Wings
Back To The Egg

THE REVIEW

The idea is one of the happiest: to create a concept album about a rock band's concert and follow its development through the various tracks that make up the album's and the live show's setlist. This is the project that should bring Paul back to a raw and powerful sound, a return to the egg, the primordial broth of his music, good old rock'n'roll. However, the whole thing is inexplicably abandoned, and the Wings forsake the concept in favor of a classic album format. Paul, however, despite strong pressure from the record label, does not want to include the danceable hit "Goodnight Tonight", rightly considered unsuitable for a rough and not immediate album.
Good old Macca has an excellent band on his side: drummer Steve Holly, young and promising guitarist Laurence Juber, the seasoned Denny Laine, and the irreplaceable Linda. The result of the sessions is a surprising work; listening to it for the first time, one is disoriented. The melodic Paul in the first songs disappears to make way for his hard-hearted and less commercial clone.

The intro is entrusted to "Reception", radio sounds and spoken word over a strong bass and drum base; this was supposed to be the introduction of the old "Back To The Egg". "Reception" fades into the overwhelming "Getting Closer", an extraordinary song in its melodic line sung by Paul and executed by his Wings impeccably. The following "We're Open Tonight" is an acoustic piece that relaxes the nerves before the Punk of "Spit It On", based on a single guitar riff by the great Juber. Denny Laine's "Again and Again and Again" is decidedly out of context, a weak song, the only flaw of an almost perfect album. An intriguing and captivating guitar riff combined with Linda's keyboards introduces the beautiful "Old Siam, Sir". Notable are the contributions of "After The Balls/Million Miles" and the edgy "To You"; curious is "The Broadcast", in which Paul has the owner of the castle where Wings recorded the album read an excerpt from an essay on sports.
However, the work owes its fame to the two gems Paul creates by inviting some of the greatest Rock musicians of the period to play with his group. In fact, "Rockorchestra Theme" and "So Glad To See You Here", two extraordinary rock tracks, feature performances by: David Gilmour, Hank Marvin, Pete Townshend, John Bonham, Kenny Jones, Gary Brooker, John Paul Jones, and many others on percussion and vocals, highlighted by Robert Plant. A unique experiment of its kind, which is also documented by a short film, bears witness to a very lively and unrepeatable period in Rock music history; only a genius mind like McCartney's could have succeeded in such an endeavor.

In the end, the album is completed by excellent supporting tracks, like the successful, with its Jazz atmospheres, "Babe's Request". Unfortunately, it lacks a Hit capable of taking it to the top of the charts, since the gem "Cage" is masochistically removed from the final mix. It remains, nonetheless, a great work, the last official one from the Wings.