Even the eternal optimist Paul McCartney expressed frustration after the fact about Red Rose Speedway, the 1973 album he made with his band Wings. In the chaos of recording and touring, Macca felt that he left behind a better album somewhere on the cutting-room floor.
Still, Red Rose Speedway solidified Wings as a commercial entity after some singles released in 1972 started them in that direction. Here’s a look back at an album that despite McCartney’s misgivings, feels now more like a near-miss than an absolute clunker.
The Sophomore Jump
When Paul McCartney decided to start up a band about a year after The Beatles announced their breakup, he dove in without too much forethought. Wings’ debut album (Wild Life) was hustled out in 1971. Considering Macca’s Beatles history, fans expecting something grand and ornate were surprised to find the album sounding somewhat ramshackle and tossed-off.
That was how McCartney had planned it, but critics clearly didn’t accept the album in that spirit. The good news is Wings righted the ship with a series of non-album singles that did well in 1972, at the same time as they were doing a lot of touring to gather chemistry.
While all that was happening, the band was also grabbing whatever studio time they had to make their next record. At this time, Wings consisted of McCartney, his wife Linda, guitarist/vocalist Denny Laine, guitarist Henry McCullough, and drummer Denny Seiwell.
Wings recorded so much they had enough material for a double album. But their label balked, and McCartney apparently didn’t push the matter too hard, settling instead for a single album release. Songs that were left out included ones with Linda and Laine singing lead.
But the main problem was most of the material left out showed Wings in a more uptempo, rocking mode. What they left in were songs that mostly hewed to the softer side of Paul’s musical palette. As a result, Red Rose Speedway failed to live up to the expectations of not just the public, but also the guy who was the driving force in putting it together.
Reconsidering Red Rose Speedway
Like many of McCartney’s early albums that took critical beatings when released, Red Rose Speedway received a kinder appraisal when reassessed years down the road. It’s a far cry better than Wild Life, if only because the production is more polished, and you can tell a lot of care went into its creation.
There are certainly some standout songs. “My Love” was the big hit, the band’s first U.S. No. 1, and a deserving one at that. Not only is it one of McCartney’s strongest ballad melodies, but it gets a huge boost out of McCullough’s pyrotechnic guitar solo, which is one of the best instrumental moments by any non-Paul Wings member in the group’s history.
“When the Night” is another excellent song that gets somewhat lost in the shuffle of Wings’ history. It allowed McCartney to bust out his Fats Domino-influenced vocals and piano playing, which is always a thrill. Truth be told, there’s not a single track that’s a clunker.
The problem is that the two longest pieces, “Little Lamb Dragonfly” and the closing medley “Hold Me Tight”/”Lady Dynamite”/”Hands of Love”/”Power Cut,” are a bit weightless and represent the album’s most inessential music. That time would have been much better served if it was spent on one or two of the faster rockers that were cut.
In 2018, a deluxe edition reissue of Red Rose Speedway included a disc that collected all the songs that were initially intended for the double album, right down to the initial running order. While it might not have made the case that a double album was warranted, it at least made clear the original album could have used a little bit more speed on the Speedway.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Photo by ITV/Shutterstock
Local News
