SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: PAUL McCARTNEY AND WINGS – RED ROSE SPEEDWAY (50th ANNIVERSARY)

Paul McCartney And Wings
Red Rose Speedway (50th Anniversary)
MPL/Capitol

As part of Record Store Day, Paul McCartney decided to remaster the second Wings album, Red Rose Speedway and release it as 50th Anniversary edition. It has been remastered in half-speed, which gives it an incredible sound.

Red Rose Speedway was McCartney’s fourth solo album, a mere three years after the break-up of The Beatles, and the second Wings release. Unlike 1971’s Wings Wild Life, he thought it would be a good idea to let people know exactly who they were, and thus in 1973 Red Rose Speedway debuted, credited to Paul McCartney and Wings. The idea worked because it became the first to go to number one (McCartney’s second as a solo act). But let’s be clear, it made number one because of the package, not the name on the label. But the name did ensure radio play and brought it to people’s attention.

Red Rose Speedway was a huge hit in 1973, thanks, in part, to the number one hit “My Love”, but it is full of twists and turns. “My Love” was not indicative of what listeners would find on the album as a whole. For example, it opens with one of McCartney and Wings’ greatest rockers, “Big Barn Bed”, with a heavy-rocking sound that would have made a great single in its own right. It is a slice of mid-70s rock, with McCartney’s ear for melody and quirky lyrics. This leads into “My Love”, which is the polar opposite. It features one of guitarist Henry McCullough’s best ever guitar solos, totally improvised mere minutes before the track was recorded live with an orchestra.

Side one ends with one of McCartney’s most underrated and beautiful songs, “Little Lamb/Dragonfly”, an emotional song, featuring some of McCartney’s most painful and beautiful vocals of his career. It is a brilliant medley of two complimentary songs that come together to form a perfect mini rock opera. “I have no answer for you little lamb/I can help you out, but I cannot help you in”, McCartney sings. It was reportedly written when a lamb on his farm was dying. But don’t be fooled, there is much more to this raw masterpiece.

Side two opens with another emotional, albeit short track, “Single Pigeon”. It is one of those songs that McCartney can knock off in his sleep, but it fits perfectly as the side opener. Side two is a heavier side, with an experimental instrumental (“Loup”) and a medley that rivals side two of Abbey Road. Here are four songs that McCartney had left unfinished and he turned them into an amazing medley that ends the album. The medley is composed of lovely love songs, including “Hold Me Tight”, (not the Beatle song) and the almost psychedelic “Lazy Dynamite”. It is an interesting and clever way to bring the album to a close.

Although Red Rose Speedway has been re-released before, this is the first time it has been issued as a half-speed master, and one can hear the difference from previous versions. It is sharp and clear and sounds remarkable. Alex Wharton, who has worked with McCartney (and The Beatles for that matter has done an excellent job with the remastering here.

As a side note, Wings recorded this album at Abbey Road, while Pink Floyd were recording The Dark Side Of The Moon in the next studio. It was during these recordings that Pink Floyd recorded members of Wings answering questions, which wound up on the album.

Artist Links