Paul McCartney & Wings, The #50 Artist of the Rock Era, Part Two

 

(Continued from Part One)

 

The group signed with Capitol Records and moved to New Orleans, Louisiana to record their next album.  Joe English replaced Britton on drums and the band brought in former Traffic guitarist Dave Mason and Tom Scott on saxophone.  In 1975, Paul McCartney and Wings released the album of their career, Venus and Mars.  The single "Listen To What The Man Said" rose to #1 in both the United States and Canada and sold over one million copies.  

  Venus and Mars has sold over one million copies in the United States alone.  The single "Venus And Mars/Rock Show" climbed to #12.

Venus and Mars was one of the top albums of the year, and the group promoted it with the Wings Over the World tour.  One of the concerts in Seattle, Washington was filmed and later released as Rockshow.  The American concerts were recorded and released as the triple live album Wings over America, the fifth straight #1 album for the band and another Platinum release.  The group was nominated for Best Album Package at the Grammy Awards.

One of the many reasons for that success is "Medicine Jar".

Never released as a single, "Magneto and The Titanium Man" is one of The Top Tracks of the Rock Era*.

Wings had never had so many tracks from an album receiving substantial airplay.  This is "Letting Go".

 

While in between legs of the tour, the group recorded the album Wings at the Speed of Sound, another Platinum album.  The group scored another #1 song in the U.S. and Canada and another song to appear high on year-end charts with "Silly Love Songs".  A #1 song of five weeks in the U.S., it also has sold over one million singles.  

Wings opened the door to another Top 5 smash with "Let 'Em In", which also was certified Gold.  The band scored another Grammy nomination for Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocals.

 "Maybe I'm Amazed" is a "live" version of a song McCartney first recorded for his solo album in 1970.  It too hit the Top 10.

 

After a break, the group began recording in the Virgin Islands, but McCulloch and English both left.  The McCartneys and Laine soldiered on, recording "Mull Of Kintyre", a song about the area in Scotland where McCartney lived in the early part of the decade.  It was a huge hit in the U.K. and became one of the best-selling singles of all-time there.

In 1978, Paul McCartney and Wings released the album London Town, which included significant contributions from McCulloch and English, who had recorded several songs before leaving the group.  The band scored their fifth #1 when "With A Little Luck" zoomed to the top.

London Town has also sold over one million units, the group's sixth consecutive Gold studio album.  At the end of the year, the group released the album Wings Greatest, another million-seller and a #5 album in the U.K. and #8 in Australia.

 

Later in the year, the revolving door of guitarists and drummers brought lead guitarist Laurence Juber and drummer Steve Holley into the fold.  In 1979, Wings signed with Columbia Records.  The group released the single "Goodnight Tonight" in advance of the album.

 "Getting Closer" is also one we want to feature.

The band released Back to the Egg.  The "Rockestra Theme", which won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance, is a jam recorded with members of Led Zeppelin, the Who, Pink Floyd, Wings and others.

McCartney took time off to work on a new solo album, leading to a dry period for the band.  It is important to note that both his first two albums and McCartney II are tracked separately from Wings and do not count towards the group's point total.

  

Later in the year, Wings toured the U.K.  The live version of McCartney's "Coming Up" was released as a single in 1980, which gave the group another #1 and another Gold release. 

But a tour of Japan was canceled after Paul was arrested upon arrival at the Tokyo Airport for possession of 7.7 ounces of marijuana in his luggage.  He spent 10 days in jail before being released and the other members of the band except for Linda returned to England.

When the McCartneys returned to England, Paul released his solo album McCartney II and began working on his next solo release, Tug of War.  In 1981, Laine announced he was leaving Wings because of Paul's hesitancy to tour after the murder of former Beatle John Lennon.

In 1997, Laine, Juber and Holley reunited at a Beatlefest convention in East Rutherford, New Jersey.  Laine, Juber and Seiwell joined together at another Beatlefest convention in Las Vegas, Nevada.  Those last three also performed at a similar event in Los Angeles in 2014.

In 2001, Wings released the compilation album Wingspan:  Hits and History, a #2 album in the U.S., #4 in Canada and #5 in the United Kingdom.  The album, which also includes solo McCartney hits from 1970-71 and 1980-84, has now sold over two million copies.  

In 2013, Paul McCartney and Wings were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

Wings scored 27 career hits, with an impressive 14 of those going Top 10 and six reaching #1.

Every one of the seven studio albums released by Wings has gone Gold, with all but two reaching Platinum status.

The group won four Grammy Awards out of nine nominations and was nominated for an American Music Award and an Academy Award.