We continue our look back at the music of 50 years ago…..
When noted music critic Greil Marcus reviewed the 1970 album Self-Portrait from Bob Dylan he famously asked, “What is this sh*t? I would imagine there was more than one critic who thought the same thing after listening to side one of Paul McCartney’s 1971 LP with his new band called Wings. The LP was called “Wild Life” and it is a strange one.
After playing most of his first two post-Beatles LPs himself, McCartney decided he wanted a band and gathered drummer Denny Seiwell and guitarist Denny Laine(ex-Moody Blues) along with his wife Linda on keyboards and went into the studio.
He decided he didnt want polished and, in fact, the first two cuts on the album are studio jams with nonsense lyrics. They also produce a reggae cover of the song “Love Is Strange”…straaange indeed.
The album really doesnt get on more of a logical track until the final cut on side one. The title track is an ode to animals and protecting the planet that Paul wrote after taking an African safari. It’s not bad and Paul’s singing is an unrestrained pleasure.
Side two is pretty good. “Some People Never Know” has Laine channeling George Harrison with a nice solo. Other highlights include ‘Tomorrow”, probably the closest thing to a “Beatles” song on the LP. Linda chimes in on some lead vocals on “I Am Your Singer” and the song “Dear Friend” which is an open letter to John Lennon trying to end their feud. The eventually did bury the hatchet the following year.
The critics hated this at the time calling it “flaccid” and “appalling”. As we said when we reviewed “Ram” earlier this year, most critics and fans expected more from the guy who wrote all those Beatle classics. Some critics have taken another listen to this and are less “appalled” these days. It’s a relaxed McCartney making music on his terms…and. of course Wings will become a hit-making machine as we go through the decade. They just aren’t there yet.
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