

    Matt I Forum Resident

    Location:
    Alabama
    I'd call it a solid effort with only Bip Bop as a true weak point. I'd put quite a few other Paul songs from other albums at or below the quality of Bip Bop though. Quite a few nice little riffs throughout the album.
     
  19. Bruce M.

    Bruce M. Forum Resident

    Location:
    Hilo, HI, USA
    Precisely. The only song that completely works is "Tomorrow" -- which is good, solid McCartney, not top-shelf but good. After that it's all down here. There are good songs that go on way too long ("Dear Friend," "Some People Never Know"), a couple honorable failures (the title track), and a couple that just crash and burn. "I Am Your Singer" may be the single most embarrassing tune Paul ever recorded. No record label would ever have released this album had the artist not been an ex-Beatle.
     
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  20. hazard

    hazard Forum Resident

    I want people to look at this record NOT like a ex-Beatles record, but just a piece of work by a musician. Stop comparing it to the Beatles and BAM - really good record.

    Sure its not the Beatles but so what. Mumbo has great energy, bip bop drags a bit, but after that its gold all the way.

    I can think of many bands in the '70s that were not the Beatles, including Wings. In fact, none of them were The Beatles. None of them were as good as the Beatles of course, yet only one seems to get explicit criticism for not being the Beatles.

    Yes its easy to listen to Wild Life and say 'Its not as good as the White Album (or Abbey Road or Revolver etc)'. But consider some other LPs from the '70s.

    Ziggy Stardust - pretty good, but not as good as the White Album.
    Crime of the Century - pretty good, but not as good as the White Album.
    A New World Record - pretty good, but not as good as the White Album.
    Rumours - pretty good, but not as good as the White Album.
    A Night At The Opera - pretty good, but not as good as the White Album.

    I could go on. You should compare every album to the White Album. Then you may find that, like Wild Life, these albums disappoint.
     
  21. notesofachord

    notesofachord Riding down the river in an old canoe

    Location:
    Mojave Desert
    I like Paulie during his "let's be hippies on a farm" phase...
     
  22. backseat

    backseat Italian translator - Paul McCartney's 'The Lyrics'

    Location:
    Italy
    It's actually "Take it Tony!" Tony Clark wrote the foreword to my book and he confirms it.
     
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  23. TonyR

    TonyR Forum Resident

    Location:
    Atlanta GA
    That's what I always heard, but some people persist in saying the other.
     
  24. maccafan

    maccafan Senior Member

    I like it!

    Dear Friend and Tomorrow, are two of McCartney's best songs.

    I absolutely love the live performance of Wild Life, and would love to see McCartney and his current band perform Mumbo live, it would just rock.

    I Am Your Singer is also good, and Love Is Strange has always been a favorite.
     
  25. rstamberg

    rstamberg Senior Member

    Location:
    Riverside, CT
    I love WILD LIFE.
     
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