Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Mervap]

This another one of Macca's albums that was done before I had a working appreciation for his solo stuff beyond "Band". Totally blew it off, never had a chance...couple of hit tunes and a bunch of filler. SWING...and a miss for mervap....at least two of these songs besides the hits warrant a mention. "Beware My Love" rocks like nobody's business...a hidden gem. "Warm & Beautiful" is achingly pretty with great harmonies. Best of the rest include "She's My Baby" with Paulie in R-n-B lite mode, the charming "San Ferry Anne" and three bonus tracks with as wide a range of styles as could be imagined...Not a classic album, but not nearly as bad as I had been brainwashed to believe.

[2 of 3]

Never bought this one.

[Roger]

Never bought this one.

i wonder if you have a reason for that? was it something Paul said?

[2 of 3]

I have no idea....and the weird thing is....I love Wings Over America...which has most of this album on it.....maybe that's why I don't have it...I have all the live versions? 

[Mervap]

Honestly, the live versions are more vital anyway....looking forward to getting the upcoming re-issue!

[chris]

I think this albums suffers from paul's insistence that it should be a band effort. at least it suffers way more than V&M did for doing the same thing. letting others sing on it? it was pretty much just you, paul, that people wanted to hear.

[kylenz]

I think this albums suffers from paul's insistence that it should be a band effort. at least it suffers way more than V&M did for doing the same thing. letting others sing on it? it was pretty much just you, paul, that people wanted to hear.

Well, I have the bootleg of Paul's original demo of 'Must Do Something About It' (with Macca on lead vocal), and although he does a pretty good job, Joe English in my opinion actually did a far superior vocal on the final studio version. I think he took his chance to run-with-the-ball and did a stellar job.

Another top track on here that didn't get a mention, is Denny Laine's 'Time To Hide'. That song, along with 'Beware My Love', would be my two favourite tracks on this album. A feather in the cap as far as the band democracy strategy goes. And I've always felt 'The Note You Never Wrote' is a damn strong track. That's two for Denny!! 

Looking forward to the remastered edition coming out soon, along with Venus and Mars. I've always felt 'Speed of Sound' is a far-better produced album, with a beautiful rich warm bass and mids, compared to the hollow eq-ing on VAM. Nice to see it getting re-released and being shown some retrospective love!

[Greg]

San Ferry Anne is one of my favorite Paul songs ever.  Beatles included.

Not You Never Wrote is fantastic.

A lot of loooooong songs on this record.  With A Little Luck is 6 min.  Beware is 6 and a half (but it kicks a**).  Wino Junko is 5, etc.

I love the album cover.  It holds up even today.  Just that old classic billboard.  They could have even widened the shot (Again, I was not consulted.)

[kylenz]

A lot of loooooong songs on this record.  With A Little Luck is 6 min.

That's London Town of course - the opening side on Side 2 (I still think of these albums in terms of Side 1 / Side 2, in spite of decades of the advent of the cd!)

But Siily Love Songs (Side 2 opener) and Let Em 'In (Side 1 opener), I'm sure, were both over the 5 min mark. Yeah, some long sprawling tracks on here, but I guess there's a hint of a prog rock influence coming in (especially with 'Note' and 'Beware').. all a part of the times. Then you've got the short throwaways like Linda's 'Cook of the House'!

Yeah, it's a shame to see this album not get so much love, and often comes down near the bottom of many 'favourite Macca albums' lists by fans. Maybe the 'silly love song' singles are not popular with the hardcore fans either - I think they're fab! And I love the re-recording of Silly Love Songs he did for Broadstreet with the super-funky slap-bass sound. The original is 'in the pocket' but the re-recording was pretty cool! 

[Greg]

Yeah, meant to write Silly Love Songs is 6 min.  I was getting up and playing those two albums just flipping them over at random.

Anyway...I forgot about that remake of it.  I'm going to get that album out and play that right now.  I remember liking it a lot.

Exhibit A:  I might have mentioned this before, but I bought Wing's Greatest thinking he had re-recorded all those songs.  I kept listening really closely thinking, "Man, they sound just like the original recordings."

Yep, you all are dealing with an idiot on this Beatle forum.  See Exhibit A.

[kylenz]

Exhibit A:  I might have mentioned this before, but I bought Wing's Greatest thinking he had re-recorded all those songs.  I kept listening really closely thinking, "Man, they sound just like the original recordings."

Wings Greatest almost deserves a thread of its own. Until 'All The Best' came along, this was the only way to get all those terrific singles on an LP format. I loved it because it was the only way I could get to hear 'Another Day', 'Live and Let Die', 'Junior's Farm', 'Hi Hi Hi'.. apart from hearing the songs on the radio which became less and less as the eighties kicked in. I remember when I was a kid, my only way of listening to 'Another Day' was via this LP of cover versions by unnamed acts, with a beautiful bikini girl on the front cover! '12 Top Hits' was the name of it! 

[Greg]

...and Mull of Kintyre.

[kylenz]

I had the Mull of Kintyre 45, but didn't have Another Day, Live and Let Die, Junior's Farm etc.. but yeah a good collection of all that stuff to make sure everyone had all the singles, though there's nothing from Venus and Mars. I guess they had to skip ahead somewhat and focus on promoting the more recent stuff for that time (1978?).

[kylenz]

I'd like to get onboard with that, but I've always felt that greatest hit albums should always run in strict chronological order.

So, does anyone have the new Speed of Sound? I think it is fantastic! The remastering really benefits songs such as 'Note You Never Wrote' - makes it sound 'big' and gives it plenty of life - the best it's ever sounded. It's also cool to hear the John Bonham version of 'Beware My Love'. Totally bringing that rumbling Zep shuffle beat to the song! Having said that though, I still totally dig the drumming on the original.