ABBA, The #49 Artist of the Rock Era, Part Three

 

(Continued from Part Two)

 

ABBA pulled another single from Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 with the influential "Gimme!  Gimme!  Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)", a #1 smash in Ireland,  France, Belgium, Finland and Switzerland, #2 in West Germany, the Netherlands and Norway, #3 in the U.K. and Austria and #8 in Australia.

 

ABBA recorded this great song at their Polar Music Studios and invited the choir from Stockholm International School to sing the chorus.  "I Have A Dream" hit #1 in Austria and the Netherlands and #2 in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

The group performed a select few dates in North America to sold-out crowds, the last time ABBA would set foot on the continent.  They played 23 dates in Western Europe, including six sold-out shows at Wembley Arena in London,  and played 11 dates in Japan, nearly as many as they did in the much-larger United States.

 

In 1981, ABBA released the album Super Trouper, the ninth #1 album in the U.K.  The poignant single "The Winner Takes It All" raced to #1, it was the group's 10th #1 song in Ireland, their eighth chart-topper in the United Kingdom and their seventh #1 in the Netherlands.  It also peaked at #2 in Austria, #3 in Australia, #4 in West Germany and #8 in the U.S.

 Unfortunately, the United States missed the boat once again on the big picture--they had the dubious distinction of being the only country in the world in which Super Trouper wasn't a Top 10 album.  The title song went to #1 in the U.K., West Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands, #2 in Norway and #3 in Austria.

 

"On And On And On" reached #9 in Australia.

 "Happy New Year" was not released as a single until 1999, when European radio stations received it, though the Spanish version, entitled "Felicidad", reached #5 in Argentina.

"Andante, Andante" makes brilliant use of a musical term that signifies that the piece of music is to be played or sung at a tempo that is not too fast or too slow.  In this song, which was originally titled "Hold Me Close", Frida is using it as a metaphor for the man not to go too fast with her.

 

This solid song was later remade by Information Society.  In 2006, Slant magazine ranked it as the #60 Dance song of all-time.  The descending vocal tones at the end of the verse right before the refrain was achieved by sending the vocal into a harmoniser, which produced a slightly lower-pitched version of the vocal.  That output was fed back to its input, thus continually lowering the pitch of the vocal.  Another great ABBA tune--"Lay Your Love On Me"

 

Bjorn wrote the lyrics to this based on his memory of a teenage romance he had in Paris, France.  "Our Last Summer" is another example of how much he had grown as a songwriter since 1974.  And Frida turned in a stellar vocal performance as well.

 Another amazing song, "One Of Us", hit #1 in West Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands and #3 in the U.K. and Austria.  The United States still didn't get it, but they soon would.

ABBA recorded a compilation of Spanish-language versions of their hits, Gracias Por La Música and released the album that year.

Andersson and Lyngstad announced they were filing for divorce.  The next year, ABBA released their final studio album, The Visitors, which revealed perhaps Andersson and Ulvaeus' best songwriting of their careers.  

There was rampant speculation as to the future of the group, especially given that both couples had now split.  In 1982, the group recorded three new songs, but Andersson and Ulvaeus were not satisfied, and the group took a break.  Instead, they released the double compilation album The Singles:  The First Ten Years.  

 

ABBA recorded new songs for the compilation, including "The Day Before You Came", #3 in Australia and the Netherlands.  It is the band's most intriguing song, because the listener is left guessing what happened when "the man came" into her life.  It is like a mystery with the final page torn out.

The listener seems to be taking a journey on a woman's mundane everyday routine before she met the lover who changed her life.  But when one probes deeper into the lyrics, it is evident that something else darker is going on.  The woman is fragile and her pronouncements of "I'm certain...", "I must have...", "I'm sure," seem to imply that she is going though life like a zombie without really appreciating her activities or having control over them.  

 

Just as "The Winner Takes It All" may have been influenced by the divorce of Bjorn and Agnetha, this song, featuring the powerful and emotional vocals by Frida, is about the divorce of Frida and Benny.  Ulvaeus asked both members for permission before the group began working on the song.  This is  "When All Is Said And Done".

ABBA promoted the release of the album with television appearances.  Andersson and Ulvaeus collaborated with Tim Rice to write songs for the musical Chess and the children's musical Abbacadabra, a French television program featuring ABBA songs, while Fältskog and Lyngstad concentrated on solo albums.

 

There shouldn't be a parent alive who cannot identify with this great song.  It should serve as an inspiration to fully enjoy every moment with your child, for their time in your home is short.  Ulvaeus wrote this song with his then seven-year-old daughter in mind.  "Every parent knows that feeling, even if you were with them every waking hour you'd still feel that you were missing something."  With passionate vocals from Faltskog, "Slipping Through Your Fingers".

In 1986, all four members recorded a video performing an acoustic version of "Tivedshambo", the first song written by manager Stig Anderson, for Anderson's 55th birthday.  It was the first time they had all been together in two years.  ABBA performed for the final time on the British television show The Late, Late Breakfast Show.    

In 1992, ABBA released the compilation ABBA Gold:  Greatest Hits.

Despite all of their hit records and international sales, management at American radio stations still could not comprehend the popularity of ABBA in the United States.  Something was about to happen that would change all that and would be a slap in the face to those who had been unable to see what their listeners liked.

In 1994, two Australian movies were released related to ABBA's music--The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and Muriel's Wedding.  ABBA released the four-disc box set Thank You for the Music.

Several artists did covers of ABBA's songs and compilations did so well that ABBA fans clammored for a comeback by the group.  In 2000, ABBA nonetheless turned down an offer of $1 billion U.S. dollars to perform 100 concerts in a reunion tour.  

In 2002, ABBA was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame.  Andersson and Ulvaeus had been working on a story that would feature ABBA's music, and in 2008, the movie musical Mamma Mia! premiered, starring Meryl Streep.  All four members were on hand for the Swedish premiere on July 4.  

The movie sparked renewed interest in ABBA's music throughout the world, with the album ABBA Gold:  Greatest Hits remarkably reaching #1 for the fifth time in the U.K., 16 years after its release.  The Mamma Mia!  The Movie soundtrack album went to #1 in the United States, better than any of their studio albums had ever done.

On January 20, 2016, all four members reunited for Mamma Mia The Party in Stockholm for the first time since the movie premiere of Mamma Mia!.  

In 2010 ABBA was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 

Also that year, ABBAWORLD, a touring exhibition with interactive and audiovisual activities that allowed fans to relive the story of the group, premiered at the Earls Court Exhibition Centre in London.  

In 2015, "Dancing Queen" was included in the Grammy Hall of Fame.

ABBA collected 20 hits in the U.S., with four Top 10 songs and one #1.  Of all the stories in The Top 100 Artists*, ABBA's is one in which radio station management didn't get it, to put it bluntly.  It wasn't that people in the United States didn't love ABBA; that fact was proven many times over with Mamma Mia, but rather that some radio stations stubbornly refused to play their songs.  With Mamma Mia, ABBA had the last laugh on those radio stations.

Compare those career chart statistics above with other countries:  in the U.K., which generally prefers a harder style of Rock to the United States, ABBA generated 25 career hits with a sensational 19 of those going Top 10 and nine #1's.  Australia, another country with similar listening tastes, the group landed 30 hits with 16 Top 10 songs and six #1's.  In West Germany, ABBA charted 26 hits with 20 Top 10's and nine #1 songs.  The group had 23 career hits in Ireland, with 19 Top 10's and 12 #1's.  

We consider all of that in our rankings.  Had ABBA generated more hits or sales in the United States, they would be closer to the Top 10, but as Mamma Mia continues to play to sold-out audiences and sales continue to grow in the U.S., perhaps they will edge closer in the years to come.  They are more popular now than ever, despite not recording a new album or performing together in two decades.

Actual record sales are disputed.  Certifiable sales top 100 million, with some estimates putting the figure at 500 million.  We use certified sales backed by reliable sources--the 100 million figure is the one we used in ranking them among the top artists.

ABBA, The #49 Artist of the Rock Era, Part Two

 

(Continued from Part One)

 

ABBA released the film ABBA:  The Movie, accompanied by the release of the studio LP ABBA:  The Album in 1978.  The lead single "The Name Of The Game" landed in the Top 10 in every major country except the U.S., where it peaked at #12, to make it yet another of The Top Unknown/Underrated Songs of the Rock Era*.

 

The Album landed in the Top 10 in every country in the world except France and the United States.  "Take A Chance On Me" rose to #1 in the U.K., Ireland and Austria, #2 in the Netherlands, #3 in the U.S. and West Germany and #8 in Norway and sold over one million copies.

 

We also want to feature the uplifting "Move On".

 

ABBA proved throughout their career that they could rock & roll.  One of their favorite concert songs was "Hole In Your Soul".

 

"One Man, One Woman" is easily one of The Top Unknown/Underrated Songs of the Rock Era*, and also one of their career best.

 "Eagle" is another inspirational song on the album, which got its inspiration from the book Jonathan Livingston Seagull, according to Bjorn in Bright Lights Dark Shadows:  The Real Story of ABBA:  "I was trying to capture the sense of freedom that I got from reading that book."

 "Thank You For The Music", although it was one of the highlights of The Album, was only released as the group's final single in 1983 and is thought of as a farewell song from the group.

 

Later in the year, ABBA started their own studio called Polar Music Studio in Stockholm.  It would later be used by numerous bands, including Led Zeppelin and Genesis.  ABBA released their compilation Greatest Hits Vol. 2, which contained their new song "Summer Night City", a smash in most countries.  

 

For the first time in their career, ABBA toured the United States.  On January 9, 1979, the group performed "Chiquitita" at the Music for UNICEF Concert at the United Nations, with proceeds from the song donated to UNICEF.  "Chiquitita" rose to #1 in 10 countries, but once again, the U.S. missed out at #29.  It is another of the group's entries in The Top Unknown/Underrated Songs of the Rock Era*.

But in just a matter of days after the UNICEF performance, Fältskog and Ulvaeus divorced.  ABBA members assured everyone they would continue to perform and tour, but Benny and Björn planned a secret trip to the Bahamas to work on the songs for the group's next album out of the limelight.

 

The songwriting sessions went well and by April, ABBA released the album Voulez-Vous.  Voulez-Vous was a Top 10 smash with the United States being the only country that was left out.

"Does Your Mother Know" raced to #3 in the U.K. and #10 in Australia, but stalled at #19 in the United States.

 

The group recorded backing tracks for the album at Criterion Studios in Miami, Florida, the same studio which the Bee Gees used in their heyday.  "Voulez-Vous", with its disco vibe, was the only song ABBA created an extended mix for.

 

"As Good As New", with its great orchestral arrangements, became ABBA's ninth and final #1 in Mexico.

 "Kisses Of Fire" was the "B" side to "Does Your Mother Know" but deserves to be included in its own right.

ABBA recorded some of their best and most relevant songs late in their career.  Join us for those in Part Three!

The Top 100 Artists of the Rock Era Checklist--#70-51

 Here is our second checklist.  If you missed the first one, it is here:

The Top 100 Artists of the Rock Era Checklist:  #100-71

#70.  Hall & Oates, Part One

        Hall & Oates, Part Two

#69.  Jackson Five

#68.  Gloria Estefan, Part One

         Gloria Estefan, Part Two

#67.  Doors, Part One

         Doors, Part Two

#66.  Earth, Wind & Fire, Part One

         Earth, Wind & Fire, Part Two

#65.  Taylor Swift, Part One

         Taylor Swift, Part Two

         Taylor Swift, Part Three

#64.  Everly Brothers, Part One

         Everly Brothers, Part Two

#63.  Moody Blues, Part One

         Moody Blues, Part Two

#62.  Bon Jovi, Part One

         Bon Jovi, Part Two

#61.  Rihanna, Part One

         Rihanna, Part Two

         Rihanna, Part Three

#60.  Genesis, Part One

         Genesis, Part Two

#59.  Doobie Brothers, Part One

         Doobie Brothers, Part Two

#58.  Aerosmith, Part One

         Aerosmith, Part Two

#57.  Four Seasons, Part One

         Four Seasons, Part Two

#56.  Santana, Part One

         Santana, Part Two

#55.  George Michael, Part One

         George Michael, Part Two

         George Michael, Part Three

#54.  Pink Floyd, Part One

         Pink Floyd, Part Two

         Pink Floyd, Part Three

#53.  Garth Brooks, Part One

         Garth Brooks, Part Two

         Garth Brooks, Part Three

#52.  Three Dog Night, Part One

         Three Dog Night, Part Two

#51.  Queen, Part One

         Queen, Part Two

         Queen, Part Three

ABBA, The #49 Artist of the Rock Era, Part One

"ABBA was so awesome!"

"Brilliant music and arrangements."

"I don't believe there have ever been better melodies.  That is what ABBA excelled at."

"Great songwriting and singing."

"Incredible how many great songs they did."

"ABBA recorded some of the best music ever."

"One of the great groups in history."

"They really are amazing."

"John Lennon said ABBA was one of the best groups ever.  I agree!"

"Everything by ABBA is great."

"One of the best bands in history."

"They were magical."

"ABBA's music touched the heart."


Here we have quite possibly a group responsible the best melodies ever created by one artist.  And, just as we analyzed album tracks by groups such as Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd in addition to hit songs, as any serious ranking of The Top 100 Artists* would do, that requires one to also include album tracks by artists who have a distinguished record of hits.  This supergroup not only chalked up hit after hit; they have scores of great album tracks, as you will hear.  Some of them, in fact, are among their greatest songs.

This immensely popular Swedish group began when keyboardist Benny Andersson was in the Hep Stars and Björn Ulvaeus led the Hootenanny Singers.  Both acts became familiar with one another as they played at the same venues.  Anderson and Ulvaeus  wrote a song which the Hep Stars recorded.  

It wasn't a big hit, but Stig Anderson, owner of Polar Music Records and manager of the Hootenanny Singers, liked what he heard and encouraged the pair to write more.  

In 1969, Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad both competed at Melodifestivalen, the Swedish festival which would select the country's entry to the prestigious Eurovision Song Contest.  
Lyngstad, who was the only member of ABBA to have been born in Norway, began singing with dance bands at age 13 and formed her own band, the Anni-Frid Four.  When she was 21, Anni-Frid won a national talent competition in Sweden to earn a recording contract with EMI Sweden.  

Within a month, the two became romantically involved.  In 1971, Andersson began producing her recordings, and Lyngstad scored the #1 Swedish song "Min egen stad" ("My Own Town"), which Benny also wrote and all future members of ABBA sang on.  

Meanwhile, when the Hep Stars broke up, Andersson and Ulvaeus recorded their first album together, called Lycka, which means happiness, in 1970.  Both Lyngstad and Agnetha Fältskog, Björn's girlfriend, were in the studio during the recording of the album and added backing vocals.  

Ulvaeus continued to perform and record with the Hootenanny Singers through 1974.  Fältskog also was an accomplished singer who already had recorded a #1 song in Sweden when she was 18.  She wrote her own songs and had released four solo albums from 1968-71.

Fältskog and Ulvaeus married July 6, 1971 and sang backing vocals on albums of the other.  In 1972, Fältskog starred as Mary Magdalene in the Swedish production of Jesus Christ Superstar.  

Björn and Benny recorded "Hej, gamle man", which went to #1 for 15 weeks in Sweden.  More and more, they aided each other in the studio, and in 1971, Fältskog, Andersson and Ulvaeus toured together.

Stig Anderson continued to be a driving force in spurring Andersson and Ulvaeus to combine their talents.  With Stig's encouragement, the two wrote "Säg det med en sång" ("Say It With A Song") for the 1972 Melodifestivalen.  The song finished third and became a Swedish hit.

Three Andersson/Ulvaeus songs caught on in Japan, with one becoming a Top 10 hit there.

 

In 1972, the duo wrote "People Need Love", with vocals by the women, credited to Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid.  It was a minor hit in Sweden and also received airplay in the United States.

Now the four artists were as convinced as Anderson that they were on to something.  They released their debut album Ring Ring in 1973 and competed again at Melodifestivalen with the title song.  Once again, they finished third.  

That year, the group worked on changing their name, finally combining the first letters of their four first names to come up with ABBA.  

In 1974, ABBA persisted with their goal of getting into the Eurovision Song Contest, which would earn them great exposure.  With "Waterloo", ABBA not only won the Meldifestivalen in Sweden but, in an historic performance, captured first place in the Eurovision Song Contest.

This led to a tour of Europe and performances on the continent's top television shows.  ABBA traveled briefly to the United States to appear on The Mike Douglas Show and scored their first big hit in the U.S., as "Waterloo" rose to #6.  The song topped charts in the U.K., West Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands and Norway. 

 

 ABBA was one of the first artists to regularly make videos of their songs. "Honey Honey" stalled at #27 in the United States, but hit #2 in Germany and #4 in Austria, more typical of where it should have been ranked.

When "Honey Honey" in the U.S. and a re-released "Ring Ring" in Europe failed to generate enthusiasm, there was discussion that ABBA was a one-hit wonder. The group had to cancel some dates of a 1974 tour of West Germany, Denmark and Austria, but Scandinavian audiences loved them when ABBA played there later in the year.

 

ABBA released "So Long", #3 in Australia and #7 in Sweden, but mysteriously ignored elsewhere.  The man in the song tries to lure females with his money, but the women in the group aren't buying it.

 

In 1975, the single "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do" with its sublime chorus had more success.  It went straight to #1 in Australia and New Zealand.  Still, with a peak of #15 in the United States, it is one of The Top Unknown/Underrated Songs of the Rock Era*.

 

In 1975, ABBA released their self-titled album and the perfectly constructed and infectious "SOS" reached #1 in West Germany, Australia and New Zealand, #2 in Austria, the Netherlands and Norway, #3 in Ireland and #6 in the U.K.  It was another underrated song in the U.S. at #15, but did receive a BMI Award for airplay.

 

This is the last song that was recorded for their album.  Bjorn recalls the he and Benny wrote the song in the library of Bjorn and Agnetha's home in Lidingo, a suburb of Stockholm.  Bjorn was chiefly responsible for the lyrics, but Anderson contributed catchy song titles from time to time, "Mamma Mia" being a good example.  

In addition to their superbly-crafted harmonies and arrangements, Andersson liked to weave in unusual sounds into their songs.  One such "whim" was the use of a marimba, the tick-tocking that you hear at the start of the song.  Anderson fills us in:

     That came about because the marimba was

       sitting there in this little corner of the Metronome 

      Studio.  So when the song was going, and

      everybody was playing, we thought, "Well that's 

     OK, but it's not really a record is it?"  I started 

     playing on the marimba.  I just wanted to see 

     what it sounded like...And it changed the course 

     of the song.

"Mamma Mia" rocketed to #1 on the U.K., West Germany, Australia and Ireland and #2 in New Zealand and Norway, but stopped far short at #32 in the U.S.  It is another highly underrated song.

ABBA was beginning to win fans throughout the world, which radio stations did not fully understand, especially in the United States.  The group released a Greatest Hits album in 1976, even though they hadn't yet enjoyed big success in either the U.S. or the U.K., the two biggest popular music markets.

 

To many radio professionals, the success of the compilation was a huge surprise.  It sold over one million copies in the United States and went to #1 on the U.K. Album chart.  The album contained the new song "Fernando", not about a real person but a Mexican partisan who reminisces with a friend about the Mexican-American War, resulting in the expansion of the southern border of the U.S. to include the Rio Grande river. 

"Fernando" exploded into a worldwide sensation, reaching #1 in 13 countries, including the U.K., Australia and West Germany.  In Australia, it held down #1 for 14 weeks, tying the Beatles' "Hey Jude" for the longest-running #1 song.  "Fernando" was either #1 or #2 in every country in the world except the United States, where the bad ears of music directors kept it down at #12.  The song continues to rank as one of the best-selling singles in history in Australia.

ABBA have always been huge megastars down under.  A 1976 television special in Australia was viewed by more people than the 1969 landing on the moon.  Always astute businesspeople, the members of ABBA dressed in wild costumes to take advantage of a Swedish law that allowed them to deduct clothing if they could prove they were not used everyday and, as they were unable to accept rubles in the Soviet bloc countries as payment, they signed up for royalty payments in oil commodities. 

"Fernando" proved to be the springboard for even bigger things to come.  By 1980, only two other artists in the U.K. had scored more #1 songs--Elvis Presley and the Beatles.  In 1974, ABBA released their worldwide breakthrough album, Arrival.  "Dancing Queen" was the song that finally beat those music directors in the U.S. over the head--the country finally heard what millions around the world already knew--this group was amazing.  "Dancing Queen" was nearly a universal #1 song and sold over one million singles in the United States.

Arrival still did far better in Europe, but it was certified Gold in the U.S.  On Arrival, ABBA honed their considerable songwriting talents for the first time and they began to almost exclusively feature Agnetha and Frida, the biggest and best weapons in their arsenal.  The album went to #1 everywhere in the world except Austria, France and the United States.  On "Money, Money, Money", radio stations in the U.S. went back into denial.  While the song hit the Top 3 in every other country in the world, it stalled there at #56.

 

Even the great song "Knowing Me, Knowing You" peaked at #14 in the United States, despite #1 rankings in the U.K., West Germany and Ireland and Top 10 showings everywhere else in the world.

By this time, ABBA were superstars in Europe and Australia and the press followed them constantly.  For their last two sold-out shows at the Royal Albert Hall in London, tickets were available only by mail applications.  The box office received 3.5 million requests for the two shows, enough to fill the Hall to capacity 580 times.

 

Bjorn believed the beautiful "My Love, My Life" was one of the finest examples of Agnetha's vocal purity.

"Tiger", about the dangerous aspects of city life, is another quality track.

"Arrival" is the beautifully atmospheric instrumental title track.

We're just getting started with this beloved group at #49.  Join us for Part Two!

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.