The 1970s were a time of tumult, transgression, and transition, when war and Watergate gave way to oil shortages, inflation, unemployment, and a malaise so profound that President Jimmy Carter took to the airwaves one summer’s eve in 1979 and hectored the American people to do better. He claimed “a crisis of confidence” was striking “at the very heart and soul and spirit of our national will. We can see this crisis in the growing doubt about the meaning of our own lives and in the loss of a unity of purpose for our nation. The erosion of our confidence in the future is threatening to destroy the social and the political fabric of America.”
The decade also birthed a string of great artistic works, from music to movies to novels to TV fare. There were a slew of silly fads, too. Remember pet rocks? Mood rings? CB radio? Yeah, yeah: Breaker, breaker, good buddy, hammer down the nostalgia! I’ve written much about the ‘70s on this blog—too much, some might say, especially in the early days. In short, the slow sway of singer-songwriter introspection gave way to disco and punk rock, while mainstream pop and rock mostly held their own. Through it all, Paul McCartney and Wings flew to a beat of their own making. They were never considered cool or hip, especially by the rock press, yet sold records by the bucketload.
Wings (Deluxe) is a two-CD or three-LP set that focuses solely on McCartney’s Wings era (i.e., 1971-79, covering the studio albums Wild Life, Red Rose Speedway, Band on the Run, Venus and Mars, At the Speed of Sound, London Town, and Back to the Egg. (Wings Over America, a great live set, isn’t represented; the “Soily” here hails from last year’s archival One Hand Clapping). Wings Greatest, released in 1978, featured non-album singles alongside solo fare—as did the All the Best, Wingspan: Hits and History, and four-disc Pure McCartney compilations. Wings (Deluxe) follows the same non-chronological formula that they did, but shears off the solo stuff.
Whether a Wings-only compilation is needed is up for debate; the bulk of the songs can be found on Wingspan and Pure, after all. There’s nothing new here nor are there any rarities or alternate versions. The recordings themselves are taken from remasters many McCartney fans already own or have access to via their preferred streaming service. It’s easy to replicate the track list one’s self, in other words, and—if one feels the need—even tweak it by adding Denny Laine’s “No Words” (from Band on the Run), “Time to Hide” (from At the Speed of Sound), and a song I often (slyly) pay homage to in these pages, “Again and Again and Again” (from Back to the Egg). Mercurial guitarist Jimmy McCulloch’s fiery “Medicine Jar” is a worthwhile addition, too. Which is to say, most fans will have quibbles with the song selection.
It does come with a booklet that reminds me a bit of The Beatles Illustrated History, for anyone who remembers that fun (if frustrating) album-by-album tome. Here’s a photo of the Red Rose Speedway spread:
That said, Wings (Deluxe) is a cool collection. It flies past the lows of the ‘70s to remember the highs. To paraphrase the man himself, love isn’t blind but kind—and the same’s true when it comes to memories. You’re sure to hear backyard barbecues with family and friends, hanging with pals on the porch, first dates, and plenty more mixed alongside melodies as infectious as any pressed to vinyl.
The track list:
The Old Grey Cat 
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