Rating: Summary: A must have for any McCartney fan Review: If you like Paul, get this video. It is a nice look at his life post-Beatles, not just about Wings. A very nice touch is that his daughter, Mary, is interviewing him.
Rating: Summary: "Wingspan" satisfying but could have been expanded Review: In intimate conversation with daughter Mary (whose husband directed), Paul McCartney discusses life after the Beatles, and how his next challenge was to form a band, pack up the family, and hit the road. 88 minute film seen on ABC-TV is satisfying for fans but footage shown could have been expanded. We just get snippets of great songs and rare concert footage, and there isn't any interviews or commentary with the rest of the band (save for Linda's posthumous comments) especially from loyal, talented, long-suffering Denny Laine who was there from start to finish. DVD extras include an additional 22 minute discussion between Paul and Mary, promotional videos for "Jet" and "Let 'Em In" (which were both taken from the "Rockshow" film) and the superstar jam "Rockestra". Just three videos? Also included is a discography and a photo gallery, with 100 pictures. A neat package, but they should have alloted themselves more than 88 minutes to cover a nine-year career, especially with all the great music involved.
Rating: Summary: Paul is truly a legend Review: It's almost insane to follow the Beatles success but Sir Paul tried and did great. As you will see in Wingspan, Paul never lost his touch of writing, singing and playing his music. As popular Band On the Run was, Paul continued with Venus & Mars, Speed of Sound all the way to London Town, "Goodnight Tonight", "Coming Up" and "No More Lonely Nights". Remember, Paul's solo career certainly didn't end in 1980 when Wings dissolved after bthat Japan incident, Paul continued strong up to the present day. But this is just a brief history on Wings (1972-1980), but it includes Give Me Regards To Broadstreet (1984). Nice interviewing job by Paul's daughter Mary as well as his son-in-law, Alistar for putting the whole thing together.
Rating: Summary: Paul is truly a legend Review: It's almost insane to follow the Beatles success but Sir Paul tried and did great. As you will see in Wingspan, Paul never lost his touch of writing, singing and playing his music. As popular Band On the Run was, Paul continued with Venus & Mars, Speed of Sound all the way to London Town, "Goodnight Tonight", "Coming Up" and "No More Lonely Nights". Remember, Paul's solo career certainly didn't end in 1980 when Wings dissolved after bthat Japan incident, Paul continued strong up to the present day. But this is just a brief history on Wings (1972-1980), but it includes Give Me Regards To Broadstreet (1984). Nice interviewing job by Paul's daughter Mary as well as his son-in-law, Alistar for putting the whole thing together.
Rating: Summary: Wingspan, hits and misses Review: Like most fans, I wish they could have found some more performance/video clips to include here (might've made this into something you'd watch more than once). And hearing Paul interviewed by his own daughter is a little... well it's sort of reminiscent of the printed "self-interview" he included with early pressings of _Ram_ - almost more of a self-serving monologue than anything else. As others have noted, the fact that he and Linda are the only people whose recollections are solicited really underscores how dubious the notion of this being an actual "band" was all along. Following this line of thought further, Sir Paul also fails to explain how this tight-knit "family" managed to burn through four drummers and three lead guitarists in seven years (though thankfully, he does credit Henry McCullough for his song-saving solo on "My Love"). Still, this is the Big Mac we're talking about, so if you haven't contemplated these tunes in a while, or if you were around in the seventies, you may want to check this out.
Rating: Summary: Paul again gives short shrift to Wings Review: Like the CD collection "Wingspan," Paul is again treating Wings the group with little respect. This documentary is far from being the definitive retrospective on Wings, and it would be more properly titled "Linda McCartney's Life with Paul, Vol. 1 1967-1980." The focus is relentlessly on Linda and her life with Paul, while the contributions of the other members of Wings (which was ever-changing save Denny Laine, who was there from beginning to end) are largely overlooked. There are some nice clips, but the focus never seems to settle on the group and their music for very long before veering back to the McCartney's domestic life. The documentary is steered along by a present-day "interview" of Paul by daughter Mary McCartney, supplemented by lots of audio clips of Linda. The bonus song promo clips are nice, but I would have been happier with a complete collection of Wings promo clips. This sort of documentary pales in comparison to more objective work like the "The Beatles Anthology" and even "John Lennon: Imagine." I hate to say it, but I wish Paul would have done the Wings retrospective before Linda died. Or let someone else make it.
Rating: Summary: Paul again gives short shrift to Wings Review: Like the CD collection "Wingspan," Paul is again treating Wings the group with little respect. This documentary is far from being the definitive retrospective on Wings, and it would be more properly titled "Linda McCartney's Life with Paul, Vol. 1 1967-1980." The focus is relentlessly on Linda and her life with Paul, while the contributions of the other members of Wings (which was ever-changing save Denny Laine, who was there from beginning to end) are largely overlooked. There are some nice clips, but the focus never seems to settle on the group and their music for very long before veering back to the McCartney's domestic life. The documentary is steered along by a present-day "interview" of Paul by daughter Mary McCartney, supplemented by lots of audio clips of Linda. The bonus song promo clips are nice, but I would have been happier with a complete collection of Wings promo clips. This sort of documentary pales in comparison to more objective work like the "The Beatles Anthology" and even "John Lennon: Imagine." I hate to say it, but I wish Paul would have done the Wings retrospective before Linda died. Or let someone else make it.
Rating: Summary: Very Nice Review: More than just the story of a band, this is Paul and Linda's love story, and a great one it is. I would highly recommend this DVD to all of Paul's fans.
Rating: Summary: A Dream Come True For This Fan Review: The first album I ever bought was Venus & Mars - I'm a diehard Wings fan and always will be. I love this DVD. Yes, there could have been much more (the Back To The Egg videos, Kampuchea, Goodnight Tonight, Midnight Special, etc.) but I judge this release on what it is. Wonderful interview with Paul. I adore the man. He is just so charming and its obvious he enjoys telling these old stories. Some of the old news footage is amazing -especially regarding the drug bust in Japan. There wasn't much in the news here when that happened. The home movies are touching to say the least. Highly enjoyable. Not to be missed by Macca's fans, and would easily be enjoyed by casual fans. Hugs and kisses Paul!
Rating: Summary: Paul McCartney - Family Man and Gifted Artist Review: There is no doubt that Paul McCartney is a gifted artist whose talents span (Wingspan, as well) into several media, e.g. painting, music, poetry. He was one quarter of the world's number one band and subsequently led another very successful band, Wings.I truly respect and admire the fact that Paul McCartney is a family man. He wanted Linda at his side and encouraged her to be a part of his second successful band, Wings. I like the way he wanted to share his life with her and that she also inspired some of the most beautiful love songs such as "Maybe I'm Amazed," "Just Another Day," and "The Lovely Linda." The love he clearly had for Linda is touching and beautiful; everything he says about his late wife points up to a loving and nurturing union. I love the May 2001 "interview" Paul had with his daughter, Mary. I am somewhat reluctant to call their exchange an "interview;" rather, they were engaged in a conversation that just happened to be filmed for television. I love the way Paul talked about Linda and how they wanted a family; the family film footage is what made this so much more captivating for me. Paul McCartney is a man of many talents and credentials. The credential I most respect is that of family man.
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