Wings
Back to the Egg

THE REVIEW

Year 1979. A certain Paul James McCartney, voice and bass of the Wings, gathers what remains of the band along with a certain Chris Thomas, who was then a producer of none other than the Sex Pistols, and had previously been seen during the "White Album" era, a work from a few years earlier by a group of four lads who called themselves the Beatles.

"Back to the Egg" is the swan song of a band, the Wings, that took the world by storm with whirlwind tours and record-breaking sales. Just to not make the single name Paul (a never truly successful endeavor) feel too burdensome, he invites to the party people who usually spend their time playing in Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Who, and The Shadows, and gathers them in a recording studio (Abbey Road studios, St John's Wood, London), quite well-known for other circumstances which don't immediately come to mind...

The result of all this movement is a truly classy LP, devoid of certain weaknesses typical of Paul James McCartney's solo career, rich in very interesting musical ideas and characterized, above all, by a very modern sound for the time.

The best tracks, coincidentally, in my opinion, are the more intimate ones, without the truly pompous features. I'm referring to "Old Siam Sir", edgy and gutsy, and the rounded "Arrow Through Me" (fun fact: completely devoid of guitars!), both characterized by very experimental musicality and a voice that never ceases to amaze. Heartbreaking and moving is the refrain of "Winter Rose", and "Getting Closer" is enjoyable. Personally, I consider "Baby's Request" a true gem, a playful swing ballad that exudes such compositional and performance class as to inspire envy.

Highly negligible is the contribution of Danny Lane (again again and again) who peeks into the post-Wings oblivion, and a bit lightweight are other tracks, among which I only save a quick and fun but slightly off-target "Spin it On". The songs rich in collaborations are "Rockestra Theme" and "So Glad to See You Here"; certainly interesting and curious for the names of those playing them, but in my opinion, not very successful.

I point out that the single that precedes the LP, "Goodnight Tonight/Daytime Night Time Suffering" would alone be sufficient to prove the grace period of Sir. Paul, inspired, amused, and amusing as in the latter part of the sweet sixties.

The album, initially received in a cold manner by critics, has deservedly reached worldwide recognition and platinum records. In my opinion, it is a truly successful project, still very listenable today, which ranges across many genres winking at high-quality POP, as would be expected.