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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Don't Believe the Critics!, January 28, 2004
By critics amateur and professional alike, Wings at the Speed of Sound has been greatly underrated and underappreciated. But to those of us who LISTEN to the sounds that we call music, rather than succumbing to the rock press's strange requirements for "coolness," this album is both interesting and passionate.
For example, two of the songs most often criticized are the albums two hit singles, "Let `Em In" and "Silly Love Songs." They have both been called lightweight and lacking substance. With "Let `Em In," the reason for this is probably that the song is basically built around one chord that is subtly altered as the song progresses. Critics have said that this keeps it from being a true song, but in actuality this is part of its brilliance. Remember that the Beatles' "Tomorrow Never Knows" is built around one chord, too. That song sounds like it was dropped here from another world, but so does "Let `Em In." The difference is that one seems to come down to you from above, while the other builds itself up organically from below using baroque techniques of augmentation. (Not that I am trying to compare the two songs, or claim that this one rivals the experimentation of the other.) This song ends up as one of McCartney's most unique and oddly wonderful (or wonderfully odd?) pieces. Similarly, "Silly Love Songs" has been wrongly dismissed. Critics manage to applaud its excellent bass line, but they entirely look past the simply beautiful melodies and excellent arrangement. Have they listened to the glorious three-voice polyphony of the second half of the song? Brilliant.
Another example of misplaced criticism: "Cook of the House." It is often said that this song is oddly song by Linda, or that she is off-key. I ask you, do you really think McCartney doesn't know whether or not she is off-key? The point is that the McCartneys meant for the song to sound this way. After all, it is supposed to be a wife at home singing in her kitchen.
The album has merits well beyond these two great songs. First of all, it plays well from beginning to end. It stands up well to repeated listens. It also contains many other well-written and well-performed songs. Denny Laine's magnificent high voice is exhibited on the McCartneys' "The Note You Never Wrote" and his own "Time to Hide." "Must Do Something About It" and "Beware My Love" have been praised elsewhere, and "Wino Junko" is a solid contribution from Jimmy McCulloch. Finally, the brilliant "Warm and Beautiful" is one of McCartney's most beautiful songs. It has been criticized as sappy by those aforementioned critics, but it is simply one of McCartney's gems, on a par with similar parts of "Golden Slumbers," "Let It Be," and "Hey Jude." This is not just a forgotten beauty, but one that was never noticed in the first place. (We are also lucky to have the excellent CD bonus tracks.)
Beyond the music itself, this album is lambasted for its lyrics and subject matter. Stephen Thomas Erlewine has said elsewhere that Paul McCartney has been wrongly criticized for his strengths: his melodicism and his domesticity. I echo that sentiment here. Those are his strengths, and he either consciously or unconsciously constructs this album in defiance of his critics. He knows his place and he knows it is the critic, not he, who has something to prove. Why else would he allow Linda to sing off-key, or write a song actually entitled "Silly Love Songs"?
While his fellow magicians John Lennon and George Harrison were trying to make people cosmically conscious with grand, lofty visions like Lennon's "Imagine" or "Instant Karma" and Harrison's "My Sweet Lord," McCartney and Ringo Starr attempted to show us the other side of awareness. McCartney knows that enlightenment is not just the Buddha sitting on a mountain-top feeling compassion for everyone; it is also a mother cooking dinner, a father opening the door to friends and family, and a lover writing a song to his beloved. So, you see, it appears that even after they parted, the Beatles were still working together to bring us the message in all its forms. Don't criticize any one part. We need them all to have the complete package. Don't let the critics fool you: Wings at the Speed of Sound is a worthy bearer of that message.
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21 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The hipsters are finally coming around, December 10, 2005
(3 1/2 stars of 5)
For years I have heard/been told to avoid AT THE SPEED OF SOUND, because, afterall, McCartney actually 'allowed' the other members of Wings proper to have space on the album. I'm kicking myself for being so easily duped by those supposedly 'in the know.'
First and foremost, this is not a McCartney masterpiece, like RAM is, or BAND ON THE RUN, or FLOWERS IN THE DIRT, or McCARTNEY, or CHAOS AND CREATION IN THE BACKYARD or VENUS AND MARS. No, the lyrics are not as relevant as those aforementioned albums, and yes, other members of Wings get the spotlight, but in the end, AT THE SPEED OF SOUND is thoroughly enjoyable taken on its own merits.
There are several hidden and long lost McCartney gems found here. It's a sin that the absolutely rocking, throaty and gutsy "Beware My Love" has been forgotten by Paul when it comes time for things like the WINGSPAN album, which looks back at old career highlights. "Warm and Beautiful" is a melancholy McCartney ballad that ranks up there with his best '70s work, and I defy anyway to not listen to "She's My Baby" and not have it in your head for the next week or so.
Elsewhere, I really enjoyed the contributions of the other Wings members. Linda McCartney is quite enjoyable on the appealing "Cook of the House," where you can tell that Paul is playing upright bass. Take it for what it's meant to be, and it's great. Longtime Wings member Denny Laine shines here too, on the rocker "Time to Hide" and McCartney's own "The Note You Never Wrote", both of which I play just as much as the McCartney-sung tracks found on this album. Drummer Joe English surprisingly shows he's the second best singer in Wings with the very cool "Must Do Something About It" (also written by Paul), and Jimmy McCulloch contributes the airy and still fresh sounding "Wino Junko."
After all the years of being told to avoid this album, I should have looked at the facts. It was a #1 album for a very long time in 1976, sold loads of copies, and had two huge #1 singles in "Silly Love Songs" and "Let 'Em In." Only recently have I really appreciated the value of these two singles in the McCartney cannon. The latter song is just really cool---sublime and addictive in its presentation. And Paul's right...what exactly is wrong with a silly love song or two? "Silly Love Songs" is great based on the fact alone that it's Paul shouting out a big "F... you" to the critics (not literally, but you know what I mean.) I'll say this---these two singles hold up way better than anything John Lennon did after the IMAGINE album, and I go back to this Wings album more than, say, John's WALLS AND BRIDGES. So yeah, it's nice to see (from reading articles on the internet and overall chatter amongst those rediscovering the solo work of the individual Beatles) that the so-called hipsters are finally coming around to this album and some other forgotten McCartney works (like RED ROSE SPEEDWAY, which I just rediscovered myself).
Taken on its own merits, AT THE SPEED OF SOUND is highly enjoyable and well worth the money. Another highlight is the fact that Paul's awesome bass work is mixed pretty well up to the front on these tracks, and it really adds to the overall punch of the album. Bonus track "Sally G" (the b-side to the hit Wings single "Junior's Farm") is yet another long lost McCartney classic, increasing the value of this purchase.
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13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Digitally Remastered, not improved?, October 21, 2005
For some reason, most of the 1970-1990 McCartney/Wings catalogue is now available in two versions: the Capitol CDs and the British remastered "McCartney Collection".
The British CD's offer, in many cases, more bonus tracks than the Capitol CD's, on this release they are the same though. Why not include Junior's Farm???
The remastering of the British series is, to my ears, NOT a bonus. The signal has been compressed in such a way, that the average level is louder than on the Capitol CD's, although the peaks are not. The balance has changed: low frequencies have been boosted, resulting in a somewhat muddy sound and a less focused midrange. This has also affected the stereo image. To me, the Capitol CDs are sonically superior and closer to the original LPs.
I found the remastered sound a disappointment, not doing justice to the obvious care that went into the original production!
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