Wings over America

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Wings over America
Live album by Wings
Released	10 December 1976
Recorded	May - June 1976 Studio overdubs: October - November 1976
Genre	Rock
Length	1:55:53
Label	Parlophone/EMI
Producer(s)	Paul McCartney
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link
Wings chronology
Wings at the Speed of Sound (1976)	Wings over America (1976)	Thrillington (Percy "Thrills" Thrillington) (1977)

Wings over America is the sixth album issued by Wings and their only live album. In its initial 1976 release, it was a triple album due to its length, but it was reissued as a double-CD in 1987.

A celebration of the band's highly successful Wings Over America Tour that spring, Wings over America was compiled from all recorded shows of the tour.

McCartney elected to reverse the credit to "McCartney/Lennon" on the five Beatles songs performed on tour and included on Wings over America.

A further note of interest is that many of McCartney's earlier songs from the 1970s, notably ones first found on Red Rose Speedway and Band on the Run, which were originally credited to "Paul and Linda McCartney", are attributed to Paul alone on Wings over America.

Wings over America was another success for McCartney and Wings, reaching #1 in the US in early 1977 and #8 in the UK, selling several million copies.

A film from the tour, Rockshow, was also made, and released in 1981, although it was made exclusively from filmed performances at the Seattle Kingdome.

[edit] Track listing

All songs by Paul McCartney, except where noted.

1. "Venus and Mars/Rock Show/Jet" – 10:20
2. "Let Me Roll It" – 3:45
3. "Spirits of Ancient Egypt" – 4:06
4. "Medicine Jar" (Jimmy McCulloch/Colin Allen) – 4:06
5. "Maybe I'm Amazed" – 5:20
   • Released as a single in February 1977 in its live form, "Maybe I'm Amazed" reached #20 in the UK and #10 in the US
6. "Call Me Back Again" – 5:16
7. "Lady Madonna" (McCartney/Lennon) – 2:37
8. "The Long and Winding Road" (McCartney/Lennon) – 4:29
9. "Live and Let Die" – 3:34
10. "Picasso's Last Words (Drink To Me)" – 1:54
11. "Richard Cory" (Paul Simon) – 3:05
12. "Bluebird" – 3:44
13. "I've Just Seen a Face" (McCartney/Lennon) – 2:11
14. "Blackbird" (McCartney/Lennon) – 2:27
15. "Yesterday" (McCartney/Lennon) – 1:50
16. "You Gave Me the Answer" – 2:06
17. "Magneto and Titanium Man" – 3:21
18. "Go Now" (Larry Banks/Milton Bennett) – 3:47
19. "My Love" – 4:15
20. "Listen to What the Man Said" – 3:41
21. "Let 'Em In" – 4:08
22. "Time to Hide" (Denny Laine) – 4:56
23. "Silly Love Songs" – 6:05
24. "Beware My Love" – 4:59
25. "Letting Go" – 4:34
26. "Band on the Run" – 5:46
27. "Hi Hi Hi" – 3:49
28. "Soily" – 5:45

The original song running order was grouped with each individual album side highlighting Paul on a particular instrument, and with the songs on that side generally sharing the same general "feel", or in the case of side 5, from the newest studio release before Wings Over America, Wings at the Speed of Sound. The episodic structure of a 6 sided triple vinyl album, and the ordering of more dramatic and dynamic songs to open (and end) an album side can be more clearly seen when the running order is grouped by album sides.

Original vinyl sides running order:
Side 1 - PCS 7201 (McCartney on bass guitar: uptempo rocking songs)

1. "Medley : Venus And Mars/Rock Show/Jet" (McCartney) – 11:15
2. "Let Me Roll It" (McCartney) – 3:40
3. "Spirits Of Ancient Egypt" (McCartney) – 3:59
4. "Medicine Jar" (McCulloch/Allen) – 3:57

Side 2 - PCS 7201 (McCartney on piano: mostly romantic, slower songs)

1. "Maybe I'm Amazed" (McCartney) – 5:10
2. "Call Me Back Again" (McCartney) – 5:04
3. "Lady Madonna" (McCartney/Lennon) – 2:19
4. "The Long And Winding Road" (McCartney/Lennon) – 4:13
5. "Live And Let Die" (McCartney) – 3:07

Side 3 - PCS 7202 (McCartney & Laine on acoustic guitars: mostly folk-rock based acoustic songs)

1. "Picasso's Last Words" (McCartney) – 1:55
2. "Richard Cory" (Paul Simon) – 1:52
3. "Bluebird" (McCartney) – 3:37
4. "I've Just Seen A Face" (McCartney/Lennon) – 1:49
5. "Blackbird" (McCartney/Lennon) – 2:23
6. "Yesterday" (McCartney/Lennon) – 1:43 (long, extended applause and crowd cheering left to finish this side)

Side 4 - PCS 7202 (McCartney on piano: mostly upbeat piano songs plus My Love)

1. "You Gave Me The Answer (McCartney) – 1:47
2. "Magneto And Titanium Man (McCartney) – 3:11
3. "Go Now (Banks/Bennett) – 3:27
4. "My Love (McCartney) – 4:07
5. "Listen To What The Man Said (McCartney) – 3:18

Side 5 - PCS 7203 (McCartney on bass guitar: songs from the latest studio release, Wings at the Speed of Sound)

1. "Let 'Em In" (McCartney) – 4:02
2. "Time To Hide" (Laine) – 4:46
3. "Silly Love Songs" (McCartney) – 5:46
4. "Beware My Love" (McCartney) – 4:49

Side 6 - PCS 7203 (McCartney on bass guitar: the most "rocking" side closes the show)

1. "Letting Go" (McCartney) – 4:25
2. "Band On The Run" (McCartney) – 5:03
3. "Hi Hi Hi" (McCartney) – 2:57
4. "Soily" (McCartney) – 5:10

[edit] Personnel

1. Paul McCartney: Bass guitar, guitar, piano, keyboards, vocals.
2. Linda McCartney: Keyboards, percussion, piano, vocals.
3. Denny Laine: Guitars, bass guitar, piano, keyboards, percussion, harmonica, vocals.
4. Jimmy McCulloch: Guitars, bass guitar, vocals.
5. Joe English: Drums, percussion, vocals.
6. Tony Dorsey: Trombone, percussion.
7. Howie Casey: Saxophone, percussion.
8. Steve Howard:Trumpet, flugelhorn, percussion.
9. Thaddeus Richard: Saxophone, clarinet, flute, percussion.

v • d • e Paul McCartney

Discography Studio albums: McCartney • Ram • McCartney II • Tug of War • Pipes of Peace • Press to Play • Снова в СССР • Flowers in the Dirt • Off the Ground • Flaming Pie • Run Devil Run • Driving Rain • Chaos and Creation in the Backyard With Wings: Wild Life • Red Rose Speedway • Band on the Run • Venus and Mars • Wings at the Speed of Sound • London Town • Back to the Egg • Band on the Run: 25th Anniversary Edition Live albums: Wings Over America • Tripping the Live Fantastic • Tripping the Live Fantastic: Highlights! • Unplugged (The Official Bootleg) • Paul Is Live • Back in the U.S. • Back in the World DVD albums: Live at the Cavern Club • Back in the U.S. • Live in Red Square • The Space Within US Compilations: Wings Greatest • All the Best! • Wingspan: Hits and History Soundtracks: The Family Way • Give My Regards to Broad Street Experimental albums: Thrillington • Strawberries Oceans Ships Forest • Rushes • Liverpool Sound Collage • Twin Freaks Classical albums: Paul McCartney's Liverpool Oratorio • Paul McCartney's Standing Stone • Paul McCartney's Working Classical • Ecce Cor Meum Related articles Discography • The Beatles • The Fireman • Linda McCartney • Heather Mills • MPL Communications • Paul is dead • Wings tours