Linda McCartney – Wide Prairie

[Bubba Ho-Tep]

I remember eye balling this CD when it came out. Nice picture of Linda on the cover, but what were the odds of anything worth hearing on it?

Well, I passed it up. I felt the $12.99 price was too high. I’d wait for a deal.

Recently, the CD appeared at my local FYE, used with a $7.99 price. I thought about it, but deemed it still too high.

After a few months it was relabeled $6.99. I actually picked it up and walked around with it, debating, but again, I passed it by, although I did hide it in the Brian Wilson section in case I changed my mind.

Yesterday I was digging through the used bin again and sure enough, there was Linda again, although this time the CD was marked down to the ridiculously low $3.99. Okay, I was finally ready to buy it.

I had a heck of a time peeling the price stickers off the CD. The cardboard sleeve got some minor damage in the process, but nothing too distracting. I had to get those stickers off of poor Linda’s face.

Anyway, I put the CD in the car stereo, expecting nothing more than a collection of home recordings and throwaways. What I got was a tremendous surprise.

Now granted, poor Linda can’t sing a note. She couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket. But surprisingly, the arrangements and tunes are so catchy and fun, that her shortcomings as a vocalist can be (for the most part) ignored.

I really enjoyed the wide variety of music on this disc. True, there were some tracks that I could have done without, but I’d say at least two-thirds of the disc is actually quite good, and seeing as how there are 15 tracks, you could say there is a really solid 10 track album in there. They sound like long lost Wings tracks (which, I guess, that’s what they are!).I could picture Paul singing a lot of these himself. And it’s Paul’s knack for arranging that made these tracks something special.

Did anyone else give this album a shot?

[Jeff Mason]

No, but if there are any more copies of that at that price, would you let me know?

[Bubba Ho-Tep]

Sure. It was in the used bin, so someone had turned it in. I don't see it very often anymore....

[mark goddard]

i have seen this around Boston in the used bin's....is this out of print now ?

[I. Spaceman]

It's a great album!

[Cal]

When it originally was released I picked this title up for one reason only: Almost
all the tracks are WINGS tracks! They play behind her on all the 70's material that's
on the disc.

Regards,
Cal

[peerke]

When it originally was released I picked this title up for one reason only: Almost
all the tracks are WINGS tracks! They play behind her on all the 70's material that's
on the disc.

Regards,
Cal

That's why I bought it too. I heard some tracks on the radio and they sounded like Wings outtakes - which, of course, they are. If you like Wings, give it a try.

[harmolodic]

"Love's Full Glory" alone makes the disc worth owning. It's one of the most beautiful songs ever. It knocked me dead the first time I heard it, and it still does that to me know. It's actually a better song than a good chunk of what Paul has written.