Defense Case 3- Wild Life
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Spontaneity. Something people must learn to appreciate in a rock album. Where the songs that complex? No. So what? Where these jam sessions? Yes. But the people jamming were extremely talented musicians, so I didn't care. This was a debut album, most bands start off as jamming bands for several years before they release their first studio album. Wings skipped that waiting period and recorded a studio album, which is fine. Why did everyone criticize a band that had been formed a few months before for not doing a masterpiece. Accept WF for what it is, a good straightforward rock album. Update: people often criticized the album for its lack of complexity and the fact that they had jamming songs released on the album
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I like all the songs on this album. I don't see anything wrong with it. Who has been criticising it? People often talk about the post-Beatles albums, but if you actually compare them, the Beatles ones were very eclectic and often 'jokey' at times, just like some of McCartney's albums - personally I prefer his solo work to the Beatles stuff.
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I think there are great songs on this LP. I never perceived it as a "jam." Wild Life, I Am You Singer, Some People Never Know, Tomorrow, Dear Friend, ALL great songs, IMO.
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I fell in love with Wild Life from the moment I saw its cover artwork, and it lead to Wings becoming my favourite band. I adore songs such as "I Am Your Singer", "Tomorrow", "Bip Bop" and "Dear Friend". I love its raw, naturalistic quality which wasn't replicated in later albums. The cover of "Love Is Strange" was a brilliant addition to the LP too.
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The cover, the songs, Paul's attitude... everything shows it is a distended LP, and a good LP too. Wild Life is a great song for me, Tomorrow is fine, Bip Bop is an official jam... I think the masterpiece could be Dear Friend, but is lack of something brilliant. It starts really good and the melody is awesome, but it hasn't got the magic touch it needs.
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jgm0228:
Spontaneity. Something people must learn to appreciate in a rock album. Where the songs that complex? No. So what? Where these jam sessions? Yes. But the people jamming were extremely talented musicians, so I didn't care. This was a debut album, most bands start off as jamming bands for several years before they release their first studio album. Wings skipped that waiting period and recorded a studio album, which is fine. Why did everyone criticize a band that had been formed a few months before for not doing a masterpiece. Accept WF for what it is, a good straightforward rock album. Update: people often criticized the album for its lack of complexity and the fact that they had jamming songs released on the album
Well, because it was Paul McCartney! He was primarily responsible for side 2 of "Abbey Road" and so this was not just some "debut album" by a jamming band . (Actually, had it been, it would have been totally lost in the shuffle.) I truly hated it at first....'cause I was in the "Abbey Road" frame-of-mind. I thought it very very amateurish. To say the least. I felt embarrassed for Paul. NOW, I don't. Paul was brave to get off the pedestal he had been on with the Beatles and start all over. I bought the remastered album again....and actually listened to it with "new" ears and found that I liked it. I love when that happens. It did previously when I bought "RAM" again...remastered. Loved it!!!! Now it's true of "Wild Life" for me too. Maybe......I'll buy the remastered "McCartney II". I'm thinking that won't happen again, however,...for me....but who knows?? Not sure I can ever get past "Temporary Secretary"....which I truly detested!!!
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jgm0228:
Spontaneity. Something people must learn to appreciate in a rock album. Where the songs that complex? No. So what? Where these jam sessions? Yes. But the people jamming were extremely talented musicians, so I didn't care. This was a debut album, most bands start off as jamming bands for several years before they release their first studio album. Wings skipped that waiting period and recorded a studio album, which is fine. Why did everyone criticize a band that had been formed a few months before for not doing a masterpiece. Accept WF for what it is, a good straightforward rock album. Update: people often criticized the album for its lack of complexity and the fact that they had jamming songs released on the album
Actually, people don't generally criticize Wild Life for lack of complexity or its "jammin'' quality -- those are the charming qualities that make it almost tolerable. They criticize it for the most part because the songs are crap. Except for Linda, these were all experienced musicians, with the head guy being Paul Friggin McCartney, who at that point had demonstrated that he knew a bit about songwriting. That he considered a track like I Am Your Singer -- a dumb song, badly sung -- as a releasable record remains a gobsmacking lack of judgement to this day. The album does have its moments, but mostly is just a misfire.
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Still Loving It. Even I Am Your Singer.
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Besides, it has an amazing sound working. The sound production is bigger here than in RRS and BoTR
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"You didn't finish the bloody thing." -Paul McCartney, referring to Wild Life in the 1980s
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audi:
"You didn't finish the bloody thing." -Paul McCartney, referring to Wild Life in the 1980s
This is from the biography McCartney, by Christopher Sanford.
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Good album. The album gets criticized mainly for the 1st 2 songs - which are essentially non-sensical jams made up on the spot. Contrast that with the public's expectations that Paul would create more strongly crafted songs/melodies a-la Ram, then its easy to see the let-down. Also, the 3rd song is a cover. But, if you judge the album by the actual Paul-penned songs (from Wildlife through Dear Friend), there are some strong songs/melodies. Very underrated. O.K. I can see why Linda's solo vocal on I am your Singer could make a few fans cringe, but overall a great early 70s Paul album. Paul doesnt seem to think much of it though..he's criticized it in public interviews.
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JoeySmith:
Good album. The album gets criticized mainly for the 1st 2 songs - which are essentially jams made up on the spot. Contrast that with the public's expectations that Paul would create more strongly crafted songs/melodies a-la Ram, then its easy to see the let-down. Also, the 3rd song is a cover. But, if you judge the album by the actual Paul-penned songs (from Wildlife through Dear Friend), there are some strong songs/melodies. Very underrated. O.K. I can see why Linda's solo vocal on I am your Singer could make a few fans cringe, but overall a great early 70s Paul album. Paul doesnt seem to think much of it though..he's criticized it in public interviews.
Everyone involved in the album's recording, from engineer Tony Clark to Wings' drummer Denny Seiwell - both interviewed for my book Paul McCartney: Recording Sessions (1969-2013) - has good memories of that album, for its spontaneity and freshness.
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Wild Life is a mediocre album by anyone's standards, and coming just two years after Abbey Road (and two years before Band On The Run), it sticks out like a very sore thumb. And yet I really like the album. Sure, Some People Never Know and Dear Friend ramble on far too long but that's ok, I don't mind that. Even though it was (mainly) recorded at Abbey Road studios, it has that same 'homemade DIY' feel that McCartney had and is all the better for it. It has that organic intimate quality which a later album like London Town could have done with. So maybe Wild Life isn't the best debut album of all time by a major rock band but its still an enjoyable one.
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But those 'non-sensical' jams are sooo good.
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I agree with Wrydskein. The "nonsensical"jams are good, and give the album a more intimate quality. I'm not saying that Wild Life is the best wings album, but I don't believe it deserves the criticism it receives. I also don't have a problem with Linda's vocals. I think she did pretty well considering she had no prior experience in a band. Her vocals continued to improve throughout the Wingspan as well.
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I have it on vinyl and treasure the album. Nonsensical at times sure. Holds a special place. So many great tracks, Love is Strange for starters.
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The funny thing about "Love Is Strange" is that it wasn't planned to be on the album. The band were just jamming on a groove with a few chord changes, and eventually somebody noticed that those were the same chords as in "Love Is Strange," so they just went with it and then recorded it that way.
