Album Review: Paul McCartney and Wings Red Rose Speedway (1973)

Album cover for Red Rose Speedway by Paul McCartney and Wings, 1973.

Paul McCartney rocking the coolest sweater ever.

When the Beatles were tossing around ideas for the film and album that eventually became Let It Be, Paul McCartney put forth the suggestion that they should play some unannounced live gigs at small venues. None of the other Beatles were that enthusiastic about Paul’s suggestion, and eventually the recording sessions culminated with the famous “rooftop concert” on January 30, 1969. It was still a great ending to the sessions, but I can’t help but wonder what would have happened had the Beatles taken up Paul’s suggestion and hit the road for some gigs. It certainly would have provided the group with fantastic publicity—not that they were ever lacking for publicity. 

McCartney formed his band Wings in 1971, and the following year he did exactly what he had wanted the Beatles to do, packing the group up in a van and showing up unannounced at colleges and universities. Wings played 11 concerts in February of 1972, with nary a Beatles song to be heard. Although Paul did sing “Long Tall Sally,” which was a staple of the Beatles’ live repertoire, and was the last song they sang at Candlestick Park in 1966. Paul’s reluctance to play any Beatles songs shows that he wanted to establish his own identity outside of his former band. I suspect that if McCartney had played lots of Beatles songs in concert with Wings, it would have seemed to him to be a tacit admission that his best work was already behind him. 

Paul’s decision to not play any Beatles songs wasn’t unusual for solo performances by the former Beatles during the 1970’s. John Lennon only gave two full concerts during his lifetime, and the only Beatles song that he sang at those 1972 shows was “Come Together.” George Harrison sang four Beatles songs during his 1974 US tour, and one of those, “In My Life,” was a Lennon/McCartney song. (George got a lot of criticism for changing the lyrics of the song to “I love God more.”) 

Wings released three singles during 1972, but no albums. First was the political “Give Ireland Back to the Irish,” which is included as a bonus track on the 2018 reissue of Wild Life. This was followed by “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” Yep, that “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” While the single peaked at number 9 in the UK, it did nothing to assuage the growing critical consensus that McCartney’s music was trite and inconsequential. Much better was the third single of the year, the rocking “Hi Hi Hi” and the languid “C Moon.” “Hi Hi Hi” was predictably banned by the BBC for drug references and also for the lyric that the BBC heard as “get you ready for my body gun.” As McCartney has said, the actual lyric is “get you ready for my polygon.” So, there you go. 

Red Rose Speedway, released on April 30, 1973 in the US and on May 4^th in the UK, was more commercially successful than Wild Life, peaking at number 5 in the UK and topping the charts in the US. Wild Life and Red Rose Speedway were both reissued in December of 2018 as part of the ongoing Paul McCartney Archive Collection series. I’ll be reviewing the two-disc version of Red Rose Speedway.

I think Red Rose Speedway is a stronger record overall than Wild Life. The first track, “Big Barn Bed” is a slight song, but it has the polish that the songs on Wild Life lacked. The big hit single from Red Rose Speedway was Paul’s gushy ballad “My Love,” which topped the charts in the US. It’s a catchy song that sticks in your head, but for McCartney’s detractors it was the kind of big ballad that screamed “middle of the road” rather than “rock star.” “Get on the Right Thing” has a good groove and some excellent vocals from Paul. “One More Kiss” is a nice tune with a country feel. “Little Lamb Dragonfly” is an interesting song, although I’m not really sure what it’s about. Some people think it’s about Paul’s decision to become a vegetarian, and some people think it’s a message to John Lennon. I quite like “Single Pigeon,” even though it’s a silly title for a song. “When the Night” is one of my favorites from the album. Paul’s singing on it is great, and it has a New Orleans/Fats Domino vibe to it. Parts of the melody sound a bit like “Tomorrow,” from Wild Life. 

Like all of McCartney’s solo albums to this point, Red Rose Speedway still has some moments of weird idiosyncrasies, like “Loup (1st Indian on the Moon)” a four-minute long tune that mainly consists of chanting and some odd synths. 

An eleven-minute long medley of four songs closes the album, inviting the inevitable comparisons to Abbey Road. The first song is called “Hold Me Tight,” but it bears no resemblance to the 1963 song of the same name that Paul sang on With the Beatles. The song finds Paul imploring someone to “hug-a me right,” which doesn’t exactly bring confidence in the lyrical content to follow. “Lazy Dynamite” isn’t much better. “Hands of Love” is at least a catchier song. “Power Cut” is fine, if unmemorable. There’s really no reason for these four songs to be strung together as a medley, and the segues between them aren’t that interesting. 

Red Rose Speedway is a more polished album than Wild Life, and I just enjoy listening to Red Rose Speedway more than Wild Life. The difference between the albums is highlighted in the CD packaging for the 2018 reissues, as Red Rose Speedway has a slick, glossy texture, whereas Wild Life has a low-key matte finish. The artwork in the booklet of Red Rose Speedway is very reminiscent of Pop Art, with Marilyn Monroe, missiles, and pin-ups vying for our attention—it looks like it could have come from a Roxy Music album. The back cover of the CD even reproduces the original LP’s Braille message of “We love ya baby,” apparently a message for Stevie Wonder. 

Red Rose Speedway was originally meant to be a double album, and many of those songs that didn’t make the cut are found on disc two. We also get the other 1972 singles, so you can hear “Mary Had a Little Lamb” for yourself. And then you can groove to “Hi Hi Hi” and “C Moon” and wonder how the same man who did a version of the simplest nursery rhyme could go from that to picking up a girl at the station with a bootleg in her hand. Also included is “Live and Let Die,” released just a month after Red Rose Speedway. There’s also a very cool alternate take of “Live and Let Die,” which is fun to hear. Another song of note is “I Lie Around” the B-side of “Live and Let Die,” which marks Denny Laine’s first lead vocal on a Wings recording. We also get to hear Linda McCartney sing on “Seaside Woman,” a song that was recorded during the sessions for Red Rose Speedway but not released until 1977, when it was released as a single credited to “Suzy and the Red Stripes.” Unlikely as it might seem, the song actually made it to number 59 in the US charts. “Mama’s Little Girl” is one of the better songs that was cut from the album. There’s also a cover version of a 1950’s song, “Tragedy,” which was a hit for Thomas Wayne and the DeLons and also the Fleetwoods. 

The Wings lineup for Red Rose Speedway was Paul, Linda, Denny Laine on guitar, Henry McCullough on lead guitar, and Denny Seiwall on drums. As the group was rehearsing new material during the summer of 1973, McCullough and Seiwall left the band. The trio of Paul, Linda, and Denny Laine went to Lagos, Nigeria, to record Wings’ most successful album: Band on the Run, released just seven months after Red Rose Speedway.

Album Review: Paul McCartney and Wings Wild Life (1971)

Album cover of Wild Life, by Wings, 1971.

Paul and Linda McCartney, 1971.

When the Beatles split up in 1970, expectations for Paul McCartney’s solo career were sky-high. But Paul and John Lennon both issued minimalist albums for their proper solo debuts: McCartney, and John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band. It was left to George Harrison to issue the solo album that most fit the mood of the times: the epic, sprawling, triple-disc All Things Must Pass. 

Rock critics probably expected McCartney to make a solo album that was a major statement. What they got instead was the lo-fi weirdness of McCartney, Ram, and Wild Life. McCartney had been a homemade affair, with all the instruments played by Paul. Ram, credited to Paul and his wife Linda, featured a full band and a slightly more polished sound. McCartney’s third solo album, Wild Life, was released in December of 1971, less than seven months after Ram, and was credited to his new band, Wings.

Wait, Paul McCartney was starting a band? After he was just in the Beatles, the greatest band of all-time? Okay, weird. Who was in this new band? A group of rock superstars? Nope, guitarist Denny Laine, and Denny Seiwall on drums. Oh, and Paul’s wife Linda on keyboards and backing vocals. He’s starting a band with his wife? Well, John Lennon was doing the same thing. As I’ve said before, it took guts/stupidity to start a band with a spouse who’s not a professional musician, and Paul and Linda suffered the slings and arrows of the rock critics. 

It’s clear from interviews that it was important to McCartney’s identity to be in a band, rather than just be Paul McCartney, solo artist. Of course, to some degree Wings would inevitably always be “Paul McCartney’s backing band,” but I suspect that being in a band lessened the psychological pressure on McCartney to live up to the huge expectations of making music after the Beatles. 

Wild Life and Red Rose Speedway were both reissued in December of 2018 as part of the ongoing Paul McCartney Archive Collection series. I’ll be reviewing the two-disc version of Wild Life.

Wild Life was a pretty inauspicious debut for Wings, and in my opinion it’s a much weaker album than the superb Ram. Part of the charm of Ram is that even the tossed-off songs, like “Monkberry Moon Delight,” are still awesome, whereas on Wild Life the tossed-off songs just sound, well, tossed-off. Wild Life is a pretty slight album, starting off with the jam “Mumbo” and the repetitive “Bip Bop.” Then we get a cover of “Love is Strange.” While Paul has issued cover albums, it’s extremely rare for him to feature covers in the middle of an album of original material. Like the rest of the album, “Love is Strange” is loose and jammy. 

My two favorite songs on Wild Life are “Tomorrow” and “Dear Friend,” on side two of the album. “Tomorrow” is a very simple song, but it’s catchy as hell, and would be my pick for a single, had one been issued to support Wild Life. (Some copies of “Love is Strange” were issued as a promo single, but the single was never actually released.) “Tomorrow” is a great example of Paul McCartney’s melodic genius, how he can take clichéd lyrics and still turn them into a catchy pop ditty, seemingly at a moment’s notice. 

“Dear Friend” is a stark, haunting piano ballad. Most critics interpreted it at the time as being a response to John Lennon’s venomous song about Paul, “How Do You Sleep?” issued on his Imagine album in September of 1971. However, “Dear Friend” was actually recorded during the Ram sessions, before “How Do You Sleep?” was released. “Dear Friend” has just two verses, and no real chorus or bridge, and it clocks in just shy of six minutes. It’s another example of a song being simple, but still very effective, and quite emotional. “Dear Friend” also features superb vocals from Paul. 

The second disc of Wild Life collects a bunch of previously unreleased home recordings, as well as assorted and sundry rarities. For me, the most interesting home recordings were the two versions of “Dear Friend.” Also of interest is Wings’ 1972 single “Give Ireland Back to the Irish,” which was never issued on an album at the time. The song is McCartney’s response to the events of Bloody Sunday, when British soldiers killed 13 protestors during a march. The song is a rare example of a direct political statement from McCartney. The song was duly banned by the BBC. You can compare and contrast “Give Ireland Back to the Irish” with John Lennon’s own song about Bloody Sunday, “The Luck of the Irish,” which appeared on his 1972 album Some Time in New York City. (Be warned: Yoko sings on it.) 

In my next review, I’ll examine Paul McCartney’s next album, 1973’s Red Rose Speedway.

Concert Review: Paul McCartney at Target Field

The logo for Paul McCartney's Out There tour.

Last night Paul McCartney brought his “Out There” tour to Target Field in Minneapolis. It was a fantastic show from a musical legend. Paul played 39 songs over two hours and 45 minutes! I’m amazed at his energy and stamina. I saw Paul live in Milwaukee last summer, and although the set list was nearly identical, it’s always a pleasure to see him in person. I took my parents and my wife to last night’s show, and it was great to share Paul’s music with the people who are most important to me. My Mom introduced me to The Beatles’ music, and this is the third time I’ve seen Paul live with her, which is pretty cool. 

McCartney’s catalogue of songs is second to no one in rock music. He’s created so many wonderful songs over more than 50 years in the music business. When you go to a Paul McCartney concert you have to remind yourself sometimes, “Oh yeah, he actually WROTE all of these songs!” His discography is so deep that he could play another three hour show filled with the hits that he doesn’t play in his normal set list. 

McCartney’s voice still sounds terrific. After he sang “And I Love Her,” from 1964’s “A Hard Day’s Night,” I turned to my Mom and said, “He still sounds pretty good 50 years later, doesn’t he?” She said, “He sounds the same. It’s amazing.” 

Paul’s backing band is fantastic; they’re able to replicate the sound of The Beatles almost perfectly. Keyboardist Paul “Wix” Wickens handles all of the odd instruments, from accordion on “We Can Work It Out” to kazoo on “Lovely Rita.” Guitarists Rusty Anderson and Brian Ray are both extremely skilled at replicating George Harrison’s guitar sound, but they also make the songs their own. And drummer Abe Laboriel, Jr. holds down the backbeat and has a blast doing it. 

McCartney played Beatles songs that he had never played live before last year, like “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da,” and “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!” It was a treat to hear some of those Beatles songs from the group’s studio days that they never performed live. And it was interesting to hear Paul sing “Mr. Kite,” because John sang the lead vocal on “Sgt. Pepper.” The only new additions to the set this year were four songs from Macca’s latest album, the aptly titled “New,” which came out in October 2013. The songs from “New” all sounded great; he still has his gift for creating beautiful, melodic songs. 

One of the highlights of the show for me was hearing Paul play an extended ending on “Paperback Writer.” That’s one of my favorite Beatles songs, and it was nice to hear a little bit more of it. Paul played the same Epiphone Casino guitar that he had played when The Beatles recorded “Paperback Writer” in the studio, which was a fun bit of history for a Beatlemanic like myself.

As usual in concert, McCartney displayed his instrumental virtuosity, switching effortlessly between piano, guitar, and bass. Some of the emotional highlights of the show were the sing-alongs to “Let It Be” and “Hey Jude.” It’s pretty amazing to go to a concert and have 30,000 or 40,000 people singing along to a song. Other highlights for me were Paul’s tributes to John Lennon and George Harrison. Paul’s beautiful song “Here Today,” which he wrote after Lennon’s murder, is a tender and touching imaginary conversation with his friend and songwriting partner. As a tribute to George, Paul got out his ukulele and told the story of jamming with George and telling him “I’ve learned one of your songs on ukulele.” Paul then started to play “Something” solo on the ukulele. Even though I’ve seen Paul sing “Something” as a tribute to George before, last night it was very emotional. Halfway through the song the rest of the band came in and played it in the traditional Beatles style. It was beautiful to hear, and moving to see Paul pay tribute to his fellow bandmates. 

I’ve been lucky enough to have seen Paul McCartney in concert four times now. I can vividly remember every time I’ve seen him, as it’s not very often you get to see one of the greatest songwriters and musicians ever in person. The Beatles have been my favorite band since I was 11 years old, which is more than 20 years ago now. So seeing Paul in concert is always a special and emotional moment for me, as I’m sure it was for everyone else at Target Field last night.

Paul McCartney set list at Target Field:

 

Eight Days a Week
Save Us
All My Loving
Listen to What the Man Said
Let Me Roll It/Foxy Lady
Paperback Writer
My Valentine
Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five
The Long and Winding Road
Maybe I’m Amazed
I’ve Just Seen a Face
We Can Work it Out
Another Day
And I Love Her
Blackbird
Here Today
New
Queenie Eye
Lady Madonna
All Together Now
Lovely Rita
Everybody Out There
Eleanor Rigby
Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!
Something
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
Band on the Run
Back in the U.S.S.R.
Let it Be
Live and Let Die
Hey Jude

First encore:
Day Tripper
Hi, Hi, Hi
Get Back

Second encore:
Yesterday
Helter Skelter
Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End

Concert Review: Paul McCartney at Miller Park

Paul McCartney

Two weeks ago my wife and I made the road trip from Saint Paul to Milwaukee to see Paul McCartney at Miller Park on July 16^th. Paul put on an amazing show, as always. I’ve been lucky enough to see Paul live twice before, once at the Metrodome in 1993, and once at the Xcel Center in 2005. All of his shows that I’ve seen have been outstanding; he’s a great live performer. At the concert in Miller Park Paul played for close to 3 hours, singing 36 hits spanning his entire career. I’m blown away by McCartney’s energy and passion for performing. It’s very clear that he’s still giving 100% on every single song he sings, even if it’s a song like “Hey Jude” that he’s sung many, many times. McCartney’s stamina is incredible, especially considering that he’s 71, and the fact that it was close to 90 degrees when he started the show. 

McCartney’s band is pretty great-they’ve all been with him for more than 10 years, and it’s definitely the best band he’s had since, well, The Beatles. Keyboardist Paul “Wix” Wickens has been with Paul the longest, since 1989. Guitarists Rusty Anderson and Brian Ray and drummer Abe Laboriel, Jr., have all been with Paul since 2002. All of the members of the band do a great job making Paul’s music come alive night after night. McCartney usually performs the songs in a manner that very closely replicates their original studio versions, which keeps the fans happy. I wouldn’t mind if Paul took a few more chances by rearranging some of the songs now and then, but why tamper with perfection? 

Paul opened with the 1964 classic “Eight Days a Week,” followed by one of my favorite Wings songs, the 1974 single-only “Junior’s Farm.” Paul then played “All My Loving,” which is nearly 50 years old! And he can still hit all those notes 50 years later! “All My Loving” is also the first song the Beatles sang on the Ed Sullivan show. Paul then went back to the Wings years for great versions of “Listen to What the Man Said,” and the rocking “Let Me Roll It,” on which Macca showed off his guitar chops. Paul also pulled out the Epiphone Casino guitar that he used on the original recording of “Paperback Writer.” Paul played some funky piano on the Wings song “Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five,” which was very rocking. I realize that I’m talking about just about all of the songs he sang, but when all 36 songs are some of the best rock songs ever written, it’s hard not to say something about them all. Paul also played “The Long and Winding Road” and “Maybe I’m Amazed” at the piano. He did some songs that he hasn’t performed much before, like “We Can Work It Out,” and the lovely “Another Day,” those were a treat to hear. Paul performed solo on “Blackbird” and the moving “Here Today,” his tribute to John Lennon. I don’t know how Paul can sing “Here Today” every night of the tour without choking up. It’s a wonderful song, and it’s great that he sings it for his friend John. Paul then returned to the piano to play a song he’s never performed live before this tour, “Your Mother Should Know,” from the “Magical Mystery Tour” film and album. And while “Your Mother Should Know” might be a lesser entry in the entire McCartney catalogue, I have a soft spot for it. And it’s so cool to hear a Beatles song that I never thought I would get to hear a Beatle sing live. Paul also sang “All Together Now” and “Lovely Rita” for the first time on this tour, and it was great fun to hear these wonderful songs come to life. Macca returned to the Wings era with the amazingly catchy “Mrs. Vandebilt,” with its simple chorus of “Ho, hey ho.” (This was a very popular song in the Ukraine, according to Paul.) Paul then sang a lovely version of the moving “Eleanor Rigby” before turning to a song from “Sgt. Pepper” more closely associated with John Lennon, “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!” I had heard Paul sing “Mr. Kite” on “The Colbert Report” in June, and I was really surprised that he was singing a song of John’s. But he has periodically sung a couple of John’s songs in concert before, and I think that if anyone can sing those songs well, it’s Paul McCartney. I also just read in “Rolling Stone” that “Mr. Kite” was a song that he co-wrote with John, which I didn’t realize. The next song was Paul’s tribute to his other late band mate, George Harrison, “Something,” played on the ukulele. It’s a great way to remember George, and I think that George would have enjoyed it. Up next was another song that Paul’s playing for the first time on this tour, the White Album favorite “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da.” (Paul sang the correct lyrics this time, so Desmond wasn’t “doing his pretty face,” unlike the studio version.) The ending of the concert featured rocking versions of “Band on the Run,” “Back in the U.S.S.R.,” and “Live and Let Die,” complete with fireworks, as usual. Paul also played the anthems “Let It Be” and “Hey Jude.” The first encore featured the Wings song “Hi, Hi, Hi,” one of my favorite Wings rockers. Paul ended the concert by playing the closing medley from “Abbey Road,” which is probably the coolest way you could close a concert. The trading guitar solos part of “The End” was quite a bit longer in concert, and you could see the joy on the faces of Paul, Rusty, and Brian as they played. 

Paul McCartney is my favorite musician, and it was an amazing and wonderful experience to see him in concert again. The feeling in the air during the concert was one of love and good vibes. Everyone at the concert was having a great time, and Paul seemed very thrilled by the warm welcome he got. Hopefully he’ll play Target Field in Minneapolis next summer. I’ve got my fingers crossed for that!

Here’s the set list from Paul’s show at Miller Park:

• Eight Days A Week
• Junior's Farm
• All My Loving
• Listen To What The Man Said
• Let Me Roll It
• Paperback Writer
• My Valentine
• Nineteen Hundred And Eighty Five
• The Long And Winding Road
• Maybe I'm Amazed
• I've Just Seen A Face
• We Can Work It Out
• Another Day
• And I Love Her
• Blackbird
• Here Today
• Your Mother Should Know
• Lady Madonna
• All Together Now
• Lovely Rita
• Mrs. Vandebilt
• Eleanor Rigby
• Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!
• Something
• Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
• Band on the Run
• Back in the U.S.S.R.
• Let It Be
• Live And Let Die
• Hey Jude

Encore:

• Day Tripper
• Hi, Hi, Hi
• Get Back

Second Encore:

• Yesterday
• Helter Skelter
• Golden Slumbers / Carry That Weight / The End