It’s been a busy year for Paul McCartney, and he capped off 2025 with the conclusion of another tour and a retrospective of the music of his band Wings. This will make the third Wings/McCartney best-of, after the single Wings Greatest album, double Wingspan, and double All The Best. All of these sets include both Wings and solo McCartney tracks. This is truly the first all Wings set and the best of the sets in every way.
The Wings 3 LP Limited Edition Color Collection, available exclusively through Paul McCartney’s website, is a three-album set of 180-gram color vinyl, featuring clear, green, and pink colors, respectively, housed in a die-cut hardback slipcase box. Sometimes, reissue projects can appear rushed, make questionable choices, and prompt fans and critics to debate format and approach. By contrast, it’s evident that great care and thought went into the packaging of this set.
McCartney has again recruited Hipgnosis legend Aubrey “Po” Powell as the Creative Director. His involvement here is a key factor in how well-conceived this box is and what a welcome addition it is to McCartney’s extensive reissues and archival projects over the years. Powell had previously worked with McCartney on projects such as Venus and Mars, Wings Greatest, video projects, and tours.
Along with two posters, an art print litho, and a sheet of stickers, the booklet in this package is beautifully designed. This is a textbook case in how to create an information-rich yet aesthetically pleasing booklet. Each Wings album, presented in chronological order, is given a two-page spread featuring photos and artwork for the sleeve, album, and single jackets. Also included are sidebars that tell the story of Wings in a way that is neither dry nor the typical factual history, and that include a summary of releases, tour dates, and session notes.
Each of the three different color albums is matched with a coordinated jacket and sleeve, and the vinyl was pressed in Germany at Optimal, resulting in impeccable sound, and is housed in polylined sleeves. The extra touches, including the second sleeve and matching color graphic coordination, which extend to the hype sticker, along with spot varnishing and photos inside the slipcase, make this a truly bespoke set.
The tracks are not arranged chronologically and mainly feature album cuts alongside singles. The flow feels like the dream Wings concert set list. While the music presents a diversity of song styles, moods, and commercial pop staples with deep and heady album cuts, considering the music is out of time order, album sequencing, and spans various kinds of releases, the six sides flow seamlessly.
Hearing cuts that received little or no airplay, or might have been overshadowed by Wings’ biggest ’70s album tracks and hits, doesn’t diminish them; it gives them a fresh new take and reflects just how strong even the less commercially successful music of this very rich period was for McCartney.
There are so many distinctive elements that make the music of Wings so successful. McCartney clearly wanted the project to be a group and not just his backing band. The vocal harmonies, featuring McCartney, Denny Laine, and Linda McCartney, were also a key element in the band’s signature sound throughout their history. The various drummers and guitarists all brought something distinct to Wings, and it’s clear McCartney wants to pay tribute to their contributions.
While the randomness of the music does work, sometimes hearing these songs out of context from the albums they are from does detract from how well-conceived the Wings albums were in terms of musical and thematic concepts. Some may also debate which songs should have been included and which could have been left out. Regardless, this box set put Wings in its rightful place as one of the most popular and emblematic bands of that very rich musical decade of the 1970s. There is also a 2-CD collection and a black-vinyl box. Both sets include all 32 tracks.
Wings: The Story of a Band On The Run (Liveright), edited by Ted Widmer, is the perfect companion to this new Wings box, especially given that, other than an introduction by McCartney and a one-page essay by Pete Paphides in the booklet in the box, there is so much more to write and say about the nearly ten-year history of Wings. This comprehensive 500-page-plus book is an oral history that includes interviews with McCartney, other members of Wings, engineers, producers, musicians, journalists, family members, and individuals connected to the world of The Beatles, including George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono, and others.
There are also timelines, band biographies, discographies, tour itineraries, color photographs, memorabilia, and so much more. This is a highly readable book, filled with lively accounts of the sometimes difficult, yet ultimately successful, birth and evolution of the group, but one that can also be dipped into at any time. The book complements the first two volumes of The McCartney Legacy by Allan Kozinn and Adrian Sinclair perfectly. All of these books give Wings the attention they deserve as one of the best bands of the 1970s.
After years of very infrequent reissues of Ringo Starr’s early solo music, his first four albums have recently been reissued. The limited-edition pressings include Sentimental Journey (1970) on Buttermilk Yellow color vinyl, with the Apple label, Beaucoups of Blues (1970) on Baby Blue color vinyl in a gatefold jacket with the Apple label, Ringo (1973) on Molten Lava color vinyl in a gatefold jacket, with a reproduction of the original custom label and sleeve, as well as a reproduction of the original 24-page, album-sized booklet that features art by Klaus Voormann; and Goodnight Vienna (1974) on Psychedelic Waves custom color vinyl, with the original custom insert sleeve. The first two albums only come in paper sleeves, which, given the attention to detail in the rest of these reissues, was an oversight that could have been easily remedied with polyvinyl sleeves.
Ringo’s first album was a sentimental journey down memory lane through music from the great American songbook. It’s not a stretch for Starr to be doing these songs, as much of this music, American jazz, show tunes, and British music hall, were all part of his growing up. Also, when Starr was in Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, he had his own “Starr Time” segment, where he would step out from the shadow of his drum kit and sing a wide variety of music. The segment was one of the highlights of his tenure in the group.
A heavyweight roster of producers was enlisted to present Ringo with the best possible arrangements. There were American heavyweights like Quincy Jones and Elmer Bernstein, and jazz luminaries such as Oliver Nelson and Chico O’Farrill, along with such pals and Beatles collaborators as George Martin, Paul McCartney, and Klaus Voormann, future Starr producer Richard Perry, and British musical artists such as John Dankworth and Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees.
What Starr lacks in vocal chops, he makes up for in charm and sincerity. He takes these songs seriously and clearly has great affection for the music. This is an album that has worn well and sounds surprisingly fresh and honest. There have been many rock artists over the years who have tackled these songs, but Starr was the first to do so.
As good an album as Sentimental Journey is, his second solo album is even better. Also a fan of country, Starr made an authentic country album in Nashville, enlisting the guidance of steel player Pete Drake to guide the proceedings. This is not a syrupy country effort, but a real, simple, rootsy outing that features such musicians as Charlie Daniels, Charlie McCoy, Roy Huskey Jr., Jerry Reed, and Ben Keith. Starr is even joined by members of Elvis Presley’s posse, including D.J. Fontana, Scotty Moore, and the Four Jordanaires.
This is an album that warrants serious reconsideration, especially in light of Starr’s most recent country album, Look Up with T-Bone Burnett, which is a very faithful follow-up to this one. While Dylan and the Byrds might have made it to Nashville before Starr, his sincere take is something to behold. Additionally, given that Kris Kristofferson and others were laying the groundwork for outlaw country and folk-inspired music, this album could run parallel with that movement. Starr covered country in The Beatles and later re-recorded “Act Naturally” with Buck Owens, proving that his country foray was not a lark but a lifelong musical passion.
The Ringo album was Starr’s coming-out party as a solo artist. Easily his best solo album, not only did the album boast multiple hits, but it was also an album that featured contributions from all three other Beatles. John Lennon wrote the opening track, “I Am the Greatest,” and plays on it. “Photograph” was written by Starr and George Harrison, with Harrison providing guitar and vocals, and is the natural follow-up to “It Don’t Come Easy” from 1971, which was written by Starr and produced by Harrison.
Harrison also wrote “Sunshine Life for Me (Sail Away Raymond)” and provides guitar and backing vocals. Harrison also co-wrote “You and Me (Babe)” with Mal Evans and provided guitar. Paul and Linda McCartney co-wrote “Six O’Clock,” and McCartney provided piano and synthesizer, and did the string and flute arrangements. McCartney also contributed a mouth sax solo on “You’re Sixteen.”
This all-star outing features a host of friends, British rock royalty, and American legends, including Klaus Vorrmann, Billy Preston, Jim Keltner, Marc Bolan, Nicky Hopkins, all of the members of The Band, and many others. Richard Perry, at a career peak producing albums by Carly Simon and Harry Nilsson, was a key to the commercial and creative success of this album. More than 50 years after its release, this album has lost none of its sparkle.
While certainly not as cohesive and strong as Ringo, Goodnight Vienna was a worthy follow-up and boasted four tracks that were all over the radio at the time, including John Lennon returning to supply the opening title cut. Elton John and Bernie Taupin wrote “Snookeroo,” and Hoyt Axton’s “No No Song” was a huge hit. “Only You” was also an instant Ringo classic.
Starr wrote two songs and co-wrote two on his previous album, and here again shows some songwriting chops with two co-writes and one solo song. Richard Perry was back producing, and a who’s-who of ’70s rock luminaries joined in the fun with contributions from Elton John, Billy Preston, Dr. John, Robbie Robertson, Harry Nilsson, Nicky Hopkins, and many others.
GRADED ON A CURVE:
Wings, Wings
A+
Ringo Starr, Sentimental Journey
B
Beaucoups of Blues
B+
Ringo
A
Goodnight Vienna
B
