Wings - Band On The Run

Band On The Run - 4
Jet - 3
Bluebird - 3
Mrs Vandebilt - 4
Let Me Roll It - 3
Mamunia - 4
No Words - 3
Helen Wheels - 3
Picasso's Last Words (Drink To Me) - 4
Nineteen Hundred And Eighty Five - 4
Total - 35 stars / 10 stars = 3.50 stars

25 Anniversary Bonus CD

Band On The Run (Nicely Toasted Mix) - 4
Band On The Run (Original) - 3
Band On The Run (Barn Rehearsal - 21st July, 1989) - 4
Mamunia - 4
Bluebird (Live Version Australia 1975) - 3
Bluebird - 4
No Words - 4
No Words - Band On The Run - 4
Jet (Original From Picasso's Last Words) - 4
Jet (Berlin Soundcheck 3rd September 1993) - 3
Clive Arrowsmith (Dialogue) - 4
Nineteen Hundred And Eighty Five - 4
Mrs Vanderbilt - 3
Let Me Roll It (Cardington Rehearsal 5th February 1993) - 3
Mrs Vanderiblt - 3
Helen Wheels (Crazed) - 3
Band On The Run (Strum Bit) - 4
Picasso's Last Words - 3
Picasso's Last Words (Acoustic Version) - 3
Band On The Run (Nicely Toasted Mix) - 3
Band On The Run (Northern Comic Version) - 3
Total - 108 stars / 31 tracks = 3.48 stars

Let's start with the album proper. Out of ten songs, I quite liked five of them. That's not a bad ratio considering how picky I tend to be. "Band On The Run" and "Nineteen Hundred And Eighty-Five" sparked my interest because of their willingness to be varied, even within the songs themselves. Hell, "Nineteen Hundred And Eighty-Five" even ends with a reprisal of "Band On The Run." They each have different sections, with their own tempos and personalities, that interact well enough to still sound like a single song.

"Mrs Vandebilt" is enjoyable for its catchy chorus and competence. Its immediate follower, "Let Me Roll It" is a textbook example of why a single hook isn't enough to make a great song. The riff that forms the song's backbone, is really cool and attention-grabbing, but the vocals, and nearly every other part of the song, fall flat.

"Mamunia" and "Picasso's Last Words" are more like 3.5-star songs that have been rounded up. They've got memorable choruses, and a few notable lines of lyrics, but they're not the best the album has to offer.

The bonus disc, for the 25th Anniversary edition, is a fly-on-the-wall look into the minds and thoughts of the people who created the album. Everyone, from the Paul McCartney to Christopher Lee, weighs in on different aspects of the album, whether it's the process of recording, Linda's contribution to the band, and, especially the album's cover art. Some of it is interesting to hear about (like Paul's stories about recording the album in Nigeria), some of it goes on a little long (about a third of the CD is about the cover photo), but it does undoubtedly provide some insight into the production and understanding of Band On The Run.