McCartney: Musical Master (Wings 1975)

 McCartney: Musical Master

By S.H.W.F

Hammersmith & Shepherd's Bush Gazette

September 25, 1975

    The time was when Wings would inexplicably turn up at a concert hall anywhere in the country, unload their equipment, and play completely unannounced. The position now, however, has been totally reversed.

     At the Hammersmith Odeon on Wednesday and Thursday, Wings held the stage for two hours with the show, which approached the last word in professionalism. They appeared on stage promptly, without the benefit of a support group, and maintained a level of energy which was height and enough to absorb the audience totally for the fully uninterrupted set.

     The visual effects were kept to a minimum. The band appeared to prefer the music to speak for itself. The lighting was, however, excellent; the standard of light shows at the Odeon has risen dramatically recently, and Wings upheld this trend by producing one of the best lighting teams seen at the cinema for many months. Its slickness was matched only by the music.

     The band kicked off the show with a mixture of songs, both old and new. They played "Venus and Mars," "Jet", "Maybe I'm Amazed", "Bluebird", and several other Wings standards before launching into the acoustic set, which has had much attention focused on it since the nationwide tour began. Considering the accolade it has been given, the set was a disappointment. "Blackbird," never a particularly strong number, was followed by "Yesterday," which sounded a little odd, and then came a very odd choice. The band did a very mediocre version of Simon and Garfunkel's "Richard Corey", which added nothing to the original.

     The numbers during the second half of the show maintained the momentum of the first half, and in short, were excellent. There was a rousing rendition of "Lady Madonna," "Live and Let Die", which turned out to be suitably dramatic with the help of strobes and exploding smoke bombs and a host of other songs, some old and some new, which included, "Listen to What the Man Said", "Medicine Jar" and finishing off with "Band on the Run".

     The band themselves are a strange mixture. This tour is really the test for Linda after her ill-received musical attempts two years ago; this time, it was almost as though she was acutely aware of this trial. Consequently, she kept a low profile throughout, but I couldn't help feeling her musical ability is still rudimentary and light years away from the standard of the other members. 

    The dark horse of the band is undoubtedly Jimmy McCulloch. For a guitarist of his ability, his luck with bands has been pretty bad. Blue, sadly, did not work out, and his brief stay with Stone the Crows at Les Harvey's replacement has not allowed him to realize his full potential. I can't help feeling he is being stifled in Wings. His songwriting is well above average, "Medicine Jar" proved that, and his playing is magnificent. 

    What can really be said about Paul McCartney? Perhaps the best tribute was from the audience who were virtually electrified by the whole show. Credit for the excellence of the concert must go almost exclusively to him as the leader, main composer, and some would say, autocrat of Wings.

     Although I've never been a fan of Wings recordings, I must admit to enjoying Thursday's concert more than I ever expected; it chalked up another victory for the high standards of live performances at the Odeon, which now has to live with the reputation as London's foremost rock music venue. 

    The only irritating part of the evening was McCartney's somewhat patronizing remarks to the audience. But then he is Paul McCartney, after all.

     Wings finally left the stage to the strains of audience singing, "We Shall Not Be Moved", which amounted to an unrewarded plea for yet another encore.