Post by stavros on Mar 25, 2016 18:31:06 GMT -5
Yep folks this album has reached middle age.
Ultimate Classic Rock have a piece on it here :
40 Years Ago: Paul McCartney Relies Too Much on Wings for ‘At the Speed of Sound’link
Excerpts below
McCartney scheduled his first U.S. tour since the Beatles’ final bow in 1966 – but only after rushing out the doggedly democratic At the Speed of Sound........
The results on At the Speed of Sound were predictably spotty, with too many guest vocals and not enough heft – particularly, critics said, when it came to the project’s biggest hits, “Silly Love Songs” and “Let ‘Em In.” McCartney didn’t necessarily disagree with the latter criticism..........
Yet, At the Speed of Sound – which shot to the top of the charts over seven non-consecutive weeks as Wings’ blockbuster tour continued in the summer of ’76 – still displays its share of small-scale charms.
..there’s no getting around the folly of Wings’ most familial album, as every member takes a turn at the mic – even drummer Joe English. (The scope of that misstep was writ large by a subsequent reissue that included a version of “Must Do Something About It” with Paul McCartney’s far-better guide vocal.) “The Note You Never Wrote” gives Denny Laine perhaps the best Wings vehicle he ever had, but Laine’s contributions – which also include the darkly sensuous “Time to Hide” – are the exceptions here that prove the rule. “Cook of the House,” a profoundly silly tune written for Linda, and McCulloch’s “Wino Junko” are nothing more than throwaways.
The tossed-together At the Speed of Sound simply had too much Wings, and not enough Paul McCartney.
I agree with a lot of what it has to say. "Speed of Sound" is one of those albums that is fair to mediocre. Even the singles "Silly Love Songs" and "Let 'Em In" are commercial pap. Probably due to Paul's first US tour in 10 years it remains one of his better selling albums.
I don't hate the album but I don't love it either. Even after re-appraising it's latest incarnation when it was repackaged a few years ago. Speed of Sound was never great and has not aged well either.
Ultimate Classic Rock have a piece on it here :
40 Years Ago: Paul McCartney Relies Too Much on Wings for ‘At the Speed of Sound’link
Excerpts below
McCartney scheduled his first U.S. tour since the Beatles’ final bow in 1966 – but only after rushing out the doggedly democratic At the Speed of Sound........
The results on At the Speed of Sound were predictably spotty, with too many guest vocals and not enough heft – particularly, critics said, when it came to the project’s biggest hits, “Silly Love Songs” and “Let ‘Em In.” McCartney didn’t necessarily disagree with the latter criticism..........
Yet, At the Speed of Sound – which shot to the top of the charts over seven non-consecutive weeks as Wings’ blockbuster tour continued in the summer of ’76 – still displays its share of small-scale charms.
..there’s no getting around the folly of Wings’ most familial album, as every member takes a turn at the mic – even drummer Joe English. (The scope of that misstep was writ large by a subsequent reissue that included a version of “Must Do Something About It” with Paul McCartney’s far-better guide vocal.) “The Note You Never Wrote” gives Denny Laine perhaps the best Wings vehicle he ever had, but Laine’s contributions – which also include the darkly sensuous “Time to Hide” – are the exceptions here that prove the rule. “Cook of the House,” a profoundly silly tune written for Linda, and McCulloch’s “Wino Junko” are nothing more than throwaways.
The tossed-together At the Speed of Sound simply had too much Wings, and not enough Paul McCartney.
I agree with a lot of what it has to say. "Speed of Sound" is one of those albums that is fair to mediocre. Even the singles "Silly Love Songs" and "Let 'Em In" are commercial pap. Probably due to Paul's first US tour in 10 years it remains one of his better selling albums.
I don't hate the album but I don't love it either. Even after re-appraising it's latest incarnation when it was repackaged a few years ago. Speed of Sound was never great and has not aged well either.