I’ll nail my colours to the mast straight away by declaring that I never liked this album. Apart from the strikingly eye catching cover it always struck me as an otherwise unmemorable, flabby collection of disappointingly average, instantly forgettable tracks. But I must confess that repeated listening does improve its standing.... a fraction. It will never be more than a very pedestrian effort from Paul, but the odd track manages to get through and grow on you after a while. It’s reputation is probably flattered coming as it does hard on the heels of the execrable “Wild Life”. By the same terms, in view of what was to follow it is hard for me to see this album as anything more than a stepping stone.
Big Barn Bed – Not too bad if a little arthritic in its repetition – a bit too much of a “chant” for my liking but the vocal blend is cooking along excellently by now. Plus a nicely coherent instrumental style which gives it a “Ram” flavour and that can only be good. Don’t like the abrupt ending.
My Love – Don't ever ask me why, I never could get by with "My Love". Hideous. Surely my least favourite of all his hits. There, I’ve said it! It’s difficult to put my finger on precisely why. The cloying sickliness.. the syrupy layers.. a substandard/boring vocal.. irritating backing... a gooey guitar solo.. sorry, but it always makes me feel like I’m stifling in bed with a fever and too many itchy blankets, all the curtains drawn shut and a bare 40watt light bulb shining right above me – even though it’s a bright sunny day outside. Discomfort put to music. I’m serious; the track p*sses me off BIG time! The supposed showpiece of the abum, but a suffocating, horrible song as far as I’m concerned. Skip at all costs!
Get On The Right Thing – Another miss for me. Gropes around trying and failing to find a proper melody. It’s all over the place. Unusually the backing harmonies grate. Sorry Macca, you got on the wrong thing here - it's a mess.
One More Kiss – I have a soft spot for this one for no other reason than it has a (very) early Beatles ring to it. The sort of simplistic innocent number I can easily imagine Paul playing to John for the first time in Mimi’s porch circa 1958. An infectious little tune - I’m sure Paul could write harmless, charming songs like this every day. Why doesn’t he?
Little Lamb Dragonfly – A curious one... the “Little Lamb” opening I like, nice vocals and a soft, warm little melody – annoyingly its fragile beauty is quickly eclipsed by the clumsier but more turgidly overwhelming “Dragonfly” part which I just don’t care much for – Paul’s vocal becomes clunkier and the overall effect is of two mis-matched songs rather awkwardly glued together.
Single Pigeon – Probably my favourite song on the album, I’d forgotten how much I quite like this. It recalls to mind the deft beauty of “Junk” from his debut album - unfortunately it is similarly marred by a sudden, inconclusive ending. Nonetheless I like the simple piano accompaniment, the vocal interplay and Paul’s masterfully light touch. A nice poignant little song and a pleasingly succinct antidote to the sort of overlong repetition which he had a tendency to indulge in during this era.
When The Night –Bearable – I actually quite like the backing vocals – but the arthritis soon sets in again and we are left with a disappointing plodder replete with uninspired, excruciating “Moon ‘n’ June” type lyrics. You’ve heard worse yet you know he really can do so much better. Dull.
Loup (The First Indian On The Moon) – A simple but overlong dirge. No lyrics, just a sort of somnolent hum which I have to admit gets annoyingly trapped in my head, even if it does sound like the ominous build up to some sort of sinister ritual sacrifice. It’s peppered with irritatingly forgettable little sound experiments along the way aswell. Was there any point?
Medley: Hold Me Tight - Lazy Dynamite - Hands Of Love - Power Cut – It’s hard to digest the fact that the same man who crafted some sublime song suites managed to dish up this clumsily segued mongrel hotch-potch. “Hold Me Tight” manages to make its 1963 ‘With The Beatles’ namesake sound like a masterpiece, which it certainly was not. Staggeringly infantile to the point of embarrassment, it quickly gives way to the equally trite “Lazy Dynamite” in which the vocal mix just sounds plain wrong to me - sorry Paul, but this is rubbish and you must know it is. An inept, hamfisted transition stumbles into the more pleasing “Hands Of Love” which, whilst maintaining the almost nursery rhyme tweeness, redeems things a little thanks to a more perky rhythm and livelier vocals over a moderately catchy tune. The “medley” – actually more of a badly stitched together chimera – rounds off with the unremarkable “Power Cut” (yet another plodder) before having the cheek to patronisingly weave guitar motifs reviving the other medley numbers together as an afterthought in an insultingly weak final pay off.
Frustration and disappointment are the unpleasant aftertaste I am left with in conclusion.
You get the feeling Wings need a good shake up and a bit of tension to re-ignite their spark......