While receiving mixed reviews, the album and its lead single, " My Love" were huge commercial successes, both reaching number one in the US charts. In 1972, the band added Henry McCullough to the lineup and released several non-album singles, including " Give Ireland Back to the Irish", " Mary Had a Little Lamb", and " Hi, Hi, Hi", before releasing their second album, Red Rose Speedway, in 1973. The album garnered minimal commercial success and received generally poor reviews. Founded in 1971 by former Beatle Paul McCartney, his wife Linda McCartney, Denny Laine and Denny Seiwell after the release of the McCartneys' album Ram, the band made their debut with Wild Life, released in December that year. The discography of the English rock band Paul McCartney and Wings, also known simply as Wings, consisted of seven studio albums, one live album, two compilation albums, 29 singles and 19 music videos. That stands for many as the best work Wings ever made.Paul and Linda McCartney performing with Wings in 1976 After deciding they needed to move in a different direction, the couple made Band on the Run. Yet the criticisms might have done their job. Meanwhile, a Rolling Stone guide chalked it up as “ weak and sentimental drivel.” As with Wild Life, the reviews more or less convinced Paul and Linda that they had made a turkey. “Quite possibly the worst album ever made by a rock and roller of the first rank - unless David Crosby counts,” Christgau wrote. Village Voice critic Robert Christgau gave it zero respect. Rolling Stone’s Lenny Kaye praised several aspects of the record while pointing out the laundry list of flaws. While Wild Life got mostly panned by critics, the second Wings album Red Rose Speedway (1973) attracted a few decent notices. Denny Laine and Paul McCartney from Wings perform live on stage at The Theatre Antique in Arles, France on July 13 1972. Reviews for ‘Red Rose Speedway’ might have been worse. “ is third-rate suburban pop.” Even for folks who seemed to resent Paul following The Beatles’ dissolution, these comments rated as acidic. In his book on Wings, Garry McGhee cited one of the most brutal. “I still cringe every time I hear it.” Other reviews sounded even harsher. “ It just goes nowhere,” Paul said later, assessing the tune. Though Paul put on a brave face following these notices, he admitted that tunes like “Bip Bop” embarrassed him. In The Beatles: An Illustrated Record, the pair of critics who authored the book described Wild Life as “ an absolute nadir” for Paul’s songwriting powers. However, Mendelsohn did point out some positives - something other critics didn’t bother to do. Writing for Rolling Stone, John Mendelsohn didn’t waste any time describing Wild Life as “ flaccid musically and impotent lyrically, trivial and unaffecting.” He also mentioned that “I Am Your Singer” is “the most embarrassingly puerile” tune Paul wrote since the mid-’60s. | Michael Fresco/Evening Standard/Getty Images With ‘Wild Life,’ Paul got feedback ranging from ‘flaccid’ to ‘third-rate suburban pop.’ 9th November 1971: Former Beatle Paul McCartney with his wife Linda, his father James and his stepmother Angela. The beatings at the hand of rock critics really kicked in with Wild Life (1972). By the time Paul partnered up with his wife Linda and formed Wings, reviews of his first two albums ranged from unimpressed to downright scathing. While those critiques of Paul might sound harsh, it was nothing compared to what the critics were saying. “Everything you try to do, you know it sure sounds wasted,” Ringo sang in 1972. Ringo wasn’t impressed by Paul’s work, either. “That sound you make is Muzak to my ears,” John sang in a brutal 1971 takedown of his former songwriting partner. In the case of John Lennon, it’s safe to say he didn’t find much to like in the solo works of old bandmate Paul McCartney. After the breakup of The Beatles, we got to see what the band members thought about each other’s music.
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