Wings

Wings were a group formed in late 1971 by former Beatle Paul McCartney, together with his wife Linda McCartney (née Eastman, 1941-1988) on keyboards and vocals, guitarist Denny Laine (1944–2023) and drummer Denny Seiwell. The band was put together by McCartney after releasing his debut solo album McCartney (1970) and follow-up Ram (1971).

1971-1974
Initial Wings album releases Wildlife (1971) and Red Rose Speedway (1973) achieved moderate success, while debut single Give Ireland Back to the Irish (written in response to the events of Bloody Sunday, on 30 January), follow-up Mary Had a Little Lamb, and Hi, Hi, Hi/C Moon, all released in 1972, went top 20 in the UK. 1973 single My Love from Red Rose Speedway was followed up by Live and Let Die, the theme to the James Bond film of the same name. Both went top 10 in the UK. Wings ended a successful year with new studio album Band on the Run, released under the name of 'Paul McCartney and Wings', preceded by the single Helen Wheels, and spawning two further singles Jet and the title track, both Top ten in 1974.

1975-1977
Fourth Wings studio album Venus and Mars, featuring top 10 single Listen to What the Man Said, promoted by a year-long worldwide tour, was released in May 1975. Follow-up album Wings at the Speed of Sound was recorded in a short space of time between tours at Abbey Road Studios in London and was rush-released in March 1976, again featuring two hit singles Silly Love Songs and Let 'Em In, both no.2 in the UK (the latter for three consecutive weeks kept of the top by Elton John & Kiki Dee's Don't Go Breaking My Heart and ABBA's Dancing Queen). The group ended the year with the release of live album Wings Over America, a triple 12" vinyl release documenting the American leg of the band's 1975–76 Wings Over the World tour.

November 1977 saw the release of Wings' seminal hit Mull of Kintyre. Released a double A-side with the lesser known Girls' School), which became their biggest hit in Britain and one of the best selling singles of all time in the United Kingdom. It became the 1977 Christmas number one and was the first single to sell over two million copies in the country. The single was recorded and released as a three-piece, Paul & Linda with Denny Laine, plus the Campbeltown Pipe Band providing bagpipes and drums. The song had been recorded during sessions for the band's next studio album London Town, released in March 1978, although did not feature on the album itself. Lead single With a Little Luck reached no.5 although commercial success seemed to be waning after the "hangover" from Mull of Kintyre. Their first collection of "hits" Wings Greatest, released at the end of 1978 made slow progress in the charts although is testament to eight years of success for the band.

1979-1980
Seventh studio album Back to the Egg, released in June 1979, embraced contemporary musical trends and also saw the arrival of new band members, as well as the employment of Sex Pistols producer Chris Thomas. Despite McCartney and the band's obvious acknowledgement of new trends in music, Back to the Egg would be Wings' final studio album. Non-album single Goodnight Tonight, released in March 1979 would be their final hit, reaching no.5 in the UK in April.

Wings officially dissolved in 1981, although McCartney had already begun releasing records as a solo artist, starting with 1979 Christmas single Wonderful Christmastime, followed by McCartney II in 1980.

Legacy
Wings became of the seminal 'seventies' groups worldwide with twelve top 10 singles (including one number one) in the UK and fourteen top 10 singles (including six number ones) in the US. Of the nine albums released by Wings, all went top 10 in either the UK or the US, with five consecutive albums topping the US charts. They had eight UK Top 10 albums, including two no.1s.

The 1987 McCartney compilation album All the Best! features material released as Wings, as does the 2001 album Wingspan: Hits and History and the 'definitive' Pure McCartney, released in 2016.

Dates

 * 10 May 1973 - James Paul McCartney ITV special
 * 11 May 1973 - headlining UK tour begins
 * 30 June 1973 - Radio Luxembourg Special
 * 21 November 1974 - Junior’s Farm on Top of the Pops
 * 19 August 1976 - Let ‘Em In (danced to by Ruby Flipper) on TOTP
 * 02 September 1976 - Let ‘Em In (video) on Top of the Pops
 * 10 December 1976 - Wings Over America released
 * 25 December 1977 - Mike Yarwood Christmas Special, guest appearance
 * 25 December 1978 - Mull of Kintyre (video) on TOTP
 * 08 June 1979 - Back to the Egg album released


 * 15 November 2013 - TV showing of Wings Over the World

Related pages

 * Greatest Hits (Showaddywaddy) ‎
 * James Bond
 * No.2 singles
 * The Name of the Game (ABBA song)