Girls gone Wild ... when they click on this link ... Lild Wife? Overall Album Score: 8.2 out of 10 Ohhhhhhhh, Paul, Paul, Paul, Paul, Paul, Paul! Ram is one of my top favorite albums ever, and this is how you follow up on it? ... Oh wait, I forgot already! This is the first Wings album! ... He's not merely Paul McCartney anymore ... he's just a member of the band now ... And as far as the other band members go, there's Linda McCartney and Denny Laine and ... nobody too important. You really can't tell this much apart from a regular Paul . McCartney effort when it comes right down to it ... even though the material is much weaker than it was on the insufferable classic Ram. ... So, it's really not a momentous occasion when Wings started up ... and it wasn't a momentous occasion when Wings folded late in the decade. It doesn't seem like anybody mentions the name "Wings" these days ... it's just a cute name for Paul McCartney's solo career. But anyway, let's talk about the album now. Wild Life is an album that generates a lot of scorn for being too underdeveloped and embarrassing for a former member of The Beatles. To a lesser degree, I agree with that. This album is too underdeveloped to be considered a classic, really, in any sense of the word. (Even though I hear this album was recorded and produced within a few days ... or something like that. So, I guess this album literally was tossed-off!) There aren't really any definitive McCartney hits in here, either! "Tomorrow," which might be the best song in here, lacks McCartney's charm, even though it is an excellent song. "Dear Friend" is a surprisingly deep and engaging effort ... it doesn't fit in the album, but it's a very good song, at any rate. A problem arises when you consider songs like "Bip Bop," which sounds like McCartney made it up one hour before it was recorded and didn't bother writing lyrics for it! There's also two very short and very unnecessary retreads into songs that already appeared in the album (namely "Mumbo Link" and "Bip Bop Link"). But when it's all said and done, this is a nice album. It's pleasant, it's poppy, it's fun. Paul McCartney's best album? Hardly. But it's certainly nice. Overall Album Score: 8.2 out of 10 (This is a pretty good album, and it has a bunch of good songs on it ... but it lacks purpose and as many critics and fans state, this feels like a tossed-off effort.) Average Song Score: 8.6 (These songs are weakish for Paul McCartney ... but pretty good for anyone else...) Album Tilt: 8.0 (It doesn't hold phenomenally well for an album, unfortunately. If he was attempting to keep the charm and calmness of Ram intact with Wild Life, he didn't do a very convincing job!) Artist Rating: 8.0 (Not very impressive, I must say. It lacks a sense of artistic purpose, unlike Ram. ... But he was in a BAND now!) Track Reviews Mumbo 9/10 A skillful and happy song, probably featuring one of McCartney's more interesting vocal performances (sort of an ugly wailing-type noise). The song manages to rock most righteously and this new band that McCartney assembled is totally awesome! It's a solid, good ole rock song if there ever was one! Bip Bop 8/10 Like four years ago, I hated this song! This track was on a Paul McCartney compilation I bought, and I thought it was just terrible. A stupid blues song featuring annoying vocal effects (though not annoying in the Madonna sense) and an overly dumb melody. ... Listening to it now, I still think it's dumb, but ... it's not horrible. There's nothing wrong with having a dumb melody ... at least it has one. It's classic McCartneyism. (Bwah! Commies!) Love is Strange 9/10 A very nicely-done sort of Caribbean-sounding, mid-tempoed song. It's not the most exciting song on the planet (...duhhhhh, this is Paul McCartney...), but it certainly is pleasant to listen to, and it's not cheesy ... much. Wild Life 8/10 While this song isn't incredibly interesting, it's hardly a bomb! The melody isn't as unabashedly pleasant (or hooky) as McCartney has been known for in his post-Beatles albums ... this is more of a meandering, epic-ish rock song! ... Like many epic-ish songs of the era, this would have benefited from being a shorter. Some People Never Know 9/10 Well, this song does have those unabashedly pleasant pop-sensibility that McCartney is hailed (and criticized) for. But who am I to complain about a song if it has a wonderful melody? ... It's a six-minute song that certainly could have been shortened! It's hardly a great song but I've heard less convincing love songs before. I Am Your Singer 7.5/10 ...Thanks... I've always wanted a sewing machine... I suppose everyone who says that every song on this album was throwaway has a point ... Boy does this song sound like it was just tossed off, even though the windwood instruments in the middle of this two-minute song does an effective job at making this thing quite pleasant. But ... there aren't too many good hooks in this melody ... for a Paul McCartney song. Bip Bop Link 3.5/5 As if we really needed to revisit that song! ... It's less than a minute long, though. ... Pointless, but ... oh well. You can't argue with Paul McCartney about such a thing. Tomorrow 10/10 The first song on this album that just feels like a classic Paul McCartney tune! The melody is utterly solid ... and the simple instruments are nice just like they were on Ram ... yes ... this is classic McCartney!!! Dear Friend 10/10 I almost want to say that it's odd that this song sounds like a Beatles tune! Maybe could have been on Abbey Road or something! At any rate, this melancholic song certainly is good! This song is proof that Paul is much deeper than most people give him credit for in his solo career. A very nice, engaging song, indeed. Mumbo Link 3.5/5 *Throws up hands in frustration* Why the short and pointless discourses into songs that we've already heard! You're not being that clever, you know! BONUS TRACKS! (Not counted in album score) Give Ireland Back to the Irish 9/10 I guess McCartney was trying to be political like his old pal Lennon. ... Um ... It made a nice pop song, at least! Mary Had a Little Lamb 9/10 A very happy song ... McCartney-haters probably have this song toward the top of their lists of "Reasons Paul McCartney stinks." Clearly, this isn't his most enduring pop song, but it certainly is nice. Give it credit where it's due. Little Woman Love 8/10 More of an exercise in rockability (with some elements of skiffle). Not McCartney's greatest song! The melody's not insanely catchy. But it's fun! Mama's Little Girl 9/10 A totally pleasant and inoffensive pop song ... it's quiet, pleasant and peaceful. How could I ever dislike a song like this? ... It's too nice, dang you! Yoda says: Comments with me, leave you here.

All reviews are copyrighted by the author, Michael Lawrence. Polly, what have you done to my hotel?