Wings-Back To The Egg (1979)

 

Artist: Wings

Title: Back To The Egg

Label: Columbia

Format: LP

Cat #: FC 36057

Year of Release: 1979

Country and Year of Edition Issue:  US 1979

Listed Condition: VG+/G+

Sell Date: 3/13/21

Sell Price: $4.99

Discogs Last Sold: 3/3/21 G+/VG $5.29

Low: $0.95

Median: $5.00

Average: $5.58

High:  $14.99 VG+/VG+Wings: Back To The Egg 1979 FC 36057 Columbia Record Label; Album cover has minor wear; Record has minor scuffs; Includes the original inner photo/song title/lyric/credit liner sleeve VG+/VG+

 Current low price: $1.18 VG/VG

Current Number on Sale at Discogs:  82

Have/Want: 4066/231

Where Sold:  Doral, FL

Time it took to sell: 6 years

Where and When Bought: Worcester, MA used That's Entertainment early 80's

Gwiz-gau Letter Grade: A-

Sad To See It Go: No

As this week progressed, my decision not to write about any more Beatle related material took a sharp turn toward writing about more Beatle related material.  It helped that somebody bought a bunch of McCartney, but even yesterday I was sure that London Town was going to be it for a while.  Then I started thinking about it.  I mentioned Back To The Egg in yesterdays review and listened back to back with London Town.  In fact, I was more enthused about Back To The Egg then decided I prefer London Town.

The clincher that there must be McCommentary was the discovery that the TBS network aired a special Back To The Egg TV Show.  The switch from Capitol to Columbia in the US brought a year in the studio and a TV program of proto-MTV looking videos overlayed with canned applause.  Oddly enough the BBC never aired it until 1981 and it still hasn't been officially released to my knowledge.  Until today,  I never knew it existed as I didn't have cable in the 70's.  It blew my mind, being a kid that poured over TV Guides to know every major network lineup cold,  could somehow not know of this important 30 minutes.   I guess I ignored "cable" listings.  So I watched it for the first time today for my final Back To The Egg assessment.  I'm a sucker for the cover coming to life and you get a full action intro and outro of the cover of the album.

Some of the songs I thought dragged a bit were in this video: namely "Love Awake" and "Baby's Request."  Denny Laine's "Again and Again and Again"  was my standout both listening to the album and watching the video, as is the longtime favorite off kilter "Old Siam Sir"  “Spin It On” has some Monkees-style video action that has to be seen.  Everybody spins!

Seeing Linda McCartney spin around like a top and executing her “look ma no hands” rocking was overridden by seeing her play upright bass.  When I saw the Flowers In The Dirt tour a decade later. She was on keys and that is the instrument that I always associated her with.  But when Paul doubles as a conga player in disguise you know they want to throw you off guard.  They wanted to be "cheeky."

The "Rockestra Theme" is left off the video but that was going through my head today.  John Paul Jones, John Bonham, Pete Townsend, Ronnie Lane, David Gilmour, Hank Marvin, Kenny Jones and a bunch more contribute.  The same assembly is on "So Glad To See You Here."  This one looks better on paper.  Maybe Keith Moon would've helped had he lived.   Perhaps you would want to go into a rabbit hole and watch the Rockestra documentary from 1978.

As for the hits "Getting Closer" and "Arrow Through Me" are, as they ever were, toppermost of the poppermost.  They left off  "Goodnight Tonight" in the “Disco Sucks” era (and added it on the “CD Bonus Tracks” era), but also the Beatles together and solo  did SINGLES NOT ON THE ALBUMS, MAN! 

Cuz they could.