Paul McCartney & Wings

Rockshow (Shock)

How do you follow the Beatles? Well, for Paul McCartney it was an opportunity to step out and attempt to conquer the pop world for a second time. In 1976 his band Wings were at the height of their powers. Touring the USA on the back of the platinum Wings At The Speed Of Sound LP, the band had recently scored a #1 with the single Silly Love Songs. Shot in a handful of arenas, most notably the Kingdome in Seattle, the set plays out like a complete concert. Originally released in cinemas in 1980, the film made a foray into the world of VHS rental [1982] and has been out of print ever since. Fully restored with remastered sound, the set now features more material [‘Lady Madonna’ and ‘The Long And Winding Road’], which were not on the original release. The band features McCartney, his wife Linda, all-rounder Denny Laine, guitarist Jimmy McCulloch and drummer Joe English. Opening with Venus And Mars/Jet, highlights from the set include Maybe I’m Amazed, Listen To What The Man Said, Hi Hi Hi and Band On The Run. McCulloch’s Medicine Jar sounds better from the vantage of 2013 and Laine holds his own with Go Now and the superb Time To Hide. McCartney’s voice is in scorching form in the encore, which includes Beware My Love and Soily. Well worth the wait: this is easily the best concert McCartney has ever released. Shortly afterwards McCulloch and English left the group. A re-vamped line-up didn’t have the same magic and, after a Japanese pot bust, Wings folded.

[rating: 4/5]

Mitchell Peters

Courtesy of Shock Records we have 5 copies of ‘Rockshow’ to give away. To enter tell us what type of bass Paul plays in the video. Send your entry [one only] to karen@timeoffmedia.com.au with ‘Rockshow’ in the subject line and your answer and address in the email. Winners will be notified by return email Good luck!