Wings Greatest
Paul McCartney might not have been the coolest or most cosmic ex-Beatle, but none of his former bandmates could touch his knack for creating perfect pop singles. Say what you will about their "lack of depth," but the 12 songs onWings Greatestconsiderably brightened AM radio playlists during the 1970s, and most of them have actually improved with age. Wings' pure rock power is ably represented by "Band on the Run," "Hi Hi Hi," "Jet," "Live and Let Die" and the underrated non-LP single "Junior's Farm," all of which positively explode from the speakers. Paul's gooey streak shows up on "My Love," "Silly Love Songs," and the bagpipe-infused "Mull of Kintyre," but only "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" still contains a high cringe quotient. Some key tracks are missing--most notably "Maybe I'm Amazed" and "Venus and Mars/Rock Show"--butWings Greatestis still a thrilling document of Macca at the peak of his pop abilities.--Dan Epstein