London Town and Wings

We don't normally talk a lot about music on here but as it's been below freezing I've needed to stay in a little more than usual this week.

The origins of this entry go back quite a number of years when pre internet you found out about new titles being issued either in magazines such as Hifi World or by visiting your local record or cd stores when we had them and relied on word of mouth about any differences between different editions.

London Town issued March 31, 1978 is a album I remember well having been bought it by my parents in that year but I only this week got the correct version of the 1987 compact disc  release that sounds more alive from the 1993.

You see when his albums started to trickle out on cd after Wings Greatest, Tug of War, Pipes of Peace, Give My Regards To Broadway and 1986's Press, they decided to add bonus tracks typically singles not included on the album.

Mull Of Kintyre the 1977 Crimbo single I played in my first year as a teen that year was included in Wings Greatest, the 1978 round up of hits but the rocker that is Girl's School which was it's b side and much played by me was not.

That is what they decided to add to London Town on the cd.

Somehow for most of the original issues a 3:15 edit with a rapid fade got used on the UK edition compared to the 4:34 on the US version which is how long that song plays for.

My original cd copy was like that but the corrected edition is very scarce and can only be spotted by having the MPL Juggling man logo on the disc as in the above picture, the insert and rear cd cover.

Currently this album is deleted from the catalogue and the 1993 edition in an attempt to remove tape hiss sounds 'dead' as is the original US one so I was fortunate to spot a copy and have it shipped from France this week.

I'm delighted with it.

My collection of Paul McCartney and Wings cds goes back several years and a good number come from speciality companies.

Generally there are two types of record companies, those who are large, issue titles to the mainstream generally with little special care about sound quality and sources and those who issue limited runs of titles where they do track down the best sounding sources usually tape of each album and carefully transfer it to record or as with these titles, cd.

Many early cds didn't sound too good through a combination of not being careful over sources like using the actual stereo master tape the recording was mixed to and also the technology that takes analogue sound to digital didn't sound as smooth as the format was and is capable of. 

Its that that lead me to start getting these Gold cds by the now defunct company DCC classics from the early 1990's onward.

Way way back in the 1970's the albums (and 45's) by Paul McCartney first came to my attention and this album Band On The Run was a favourite of mine owning it on the awesomely clunky 8 track form and fittingly this album with its hit 45's such as the title track, Jet and as on this US edition only Helen Wheels was the first I bought.
Apart from having the american extra track which oddly enough I do prefer as with the rest of the series it has a very smooth rich sound while not fooling me to say an lp issue, does at least sound less 'digital' to the ears.  It also has a poster.

Red Rose Speedway, the home of My Love a song that can be considered a 'standard' and also has the reggae based b side to Hi Hi Hi,  C Moon, which inexplicably was left off the mainstream UK cds bonus tracks. It's a song I rather like. 

It came out around the time of the 1973 James Paul McCartney tv special produced by Lew Grade and while my copy is missing the card slip cover as I bought it used, as it was a lot cheaper as many of these discs usually sell for over $100 I'm not complaining about that.

The DCC edition of At The Speed of Sound replaced a much loathed 1989 Capitol cd that masks much detail in the quieter parts in an attempt to eliminate tape hiss. 

This album was the home of the hit singles Let 'Em In and Silly Love Songs as well as enjoyable numbers like Cook Of The House. It was this album Wings toured with on the tour captured on Wings Over America that was re-released a few years ago.

I've a sneaking feeling many of us who around back then had at least heard this album Venus And Mars before, one of the best in the Wings catalogue with it's singles Venus &Mars/Rock Show (the single edit is on Wingspan) and Listen To What The Man Said (single mix again on Wingspan). One issue with this album is some heavy handed compression was locked into the mixdown tapes but although it's not entirely cured what mastering engineer Steve Hoffman did was carefully balance Venus and Mars so it's quieter than the energetic Rock Show that it segue-ways into for better effect. 

Strangely on all the mainstream releases Rock Show is noticeably less loud! It too has the original poster as featured on the lp and three bonus tracks.

I also was able several years ago to get this edition of McCartney, his first solo album  that featured the hit 45 Maybe I'm Amazed and Teddy Boy in addition to  Ram, featuring the 45 Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey and the pro population control song Too Many People  on DCC too.

The DCC discs were designed to show their gold plated cds in a die-cut slipcase to show off their premium status.

Originally released in 1971 and issued on cd in October of 1987 Wild Life had a more home brew album has Love Is Strange and on the cd has both sides of the Mary Had a Little lamb single.

On February 11th 2014 the classic originally triple live lp Wings Over America was re-issued on cd.

Packaged like the other McCartney and Stereo beatles releases has the white band to indicate it's a new remaster done by the same team at Abbey Road although this is on Concord records although since re-signing to Capitol, current copies are on Capitol Records/UMe.

It's a digipak rather than true Mini Lp mores the pity with slots for the discs to scrape and a booklet. I put the discs in japanese rice paper inners that just fitted to ensure they won't get damaged.

Recorded on tour in 1976 was the first time in many years Paul performed his Beatle hits back to back with his solo works with a great band and is one the best live albums issued.
The sound on this is quite a bit better than the original 80's cd version and for the modest price I paid for it well worth the money.