Paul McCartney & Wings - Wings

Paul McCartney and Wings get the one-record greatest-hits treatment on Wings, a 2025 collection of twelve songs on 180-gram vinyl.

After The Beatles split, McCartney formed Wings with his wife Linda and guitarist Denny Laine, and through the seventies the band became a hit machine in its own right. This set boils that decade down to a single disc, and it comes with a booklet featuring an introduction from Paul and portraits of the band by the artist Humphrey Ocean.

Side one opens with "Band on the Run," a three-part mini-epic that remains one of the most thrilling things McCartney ever committed to tape, and the glam-tinged rush of "Jet" follows close behind. Flip it over for "Live and Let Die," the Bond theme that lurches from tender piano ballad to full orchestral explosion, and the record signs off with the misty bagpipes of "Mull of Kintyre."

In between come love songs, rockers and the odd curveball, a reminder of how much range this band had and how McCartney's melodic gift kept flowing long after the sixties ended. Linda's harmonies and Denny's guitar give the songs a camaraderie that feels distinctly Wings.

It plays like a party and works as a history lesson, which is about the best thing a hits collection can do.