Album Review: Paul McCartney And Wings - Wings Over America

It's uncertain whether this album serves better as a reminder of what the '70s sound was all about or just a snapshot of that era's hedonistic superstardom. By creating this band as a foil for his own material, McCartney found a way of having fun on the road, something lacking in the latter years of The Beatles. Wings were a band for the time and would never have survived into the '80s. This reissue is not only a double live album, but has a DVD with some great touring footage; they even drive off from Sydney airport in 1976 with Norman Gunston in tow.

This was the era of stadiums and massive lighting displays and McCartney revels in the performance side of things. The hits from this period include Band On The Run, Live And Let Die and Silly Love Songs, just to mention a few. Of course there are some renditions of his favourite Beatles' songs, like Yesterday and Blackbird, which receive ecstatic applause and make the Wings' material look a little shallow. Wings at this point became a vehicle for the confident McCartney to showcase his talent in a world post-Beatles. The weakness of some of the material is only noticed in hindsight and of course when compared to Lennon's amazing work and Harrison's spiritual meanderings in the same period.

Wings Over America serves as a snapshot of a period in rock'n'roll history where the world was turning into a mass market that expected high levels of performance and showmanship, and McCartney was all over it and having a great time in the process.