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Wings (band)
Encyclopedia
Wings were a British
-American
rock group formed in 1971 by Paul McCartney
, Denny Laine
and Linda McCartney
that remained active until 1981.
Wings had 12 top-10 singles (including one #1) in the United Kingdom and 14 top-10 singles (including six #1's) in the United States. All 23 singles credited to Wings reached the US Top 40
, and one double-sided single, "Junior's Farm
"/"Sally G
", reached the Top 40 with each side. Of the nine albums credited to Wings during the group's life, all went top 10 in either the UK or the US, with five consecutive albums topping the US charts.
Wings were noted for frequent personnel changes as well as success. The only three members of Wings to remain from beginning to end were McCartney, his wife Linda
, and ex-Moody Blues guitarist and singer Denny Laine
. In less than a decade, Wings had three different lead guitarists and four different drummers.
were breaking up in 1970, McCartney was working on his debut solo album, McCartney
. Backing vocals were provided by his wife, Linda
, whom he had married the previous year. McCartney had insisted from the beginning of their marriage that his wife should be involved in his musical projects, so that they did not have to be apart when he was on tour. On his second solo album, Ram
, McCartney added select outside musicians, including guitarists Hugh McCracken
and David Spinozza
and drummer Denny Seiwell. Seiwell had to perform in a secret audition for Paul and Linda before being chosen.
. The result was Wild Life, released 7 December. It was the first project to credit Wings as the artist. The band name is said to have come to McCartney as he was praying in the hospital while Linda was giving birth to their second child together, Stella McCartney
, in September 1971. Paul McCartney recalled in the film Wingspan that the birth of Stella was "a bit of a drama"; there were complications at the birth and that both Linda and the baby almost died. He was praying fervently and the image of wings came to his mind. He decided to name his new band "Wings".
In an attempt to capture the spontaneity of live performances, five of Wild Lifes eight songs were first takes by the band. (A version of "Bip Bop" by just Paul & Linda that was included on McCartney and Wings's 2001 song compilation Wingspan: Hits and History
, has their daughter Mary giggling in the background.) Wild Life also included a reggae
remake of Mickey & Sylvia
's 1957 Top 40 hit "Love Is Strange
" as a result of Paul and Linda's love for reggae music and Jamaica.
The album's closer, "Dear Friend", recorded during the Ram
sessions, was used by music critic Ian MacDonald
as a counter-argument to the caricature of McCartney as an emotional lightweight.
Wild Life left music critics cold. For example, John Mendelsohn wrote in Rolling Stone
that he wondered whether the album may have been "deliberately second-rate." In The Beatles: An Illustrated Record
, Roy Carr
and Tony Tyler
called the album "rushed, defensive, badly timed, and over-publicized" and wrote that it showed McCartney's songwriting "at an absolute nadir
just when he needed a little respect."
In late 1971, McCartney added to the Wings line-up ex-Spooky Tooth
guitarist Henry McCullough
, a Northern Ireland
native and a lead guitarist on the original 1970 Decca
recording of the rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar
. The new line-up immediately mounted an impromptu tour of U.K. universities
, followed by a tour of small European venues
(with the group driving around in a van). Although this was the first tour including an ex-Beatle after the Beatles broke up, Wings played no Beatles numbers during the tour, to show that it was a new band in its own right.
In February 1972, Wings released a single called "Give Ireland Back to the Irish
", a response to the events of Bloody Sunday
. The song was banned by the BBC
for its anti-Unionist
political stance and only mentioned in chart rundowns on BBC Radio 1
as "a record by Wings". Despite its limited airplay, it reached #16 in the United Kingdom, as well as #1 in the Republic of Ireland
and #1 in Spain. Wings released a children's song, "Mary Had a Little Lamb
", as its next single, which reached the Top 10 in the United Kingdom. Though critics often interpreted it as a sarcastic reaction to the ban on "Give Ireland Back to the Irish", it was in fact a serious effort by the McCartneys to write a rock song for children, who they felt were being tragically overlooked by the music industry. Wings followed it with November 1972's "Hi, Hi, Hi
", which was again banned by the BBC, this time for its alleged drug and sexual references. The B-side, "C Moon
", was played instead. The single made it into the Top 5 in the United Kingdom and the Top 10 in the United States.
The band were renamed "Paul McCartney and Wings" for the 1973 album Red Rose Speedway
, which yielded the first U.S. #1 Wings hit, the romantic ballad "My Love". The album was originally intended as a two-record set, and two songs on the final album ("Get On the Right Thing" and "Little Lamb Dragonfly") had been recorded during the Ram sessions, prior to the formation of Wings; Laine added backing vocals to one of these songs, but McCullough was not on either song. Among the unreleased songs recorded by Wings during the extensive sessions for this album (which stretched over seven months and two continents) was the Linda composition "Seaside Woman", which was finally released in 1977 (although credited to "Suzy and the Red Stripes
").
Near the end of these sessions, in October 1972, Wings recorded the theme song
to the James Bond
film Live and Let Die
, which reunited McCartney with Beatles
producer/arranger George Martin
. The uptempo song, released as a non-album single in the summer of 1973 (immediately after "My Love"), became a sizeable worldwide hit and has remained a popular part of McCartney's post-Wings concert performances (often accompanied by pyrotechnics
). That same year, McCartney released his first American TV special James Paul McCartney, which featured extensive footage of Wings performing in outdoor settings and in front of a studio audience.
After a successful British tour
in May–June 1973, Wings went into rehearsals for the next album. However, McCullough and Seiwell left the band in August, at the end of rehearsals, leaving the McCartneys and Laine to cut what turned out to be Wings' most successful album, Band on the Run
, at EMI
's primitive eight-track
recording studio in Lagos
, Nigeria. The album went to #1 in both the United States and United Kingdom and spawned three hit singles: the rockers "Jet
" and "Helen Wheels
" (originally included on the U.S. album only) and the title track—a suite of movements recalling side 2 of Abbey Road. It also included "Let Me Roll It
", which was seen as an affectionate impersonation of John Lennon
's vocal style, and "No Words", the first song released by Wings that was co-written by Laine (all Wings releases to this time were either Paul and Linda compositions or cover versions). Band on the Run
enjoyed very positive critical reception and did much to restore McCartney's tarnished post-Beatles image among critics.
, former lead guitarist in Thunderclap Newman
and Stone the Crows
, joined the band. The first Wings project with McCulloch was McGear
, a 1974 collaboration between Paul and his younger brother Mike McGear
, with session musician Gerry Conway
playing drums. Warner Bros. Records
chose not to play up the "Wings" angle in its marketing for McGear, and the album sold poorly. However, the sessions also generated a single credited to McGear's group The Scaffold
, "Liverpool Lou", which became a top-10 hit in the United Kingdom.
Shortly thereafter, Geoff Britton
joined Wings on drums, and the first recording session with this full lineup was held in Nashville
, where the band stayed at the farm of songwriter Curly Putman Jr
. The trip immortalised in the 1974 non-album single "Junior's Farm
", backed with a straight country track entitled "Sally G
", the group's last release on Apple Records
. In a rare occurrence, both sides of the single separately reached the Billboard Top 20 in the U.S. During these sessions, Wings (with guest musicians Chet Atkins
and Floyd Cramer
) also recorded a single that was attributed to The Country Hams entitled "Walking in the Park with Eloise," a song written years before by Paul's father James.
Wings began recording sessions for its next album in London in November 1974, then moved to New Orleans to complete Venus and Mars
(1975), the first release from the group on Capitol Records
. The album topped the charts and contained the U.S. #1 single "Listen to What the Man Said", which also featured Dave Mason
of Traffic
on guitar and Tom Scott
on saxophone. When the Venus and Mars
recording sessions moved to New Orleans, Britton quit Wings and was replaced by Joe English. Like Seiwell before him, English won the job at a secret audition before McCartney. McCulloch co-composed (with former bandmate Colin Allen
) and sang one song ("Medicine Jar"); Laine sang lead vocals on a McCartney song ("Spirits of Ancient Egypt"); Paul composed and sang the rest.
In the autumn of 1975 Wings embarked on the Wings Over the World tour
, following a postponement to allow McCulloch to recuperate from a hand fracture. Starting in Bristol, the tour took them to Australia (November), Europe (March 1976), the United States (May/June), and Europe again (September), before ending in a four-night grand finale at London's Wembley Empire Pool. For this tour, added to Wings' stage act was a horn section consisting of Tony Dorsey, Howie Casey
, Thaddeus Richard, and Steve Howard on horns, brass, and percussion.
In between sections of the tour, Wings recorded Wings at the Speed of Sound
, which was released at the end of March 1976, just prior to the U.S. leg of the world tour. It represented a departure from the prior Wings template in that each of the five primary members of the band (including Linda and English) sang lead on at least one song, and both Laine ("Time to Hide") and McCulloch ("Wino Junko", again with Colin Allen) contributed songs. However, the two U.S. #1 singles, "Silly Love Songs
" and "Let 'em In
", were both written and sung by Paul. Four of the album tracks were played in the 1976 portion of the tour, which also included five Beatles songs. Laine sang lead vocals on several songs (including his old Moody Blues hit "Go Now
", Paul Simon
's "Richard Cory" and his own composition "Time To Hide"), and McCulloch on one ("Medicine Jar"), emphasising that Wings was more than just Paul McCartney's backing band. One of the Seattle concerts from the American leg of the 1975–76 world tour was filmed and later released as the concert feature Rockshow
(1980). The tour's American leg, which also included Madison Square Garden
in New York City and Boston Garden
in Boston, Massachusetts, spawned a triple live album, Wings over America
(1976), which became the fifth consecutive Wings album to reach #1 in the U.S. From this album came a single release of the live version of "Maybe I'm Amazed
" from the McCartney
album. The single's flipside was "Soily
", a previously unreleased rocker that was often used as a closer for the concerts.
After the tour, and following the release of "Maybe I'm Amazed" in early 1977, Wings took a break. Later in the year, the band started recording their next album in the Virgin Islands
, but the sessions were interrupted by Linda's pregnancy and then by the departures of both McCulloch and English. McCulloch, who joined The Small Faces
, had difficulty handling the rock 'n' roll lifestyle, ultimately dying of a heroin overdose in 1979. English joined Chuck Leavell
's band Sea Level
and later founded the Christian-oriented Joe English Band.
Undeterred by their departure, Wings released the already-completed McCartney/Laine ballad "Mull of Kintyre
", an ode to the Scottish Mull of Kintyre
coastal region where McCartney had made his home in the early 1970s. Its broad appeal was maximised by a pre-Christmas release. It became an international hit, dominating the charts in Britain (where it was Wings' only #1 single), Australia and many other countries over the Christmas/New Year period. Ultimately, it became the first single to exceed sales of 2 million in the UK, eclipsing the previous all-time best-seller (the Beatles' "She Loves You") and remains one of the biggest selling U.K. singles of all time. However, it was not a success in the United States, where the B-side "Girls School" received most of the airplay but barely reached the Top 40.
The core trio of Wings then released the album London Town in 1978. Much of the album included McCulloch and English, having been recorded before their departures, but only pictures of the remaining trio appeared on the album. It was a commercial success, although it became the first Wings album since Wild Life not to reach #1 in the United States (peaking at #2). London Town featured a markedly softer-rock, synth-based sound than prior Wings albums. Laine co-wrote five of the album's songs with McCartney and sang two of them. "With a Little Luck
" reached #1 in the United States and #5 in the United Kingdom, but "I've Had Enough" and "London Town" were commercial disappointments in both countries.
and drummer Steve Holley joined the band, restoring Wings to touring strength. In 1979, McCartney signed a new record contract, leaving Capitol, the company he had been with since he was a Beatle, in the United States and Canada and joining Columbia Records
, while remaining with Parlophone/EMI in the rest of the world. Influenced by the punk and New Wave scenes, Wings abandoned its mellow touch and hired Chris Thomas
to help in the production process. The result was a somewhat less polished sound. This new version of Wings released the disco-oriented single "Goodnight Tonight
", backed by "Daytime Nighttime Suffering
", which reached the top 5 in both the United States and United Kingdom. However, the subsequent album Back to the Egg
was not favourably received by critics and although sales were disappointing, at least compared to immediate predecessors, still it went platinum in the United States. It contained the Grammy-winning song "Rockestra Theme
", the result of an October 1978 superstar session with members of Wings, The Who
, Led Zeppelin
, and Pink Floyd
, among others. Two singles were culled from the album, but both performed poorly on the charts. One album song ("Again and Again and Again") was composed and sung by Laine; the rest were Paul's.
During much of 1979, Wings were inactive as McCartney worked on a new solo album (McCartney II
) without the band. In November and December 1979, Wings performed its final tour of the United Kingdom
, once again adding the horns and brass section consisting of Tony Dorsey, Howie Casey, Thaddeus Richard, and Steve Howard. This tour climaxed with a massive "Rockestra" all-star collection of musicians in London in aid of UNICEF and Kampuchean refugees. Also during this tour, a live version of the McCartney II track "Coming Up
" was recorded in Glasgow and became Wings' sixth and final U.S. #1 hit (as well as the last Wings single A-side, although once again credited to "Paul McCartney and Wings") the following year.
Plans for a new Wings world tour were abandoned when Paul McCartney was arrested for possession of about 7.7 ounces of marijuana at Tokyo airport on 16 January 1980. Other Wings members were questioned but not charged. Although McCartney was released from jail after nine days, on 25 January, he was deported from Japan. As a result, the Japanese tour was cancelled along with other short-term plans for Wings.
During 1980, Wings continued to demo some more tunes, and some work was done on a never-released "cold cuts" album of previously unreleased songs. Finally, in October 1980, Wings returned to the studio to record demonstration versions of a number of songs for its next album. However, following the murder of John Lennon
in December 1980, Paul McCartney was unable to continue with the sessions, and Wings went into hiatus. McCartney restarted the project on 2 February 1981 as a solo album to be dedicated to Lennon, and soon after Juber and Holley left the band, although Laine continued as part of what became the Tug of War sessions, which ended on 3 March. On 27 April 1981, it was announced that Laine also had left the group, and that Wings had formally disbanded. McCartney claimed that the group members "parted in a friendly way."
. This was not a planned event, and no further reunions were intended. However, ten years later, in July 2007, Laine, Juber and Seiwell (excluding Paul McCartney, who was not interested in participating) reunited for one show at a Beatlefest (now called "The Fest for Beatles Fans") convention in Las Vegas
. "Mull of Kintyre" and "Go Now". According to one report, Laine said that the three are discussing plans for a reunion tour. Laine and Seiwell appeared again at The Fest for Beatles Fans in March 2010 in Secaucus, New Jersey, and were joined by Juber at The Fest in August 2010 in Chicago.
: "I Lie Around" (Laine, flip of "Live and Let Die"), "Cook of the House" (Linda McCartney, flip of "Silly Love Songs"), and "Deliver Your Children" (Laine, flip of "I've Had Enough").
The success of Wings was a vindication for McCartney (although at least one commentator felt that McCartney really did not need the vindication). His early home-grown solo output, which often featured simpler songs and less lavish production than the Beatles received from George Martin
, often was dismissed by critics as "lightweight" next to the more serious nature of his former bandmates' solo output after the break-up. But, by 1975, Lennon's solo career had been put on hold following the birth of his son Sean
, and he stopped recording. A year later, George Harrison
had all but retired from performing live (although not from recording). Ringo Starr
was living in L.A. and was writing and recording successfully, but as a solo artist had not been performing onstage other than rare guest appearances (and would not tour until many years later, in 1989). Meanwhile, McCartney and Wings continued to tour regularly and to enjoy hit singles and albums the world over. By 1980, even Lennon was envious of Wings' (and McCartney's) continuing success, which largely inspired Lennon's own comeback that year.
In addition to its own output, Wings recorded several songs that were released though various outlets after the band's break-up. The solo albums of three former Wings members feature songs performed by Wings. Three songs on Laine's 1980 solo album Japanese Tears
– "Send Me The Heart" (written by Laine and Paul McCartney), "I Would Only Smile" (written by Laine, from the "Red Rose Speedway" sessions) and "Weep For Love" (written by Laine, from the Back to the Egg sessions) – were performed by Wings with Laine on lead vocals. Juber's instrumental "Maisie", from the Back to the Egg sessions, appeared on his solo album Standard Time. After Linda McCartney's death, a compilation of her songs entitled Wide Prairie
was released that featured seven Wings songs written or co-written by Linda: the Suzy and the Red Stripes
' songs "Seaside Woman", recorded in 1972 during Red Rose Speedway, and "B-Side to Seaside", co-written by Paul and recorded in 1977 during London Town, as well as "Oriental Nightfish", recorded during Band on the Run
, "I Got Up", co-written by Paul and recorded during the McGear sessions (before Britton joined Wings), "Wide Prairie", recorded during the Nashville sessions, "New Orleans", recorded during Venus & Mars, and "Love's Full Glory", recorded in 1980 after the Japanese fiasco. Wings also backed Paul's brother Mike McGear on the McGear album, as well as McGear's band The Scaffold
on the single "Liverpool Lou" and its B-side "Ten Years After on Strawberry Jam". McCartney also used three unreleased Wings songs, "Mama's Little Girl" (1972), "My Carnival" (1975), and "Same Time Next Year" (1978), as B-sides of his solo singles several years after Wings' break-up. Denny Laine's 1977 'solo' album, Holly Days
, was actually a joint effort by Laine with Paul and Linda McCartney, the same trio who - as Wings - had recorded Band on the Run
, the most heralded album of Wings' career.
During its life, Wings had 12 top-10 singles in the United Kingdom and 14 top-10 singles (including six #1s) in the United States. All 23 singles credited to Wings reached the U.S. Top 40 (and one single reached it with each side). Wings had only one fewer #1 single in the United States than John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr combined in their post-Beatle careers. Of the nine albums credited to Wings during the band's life, all went top 10 in either the United Kingdom or United States, with five consecutive U.S. #1s. (The only Wings album not to reach the U.S. Top 10 was Wings Greatest
.)
Wings' 1977 single "Mull of Kintyre"/"Girls School" is still the biggest-selling non-charity single in the United Kingdom (although Queen
's "Bohemian Rhapsody
" sold more, its sales include a reissue in aid of the Terrence Higgins Trust
), and it ranked fourth in the official list of all-time best selling singles in the United Kingdom issued in 2002.
In June 2007, Apple's higher-quality iTunes Plus
was released, featuring albums from EMI
. Among the albums included were the nine original albums from Wings. As of 4 June 2007, Band on the Run
was the third most downloaded album from iTunes Plus.
Wings are sometimes the subject of satirical reference; the more pop-friendly style of the band has attracted tongue-in-cheek comparisons with the Beatles. Steve Coogan's comic creation Alan Partridge
naturally admires Wings, referring to them as "the band the Beatles could have been." In The Simpsons
episode "Burns' Heir
", a cult deprogrammer states that he "did get Paul McCartney out of Wings," to which Homer
replies "You idiot! He was the most talented one."
1971–1972
1972–1973
Paul McCartney
- vocals, bass, keyboards, guitar
Linda McCartney
- vocals, keyboards
Denny Laine
- vocals, guitar, bass, piano
Henry McCullough
- guitar, vocals
Denny Seiwell - drums, percussion
1973–1974
Paul McCartney
- vocals, bass, keyboards, guitar, drums
Linda McCartney
- vocals, keyboards
Denny Laine
- vocals, guitar, bass, piano
1974–1975
Paul McCartney
- vocals, bass, keyboards, guitar
Linda McCartney
- vocals, keyboards
Denny Laine
- vocals, guitar, bass, piano
Jimmy McCulloch
- vocals, guitar
Geoff Britton
- drums, percussion
1975–1977
Paul McCartney
- vocals, bass, keyboards, guitar
Linda McCartney
- vocals, keyboards
Denny Laine
- vocals, guitar, bass, piano
Jimmy McCulloch
- vocals, guitar
Joe English - vocals, drums, percussion
1977–1978
Paul McCartney
- vocals, bass, keyboards, guitar, drums
Linda McCartney
- vocals, keyboards
Denny Laine
- vocals, guitar, bass, piano
1978–1981
Paul McCartney
- vocals, bass, keyboards, guitar
Linda McCartney
- vocals, keyboards
Denny Laine
- vocals, guitar, bass, piano
Laurence Juber
- vocals, guitar
Steve Holly - vocals, drums, percussion
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
-American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rock group formed in 1971 by Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
, Denny Laine
Denny Laine
Denny Laine is an English songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, guitarist, and lead singer of The Moody Blues' 1965 debut album "The Magnificent Moodies"; and, later, best known for his role as co-founder of Wings...
and Linda McCartney
Linda McCartney
Linda Louise McCartney, Lady McCartney was an American photographer, musician and animal rights activist. Her father and mother were Lee Eastman and Louise Sara Lindner Eastman....
that remained active until 1981.
Wings had 12 top-10 singles (including one #1) in the United Kingdom and 14 top-10 singles (including six #1's) in the United States. All 23 singles credited to Wings reached the US Top 40
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, and one double-sided single, "Junior's Farm
Junior's Farm
"Junior's Farm" is a song written by Paul and Linda McCartney and performed by Paul McCartney and Wings. A number-three hit single in the United States, it was recorded in Nashville, Tennessee in 1974, while the band was staying at the farm of Curly Putman Jr., which accounts for the title. The...
"/"Sally G
Sally G
"Sally G" was the B-side to the Paul McCartney and Wings single "Junior's Farm." Like the A-side, it was recorded in Nashville in 1974 during the band's visit. Unlike the A-side, it was strongly country music-influenced, including prominent use of Nashville backing musicians such as Vassar...
", reached the Top 40 with each side. Of the nine albums credited to Wings during the group's life, all went top 10 in either the UK or the US, with five consecutive albums topping the US charts.
Wings were noted for frequent personnel changes as well as success. The only three members of Wings to remain from beginning to end were McCartney, his wife Linda
Linda McCartney
Linda Louise McCartney, Lady McCartney was an American photographer, musician and animal rights activist. Her father and mother were Lee Eastman and Louise Sara Lindner Eastman....
, and ex-Moody Blues guitarist and singer Denny Laine
Denny Laine
Denny Laine is an English songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, guitarist, and lead singer of The Moody Blues' 1965 debut album "The Magnificent Moodies"; and, later, best known for his role as co-founder of Wings...
. In less than a decade, Wings had three different lead guitarists and four different drummers.
History
As The BeatlesThe Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
were breaking up in 1970, McCartney was working on his debut solo album, McCartney
McCartney (album)
McCartney is the debut solo album by Paul McCartney. Apart from Linda McCartney's vocal contributions, McCartney performed the entire album solo...
. Backing vocals were provided by his wife, Linda
Linda McCartney
Linda Louise McCartney, Lady McCartney was an American photographer, musician and animal rights activist. Her father and mother were Lee Eastman and Louise Sara Lindner Eastman....
, whom he had married the previous year. McCartney had insisted from the beginning of their marriage that his wife should be involved in his musical projects, so that they did not have to be apart when he was on tour. On his second solo album, Ram
Ram (album)
Ram is an album by Paul McCartney and Linda McCartney, released in 1971, the only album credited to the pair. It was the second of the two albums McCartney released between leaving The Beatles and forming Wings...
, McCartney added select outside musicians, including guitarists Hugh McCracken
Hugh McCracken
Hugh McCracken is a rhythm guitar player and session musician, arranger and producer based in New York.Especially in demand in the 60s, 70s and 80s, he appears on many recordings by Steely Dan, as well as albums by Donald Fagen, Jimmy Rushing, Billy Joel, Roland Kirk, Roberta Flack, B. B...
and David Spinozza
David Spinozza
David Spinozza is an American musician , who worked with former Beatles Paul McCartney and John Lennon during the 1970s, and had a long collaboration with singer-songwriter James Taylor, producing Taylor's album Walking Man....
and drummer Denny Seiwell. Seiwell had to perform in a secret audition for Paul and Linda before being chosen.
First lineup (1971–1973)
In August 1971, Seiwell and Laine joined Paul and Linda McCartney to record Paul's third post-Beatles album for Apple RecordsApple Records
Apple Records is a record label founded by The Beatles in 1968, as a division of Apple Corps Ltd. It was initially intended as a creative outlet for the Beatles, both as a group and individually, plus a selection of other artists including Mary Hopkin, James Taylor, Badfinger, and Billy Preston...
. The result was Wild Life, released 7 December. It was the first project to credit Wings as the artist. The band name is said to have come to McCartney as he was praying in the hospital while Linda was giving birth to their second child together, Stella McCartney
Stella McCartney
Stella Nina McCartney is an English fashion designer. She is the daughter of former Beatles member Sir Paul McCartney and the late photographer and animal rights activist, Linda McCartney.-Early life:...
, in September 1971. Paul McCartney recalled in the film Wingspan that the birth of Stella was "a bit of a drama"; there were complications at the birth and that both Linda and the baby almost died. He was praying fervently and the image of wings came to his mind. He decided to name his new band "Wings".
In an attempt to capture the spontaneity of live performances, five of Wild Lifes eight songs were first takes by the band. (A version of "Bip Bop" by just Paul & Linda that was included on McCartney and Wings's 2001 song compilation Wingspan: Hits and History
Wingspan: Hits and History
-Disc 2: History:-Chart positions:-Year-end charts:-Certifications:- References :...
, has their daughter Mary giggling in the background.) Wild Life also included a reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
remake of Mickey & Sylvia
Mickey & Sylvia
Mickey & Sylvia was an American R&B duo, composed of Mickey Baker and Sylvia Robinson. They were the first big seller for Groove Records.Mickey was a music instructor and Sylvia one of his pupils. Baker was inspired to form the group by the success of Les Paul & Mary Ford. They had a Top 20 hit...
's 1957 Top 40 hit "Love Is Strange
Love Is Strange
"Love Is Strange" was a crossover hit by American rhythm and blues duet Mickey & Sylvia, which was released in late November 1956 by the Groove record label.The song was based on a guitar riff by Jody Williams. The co-writers of the song are of some dispute...
" as a result of Paul and Linda's love for reggae music and Jamaica.
The album's closer, "Dear Friend", recorded during the Ram
Ram (album)
Ram is an album by Paul McCartney and Linda McCartney, released in 1971, the only album credited to the pair. It was the second of the two albums McCartney released between leaving The Beatles and forming Wings...
sessions, was used by music critic Ian MacDonald
Ian MacDonald
Ian MacCormick was a British music critic and author, best known for Revolution in the Head, his forensic history of The Beatles which borrowed techniques from art historians, and The New Shostakovich, a controversial study of the Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich...
as a counter-argument to the caricature of McCartney as an emotional lightweight.
Wild Life left music critics cold. For example, John Mendelsohn wrote in Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
that he wondered whether the album may have been "deliberately second-rate." In The Beatles: An Illustrated Record
The Beatles: An Illustrated Record
The Beatles: An Illustrated Record is a 1975 book by music journalists Roy Carr and Tony Tyler, published by Harmony Books. Updated editions were published in 1978 and 1981....
, Roy Carr
Roy Carr
Roy Carr is an English music journalist. He joined the New Musical Express in the late 1960s and has edited NME, VOX and Melody Maker magazines...
and Tony Tyler
Tony Tyler
James Edward Anthony Tyler was a British writer who authored several books and wrote for the New Musical Express, Macworld, MacUser, PC Pro and Computer Shopper....
called the album "rushed, defensive, badly timed, and over-publicized" and wrote that it showed McCartney's songwriting "at an absolute nadir
Nadir
The nadir is the direction pointing directly below a particular location; that is, it is one of two vertical directions at a specified location, orthogonal to a horizontal flat surface there. Since the concept of being below is itself somewhat vague, scientists define the nadir in more rigorous...
just when he needed a little respect."
In late 1971, McCartney added to the Wings line-up ex-Spooky Tooth
Spooky Tooth
Spooky Tooth are an English rock band principally active, with intermittent breakups, between 1967 to 1974. In recent years, the band has been reconstituted at various points, and continues to perform occasionally.-Career:...
guitarist Henry McCullough
Henry McCullough
Henry McCullough Henry McCullough Henry McCullough (born Henry Campbell Liken McCullough, 21 July 1943, Portstewart, Northern Ireland is an Irish guitarist, vocalist and songwriter, who has played guitar in such bands as Sweeney's Men, Spooky Tooth, Paul McCartney & Wings, and The Grease Band. He...
, a Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
native and a lead guitarist on the original 1970 Decca
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
recording of the rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar
Jesus Christ Superstar
Jesus Christ Superstar is a rock opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber, with lyrics by Tim Rice. The musical started off as a rock opera concept recording before its first staging on Broadway in 1971...
. The new line-up immediately mounted an impromptu tour of U.K. universities
Wings University Tour
Wings University Tour was a UK concert tour by Paul McCartney & Wings in 1972, shortly after the band's formation and initial album release, Wild Life. McCartney had formed Wings for the purpose of having a band to go on the road with, and he wasted no time in doing just that...
, followed by a tour of small European venues
Wings Over Europe Tour
In the summer of 1972, Paul McCartney's newly formed band, Wings, set out on a concert tour of Europe. Coming on the heels of a tour of English universities, the Wings Over Europe Tour was intended to promote recent singles "Give Ireland Back to the Irish" and "Mary Had a Little Lamb", as well as...
(with the group driving around in a van). Although this was the first tour including an ex-Beatle after the Beatles broke up, Wings played no Beatles numbers during the tour, to show that it was a new band in its own right.
In February 1972, Wings released a single called "Give Ireland Back to the Irish
Give Ireland Back to the Irish
"Give Ireland Back to the Irish" is a Paul and Linda McCartney song written in response to the events of Bloody Sunday in Northern Ireland on 30 January 1972...
", a response to the events of Bloody Sunday
Bloody Sunday (1972)
Bloody Sunday —sometimes called the Bogside Massacre—was an incident on 30 January 1972 in the Bogside area of Derry, Northern Ireland, in which twenty-six unarmed civil rights protesters and bystanders were shot by soldiers of the British Army...
. The song was banned by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
for its anti-Unionist
Unionism in Ireland
Unionism in Ireland is an ideology that favours the continuation of some form of political union between the islands of Ireland and Great Britain...
political stance and only mentioned in chart rundowns on BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
as "a record by Wings". Despite its limited airplay, it reached #16 in the United Kingdom, as well as #1 in the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
and #1 in Spain. Wings released a children's song, "Mary Had a Little Lamb
Mary Had a Little Lamb (Paul McCartney song)
"Mary Had a Little Lamb" is Wings' version of the traditional nursery rhyme, recorded, according to Paul McCartney at the time, in response to the BBC ban on their previous single, the political "Give Ireland Back to the Irish", though McCartney has since denied this. Wings lead guitarist Henry...
", as its next single, which reached the Top 10 in the United Kingdom. Though critics often interpreted it as a sarcastic reaction to the ban on "Give Ireland Back to the Irish", it was in fact a serious effort by the McCartneys to write a rock song for children, who they felt were being tragically overlooked by the music industry. Wings followed it with November 1972's "Hi, Hi, Hi
Hi, Hi, Hi
"Hi, Hi, Hi" is a song written by Paul and Linda McCartney and performed by Wings. It was released as a double A-side single with "C Moon" in 1972.The single peaked at number five in the United Kingdom and at number 10 in the United States in January 1973...
", which was again banned by the BBC, this time for its alleged drug and sexual references. The B-side, "C Moon
C Moon
"C Moon" is a reggae song written by Paul and Linda McCartney and performed by Wings. It was released as a double A-side with "Hi, Hi, Hi" in 1972. With the ban of "Hi Hi Hi" in the United Kingdom, "C Moon" became a top five hit....
", was played instead. The single made it into the Top 5 in the United Kingdom and the Top 10 in the United States.
The band were renamed "Paul McCartney and Wings" for the 1973 album Red Rose Speedway
Red Rose Speedway
-Additional tracks:-Original LP Recording:Originally planned as a double album, this is the tracklisting from the acetates of the early incarnation of the album dated 13 December 1972...
, which yielded the first U.S. #1 Wings hit, the romantic ballad "My Love". The album was originally intended as a two-record set, and two songs on the final album ("Get On the Right Thing" and "Little Lamb Dragonfly") had been recorded during the Ram sessions, prior to the formation of Wings; Laine added backing vocals to one of these songs, but McCullough was not on either song. Among the unreleased songs recorded by Wings during the extensive sessions for this album (which stretched over seven months and two continents) was the Linda composition "Seaside Woman", which was finally released in 1977 (although credited to "Suzy and the Red Stripes
Suzy and the Red Stripes
The single was first released three years later, in 1977, on Epic Records in the US, due to the efforts of Epic's Steve Popovich, who was given label credit for mastering the original single...
").
Near the end of these sessions, in October 1972, Wings recorded the theme song
Live and Let Die (song)
"Live and Let Die" is the main theme song of the 1973 James Bond film Live and Let Die and was performed by Paul McCartney & Wings for the movie soundtrack and appears on the soundtrack album. The song was one of Wings' most successful singles, and the most successful Bond theme to that point...
to the James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
film Live and Let Die
Live and Let Die (film)
Live and Let Die is the eighth spy film in the James Bond series, and the first to star Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. The film was produced by Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman...
, which reunited McCartney with Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
producer/arranger George Martin
George Martin
Sir George Henry Martin CBE is an English record producer, arranger, composer and musician. He is sometimes referred to as "the Fifth Beatle"— a title that he often describes as "nonsense," but the fact remains that he served as producer on all but one of The Beatles' original albums...
. The uptempo song, released as a non-album single in the summer of 1973 (immediately after "My Love"), became a sizeable worldwide hit and has remained a popular part of McCartney's post-Wings concert performances (often accompanied by pyrotechnics
Pyrotechnics
Pyrotechnics is the science of using materials capable of undergoing self-contained and self-sustained exothermic chemical reactions for the production of heat, light, gas, smoke and/or sound...
). That same year, McCartney released his first American TV special James Paul McCartney, which featured extensive footage of Wings performing in outdoor settings and in front of a studio audience.
After a successful British tour
Wings 1973 UK Tour
During the spring and early summer of 1973, Paul McCartney's band Wings performed on a concert tour of the United Kingdom. The tour was for the purpose of promoting the band's latest album, Red Rose Speedway, as well as the single "Live and Let Die" from the James Bond film of the same name...
in May–June 1973, Wings went into rehearsals for the next album. However, McCullough and Seiwell left the band in August, at the end of rehearsals, leaving the McCartneys and Laine to cut what turned out to be Wings' most successful album, Band on the Run
Band on the Run
Band on the Run is an album by Paul McCartney & Wings, released in 1973. It was Wings' third album. It became Wings' most successful album and remains the most celebrated of McCartney's post-Beatles albums...
, at EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
's primitive eight-track
Multitrack recording
Multitrack recording is a method of sound recording that allows for the separate recording of multiple sound sources to create a cohesive whole...
recording studio in Lagos
Lagos
Lagos is a port and the most populous conurbation in Nigeria. With a population of 7,937,932, it is currently the third most populous city in Africa after Cairo and Kinshasa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa...
, Nigeria. The album went to #1 in both the United States and United Kingdom and spawned three hit singles: the rockers "Jet
Jet (song)
"Jet" is a song by Paul McCartney & Wings from their album Band on the Run. The song peaked at number 7 in both the British and American charts on 30 March 1974. Along with "Helen Wheels" and "Junior's Farm", it is another McCartney song where his primary inspiration for composing the song arose in...
" and "Helen Wheels
Helen Wheels
"Helen Wheels" is a song by Paul McCartney & Wings. The song was named after Paul and Linda McCartney's Land Rover, which they nicknamed "Hell on Wheels"....
" (originally included on the U.S. album only) and the title track—a suite of movements recalling side 2 of Abbey Road. It also included "Let Me Roll It
Let Me Roll It
"Let Me Roll It" is the last track on side one on the Paul McCartney & Wings album Band on the Run. The song was seen by critics as a pastiche to John Lennon's sound, particularly the riff and the use of tape echo on the vocals. McCartney, however, never claimed the song was intended as a pastiche...
", which was seen as an affectionate impersonation of John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
's vocal style, and "No Words", the first song released by Wings that was co-written by Laine (all Wings releases to this time were either Paul and Linda compositions or cover versions). Band on the Run
Band on the Run
Band on the Run is an album by Paul McCartney & Wings, released in 1973. It was Wings' third album. It became Wings' most successful album and remains the most celebrated of McCartney's post-Beatles albums...
enjoyed very positive critical reception and did much to restore McCartney's tarnished post-Beatles image among critics.
Second lineup (1974–1978)
After Band on the Run, Jimmy McCullochJimmy McCulloch
James 'Jimmy' McCulloch was a Scottish musician and songwriter, born in Dumbarton and raised in Clydebank and Cumbernauld, Scotland, who was best known for playing lead guitar in Paul McCartney's Wings from 1974 to 1977...
, former lead guitarist in Thunderclap Newman
Thunderclap Newman
Thunderclap Newman were a British one-hit wonder band that Pete Townshend of The Who and Kit Lambert had formed circa December 1968 - January 1969 in a bid to showcase the talents of John "Speedy" Keen, Andy "Thunderclap" Newman and Jimmy McCulloch....
and Stone the Crows
Stone the Crows
Stone the Crows were a blues band formed in Glasgow in late 1969.-History:The band were formed after Maggie Bell was introduced to Les Harvey by his elder brother, Alex Harvey...
, joined the band. The first Wings project with McCulloch was McGear
McGear (album)
McGear is the second solo album by English singer Mike McGear, released in 1974.The album was a collaboration between McGear and his older brother Paul McCartney, who produced the record. All tracks on the album are performed by McCartney's band Wings, although all lead vocals are sung by McGear...
, a 1974 collaboration between Paul and his younger brother Mike McGear
Mike McCartney
Mike McCartney , known professionally as Mike McGear, is a British performing artist and rock photographer and the younger brother of Paul McCartney...
, with session musician Gerry Conway
Gerry Conway (musician)
Gerald Conway is an English folk and rock drummer/percussionist, best known for having performed with the backing band for Cat Stevens in the 1970s, Jethro Tull during the 1980s, and currently a member of Fairport Convention as well as his side projects...
playing drums. Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
chose not to play up the "Wings" angle in its marketing for McGear, and the album sold poorly. However, the sessions also generated a single credited to McGear's group The Scaffold
The Scaffold
The Scaffold were a comedy, poetry and music trio from Liverpool, England, consisting of Mike McGear , Roger McGough and John Gorman.-Career:...
, "Liverpool Lou", which became a top-10 hit in the United Kingdom.
Shortly thereafter, Geoff Britton
Geoff Britton
Geoff Britton is a rock drummer known for his work with Paul McCartney's Wings from 1974 to 1975, where he was featured on the Venus and Mars album,...
joined Wings on drums, and the first recording session with this full lineup was held in Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, where the band stayed at the farm of songwriter Curly Putman Jr
Curly Putman
Claude "Curly" Putman, Jr. is an American songwriter, based in Nashville. His biggest success was "Green, Green Grass of Home" , which was covered by Elvis Presley, Johnny Darrell, Gram Parsons, Joan Baez, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Roberto Leal, Merle Haggard, Bobby Bare, Joe Tex, Nana...
. The trip immortalised in the 1974 non-album single "Junior's Farm
Junior's Farm
"Junior's Farm" is a song written by Paul and Linda McCartney and performed by Paul McCartney and Wings. A number-three hit single in the United States, it was recorded in Nashville, Tennessee in 1974, while the band was staying at the farm of Curly Putman Jr., which accounts for the title. The...
", backed with a straight country track entitled "Sally G
Sally G
"Sally G" was the B-side to the Paul McCartney and Wings single "Junior's Farm." Like the A-side, it was recorded in Nashville in 1974 during the band's visit. Unlike the A-side, it was strongly country music-influenced, including prominent use of Nashville backing musicians such as Vassar...
", the group's last release on Apple Records
Apple Records
Apple Records is a record label founded by The Beatles in 1968, as a division of Apple Corps Ltd. It was initially intended as a creative outlet for the Beatles, both as a group and individually, plus a selection of other artists including Mary Hopkin, James Taylor, Badfinger, and Billy Preston...
. In a rare occurrence, both sides of the single separately reached the Billboard Top 20 in the U.S. During these sessions, Wings (with guest musicians Chet Atkins
Chet Atkins
Chester Burton Atkins , known as Chet Atkins, was an American guitarist and record producer who, along with Owen Bradley, created the smoother country music style known as the Nashville sound, which expanded country's appeal to adult pop music fans as well.Atkins's picking style, inspired by Merle...
and Floyd Cramer
Floyd Cramer
Floyd Cramer was an American Hall of Fame pianist who was one of the architects of the "Nashville sound." He popularized the "slip note" piano style where an out-of-tune note slides effortlessly into the correct note...
) also recorded a single that was attributed to The Country Hams entitled "Walking in the Park with Eloise," a song written years before by Paul's father James.
Venus and Mars
Venus and Mars is the fourth album by Wings. Released as the follow-up to the enormously successful Band on the Run, Venus and Mars continued Wings' string of success and would prove a springboard for a year-long worldwide tour...
(1975), the first release from the group on Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
. The album topped the charts and contained the U.S. #1 single "Listen to What the Man Said", which also featured Dave Mason
Dave Mason
David Thomas "Dave" Mason is an English singer, songwriter, and guitarist from Worcester, who first found fame with the rock band Traffic...
of Traffic
Traffic (band)
Traffic were an English rock band whose members came from the West Midlands. The group formed in April 1967 by Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood and Dave Mason...
on guitar and Tom Scott
Tom Scott (musician)
Tom Scott is an American saxophonist, composer, arranger, conductor and bandleader of the west coast jazz/jazz fusion ensemble The L.A. Express.-Biography:Scott was born in Los Angeles, California...
on saxophone. When the Venus and Mars
Venus and Mars
Venus and Mars is the fourth album by Wings. Released as the follow-up to the enormously successful Band on the Run, Venus and Mars continued Wings' string of success and would prove a springboard for a year-long worldwide tour...
recording sessions moved to New Orleans, Britton quit Wings and was replaced by Joe English. Like Seiwell before him, English won the job at a secret audition before McCartney. McCulloch co-composed (with former bandmate Colin Allen
Colin Allen
Colin Allen is an English blues drummer and songwriter.-Career:Allen took up drums at the age of 18, playing initially with local jazz musician in Dorset...
) and sang one song ("Medicine Jar"); Laine sang lead vocals on a McCartney song ("Spirits of Ancient Egypt"); Paul composed and sang the rest.
In the autumn of 1975 Wings embarked on the Wings Over the World tour
Wings Over the World tour
In 1975 and 1976, Wings embarked on the ambitious Wings Over the World tour.-History:In contrast to Wings' two low-profile, smaller-scale outings of 1972, this was a major, highly publicised concert tour that took place mostly in arenas...
, following a postponement to allow McCulloch to recuperate from a hand fracture. Starting in Bristol, the tour took them to Australia (November), Europe (March 1976), the United States (May/June), and Europe again (September), before ending in a four-night grand finale at London's Wembley Empire Pool. For this tour, added to Wings' stage act was a horn section consisting of Tony Dorsey, Howie Casey
Howie Casey
Howard William "Howie" Casey is a British rhythm and blues and rock saxophonist. He first came to prominence in the early 1960s as a member of Derry and the Seniors, the first rock and roll band from Liverpool to play clubs in Germany, and later, as leader of the renamed Howie Casey and the...
, Thaddeus Richard, and Steve Howard on horns, brass, and percussion.
Wings at the Speed of Sound
Wings at the Speed of Sound is the fifth album by Wings and was recorded and issued in 1976 in the midst of a large world tour as the follow-up album to the popular Venus and Mars.- History :...
, which was released at the end of March 1976, just prior to the U.S. leg of the world tour. It represented a departure from the prior Wings template in that each of the five primary members of the band (including Linda and English) sang lead on at least one song, and both Laine ("Time to Hide") and McCulloch ("Wino Junko", again with Colin Allen) contributed songs. However, the two U.S. #1 singles, "Silly Love Songs
Silly Love Songs
Silly Love Songs is a song written by Paul and Linda McCartney and performed by Wings. The song appeared on the 1976 album, Wings at the Speed of Sound. It was also released as a single in 1976. The US single was released on 1 April 1976 and reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The UK single was...
" and "Let 'em In
Let 'em In
"Let 'Em In" is a song by Wings from their 1976 album Wings at the Speed of Sound. It was written and sung by Paul McCartney and reached the top 3 in both the United States and the United Kingdom: It was a #2 hit in the UK, and in the US it was a #3 pop hit and #1 easy listening hit...
", were both written and sung by Paul. Four of the album tracks were played in the 1976 portion of the tour, which also included five Beatles songs. Laine sang lead vocals on several songs (including his old Moody Blues hit "Go Now
Go Now (song)
"Go Now" is a 1964 song composed by Larry Banks and Milton Bennett. It was first recorded by Bessie Banks, and most successfully by The Moody Blues.-Bessie Banks:The song was first recorded by Larry Banks' former wife, Bessie Banks...
", Paul Simon
Paul Simon
Paul Frederic Simon is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.Simon is best known for his success, beginning in 1965, as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, with musical partner Art Garfunkel. Simon wrote most of the pair's songs, including three that reached number one on the US singles...
's "Richard Cory" and his own composition "Time To Hide"), and McCulloch on one ("Medicine Jar"), emphasising that Wings was more than just Paul McCartney's backing band. One of the Seattle concerts from the American leg of the 1975–76 world tour was filmed and later released as the concert feature Rockshow
Rockshow
Rockshow is a 1980 concert film by Wings, filmed during their 1976 North American tour. It features 30 songs from four concerts of the tour: New York, May 25 ; Seattle, Washington, June 10 ; Los Angeles, California, June 22 ; and Los Angeles, California, June 23 , although both the cover of the...
(1980). The tour's American leg, which also included Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
in New York City and Boston Garden
Boston Garden
The Boston Garden was an arena in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Designed by boxing promoter Tex Rickard, who also built the third iteration of New York's Madison Square Garden, it opened on November 17, 1928 as "Boston Madison Square Garden" and outlived its original namesake by some 30 years...
in Boston, Massachusetts, spawned a triple live album, Wings over America
Wings over America
Wings over America is the sixth album by Wings and their only live album. In its initial release, it was a triple album and included a poster of the band.-Recording history:...
(1976), which became the fifth consecutive Wings album to reach #1 in the U.S. From this album came a single release of the live version of "Maybe I'm Amazed
Maybe I'm Amazed
"Maybe I'm Amazed" is a song written by Paul McCartney that was first released on his McCartney album on 17 April 1970. The studio version from the album has never been released as a single. McCartney dedicated the song to his wife, Linda, who had helped him get through the break-up of The Beatles...
" from the McCartney
McCartney (album)
McCartney is the debut solo album by Paul McCartney. Apart from Linda McCartney's vocal contributions, McCartney performed the entire album solo...
album. The single's flipside was "Soily
Soily
"Soily" is a song written by Paul McCartney which was performed by his band Wings, usually at the end of concerts as an encore. This song appeared while the Band on the Run demos were recorded, with McCartney on drums. At least seven takes were recorded in 1974 at Abbey Road Studios for inclusion...
", a previously unreleased rocker that was often used as a closer for the concerts.
Virgin Islands
The Virgin Islands are the western island group of the Leeward Islands, which are the northern part of the Lesser Antilles, which form the border between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean...
, but the sessions were interrupted by Linda's pregnancy and then by the departures of both McCulloch and English. McCulloch, who joined The Small Faces
The Small Faces
The Small Faces were an English rock and roll band from East London, heavily influenced by American rhythm and blues. The group was founded in 1965 by members Steve Marriott, Ronnie Lane, Kenney Jones, and Jimmy Winston, although by 1966 Winston was replaced by Ian McLagan as the band's...
, had difficulty handling the rock 'n' roll lifestyle, ultimately dying of a heroin overdose in 1979. English joined Chuck Leavell
Chuck Leavell
Chuck Leavell is an American pianist and keyboardist, who was a member of The Allman Brothers Band throughout the height of their popularity, a founding member of the jazz-rock combo Sea Level, a frequently-employed session musician, and later, the keyboardist for Eric Clapton and The Rolling...
's band Sea Level
Sea Level (band)
Sea Level is the name of a fusion group that mixed jazz, blues and rock. It existed between 1976 and 1981. Initially, it was an offshoot of The Allman Brothers Band, but as tensions grew between the loss of two of its founding members, and personal greivances between Gregg Allman and other...
and later founded the Christian-oriented Joe English Band.
Undeterred by their departure, Wings released the already-completed McCartney/Laine ballad "Mull of Kintyre
Mull of Kintyre (song)
"Mull of Kintyre" is a song written by Paul McCartney and Denny Laine and performed by Wings. The song was written in tribute to the picturesque Kintyre peninsula in Scotland, where McCartney has owned High Park Farm since 1966, and its headland or Mull of Kintyre.The song was Wings' biggest hit...
", an ode to the Scottish Mull of Kintyre
Mull of Kintyre
The Mull of Kintyre is the southwesternmost tip of the Kintyre Peninsula in southwest Scotland. From here, the Antrim coast is visible and an historic lighthouse, the second commissioned in Scotland, guides shipping in the intervening North Channel...
coastal region where McCartney had made his home in the early 1970s. Its broad appeal was maximised by a pre-Christmas release. It became an international hit, dominating the charts in Britain (where it was Wings' only #1 single), Australia and many other countries over the Christmas/New Year period. Ultimately, it became the first single to exceed sales of 2 million in the UK, eclipsing the previous all-time best-seller (the Beatles' "She Loves You") and remains one of the biggest selling U.K. singles of all time. However, it was not a success in the United States, where the B-side "Girls School" received most of the airplay but barely reached the Top 40.
The core trio of Wings then released the album London Town in 1978. Much of the album included McCulloch and English, having been recorded before their departures, but only pictures of the remaining trio appeared on the album. It was a commercial success, although it became the first Wings album since Wild Life not to reach #1 in the United States (peaking at #2). London Town featured a markedly softer-rock, synth-based sound than prior Wings albums. Laine co-wrote five of the album's songs with McCartney and sang two of them. "With a Little Luck
With a Little Luck
"With a Little Luck" is a single by the band Wings from their 1978 album London Town. The song was written by Paul McCartney in Scotland and recorded on board the boat Fair Carol in the Virgin Islands prior to the departure of lead guitarist Jimmy McCulloch and drummer Joe English from Wings...
" reached #1 in the United States and #5 in the United Kingdom, but "I've Had Enough" and "London Town" were commercial disappointments in both countries.
Third lineup (1978–1981)
Later in 1978, lead guitarist Laurence JuberLaurence Juber
Laurence Juber is an English-born guitarist who currently lives in California. Born 12 November 1952 in Stepney, East London, he was raised and went to school in North London...
and drummer Steve Holley joined the band, restoring Wings to touring strength. In 1979, McCartney signed a new record contract, leaving Capitol, the company he had been with since he was a Beatle, in the United States and Canada and joining Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
, while remaining with Parlophone/EMI in the rest of the world. Influenced by the punk and New Wave scenes, Wings abandoned its mellow touch and hired Chris Thomas
Chris Thomas (record producer)
Chris Thomas is an English record producer who has worked extensively with The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Roxy Music, Badfinger, Elton John, Paul McCartney, Pulp and The Pretenders. He has also produced breakthrough albums for The Sex Pistols and INXS.Thomas is quoted as saying -Early life:Thomas was...
to help in the production process. The result was a somewhat less polished sound. This new version of Wings released the disco-oriented single "Goodnight Tonight
Goodnight Tonight
"Goodnight Tonight" is Wings' disco-inflected single which included a spirited flamenco guitar break. It peaked at number five in both the United Kingdom and United States during 1979. The track did not appear on Wings' then-current LP Back to the Egg , however it was included on the 1987 McCartney...
", backed by "Daytime Nighttime Suffering
Daytime Nighttime Suffering
"Daytime Nighttime Suffering" is a song written by Paul McCartney and recorded by Wings. It was the B-side to the 1979 single "Goodnight Tonight," which was a top-five hit in both the UK and USA. It was released on CD in 1993 as part of the release of The Paul McCartney Collection, and can be...
", which reached the top 5 in both the United States and United Kingdom. However, the subsequent album Back to the Egg
Back to the Egg
Back to the Egg is the seventh and final studio album by Wings, released in 1979. It is also Wings' first album for Columbia Records after leaving long-time United States distributor Capitol Records in 1978...
was not favourably received by critics and although sales were disappointing, at least compared to immediate predecessors, still it went platinum in the United States. It contained the Grammy-winning song "Rockestra Theme
Rockestra Theme
"Rockestra Theme", one of Paul McCartney's harder-rocking songs, was recorded on October 3, 1978, at Abbey Road Studios by an all-star collection of musicians dubbed "Rockestra", although the song is technically credited to Wings...
", the result of an October 1978 superstar session with members of Wings, The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
, Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
, and Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
, among others. Two singles were culled from the album, but both performed poorly on the charts. One album song ("Again and Again and Again") was composed and sung by Laine; the rest were Paul's.
During much of 1979, Wings were inactive as McCartney worked on a new solo album (McCartney II
McCartney II
McCartney II is the third album by Paul McCartney, and the first since the formation of Wings in 1971. It was released in 1980, a year before the band's dissolution and while their future lay in limbo...
) without the band. In November and December 1979, Wings performed its final tour of the United Kingdom
Wings UK Tour 1979
On 23 November 1979, Paul McCartney's band Wings began a 19-date concert tour of the United Kingdom to promote their newest album, Back to the Egg....
, once again adding the horns and brass section consisting of Tony Dorsey, Howie Casey, Thaddeus Richard, and Steve Howard. This tour climaxed with a massive "Rockestra" all-star collection of musicians in London in aid of UNICEF and Kampuchean refugees. Also during this tour, a live version of the McCartney II track "Coming Up
Coming Up (song)
"Coming Up" was the opening track from Paul McCartney's McCartney II album, written by McCartney and released in 1980. Like the rest of the album, the song had a minimalist synthesized feel to it. It featured lead vocals from McCartney distorted by using vari-speed, and he played all the...
" was recorded in Glasgow and became Wings' sixth and final U.S. #1 hit (as well as the last Wings single A-side, although once again credited to "Paul McCartney and Wings") the following year.
Plans for a new Wings world tour were abandoned when Paul McCartney was arrested for possession of about 7.7 ounces of marijuana at Tokyo airport on 16 January 1980. Other Wings members were questioned but not charged. Although McCartney was released from jail after nine days, on 25 January, he was deported from Japan. As a result, the Japanese tour was cancelled along with other short-term plans for Wings.
During 1980, Wings continued to demo some more tunes, and some work was done on a never-released "cold cuts" album of previously unreleased songs. Finally, in October 1980, Wings returned to the studio to record demonstration versions of a number of songs for its next album. However, following the murder of John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
in December 1980, Paul McCartney was unable to continue with the sessions, and Wings went into hiatus. McCartney restarted the project on 2 February 1981 as a solo album to be dedicated to Lennon, and soon after Juber and Holley left the band, although Laine continued as part of what became the Tug of War sessions, which ended on 3 March. On 27 April 1981, it was announced that Laine also had left the group, and that Wings had formally disbanded. McCartney claimed that the group members "parted in a friendly way."
Potential reunion
In March 1997, former Wings members Laine, Juber and Holley did an impromptu "Wings" reunion at a Beatlefest convention in East Rutherford, New JerseyEast Rutherford, New Jersey
East Rutherford is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 8,913. It is an inner-ring suburb of New York City, located west of Midtown Manhattan....
. This was not a planned event, and no further reunions were intended. However, ten years later, in July 2007, Laine, Juber and Seiwell (excluding Paul McCartney, who was not interested in participating) reunited for one show at a Beatlefest (now called "The Fest for Beatles Fans") convention in Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
. "Mull of Kintyre" and "Go Now". According to one report, Laine said that the three are discussing plans for a reunion tour. Laine and Seiwell appeared again at The Fest for Beatles Fans in March 2010 in Secaucus, New Jersey, and were joined by Juber at The Fest in August 2010 in Chicago.
Legacy
Paul McCartney was unquestionably Wings' leader and star, but Laine, Jimmy McCulloch, Juber and Linda McCartney all wrote songs for the group, and Laine, McCulloch, English, and Linda McCartney all performed lead vocals on Wings songs. Nevertheless, every song on a single credited to Wings was at least co-composed by Paul McCartney, and the only three songs to appear on Wings singles that were not sung by him were all B-sidesA-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
: "I Lie Around" (Laine, flip of "Live and Let Die"), "Cook of the House" (Linda McCartney, flip of "Silly Love Songs"), and "Deliver Your Children" (Laine, flip of "I've Had Enough").
The success of Wings was a vindication for McCartney (although at least one commentator felt that McCartney really did not need the vindication). His early home-grown solo output, which often featured simpler songs and less lavish production than the Beatles received from George Martin
George Martin
Sir George Henry Martin CBE is an English record producer, arranger, composer and musician. He is sometimes referred to as "the Fifth Beatle"— a title that he often describes as "nonsense," but the fact remains that he served as producer on all but one of The Beatles' original albums...
, often was dismissed by critics as "lightweight" next to the more serious nature of his former bandmates' solo output after the break-up. But, by 1975, Lennon's solo career had been put on hold following the birth of his son Sean
Sean Lennon
is an American singer, songwriter, musician, guitarist and actor. He is the only child of John Lennon and Yoko Ono. His godfather is Sir Elton John.-Early life and education:...
, and he stopped recording. A year later, George Harrison
George Harrison
George Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
had all but retired from performing live (although not from recording). Ringo Starr
Ringo Starr
Richard Starkey, MBE better known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English musician and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for The Beatles. When the band formed in 1960, Starr was a member of another Liverpool band, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. He became The Beatles' drummer in...
was living in L.A. and was writing and recording successfully, but as a solo artist had not been performing onstage other than rare guest appearances (and would not tour until many years later, in 1989). Meanwhile, McCartney and Wings continued to tour regularly and to enjoy hit singles and albums the world over. By 1980, even Lennon was envious of Wings' (and McCartney's) continuing success, which largely inspired Lennon's own comeback that year.
In addition to its own output, Wings recorded several songs that were released though various outlets after the band's break-up. The solo albums of three former Wings members feature songs performed by Wings. Three songs on Laine's 1980 solo album Japanese Tears
Japanese Tears
Japanese Tears is the third album by guitarist Denny Laine, released shortly before the demise of Paul McCartney's band Wings, of which Laine was a member. The album was released in 1980 .- Background :...
– "Send Me The Heart" (written by Laine and Paul McCartney), "I Would Only Smile" (written by Laine, from the "Red Rose Speedway" sessions) and "Weep For Love" (written by Laine, from the Back to the Egg sessions) – were performed by Wings with Laine on lead vocals. Juber's instrumental "Maisie", from the Back to the Egg sessions, appeared on his solo album Standard Time. After Linda McCartney's death, a compilation of her songs entitled Wide Prairie
Wide Prairie
Wide Prairie is a posthumous compilation by Linda McCartney. The album was compiled and released in 1998 by Paul McCartney after his wife's death, after a fan wrote in enquiring about "Seaside Woman"; a reggae beat type song which Wings had recorded in 1977, under the name Suzy and the Red...
was released that featured seven Wings songs written or co-written by Linda: the Suzy and the Red Stripes
Suzy and the Red Stripes
The single was first released three years later, in 1977, on Epic Records in the US, due to the efforts of Epic's Steve Popovich, who was given label credit for mastering the original single...
' songs "Seaside Woman", recorded in 1972 during Red Rose Speedway, and "B-Side to Seaside", co-written by Paul and recorded in 1977 during London Town, as well as "Oriental Nightfish", recorded during Band on the Run
Band on the Run
Band on the Run is an album by Paul McCartney & Wings, released in 1973. It was Wings' third album. It became Wings' most successful album and remains the most celebrated of McCartney's post-Beatles albums...
, "I Got Up", co-written by Paul and recorded during the McGear sessions (before Britton joined Wings), "Wide Prairie", recorded during the Nashville sessions, "New Orleans", recorded during Venus & Mars, and "Love's Full Glory", recorded in 1980 after the Japanese fiasco. Wings also backed Paul's brother Mike McGear on the McGear album, as well as McGear's band The Scaffold
The Scaffold
The Scaffold were a comedy, poetry and music trio from Liverpool, England, consisting of Mike McGear , Roger McGough and John Gorman.-Career:...
on the single "Liverpool Lou" and its B-side "Ten Years After on Strawberry Jam". McCartney also used three unreleased Wings songs, "Mama's Little Girl" (1972), "My Carnival" (1975), and "Same Time Next Year" (1978), as B-sides of his solo singles several years after Wings' break-up. Denny Laine's 1977 'solo' album, Holly Days
Holly Days
Holly Days is the second album by guitarist Denny Laine, released in 1977. It is a tribute to singer-songwriter Buddy Holly.- Background :The album was produced by Paul McCartney, who also played most of the instruments on the album...
, was actually a joint effort by Laine with Paul and Linda McCartney, the same trio who - as Wings - had recorded Band on the Run
Band on the Run
Band on the Run is an album by Paul McCartney & Wings, released in 1973. It was Wings' third album. It became Wings' most successful album and remains the most celebrated of McCartney's post-Beatles albums...
, the most heralded album of Wings' career.
During its life, Wings had 12 top-10 singles in the United Kingdom and 14 top-10 singles (including six #1s) in the United States. All 23 singles credited to Wings reached the U.S. Top 40 (and one single reached it with each side). Wings had only one fewer #1 single in the United States than John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr combined in their post-Beatle careers. Of the nine albums credited to Wings during the band's life, all went top 10 in either the United Kingdom or United States, with five consecutive U.S. #1s. (The only Wings album not to reach the U.S. Top 10 was Wings Greatest
Wings Greatest
Wings Greatest is a compilation album by the band 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 Paul McCartney's post-Beatles career...
.)
Wings' 1977 single "Mull of Kintyre"/"Girls School" is still the biggest-selling non-charity single in the United Kingdom (although Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
's "Bohemian Rhapsody
Bohemian Rhapsody
"Bohemian Rhapsody" is a song by the British rock band Queen. It was written by Freddie Mercury for the band's 1975 album A Night at the Opera...
" sold more, its sales include a reissue in aid of the Terrence Higgins Trust
Terrence Higgins Trust
Terrence Higgins Trust is a British charity that campaigns on various issues related to AIDS and HIV. In particular, the charity aims to reduce the spread of HIV and promote good sexual health ; to provide services on a national and local level to people with, affected by, or at risk of...
), and it ranked fourth in the official list of all-time best selling singles in the United Kingdom issued in 2002.
In June 2007, Apple's higher-quality iTunes Plus
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
was released, featuring albums from EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
. Among the albums included were the nine original albums from Wings. As of 4 June 2007, Band on the Run
Band on the Run
Band on the Run is an album by Paul McCartney & Wings, released in 1973. It was Wings' third album. It became Wings' most successful album and remains the most celebrated of McCartney's post-Beatles albums...
was the third most downloaded album from iTunes Plus.
Wings are sometimes the subject of satirical reference; the more pop-friendly style of the band has attracted tongue-in-cheek comparisons with the Beatles. Steve Coogan's comic creation Alan Partridge
Alan Partridge
Alan Gordon Partridge is a fictional radio and television presenter portrayed by English comedian Steve Coogan and invented by Coogan, Armando Iannucci, Stewart Lee and Richard Herring for the BBC Radio 4 programme On The Hour...
naturally admires Wings, referring to them as "the band the Beatles could have been." In The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
episode "Burns' Heir
Burns' Heir
"Burns' Heir" is the eighteenth episode of The Simpsons fifth season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on April 14, 1994. In the episode, Mr. Burns has a near-death experience which prompts him to find an heir to inherit his wealth after he dies...
", a cult deprogrammer states that he "did get Paul McCartney out of Wings," to which Homer
Homer Simpson
Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons and the patriarch of the eponymous family. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared on television, along with the rest of his family, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
replies "You idiot! He was the most talented one."
Personnel
During its ten-year lifespan, Wings underwent numerous personnel changes, including twice being reduced to its core McCartney-McCartney-Laine trio.Line-ups
>- Paul McCartneyPaul McCartneySir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
- vocals, bass, keyboards, guitar - Linda McCartneyLinda McCartneyLinda Louise McCartney, Lady McCartney was an American photographer, musician and animal rights activist. Her father and mother were Lee Eastman and Louise Sara Lindner Eastman....
- vocals, keyboards - Denny LaineDenny LaineDenny Laine is an English songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, guitarist, and lead singer of The Moody Blues' 1965 debut album "The Magnificent Moodies"; and, later, best known for his role as co-founder of Wings...
- vocals, guitar, bass, piano - Denny Seiwell - drums, percussion
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
- vocals, bass, keyboards, guitar
Linda McCartney
Linda Louise McCartney, Lady McCartney was an American photographer, musician and animal rights activist. Her father and mother were Lee Eastman and Louise Sara Lindner Eastman....
- vocals, keyboards
Denny Laine
Denny Laine is an English songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, guitarist, and lead singer of The Moody Blues' 1965 debut album "The Magnificent Moodies"; and, later, best known for his role as co-founder of Wings...
- vocals, guitar, bass, piano
Henry McCullough
Henry McCullough Henry McCullough Henry McCullough (born Henry Campbell Liken McCullough, 21 July 1943, Portstewart, Northern Ireland is an Irish guitarist, vocalist and songwriter, who has played guitar in such bands as Sweeney's Men, Spooky Tooth, Paul McCartney & Wings, and The Grease Band. He...
- guitar, vocals
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
- vocals, bass, keyboards, guitar, drums
Linda McCartney
Linda Louise McCartney, Lady McCartney was an American photographer, musician and animal rights activist. Her father and mother were Lee Eastman and Louise Sara Lindner Eastman....
- vocals, keyboards
Denny Laine
Denny Laine is an English songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, guitarist, and lead singer of The Moody Blues' 1965 debut album "The Magnificent Moodies"; and, later, best known for his role as co-founder of Wings...
- vocals, guitar, bass, piano
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
- vocals, bass, keyboards, guitar
Linda McCartney
Linda Louise McCartney, Lady McCartney was an American photographer, musician and animal rights activist. Her father and mother were Lee Eastman and Louise Sara Lindner Eastman....
- vocals, keyboards
Denny Laine
Denny Laine is an English songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, guitarist, and lead singer of The Moody Blues' 1965 debut album "The Magnificent Moodies"; and, later, best known for his role as co-founder of Wings...
- vocals, guitar, bass, piano
Jimmy McCulloch
James 'Jimmy' McCulloch was a Scottish musician and songwriter, born in Dumbarton and raised in Clydebank and Cumbernauld, Scotland, who was best known for playing lead guitar in Paul McCartney's Wings from 1974 to 1977...
- vocals, guitar
Geoff Britton
Geoff Britton is a rock drummer known for his work with Paul McCartney's Wings from 1974 to 1975, where he was featured on the Venus and Mars album,...
- drums, percussion
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
- vocals, bass, keyboards, guitar
Linda McCartney
Linda Louise McCartney, Lady McCartney was an American photographer, musician and animal rights activist. Her father and mother were Lee Eastman and Louise Sara Lindner Eastman....
- vocals, keyboards
Denny Laine
Denny Laine is an English songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, guitarist, and lead singer of The Moody Blues' 1965 debut album "The Magnificent Moodies"; and, later, best known for his role as co-founder of Wings...
- vocals, guitar, bass, piano
Jimmy McCulloch
James 'Jimmy' McCulloch was a Scottish musician and songwriter, born in Dumbarton and raised in Clydebank and Cumbernauld, Scotland, who was best known for playing lead guitar in Paul McCartney's Wings from 1974 to 1977...
- vocals, guitar
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
- vocals, bass, keyboards, guitar, drums
Linda McCartney
Linda Louise McCartney, Lady McCartney was an American photographer, musician and animal rights activist. Her father and mother were Lee Eastman and Louise Sara Lindner Eastman....
- vocals, keyboards
Denny Laine
Denny Laine is an English songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, guitarist, and lead singer of The Moody Blues' 1965 debut album "The Magnificent Moodies"; and, later, best known for his role as co-founder of Wings...
- vocals, guitar, bass, piano
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
- vocals, bass, keyboards, guitar
Linda McCartney
Linda Louise McCartney, Lady McCartney was an American photographer, musician and animal rights activist. Her father and mother were Lee Eastman and Louise Sara Lindner Eastman....
- vocals, keyboards
Denny Laine
Denny Laine is an English songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, guitarist, and lead singer of The Moody Blues' 1965 debut album "The Magnificent Moodies"; and, later, best known for his role as co-founder of Wings...
- vocals, guitar, bass, piano
Laurence Juber
Laurence Juber is an English-born guitarist who currently lives in California. Born 12 November 1952 in Stepney, East London, he was raised and went to school in North London...
- vocals, guitar
Discography
Studio albums- Wild Life (1971)
- Red Rose SpeedwayRed Rose Speedway-Additional tracks:-Original LP Recording:Originally planned as a double album, this is the tracklisting from the acetates of the early incarnation of the album dated 13 December 1972...
(1973) - Band on the RunBand on the RunBand on the Run is an album by Paul McCartney & Wings, released in 1973. It was Wings' third album. It became Wings' most successful album and remains the most celebrated of McCartney's post-Beatles albums...
(1973) - Venus and MarsVenus and MarsVenus and Mars is the fourth album by Wings. Released as the follow-up to the enormously successful Band on the Run, Venus and Mars continued Wings' string of success and would prove a springboard for a year-long worldwide tour...
(1975) - Wings at the Speed of SoundWings at the Speed of SoundWings at the Speed of Sound is the fifth album by Wings and was recorded and issued in 1976 in the midst of a large world tour as the follow-up album to the popular Venus and Mars.- History :...
(1976) - London Town (1978)
- Back to the EggBack to the EggBack to the Egg is the seventh and final studio album by Wings, released in 1979. It is also Wings' first album for Columbia Records after leaving long-time United States distributor Capitol Records in 1978...
(1979)