My box tracking hasn't updated since the 10th when it said it was in North Carolina and as of the 13th showing "In Transit to Next Facility" as the status. WHERE OR WHAT IS THE NEXT FACILITY??? I WANT MY DAMN BOX. Sorry for yelling. I'm on edge.
Maybe this is supposed to go in the shipping thread but my sets (the two super deluxe boxes since my BBB order was cancelled) are at the post office and expected to arrive tomorrow. Baby, don't let me down tomorrow!
Some initial comments/observations on the Wild Life deluxe: To get the negatives out of the way, I think this is the poorest offering of bonus material we've had since "McCartney". That album, of course, only offered a skimpy selection of bonus tracks but the tracks we got were, by and large, very worthy. The bonus disc on Wild Life offers very little that will encourage repeat listening. That's not to say there's nothing here, but it looks far more interesting that it actually is. Having said that, I'd rather have stuff than not, so the complaint is a mild one. I was, initially, very sceptical of the merits of including a disc of rough mixes. To be honest, most of them don't offer anything interesting from a listening perspective (but see below), but they do offer an interesting insight into the recording process. There are one or two parts that were mixed out of the final versions and numerous overdubs that must have been added subsequently that offer those who care about such matters an insight into how this album was recorded. This disc also has, for me, the highlight of the collection. The rough mix of Dear Friend is revelatory. I'd always known that I had a real aversion to the string/brass arrangement on this song but had always felt that even the removal of this element wouldn't salvage the song. How wrong was I? The band-only version is utterly captivating. Listening on headphones, I feel like I'm in the studio, lights dimmed, a hush in the control room as we watch/hear McCartney deliver his plea for peace to John. I still think the song is overlong and may trim it for my own use but really, it almost justifies the cost of the box on its own. More widely, I'm enjoying listening to Wild Life. I'll never love the album the way I do most of his others but I'm really enjoying having a reason to reacquaint myself with a friend I'd lost touch with. I'm going to leave RRS in its box for a while and just treat Wild Life as if it had been a stand alone release. Knowing that I have a whole album of live tracks plus a whole box of RRS magic awaiting me just adds to the pleasure of enjoying Wild Life. There's no rush. To those who had their BBB orders cancelled, all I can say is that you have my utter sympathy. I can't begin to imagine the upset and distress it would have caused me to have missed out through no fault of my own. Awful behaviour from the record company and they should be asked to publicly answer for their actions.
The German 7" mix has more reverb on the lead vocal and the backing vocals are more subdued. Otherwise it's pretty close to the standard mix. The stripped back mix, which is now on the Big Box, is totally different. It has no backing vocals at all, and is missing lots of other overdubs. I'm not sure about this, but I think the lead vocal is different too.
The tracking date for "(Mood Music) Bridge On The River Sweet" is in the updated Eight Arms To Hold You. Chip Madinger LENNONOLOGY | Strange Days Indeed EIGHT ARMS TO HOLD YOU | remastered www.lennonology.com
Really, Wild Life’s bonus content is worse than Wings At The Speed of Sound? I’ll take Outakes 1-3 over ‘Message to Joe’ anyday. Plus, a rough mix of the entire album which does have its merits! I think it’s a pretty decent offering, but is obviously massively overshadowed by the bonuses of RRS!
The performers change instruments from their usual places. Guitarist Henry McCullough plays drums, guitarist Denny Laine plays bass, and drummer Denny Seiwellplays xylophone.[6] This explains a lot.
I think it's a pretty close run thing. While I agree that the rough mixes have some interest, that 3rd disc is pretty ropey - frankly I'll be amazed if I listen to it again. It's interesting how views are clearly changing in the McCartney camp though - there is plenty of decent material and rough mixes we didn't get previously but now they're happy to put out what is pretty thin gruel. It bodes well for future more comprehensive sets.
Ha, well, neither offering was great, was it? Maybe it's closer than I gave it credit for, but for my money the availability of the previously-unheard Bonham version of Beware My Love (just about) bests anything on Wild Life. Perhaps that's because I have most of the bonus material already in one form or another. I appreciate that not everyone is in that position.
I guess it depends on how you feel about the studio album itself. Fans of Wild Life will find more value in the rough mix than those who aren't keen on the original album anyway. There's nothing revelatory there.
I was referring to the third disc specifically, but I'm conscious that I didn't actually say that. You're absolutely right that, when considered in total, the two discs on Wild Life best the single bonus disc on Speed of Sound.
Wild Life, McCartney, and Speed of Sound all have the weakest 2nd discs of the series, sure. But, we got great stuff from all three. McCartney: the Glasgow recordings Speed of Sound: the Bonham outtake and Paul's vocal on "Must Do Something About It" Wild Life: both sides of the "Give Ireland" single (naturally), "When The Wind Is Blowing", and the rough mix of "The Great Cock and Seagull Race" Good enough to warrant the $15 for each 2-disc set.
A new entry can now be added to the long list of Macca pseudonyms, as the "Wild Life" book reveals that the July 1971 album sessions at Abbey Road were booked for Sam Browne. Wings of course didn't have a name yet at that time. Shades of Billy Martin from the year before.
Having bought all the singles in the UK on release, the only one with the yellow sleeve was GIBTTI. MHALL came in a picture sleeve, Hi Hi Hi came in a plain white sleeve.
