A partial review of the album, with a couple of extras from the era. The ones that are missing I didn't feel merited much attention, i.e., not to my taste.
http://youtu.be/ysYqQjru_fMIntro to the TV special. Just including this to set the mood.
http://youtu.be/4uGK3uAN3zY"Reception." Actually, not a bad bass line intro to the album, though the radio snippets are way overdone. It sounds like Paul was just having a little self-indulgent fun with this, sitting in the studio by himself pretending to be Funky. And, he almost pulls it off. Which is fine - for a home recording for his own amusement.
http://youtu.be/mC-kt8qBIWk"Old Siam Sir." Wings trying to be Van Halen, with all the mugging for the camera in the video and Linda acting goofy. Better song than the presentation would suggest. A good song, not very good or great, but more than just a filler. Pleasant enough.
"Arrow through me." Great bass line and synthesizer, Paul doing his mellow schtick. Did he get the title from the Steve Martin bit? Don't laugh, "Sgt. Pepper" apparently came from salt and pepper shakers. Not my favorite on the album, for sure.
"Getting Closer." A very good song, hardly great, but still listenable. Nice harmonies, a neglected art these days. I like it, but not particularly memorable.
"Winter Rose/Love Awake." I personally don't like the raspy voice thing, but opinions can differ. Paul goes for a medieval feel with "Winter Rose," and succeeds, but they did it better back then with the originals.
A good song, I don't put it in the "masterpiece" category like some, but certainly under-appreciated. I don't think he needed the whole group for this, simply sitting by a fire with a guitar like in "Calico Skies" would have sufficed.
"Rockestra." This was a big deal when it came out, getting a lot of publicity, which I'm sure was the only reason for doing it at all. Lots of stars involved, everyone no doubt had fun making it, all hiding the fact that it isn't much of a song at all. That I don't like it probably says more about me than the song, but if you are going to jam, you could liven things up with some solos and extended riffs. Did not do particularly well when released as a single. Having everyone simply hammer the main line, heck, you could do that by yourself on a Moog.
"Spin it On." Another strained attempt to be Van Halen. The lyrics are bit cute for me, but as a loud rocker it is fine. Linda, you really didn't need to spin around in the video, we get it....
"Again and Again and Again." I am probably alone on this, but I find this a refreshing break from the overbearing rockers on this album. It actually has a nice melody and nice breaks. Everybody seems more relaxed, just being themselves rather than trying to be someone else. Almost a duet between Paul and Denny, there should have been more of this - and, yes, I realize most people find this one of the worst songs on the album. But a nice song.
"So Glad to See You Here." The full Rockestra lineup again. I will say this for it, it is better than the "Rockestra" theme because it's an actual song and it has a little variety, with (too few) harmonies and backing vocals that are greatly needed. If you are going to assemble talent for the sake of assembling talent, you need to relax control and let the others show their individuality. That is something Paul has never excelled at doing. Good, not great.
"To You." Nice guitar solo to open it, making you think it might be sparse and even acoustic, but then it opens up in a good way. Unfortunately, it loses its way midway through, as Paul shows signs of giving in to the unfortunate tendency that overlays the entire album of substituting noise for creativity instead of maintaining a steady theme. The little Van Halen riffs in the middle show where his mind was while producing this album, and the repetition simply gets old by the end of the song. Nice start that unfortunately peters out. Have I used the word "unfortunate" enough yet? Should have been the title.
"Daytime Nighttime Suffering." The B side to "Goodnight Tonight." Paul at his vocal best, sort of a precursor of the classic "Wanderlust." It doesn't have the persistent noise that infests "Back to the Egg," which is a good thing. Nice melodies, and it sounds like he actually is trying to say something, unlike, oh, "Spin it On." Better than anything actually on the album.
"Goodnight Tonight." The hit single from the "Back to the Egg" era. One of the smoothest bass lines of all time. I would make the argument that this was the genesis for the entire "new romantic" movement that followed, though that might be a stretch. Very nice guitar work, the occasional goofiness works, and Paul is in good voice. It certainly foreshadowed some stuff in the 1980s. A very good song, not quite in the great category.
"Wonderful Christmastime." Not a Wings song, even though they are in the video, but it gets included with the album. Good move by Paul financially, keeping it to himself, considering the millions it has generated for him by becoming a seasonal. This song takes its hits because it doesn't match what people expect from a "rock" star, but personally I think it has a very advanced sound for 1979 that still sounds fresh today. The synthesizer work is just outstanding. I like it. A lot. A great song, and a classic, and a great promo film, too.