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Wings at the Speed of Sound

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Wings at the Speed of Sound
Studio album by
Wings
Released25 March 1976
RecordedAugust–October 1975
  • January–February 1976
StudiosAbbey Road, London
GenreSoft rock
Length46:36
LabelCapitol
ProducerPaul McCartney
Wings chronology
Venus and Mars
(1975)		 Wings at the Speed of Sound
(1976)		 Wings over America
(1976)
Singles from Wings at the Speed of Sound
  1. "Silly Love Songs"
    Released: 1 April 1976
  2. "Let 'Em In"
    Released: 28 June 1976

Wings at the Speed of Sound[a] is the fifth studio album by the British–American rock band Wings, released on 25 March 1976. Issued at the height of the band's popularity, it reached the top spot on the US album chart—the band's fourth consecutive album to do so—and peaked at number 2 on the UK album chart. Both singles from the album also reached the top 5 of the UK and US singles charts, with "Silly Love Songs" reaching number 1 in the US.

The album was recorded and released in the midst of Wings' highly successful Wings Over the World tour, with songs from the album performed on the tour after its release. Subsequently, performances of "Let 'Em In", "Time to Hide", "Silly Love Songs" and "Beware My Love" were included on the live album Wings over America, released in December 1976.

In response to critics who believed Wings was merely a vehicle for Paul McCartney, the album featured every member of the band taking lead vocals on at least one song, and two songs from the album are written or co-written by band members other than the McCartneys.

History

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After a series of concerts in Australia in November 1975, Wings took a break from the tour to spend the holidays with their families and in January 1976 booked time at Abbey Road Studios in London to finish the recording of Wings at the Speed of Sound begun late the previous year. It was the first time Wings had recorded a full album in England since Red Rose Speedway. Due to tour commitments, Wings were not allowed to record in another location. By the end of February, the album was complete, and Wings went back on the road.

Around the time of the studio sessions for Wings at the Speed of Sound, Wings were facing criticism for being merely a vehicle for McCartney. He encouraged each of the band members to contribute a song during the sessions. McCartney had previously attempted to create a democratic album in the proposed double LP of Red Rose Speedway, though his record label rejected it.[3]

Engineer Peter Henderson later commented, "I remember one of my first engineering jobs, working with Paul McCartney on Wings at the Speed of Sound — he'd do two vocal takes and ask, 'Which is the better one?' And when he played guitar, he'd really lean into it and give it everything he got."[4] Two tracks ("The Note You Never Wrote" and "Warm and Beautiful") were arranged by Fiachra Trench.[5]

Recording

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The album was recorded at Abbey Road in two different periods of sessions: initial sessions took place in August/September and October 1975, with work resuming in January–February 1976. During the playback of "Must Do Something About It", Paul heard drummer Joe English singing and decided to have him take the lead vocal. In "Cook of the House", McCartney played the double-bass, while "Silly Love Songs" was arranged in a disco-style, in a similar fashion to Al Green's "Sha La La".[6] Fiachra Trench had the Gabriel String Quartet adding strings to "The Note You Never Wrote".[7]

Artwork

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The cover artwork was designed by Aubrey Powell of Hipgnosis; Hipgnosis had designed the artworks for Band on the Run and Venus and Mars.[8] Shot by Linda and Powell, the artwork features the album title against the marquee of the Leicester Square Theatre in London.[8] Powell said that it shot early in the morning on the top of an aerial work platform during a cold night: "We set it up at night and we shot it with available light [...] the light that came through on a long-time exposure from the opaque Perspex of the actual cinema. It only took us a couple of hours, then it was all back to [Paul's] for a cup of coffee."[9] For the inner sleeve, Paul commissioned a painting by Humphrey Ocean, which depicts the doors of a theater opening to a Robert Ellis photograph of the band underneath a banner reading Speed of Sound. McCartney enjoyed his painting so much that he employed Ocean as the artist for the Wings over America tour.[10] The inner sleeve also contains photographs from the recording sessions taken by Linda, while the back cover features multiple-exposure photographs of the band members by Clive Arrowsmith, arranged in five rows—similar to the Beatles' A Hard Day's Night album cover.[11]

Release

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Wings at the Speed of Sound was released in the United States on 25 March 1976, and a week later in the United Kingdom.[b][1][13] Despite Capitol Records' requests, McCartney initially refused to release any singles, telling a journalist: "We've released the album before any singles, mainly because the radio stations haven't been told what our preference is, and they can decide for themselves. And they'll play various cuts and see which rises to the surface."[14]

The album reached number 2 in the United Kingdom (and was the 4th best-selling album of 1976). It became McCartney's most successful American chart album since his days in the Beatles, spending seven nonconsecutive weeks at number 1 throughout the summer (blocking the new Beatles compilation Rock 'n' Roll Music, which reached number 2). Wings at the Speed of Sound sold 3.5 million copies worldwide.[15]

Much of the album's success can be attributed to its two singles: "Silly Love Songs", a response to his critics, which became one of 1976's biggest-selling singles, followed by "Let 'Em In", which also scaled the singles charts. Amid all this, Wings finally went to North America for the Wings Over America Tour, playing McCartney's first shows there in ten years (after the Beatles' final tour of America in 1966) to euphoric reaction; four selections from At the Speed of Sound were included in the tour setlist: "Let 'Em In", "Silly Love Songs", "Time to Hide" and "Beware My Love".

Denny Laine covered "Time to Hide" and "The Note You Never Wrote" in 1996 on his album Denny Laine Performs the Hits of Wings.[16]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStar[17]
Classic Rock7/10[15]
The Essential Rock Discography4/10[18]
MusicHound Rock2/5[19]
PopMattersStarStarStarStarStar[20]
QStar[21]
Record CollectorStarStarStar[22]
The Rolling Stone Album GuideStarStarStar[23]
SoundsStarStarStar[24]
The Village VoiceB−[25]

Wings at the Speed of Sound received lukewarm critical reviews. Stephen Holden, writing in Rolling Stone, described it as a "Day with the McCartneys" concept album. The introduction, "Let 'Em In" was perceived as an invitation to join the McCartneys on this fantasy day, with explanation of their philosophy ("Silly Love Songs"), a lunch break ("Cook of the House"), and a chance to get to know McCartney's friends (Denny Laine in "The Note You Never Wrote", Jimmy McCulloch in "Wino Junko", etc.).[26] Reviewing in The New York Times, John Rockwell called the album "a more refreshing testimony to Mr. McCartney's current skills and ambitions than the earlier, more pretentious [Venus and Mars] was." Nevertheless, Rockwell noted that McCartney, compared to his Beatles works, has "settled into his solo career for the straightforward production of 'disposable' pop".[27]

Chris Welch of Melody Maker wrote a quite favorable review: "This is not an album that hits you with the sustained power of Band on the Run or Venus and Mars. Much good music then on an album that will engender fierce comparisons with the past two albums, but will increase the growing worldwide appeal of Wings."[28] More negatively, Sounds magazine's Barbara Charone called Wings at the Speed of Sound "a major disappointment", criticising it for lacking the "magic and excitement" of Wings' live shows.[24] In The Village Voice, Robert Christgau found that McCartney's bandmates were "disgracefully third-rate".[25]

In a retrospective review, AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine stated that Wings at the Speed of Sound is not as cohesive as Venus and Mars, which he attributed to the album being more of a band effort, "not because Wings was not a band in the proper sense, but because nobody else in the band pulled as much weight as McCartney". Although he highlighted some strong efforts such as "Beware My Love", Erlewine ultimately called the album one of McCartney's "most transient works".[17] Author Howard Sounes said that, although the album featured Wings' strongest lineup, most of the tracks were "mediocre".[29] Erlewine and Sounes both criticised Linda's singing on "Cook of the House" as awkward and badly sung.[17][29] Ultimate Classic Rock's Nick DeRiso found that McCartney's attempts to democratise the band "doomed" the album, writing: "The tossed-together At the Speed of Sound simply had too much Wings, and not enough Paul McCartney."[30] More positively, in his book Paul McCartney: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs (Vol. 1) 1970–1989 (2023), author Luca Perasi writes that the album was a "smart marketing move by McCartney" to "strengthen Wings, presenting them as a real group with an album which had room for everyone to shine."[31]

Further releases

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In 1993, Wings at the Speed of Sound was remastered and reissued on compact disc as part of The Paul McCartney Collection series; "Walking in the Park with Eloise", which had been released under the name the Country Hams, its B-side "Bridge on the River Suite", and the Wings track "Sally G" (the B-side to their single "Junior's Farm") were added as bonus tracks. All were recorded in Nashville in 1974.

Track listing

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All tracks written by Paul and Linda McCartney, except where noted.

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
1."Let 'Em In" P. McCartney5:10
2."The Note You Never Wrote" Denny Laine4:21
3."She's My Baby" P. McCartney3:08
4."Beware My Love" P. McCartney with L. McCartney6:28
5."Wino Junko"Jimmy McCulloch, Colin Eric AllenJimmy McCulloch5:21
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
6."Silly Love Songs" P. McCartney with L. McCartney and Laine5:54
7."Cook of the House" L. McCartney2:39
8."Time to Hide"LaineLaine4:32
9."Must Do Something About It" Joe English3:43
10."San Ferry Anne" P. McCartney2:07
11."Warm and Beautiful" P. McCartney3:13
Total length:46:36
Additional tracks on the 1993 CD reissue
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
12."Walking in the Park with Eloise"Jim McCartneyInstrumental3:10
13."Bridge on the River Suite" Instrumental3:11
14."Sally G" P. McCartney3:40

Archive Collection reissue

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On 23 September 2014 the album was re-issued by Hear Music/Concord Music Group as part of the fifth set of releases, alongside Venus and Mars, in the Paul McCartney Archive Collection. It was released in multiple formats:[32]

  • Standard edition: 2-CD; the original 11-track album on the first disc, plus 7 bonus tracks on the second disc.
  • Deluxe edition: 2-CD/1-DVD; the original 11-track album, the 7 bonus tracks disc, and a hardback book featuring unpublished photographs, new interviews with Paul, material from Paul's archives and expanded track-by-track information. The deluxe version bonus DVD comprises filmed material from around the time of the album release, some of which has never been seen before. The DVD features rare and previously unseen footage, including the documentaries "Wings over Wembley", "Wings in Venice" and the "Silly Love Songs" music video.
  • Remastered vinyl: The album is available on a special gatefold vinyl edition (the vinyl edition includes a download card).
  • High resolution: Digital album is available as both standard and deluxe versions – including mastered for iTunes and in high resolution.

Disc two – bonus audio

  1. "Silly Love Songs" (demo) – 2:44
  2. "She's My Baby" (demo) – 3:46
  3. "Message to Joe" – 0:24
  4. "Beware My Love" (John Bonham version) – 5:35
  5. "Must Do Something About It" (Paul's version) – 3:37
  6. "Let 'Em In" (demo) – 4:18
  7. "Warm and Beautiful" (instrumental demo) – 1:27

Disc three – DVD

  1. "Silly Love Songs" (music video) – 5:45
  2. "Wings Over Wembley" – 13:22
  3. "Wings in Venice" – 3:10

Personnel

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Additional musicians

  • Tony Dorsey – trombone
  • Thaddeus Richard – saxophone, clarinet, flute
  • Steve Howard – trumpet, flugelhorn
  • Howie Casey – saxophone
  • George Tidwell – trumpet
  • John Bonham – drums (Archive Collection issue version of “Beware My Love” only)
  • uncredited session musicians – orchestrations

Production

Charts

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Certifications and sales

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Certifications and sales for Wings at the Speed of Sound
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
France (SNEP)[56] Gold 100,000*
Japan (Oricon) — 79,000[37]
United Kingdom (BPI)[57] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[58] Platinum 1,000,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Notes

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  1. ↑ Referred to as At the Speed of Sound by Paul McCartney's website and the 2025 book Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run.[1][2]
  2. ↑ The book Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run lists the release date as 22 March 1976.[12]

References

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  1. 1 2 "Paul McCartney | At the Speed of Sound". PaulMcCartney.com. Archived from the original on 13 March 2026. Retrieved 1 March 2026.
  2. ↑ McCartney 2025, pp. 273–274.
  3. ↑ Elson 1986, pp. 117–119.
  4. ↑ Buskin, Richard (July 2005). CLASSIC TRACKS: Supertramp's 'Logical Song', Sound on Sound.
  5. ↑ Perasi 2013.
  6. ↑ Perasi 2013, pp. 137–146.
  7. ↑ Perasi 2023, p. 229.
  8. 1 2 Kozinn & Sinclair 2024, p. 346.
  9. ↑ McCartney 2025, pp. 282–283.
  10. ↑ Kozinn & Sinclair 2024, pp. 347–348.
  11. ↑ Kozinn & Sinclair 2024, p. 348.
  12. ↑ McCartney 2025, p. 273.
  13. ↑ Kozinn & Sinclair 2024, p. 352.
  14. ↑ Welch, Chris (27 March 1976). "Pressure Cooking". Melody Maker. p. 13.
  15. 1 2 Sexton, Paul (October 2014). "Wings Reissues". Classic Rock. p. 97.
  16. ↑ "Performs the Hits of Wings". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 17 January 2013. Retrieved 28 December 2011.
  17. 1 2 3 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Wings at the Speed of Sound – Wings, Paul McCartney & Wings, Paul McCartney". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 7 May 2021. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  18. ↑ Strong 2006, p. 696.
  19. ↑ Graff & Durchholz 1999, p. 731.
  20. ↑ Bergstrom, John (1 December 2014). "Paul McCartney and Wings: Wings at the Speed of Sound". PopMatters. Archived from the original on 12 December 2014. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  21. ↑ Nicol, Jimmy (October 1993). "Re-releases: Paul McCartney The Paul McCartney Collection". Q. p. 119.
  22. ↑ Staunton, Terry (October 2014). "Wings Venus and Mars / Wings at the Speed of Sound". Record Collector. p. 99.
  23. ↑ Kot, Greg (2004). "Paul McCartney". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 527–28. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8. Archived from the original on 4 July 2014. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  24. 1 2 Charone, Barbara (27 March 1976). "Wings: Wings at the Speed of Sound (Parlophone)". Sounds. Retrieved 18 May 2026 – via Rock's Backpages.
  25. 1 2 Christgau, Robert (14 June 1976). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on 25 March 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
  26. ↑ Holden, Stephen (20 May 1976). "Wings at the Speed of Sound". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 9 February 2013. Retrieved 12 August 2011.
  27. ↑ Rockwell, John (22 April 1976). "The Pop Life—3 British Groups Cut New Rock Discs". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 May 2026.
  28. ↑ Welch, Chris (27 March 1976). "Wings: Wings at the Speed of Sound". Melody Maker. Retrieved 18 May 2026 – via Rock's Backpages.
  29. 1 2 Sounes 2010, p. 326.
  30. ↑ DeRiso, Nick (25 March 2016). "The Album Where Paul McCartney Relied Too Much on Wings". Ultimate Classic Rock. Archived from the original on 26 March 2026. Retrieved 18 May 2026.
  31. ↑ Perasi 2023, p. 224.
  32. ↑ "Wings Reissue 'Venus and Mars' and 'At the Speed of Sound'". 23 July 2014. Archived from the original on 31 July 2014. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
  33. 1 2 Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  34. ↑ "Top Albums/CDs. Volume 25, Issue 9 (1976-05-29)". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  35. 1 2 "Dutchcharts.nl – Wings – At The Speed of Sound" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  36. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Wings – At The Speed of Sound" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  37. 1 2 Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  38. ↑ "Charts.nz – Wings – At The Speed of Sound". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  39. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Wings – At The Speed of Sound". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  40. ↑ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  41. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Wings – At The Speed of Sound". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  42. ↑ "Official Albums Chart on 11/4/1976 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  43. ↑ "Paul McCartney Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  44. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Wings – At The Speed of Sound" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  45. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Wings – At The Speed of Sound" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  46. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Wings – At The Speed of Sound". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  47. ↑ "Italiancharts.com – Wings – At The Speed of Sound". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  48. ↑ "Official Albums Chart on 9/11/2014 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  49. ↑ "Billboard 200 Chart". Billboard. 22 November 2014. Archived from the original on 29 January 2015. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  50. ↑ "Paul McCartney Chart History (Top Catalog Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  51. ↑ "RPM Top 100 Albums of 1976". RPM. Archived from the original on 24 February 2014. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
  52. ↑ "Dutch charts jaaroverzichten 1976" (ASP) (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 12 May 2014. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
  53. ↑ "Top Selling Albums of 1975 — The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Recorded Music New Zealand. Archived from the original on 6 October 2022. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  54. ↑ "The Official UK Charts Company : ALBUM CHART HISTORY". Archived from the original on 17 December 2007. Retrieved 17 December 2007.
  55. ↑ "Billboard.com – Year End Charts – Year-end Albums – The Billboard 200". Billboard. Archived from the original on 11 December 2007. Retrieved 11 December 2007.
  56. ↑ "French album certifications – Wings – Wings at the Speed of Sound" (in French). InfoDisc. Select WINGS and click OK. 
  57. ↑ "British album certifications – Wings – Wings at the Speed of Sound". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Formats field. Type Wings at the Speed of Sound Wings in the "Search:" field.
  58. ↑ "American album certifications – Wings – Wings at the Speed of Sound". Recording Industry Association of America.

Sources

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