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

I voted for "A pretty solid effort," only because there are a couple of songs I'm not crazy about, although I immediately regret that and wish I could switch to "Clearly one of his best," because A) even though I could live without songs like "Spirits of Ancient Egypt" and the V&M reprise, I still like them, and B) the peaks of this album are honestly career high points. "Venus and Mars," "Rock Show," "Love in Song," "Call Me Back Again," and especially "Listen to What the Man Said" are just absolutely phenomenal. ("Letting Go" would be up there too, but the live version just blows it away to the point where I never really listen to the studio one.)

 

I find it interesting that there is so much dislike for "Spirits of Ancient Egypt". I personally think its one of the stand outs. Fantastic arrangement and some excellent changes of pace (and great synth too). Hard to believe but for years I had never noticed that Paul didn't sing it (well not the right up front lead vocal anyway). Really great (stoner) lyrics too that make little sense but why should all song lyrics make sense? A fun rocker that would easily be in my Top 25 solo Paul songs. Everyone should give it another chance and really study this great song in all its aspects. BTW I really despise "Medicine Jar".. it had no right being on the album. Brilliant album apart from that song.

 

After participating in the poll, I listened to this record last night, for the first time in 30+ years. I was expecting to like it, maybe even love it.

Have to say that I think it's not very good as a whole. The opening medley is strong and Listen to What the Man Said is great. Letting Go still works (but is miles better on the 'single' version), Love In Song is moving, and Call Me Back Again has a great vocal. But, other than that, the songs are average or below. You Gave Me The Answer is embarrassing (and I like Honey Pie!), as is Magneto.

Sorry folks, I really wanted to like it. Maybe I'd feel differently if I'd been super-attached to it when it came out. I know that I still really enjoy listening to Speed of Sound (even though I know it's not great) and am wondering if that's just about personal nostalgia.

 

I think it is the classic 1970's wings album, an album that for me goes beyond being just a Paul McCartney album, but a soundtrack to that time in my life. Many great songs on it. Plus I think of it as the album that ties in directly to his classic tour in 76, probably because of the Venus and Mars/Rock Show connection.
Plus it contains my all time favorite McCartney song "Listen to What the Man Said". Again, it captures the mid 70's childhood soundtrack for me. Not his best song but the one that brings me back immediately to those days gone by.

 

Noooo, those are two strong tracks (Magneto and Answer) I love those!

 

Interesting. Your opinion is certainly an outlier here, as is mine. I think Love In Song (as mentioned by a few), Letting Go & Listen To What The Man Said are very strong, but otherwise, I think I'm with you. I like the title track, but have never cared for the corniness at the end of Rock Show ("git yer dress ahwn!"). The 20s pastiche is neither here nor there for me, "Spirits" is just embarrassingly awful and the closer seems like it's on the wrong album - like it should be the finale to a concept album about aging or something. But it also strikes me, like a number of Macca ballads as "half-written":

Treat Her Gently
Treat Her Kind
She Doesn't Even Know Her Own Mind
Treat Her Simply
Take It Slow
Make It Easy
And Let Her Know
You'll Never Find Another Way​

So maybe the first verse is about an elderly woman who's suffering from dementia? Ok, that fits with the "lonely old people, eking our lives away" bit, but what about that 2nd verse? "You'll never find another way"... to what, exactly? And what's with "nobody asked us to play"? Play ... bingo? In the old folks' home? Or is it just a lazy rhyme with "day" and "way". It reminds me of:

We, wasted time and again
On things, things we already knew
Born, to do
I give my love to you​

If Paul's going to bother to put words to his nice melodies, I prefer them to make sense, and these don't - to me, anyway. Since some of us were discussing (at length) "Only Love Remains" in another thread, I'll throw that one in here, too.

And if you take your love away from me,
I'm only going to want it back.
I'll probably pretend I didn't see,
But knowing me, I'll want you back again, and again,
'Til the word has lost it's meaning,
And love is all that stays. Only love remains.
If you should ever feel that something's wrong,
I'm going to want to put it right,
To bring a happy ending to our song,
I'll carry on believing in a love.
If your love was to trickle through my fingers,
What would it leave me with?
Only love remains. Only love remains…​

In both of the first two verses - sorry Paul, the love doesn't "remain". It's been taken away (verse one) and it trickled through your fingers (verse two). At least the final verse makes sense in that one.

This is a guy who USED to write ballads with some lyrical substance to them, but pot or laziness or some other factor (the lack of Jane Asher?) makes me understand why his solo ballads aren't held in terribly high regard, in general. In the Beatle years, he had a few lyrical duds, but they were definitely the exception, while in the solo years, they seem to be more the rule. When he does come up with something as substantial as, say, "Somedays", it stands out from the crowd...

Of course, having said that, I'll return to my first point - that @somnar and I are definitely out of touch with most on this album, as it's rocketed to 2nd place in the overall ratings in no time flat.

 

A poor man's "Band on the Run".

 

Very good, but not as great as Band On The Run. It's my second favourite Wings album.

 

I think "Treat Her Gently/Lonely Old People" hangs together quite well as a lyric. Perhaps I've embellished the narrative in my mind over the years, but I picture the story to be about an elderly man who can no longer care for his wife, who is suffering from dementia. "Nobody asked us to play" may not be the clearest line, but in context I take it to mean that no one is asking them to participate in their lives anymore - like the elderly couple in John Prine's "Hello in There" ("Old people just grow lonesome, waiting for someone to say, hello in there, hello").

"Only Love Remains" also makes fairly good sense to me (again, perhaps I've filled in the missing pieces over the years of listening). The Cliff's Notes version - Love matters, the rest is ********. So us fighting over whatever transitory issue is meaningless - when we really cut to the chase all that will really matter is whether or not we love each other.

 

Its my third favorite album of all time.

 

Liked it more when it came out, still a pretty solid effort.

 

Glad to see I'm in the majority and close on half of the people right now have voted at as clearly one of his best. I've always had this on LP and am on something like my 3rd or 4th copy... the first couple I had had certainly been 'enjoyed' by previous owners (more snap, crackle and pop than a well-known breakfast cereal ) but that never put me off. Pleased to say I now have a lovely copy of this - but have never been able to obtain all the posters for some reason. Anyway...

It was one of the first records I ever owned (did my eldest brother give me his copy because he didn't like it or was it because when he got it, it wasn't in great condition and was always very careful how he handled his LPs?) and so will always have a 'special place'. But for a long time, I probably only liked half or less the tracks and it took the long gap from not hearing it (not having a copy) all through my teens and a little before, to being about 20. That is when I got the album again and was able to appreciate songs like Medicine Jar, Call Me Back Again and Letting Go... they were perhaps a little long-winded for my very youthful self and I must have skipped those so many times, it damaged the disc so much it ended up with jumps on it.

So, I still play this album every couple of months or thereabouts and it's just such a great listen IMO.

 

A great album

 

This could be whole 'nuther thread but I always felt the same way. How about something like this:

Venus And Mars
Rock Show
Silly Love Songs
You Gave Me The Answer
Letting Go

Let Em In
Magnet And Titanium Man
Beware My Love
Call Me Back Again
Listen To What The Man Said

 

It maybe not have the magic touch that lightened up albums like Ram or BOTR but in it s own way clearly one of Pauls best albums. It s like a kaleidoscope of different styles and feature a truckload of great Macca-melodies and inventive arrangements. Agree with those who lift Treat her gentle/Lonely old people. Lovely melody and lyrics with both meaning and emphaty.
Imo one of Pauls/Wings best albums,

 

It's probably sacrilege to speak like this about McCartney especially in a place like this AND the fact that I do think he's amazingly talented, but I'm with you. I purchased Venus and Mars and Speed Of Sound Deluxe Editions the day they came out (because I have a major league problem with being a completest) and didn't listen to them (with bonus tracks) until yesterday and all I can say is that both albums are turds. I mean, Venus and Mars is definitely better as I do really like the way the album kicks off, but here is my problem - this is the guy that was responsible for songs like "For No One" and "Maybe I'm Amazed" and then he decides that he wants to have a band and be a part of the group process and release THESE songs? I just don't get it. I do expect more from him. He's delivered better. I like Ram. I really like the last few solo albums he's done. FITD is very good (if you mentally subtract some of the HEAVY 80s production and "Motor Of Love").

I want to like these albums, but I just can't bring myself to do it. Denny Laine is VERY average and for real Paul shouldn't have EVER let any of the rest of Wings contribute songs. And don't get me started on "Cook Of The House". Sorry Paul. You could have done better.

 

I got V&M in 1975 when i was 13. I didnt have BOTR at that time so i was able toll to this unburdened by expectations. I loved it and still do. In my top 20 favourite LPs. Funny thing, I thought my first LP had a pressing fault - just as V&M finishes, and you expect Rock Show to come roaring in, it falls into a dàmp heap. I bought a few LPs before i decided they are all like that. And now i know from this forum, its like that on the master tape. Still love this LP even so.

 

I love this album and rate it top tier McCartney, just below BOTR. The song that is a complete miss for me is "You Gave Me The Answer". I always skip this song.

 

One of his best.
And the Joe and Jimmy Wings were an amazing band.

 

Has to be his best produced album,still.
Dark Side Of The Moon inspired art design from Hipgnosis
I'd rate his solo albums.
1. Venus & Mars
2. Band On The Run
3. RAM
4. MAF
5. McCartney

 

I guess you'll have to decide for yourself how I rate it, based on the following.

I think Rockshow is a great DVD, and have it in my collection. Apart from Ram, it's a real high point in Paul's career. Maybe THE high point in Paul's career. And it wouldn't exist without the songs from Venus And Mars that are included in it.

 

Clearly one of his best works - essential listening for Paul fans. It's more varied and entertaining than "Band on the Run".

 

First I want to say that I have no attachment to this album, I didn't get it the day it came out and didn't listen to it growing up, the only attachment I have to it is that I remember the cover of it sitting in my mother's record collection.
That record is now sitting in my record collection and i just recently decided to go through and listen to albums that I don't tend to listen to (there are reasons why we don't listen to certain albums much) I'm re-listening to a bunch of albums and the ones I don't like are going to be traded or sold, I pulled Venus and Mars out last night and gave it a spin.
- Firstly I noticed was how awful the sound quality was.
- Second thing was I had this overwhelming impulse to skip tracks (I never ever skip tracks, even if I play a CD) - Third was that not one track caught my ear and as I sit here writing this I can't recall a single song or tune or anything from the album.

Now this album has sentimental value for me since it was handed to me from my mother who has had it from day one but I'll probably never listen to it again and it'll be going in the "To trade" pile, it just does nothing for me at all.

I wonder how many people voted positively for this but are basing that on a past memory or on nostalgia and not the actual music itself?
I'd be interested to know when was the last time they listened to it and how much play it gets.
For me the combination of the poor sound quality and the album having no redeeming qualities just leaves me cold, I struggled to get through it.
I know it's not a popular opinion but for me this album is awful.

 

This and Band on the Run are the best Wings albums.