Wings Greatest | ||||
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Compilation album by Wings | ||||
Released | 22 November 1978 | |||
Recorded | November 1970 – January 1978 | |||
Genre | Rock | |||
Length | 54:28 | |||
Label |
Parlophone (UK) Capitol (US) |
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Producer | Paul McCartney | |||
Wings chronology | ||||
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Professional ratings | |
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Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | |
Robert Christgau | B+ |
The Essential Rock Discography | 7/10 |
MusicHound | 3/5 |
Q |
Wings Greatest is a compilation album by Wings and is their eighth album as well as Paul McCartney's 10th since leaving the Beatles. It is notable as being the first official retrospective release from McCartney's post-Beatles career. Excepting interest in its vinyl LP mix, this collection has been superseded by the releases of All the Best! and Wingspan: Hits and History as well as Pure McCartney.
The album was compiled after McCartney's decision to leave EMI's American label, Capitol, for a six-year stay with Columbia (United States and Canada only), though he remained with EMI worldwide during his US sabbatical from Capitol. Four of the twelve tracks make their album debut with this compilation: "Another Day", "Junior's Farm", "Hi, Hi, Hi" and "Mull of Kintyre". "Live and Let Die" had previously appeared on the soundtrack album of the same name but did not appear on any previous McCartney albums.
All but two tracks were credited as "Wings" or "Paul McCartney & Wings", the exceptions being "Another Day" (single as "Paul McCartney") and "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" (as "Paul & Linda McCartney") from their 1971 album Ram.
Despite the fact that McCartney had amassed enough hits by late 1978 to fill a double album of hits, he kept it down to a single disc for commercial reasons. Thus, several songs would be overlooked for Wings Greatest. Indeed, not one song was excerpted from 1975's Venus and Mars, despite "Listen to What the Man Said" being a number 1 US hit. The album was promoted by a TV commercial in the UK, which featured several members of the public (played by actors) singing Wings tunes in public places. At the end a dustman, waiting in his lorry at a set of traffic lights (in Abbey Road), sings to himself an out of tune rendition of "Band on the Run", at which point Paul, Linda and Denny pull up alongside and Paul shouts out "You're a bit flat mate!". The driver leans out his window and says "Funny, I only checked them this morning!"