Wingspan (Hits & History)

Disc 1
1	Listen to What the Man Said {Venus and Mars + Single} / Wings 3:57
2	Band on the Run {Band on the Run + Single} 5:13
3	Another Day Single 3:43
4	Live and Let Die / Wings Single 3:12
5	Jet {Band on the Run + Single} 4:08
6	My Love 4:08
7	Silly Love Songs {Wings at the Speed of Sound + Single} / Wings 5:55
8	Pipes of Peace {Pipes of Peace + Singles} 3:26
9	C Moon / Wings 4:35
10	Hi, Hi, Hi / Wings Single 3:09
11	Let 'Em In / Wings 5:10
12	Goodnight Tonight / Wings Single 4:21
13	Junior's Farm DJ Edit / Version 3:03
14	Mull of Kintyre / Wings Single 4:45
15	Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey / Linda McCartney 4:50
16	With a Little Luck {London Town +Single} / Wings DJ Edit 3:13
17	Coming Up Live 3:28
18	No More Lonely Nights {Give My Regards to Broad Street + Single} 4:47
Disc 2
1	Let Me Roll It 4:51
2	The Lovely Linda / Linda McCartney 0:45
3	Daytime Nightime Suffering / Wings B-Side Single 3:23
4	Maybe I'm Amazed / Linda McCartney 3:52
5	Helen Wheels {Single + Us Band on the Run} / Wings 3:46
6	Bluebird {Band on the Run} / Wings 3:26
7	Heart of the Country / Linda McCartney 2:24
8	Every Night / Linda McCartney 2:34
9	Take It Away Tug of War + Single 4:05
10	Junk / Linda McCartney 1:57
11	Man We Was Lonely / Linda McCartney 2:59
12	Venus and Mars/Rock Show / Wings Single Edit 3:46
13	Back Seat of My Car / Linda McCartney Ram + UK Single 4:29
14	Rockestra Theme {Back to the Egg} / Wings 2:37
15	Girlfriend / Wings 4:44
16	Waterfalls /{McCartney II + Single} DJ Edit 3:24
17	Tomorrow / Wings Wings Wild Life 3:27
18	Too Many People / Linda McCartney 4:12
19	Call Me Back Again {Venus and Mars} / Wings 4:59
20	Tug of War Tug of War +Single 4:04
21	Bip Bop/Hey Diddle {as Featured in Wingspan TV-Film} / Linda McCartney 3:36
22	No More Lonely Nights /{Give My Regards to Broad Stree Playout Version 3:55

Barnes & Noble

Although sometimes given the short shrift by Beatlemaniacs and classic-rock purists, Paul McCartney's "other" band crafted some of the most memorable hard-driving pop of the 1970s and '80s -- a point that's made emphatically clear on this wide-ranging, 40-track collection. While many of the songs on the digitally remastered Wingspan are well known to anyone who turned on a car radio in the past 25 years -- from the rough-'n'-ready rockin' of "Band on the Run" and "Junior's Farm" to the suave and sinister "Live and Let Die" to the moving strains of the majestic "Maybe I'm Amazed" and "My Love" -- this two-CD collection's real treasures are those brought in from the margins. Songs like "Mull of Kintyre" (never a Stateside hit, although it still ranks among the biggest-selling singles in British chart history) and the pastoral "Waterfalls" emphasize McCartney's unparalleled songwriting skills, while the then-controversial "Give Ireland Back to the Irish" showed he was every bit as fluent in political commentary as any of his peers. Still, Sir Paul and his Wings were at their best when simply kicking back in party mode, as evidenced by a passel of good-natured rave-ups like "Hi, Hi, Hi" and a previously unreleased, Wild Life-era medley of "Bip Bop/Hey Diddle/I Am Your Singer" that, while not essential, earns plenty of points for charm alone. Wingspan is available in a regular and a limited edition, both of which include a 24-page, five-color annotated booklet featuring rare photographs of the various Wings lineups, liner notes by Beatle-ologist Mark Lewisohn, and a personal introduction by McCartney. The lavish limited edition is housed in a stamped, clothbound book rather than a slimline jewel case, and the booklet features a holographic cover. It's an elegant package -- a more than fitting tribute to the greatest popsmith of the 20th century. David Sprague

All Music Guide

Paul McCartney always got the short end of the stick when he was in the Beatles and again in the '70s, as he and his erstwhile partner John Lennon pursued solo careers. McCartney was attacked for his virtues -- for his melodicism and his domesticity, along with his desire to form a real touring band following the Beatles. None of these were celebrated at the time, but he moved many, many records and sold countless concert tickets, which only hardened opposition toward him. But, in retrospect, McCartney's albums make for the most fascinating body of work among any of the ex-Beatles, and really among any of his peers. Yes, there were pitfalls among the heights, but that's part of what makes his career so fascinating -- each record is distinctive, and even if the songs themselves are shallow, at least lyrically, the melodic skill and studio savvy behind each are hard not to admire. This may require a bit of conversion, and if you're not up to trudging through his individual works, even such masterworks as Ram (truly the roots of homemade pop), the double-disc set Wingspan is ideal. McCartney has had a number of career overviews before, including such seemingly comprehensive discs as All the Best, but those were plagued by vaguely haphazard sequencing. This is nearly perfectly executed, dividing McCartney's career between the "hits" and "history," with the latter being devoted to album tracks that are acknowledged classics, yet never were singles. Now, it's true that this isn't completely comprehensive -- some will notice that superstar duets with Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson are missing, and others will wonder where such terrific latter-day singles as "Press" are or why such charting hits as "So Bad" are bypassed, or why album tracks like "Ballroom Dancing" are absent -- but nothing has come as close to capturing the quirky brilliance of McCartney's solo career, how it balanced whimsical pop with unabashedly sentimental romantic ballads, piledriving rockers, and anything in between. And what makes Wingspan so impressive is how the "History" disc fills in the gaps that "Hits" leaves, whether it's on the tremendous "Maybe I'm Amazed" (one of the very best songs he ever wrote), the charming "Junk," the clever "Take It Away," or such absolutely stunning miniatures as "Heart of the Country," an effortless folk-pop tune that ranks among his very best songs. That's why Wingspan isn't just a good hits collection -- it's a convincing argument that McCartney's solo recordings are a rich, idiosyncratic body of work of their own merits. Ram, Red Rose Speedway, and London Town all have their merits, but if you need to be converted, this is where to start. Stephen Thomas Erlewine