The fine single Blu-ray Disc edition of Paul McCartney & Wings’ massive new 32-track retrospective, simply called Wings, is a fascinating toe-in-the-water towards experiencing the ex-Beatle’s 1970s second wave of successes via immersive audio.
From Sir Paul’s own website we gain some useful insights into the intent of the collection overall:
“WINGS is the ultimate anthology of the band that defined the sound of the 1970s. A lovingly curated time capsule of imagery and music personally overseen by Paul McCartney, WINGS includes 32 timeless international hits including ‘Band on the Run’, ‘Live and Let Die’, ‘Jet’ and ‘Let ‘Em In’ – songs that still feature in his live shows to this day.
Previously, there have been attempts at bringing Wings’ music to the world through immersive music formats. Venus & Mars as well as Band On The Run were issued late in the initial mid-70s run of Quadraphonic sound on 8-track cartridge and then again in the late ’90s (and early 00s) via DTS Entertainment 5.1 surround discs.
There was also a standard DVD collection of Paul McCartney’s music overall issued in DTS 5.1 surround along the way. But as far as i can tell on Wings we are getting this music on Blu-ray and in newer Dolby Atmos format for the first time. While we haven’t had time to compare / contrast, we suspect these mixes by Giles Martin and Steve Orchard (also including 24 bit 96kHz stereo!) are fresh.
Levels of immersion vary from track to track but, in general, the producers keep the rocking band portions mostly to the front channels, saving the surround and Atmos height fields for harmonies, orchestral moments, room ambiance, support overdubs and such.
At first listen I noticed a remarkable sense of continuity across these very different recordings made in numerous studios across various incarnations of the band over time. So kudos must go out to producer Giles Martin and his team for this achievement. At the end of the day, it all sounds like Wings music, which is compelling given all the changes the band endured.
I’ve been enjoying it so far. I was particularly pleased to hear tracks from Back To The Egg such as “Arrow Through Me” and “Getting Closer.” The Wild Life songs fare very well, especially their sparse airy cover of Mickey and Sylvia’s 1950s hit “Love Is Strange.” The Venus And Mars tracks also sound rich and fulfilling.
One surprise omission is the Wild Life closing track,”Tomorrow,” one of McCartney’s most Beatle-esque post-Beatles compositions and a personal fave. Perhaps it was too Beatle-y and not Wings-ian (if you will) enough, but I found its absence rather curious.
That said Wings’ Blu-ray Collection gives me hope that there may be a proper official Dolby Atmos / 5.1 Surround Blu-ray Disc series being considered for the future. Until that time, I’ll be immersed and enjoying this collection of many of Wings’ greatest moments.
You can find Wings’ Blu-ray Collection at Paul McCartney’s website for a very fair price of $26.99 (click here). It appears to be sold out at the moment but I would hope that it will be restocked in due time (hopefully it will get further distribution in other retail channels).
Mark Smotroff is a deep music enthusiast / collector who has also worked in entertainment oriented marketing communications for decades supporting the likes of DTS, Sega and many others. He reviews vinyl for Analog Planet and has written for Audiophile Review, Sound+Vision, Mix, EQ, etc. You can learn more about him at LinkedIn.
