Selected from 90 hours of recordings, Wings over America is a faithful account of the 1975-76 world tour that captures the band at its peak. It was taped at several of the U.S. shows but mixed as if it were a single performance. Paul combined old Beatles favorites with highlights from a solo catalog that was now achieving a real stature.
C**E
Got here on time
Always have liked this. Still sounds great.
G**H
A great collection of songs.
A great collection of songs.
R**T
Great live album
Good stuff that doesn’t get air play
D**M
Looks brand new!
Great price and looks brand new!
J**A
It’s a ROCKSHOW... all the fun of a live Wings concert
People forget today how insanely popular Wings were in the mid- to late-1970s, but Macca and company performed in front of a million concert-goers during their 'Wings Over the World' tour in 1975-76, and this live recording of that tour hit number one on the Billboard 200 on January 22, 1977. Coming on the heels of "Wings At the Speed of Sound," this live album was Wings' second release in 1976, and their last until 1978's "London Town."There are 30 songs on "Wings At the Speed of Sound:" 5 were Beatles songs, with songwriting credited to 'McCartney-Lennon' instead of the usual 'Lennon-McCartney;' 21 songs were originally recorded by Wings; and 1 was a McCartney song from his solo career between McCartney's work with the Beatles and the formation of Wings. This last song, "Maybe I'm Amazed," was the only single from "Wings Over America," itself hitting the #10 position on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1977. The remaining songs on this album were a Simon & Garfunkel song and a Moody Blues song, both sung by Denny Laine, and a Wings song, "Soily," which hadn't previously been recorded.This album comes achingly close to being a truly great 70s concert album-- right up there with Zeppelin's "Song Remains the Same" or Peter Frampton's "Frampton Comes Alive"-- and probably would have been recognized as such if bootleg recordings from the same concert tour hadn't been released as an unauthorized three-album set in 1976. McCartney was worried that the bootleg edition, which had poor sound quality, would outsell his planned two-record set... or worse, that people would think that these inferior recordings were the official live album, and that word would get around that Wings’ live album wasn’t any good... so he tacked a third LP onto this double album at the last possible moment, turning it into a three-record collection so that it could compete with the three-record bootleg head-on, hoping to bury it with heavy marketing. The problem with adding the third disc is that its sound quality wasn't up to McCartney's usual standards, forcing the band to return to the studio to re-record new vocals and guitar tracks, which were then mixed back into into the raw concert footage to create something that wasn't a studio recording but wasn't truly live, either. While this process probably created an idealized re-enactment of a live Wings performance, the sound quality still dips noticeably on some songs on the last record, and audience reactions to the music also seem a little more muted towards the end-- possibly because McCartney faded the audience response out a bit in an effort to clean up the band's output tracks.There are a number of highlights on “Wings Over America,” though, and all things considered, it's still a great live album from the classic era of live arena rock shows. All of the Beatles songs covered here are pretty terrific, especially “Lady Madonna,” which has a little more 'swing' here than in the Beatles release, and it's wonderful hearing a live version of “Blackbird.” Of the Wings songs performed here, “Let Me Roll It” and “Bluebird” have always been personal favorites, and of course the single version of “Maybe I’m Amazed” is a classic Wings hit. “Letting Go” is another great track, and although none of the songs on this album sound terrible, I truly wish that the original sound quality of this song was just a bit better.At the end of the day, "Wings Over America" is a fantastic live recording of a classic rock and roll outfit at the height of its popularity. Two discs would have sufficed, but the third disc contains great Wings music which makes it a nice bonus. I'd recommend it for Wings or Beatles fans, people who enjoy live concert recordings, or anyone trying to collect many of Wings' hits in a single purchase.
E**E
Paul's greatest live album
Good sound quality.I don't like slim cases but it is what it is
J**5
One of the greatest!
IMO this is one of the best live concert performances of all time.If you like Paul McCartney and Wings, you'll love this!
D**O
Listen to what this man says....
Rather than fight with Magneto and Titanium Man, I ordered Wings Over America from Wooden Nickel Records in Fort Wayne. Man, what a throwback to the younger days....on two counts!
N**A
Muito bom.
Perfeito. O melhor do Paul ao vivo. Imperdível.
P**R
Rock Show
Great to hear PM & Wings live. Sir Paul’s voice at its peak .So good to hear Jimmy playing live. Miss Juniors Farm! My go to CD.Quick delivery.
P**O
Ottimo disco
Conosco bene la musica dei Beatles e di parte della produzione solista di Mc Cartney, ma non avevo mai ascoltato questo doppio live . È stata una bella sorpresa; la gran parte dei pezzi è di alto livello , e si può ascoltare un Mc Cartney che suona il basso in modo strepitoso , specialmente in brani come " Lettin go " , " Silly love Song " , " Band on the run " ...un disco assolutamente da avere . L' audio è di buon livello .
V**R
Un très bon live
Sûrement un des meilleurs album en public de Maca.
F**G
McCartney en plenas facultades.
El mejor directo de Maca, sin lugar a dudas.
