Erika (June 8, 2007)

This is the album where Paul decided to let the other members of Wings have their own songs. This didn't work out all that well, except for Denny Laine, who is actually quite good I think (he's got songwriting credits on "Band on the Run" and "London Town," and "Time to Hide" is one of my favorites of this album). Paul's songs are by far the best - like "Beware My Love," "Warm and Beautiful" and "Silly Love Songs."

Ray (April 17, 2006)

"Warm & Beautiful" is a lovely track. How that can be categorized as a "stinker" any way you slice it, is beyond me.

Bruce Beatlefan (January 10, 2006)

By the mid-1970's I had had my fill of disappointing ex-Beatles' music so I never purchased this album (CD, that is) until 2005. Many of the songs received enough air time then for me to remember nearly every track (and be pleasantly surprised by many good songs I had forgotten about). This is quite a good album! Paul seems completely content to just write appealing songs and not try to replicate the heights of the Beatles. His attempts to give time to the other band members is commendable and reasonably successful (and in Linda's case, hilarious). I am quite surprised and pleased at how much I enjoy this album.

John (July 15, 2005)

For some reason, around this time, Paul started thinking of Wings as a real band. He decided to be democratic and let each member in the band have a moment. I guess he didn't realize that the buying pubic at large really could care less about Linda, Denny Laine, Jimmy McCulloch and whoever the hell played the drums for this album. The McCartney tunes here are excellent. Not one stinker. Even a couple of bona fide classics, namely Let Em In and Silly Love Songs. Beware My Love is terrific. San Ferry Anne is pleasant enough and Warm and Beautiful is the required McCartney love song. All in all a very good album. Skip over all the non McCartney crap.

Harry (May 27, 2004)

This album doesn't flow that well but there a handful of cool tracks. San Ferry Ann, She's My Baby, Silly Love Songs, Let 'em In, Beware My Love...

The stinkers on Speed Of Sound are Cook Of The House and Warm & Beautiful.


PS (Just realised that I didn't rate Driving Rain and McCartney II - I'd have given a 9 to McCartney II and a 1 to Driving Rain).

Great Memories Made new (July 26, 2010)

Just about all of Paul McCartneys Albums are adventures in multiple genres, which is why going back to the WINGS and Paul McCartney collections which are both diverse and I suspect aimed at different audiences( WiNGS being one and Paul McCartney being another, however as most would know, there is a severe overlap). In the Classic sense Paul does Riffs or hooks at his best, but I am happy to find that ,like Bowie, the albums he released were very experimental in the true sense. He had songs which were the "Single" that sold like crazy ( in the case of this album, Tracks One and 6 ( Let Em in, and Silly Love Songs), but the mix is not as bass-y as I recall, but thats easily fixed on a sound system with an EQ. Paul shows time and again that even on the bass he makes some brilliant bass riffs, with Good Night tonight being possibly the best.
I like the remaster on this album, even with the diference in bass sound. And also tracks like Cook of the House are fun "discoveries", and hearing the song his dad wrote as a bonus track was a cool item. Also the similarly themed tracks 9 and 11 ( with track 9 sounding like Billy Joel) are fun and nicely emotional pieces. Also, track 14, SALLY G is a briliant country piece, that he could quite easily have sold under another peudonym like some authors, as prolific as Paul is in writing and performing. But as always, its a case of something for everyone.
Another brilliant album, which I am glad is still available, just like David Bowie's work as
well as YES ( all with Extras on the CDs).

Not so great................ (April 17, 2010)

Most Wings albums are worth owning, but if you own Wingspan or Wings Greatest Hits, don't waste your money on this one. Sure it has Let Em In, Silly Love Songs, and Beware my Love, but these are found on the aforementioned compilations. On the rest of the CD, dumb lyrics and forgettable songs abound, especially The Note You Never Wrote, Time to Hide, and Warm and Beautiful. Paul was trying to be Democratic by letting everyone write and sing on this one but the choosiness for good material was lost in the shuffle.

superb (December 25, 2009)

Being a fan of the fab four for so many years, I truly enjoy their music,and the individual sounds of Paul and his other bands he has formed over the years. great stuff,timeless.

Wings at the Speed of Decline (September 21, 2009)

After the high standards established by "Band on the Run" and "Venus and Mars," Paul McCartney and Wings display their group unity by producing a remarkably mediocre album. Released to coincide with the band's American tour, "Wings at the Speed of Sound" (1976) has two hit singles - "Silly Love Songs" and "Let 'Em In" - the snappy rocker "Beware My Love" and plenty of obvious filler. The low point is Linda's embarrassing "Cook of the House." Despite the tour's phenomenal success, the decline of Wings as a studio entity begins here.

Silly is good--right, Paul? (January 28, 2009)

The ones where McCartney sings are pretty good. The one Denny Laine wrote, which he also sings, "Time to Hide"--that one isn't bad. Sometimes it's entertaining. Often it's drudging. Even the sensational "Silly Love Songs" stops just short of enthralling. The record might be better if Paul McCartney didn't stand over every one of his bandmates like the Empire State Building over Kwan's Oriental Diner. "Band on the Run" it ain't, but a fair album it might be.