WINGS WILD LIFE appreciation thread

Been listening to this disc a lot lately. I really like the raw, unpolished, sound and the loose jam feel of the album. It is a unique album in the Wings cannon (needless to say).

It goes well with debut "McCartney" album which has its own homemade charm. With "Wild Life" it sounds like he moved from the home studio and into the garage.

I know a few others like it, too.

 

"Dear Friend" is a classic, and "Some People Never Know" is good too. "Bip Bop," however...

Steve

 

How can you not like a jammin' song with lyrics like this?

Bip bop, bip bip bop
Bip bop, bip bip band

Dig your bottom dollar
put it in your hand

Try to hang out
underneath the stand

Put your hands together
gonna see a band

Treat me like a good boy
Treat me like a man

Take me hair and curlers
But treat me like a man

Haven't heard this kind of McCartney lyrics since the "White Album". Who says only Love Songs can be Silly?

 

I love this album! I don't know if its the simplicity of some of the arrangements or the energy of some of the songs. It just works, IMO!!!

Although, much of the album did have to grow on me. I've been playing "Wild Life" more in the last two years or so, than all the years that its been out.

 

When it came out, it was a major downer to me. Very disappointing. However, over time I have grown to like many of the tunes a lot. However, "Bip Bop" still causes me to skip it. It should have been the last song you heard when you played this album.

 

Live versions of "Bip Bop" that I've heard are a bit better though. At least they attempt to rock a bit.

Steve

 

I've been listening to this all day. I just picked up a gem mint UK LP YEX 871-9 on side 1 and YEX 872-1 for side 2. I don't know what pressing this is but the sound blew me away. It's too bad that Steve didn't get a chance to do this one. No CD version I have heard does it justice. I have a new appreciation for "Some People Never Know" and have always really enjoyed "Love Is Strange" the passion of "Wild Life". "Tomorrow" and "Dear Friend" are both classic McCartney IMHO.

 

I liked it right from the beginning.

 

I also love this album. "Bip Bop" is one of my favorites!

 

Sounds (pun intended) like a winner!

The Columbia vinyl pressing is no slouch either!

 

I'm almost embarassed to say that I've only heard this CD for the first time last year ("Back To The Egg" as well). The bounus tracks on the remaster are really good, especially the last two.

 

Funny - I never heard the album until about a year ago. I guess the lack of a single and bad press kept me off.......

Well - - I really like it. There is a mixture of "rough" tracks (like Mumbo) and more "polished" fare (like Wild Life) that some how works really well. Truth be told - I was hooked from the opening - Mumbo sounds like it starts in the middle, never reaches a conclusion - and I don't have CLUE as to what Paulie is singing.

..... but he sure belts it out in what is probably his best "rock" vocal performance of his post Beatle years. The sheer sound and enthusiasm of his voice propels the track, even if he was making it up as he went along. IMHO - the "simplicity" here works better than it did on his solo debut. On the McCartney album, the half baked tunes sound like amateurish experiments. Here they sound like energized rehearsals (if you know what I mean).

 

This is actually probably my 3rd favorite Wings album after "Band On The Run" & "Venus & Mars". I absolutely love "Wild Life" & can't understand why it is so under-rated. The song "Tomorrow" is one of Paul's finest post-Beatles songs, IMO.
Without a doubt, I play this Wings album more than any other. I think, if my memory serves me correctly, that this was the 1st Wings album that I owned, so it definitely has a special place in my heart.

 

Darcy, just what the heck is your new avatar a picture of?!?!
(sorry to go off-topic)

 

"Mumbo" is pure rock energy at its greatest, even though the lyrics really are unintelligible. That's what gives its charm.

"Some People Never Know" and "Tomorrow" are awesome McCartney compositions.

I love the whole record. I don't care if it's sloppy. I wish more people would (could?) make records like this.

 

Mechagodzilla (he is a mechanical Godzilla designed to kill the real Godzilla). Looks like Wilson used his parts to make their speakes, so I put him up for the day.

 

As I've said in other posts, this is one of my fave McCartney/Wings albums. I love the raw energy of it, the under-produced sound.

'Wild Life', I Am Your Singer', 'Tomorrow', 'Some People Never Know', 'Dear Friend' :- all first class McCartney songs.

Linda sings great on 'I Am Your Singer', too.

A great, underappreciated album. Same with 'Back To The Egg'.

The 'Driving Rain' album reminds me of the raw 'Wild life' sound. 'Rinse The Raindrops' is kind of son of 'Mumbo'!

 

IMO, Paul never made a bad album during the 70's.
Wild Life for me was a difficult listen when it came out, but after a couple weeks it really grew on me. I adore it now, 34 years later...it's a fun album, and I never had a problem with Bip Bop, always thought it was catchy...used to run around singin' it all the time...

Mumbo kicks booty, Love Is Strange is nice as a reggae exercise. Some people Never KNow smokes in the percussion at the end..well, it's just a great Macca album.

I think it got slagged a lot because this is still Paul during his 'fragmentary' period, composing songs with slight ideas, leaving the holes up to you to fill in. A lot of folks just don't get it. I do, tho.

 

I've read an interview with Paul where he said about 'Wild Life' "You have to really like me to like this album".

I've never understood why, even now, its generally not appreciated. 'McCartney II' is his worst album by a mile, IMO! (although in more than one interview he's cited 'Press to Play' for that honor).

That's a debate for another thread, though!

 

Easily my favorite Macca album. Love it!

 

Which "Wild Life" cd is the best sound quality? Is that a "gold cd" from EMI on the first thread?

 

They should have put "Give Ireland Back To The Irish" on it. It would have been better that way.
; )=

 

Have you ever heard the EMI/Fame disc? It sounds wonderful.

 

I've always like Wild Life. It was a small album with no big designs, but a lot of goodness. As most others have mentioned "Tomorrow" and "Dear Friend" are great. "Some People Never Know" and "I Am Your Singer" are more acoustic melodic McCartney. However, in comparison to some of the other stuff that came out in 1971, even aside from recent Beatles and solo stuff, I can see how Wild Life may have raised eyebrows and given rock critics something to chew on.

 

I've got an import copy of "Wings Wild Life" that's got "Give Ireland Back..." as a bonus track.

http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:cq5e8q9zbtm4

Shnaggletooth