At the Speed of Sound (1976)
1. Let Em In
2. The Note You Never Wrote
3. She's My Baby
4. Beware My Love
5. Wino Junko
6. Silly Love Songs
7. Cook of the House
8. Time to Hide
9. Must Do Something About It
10.San Ferry Anne
11.Warm and Beautiful
12.Walking in the Park With Eloise *
13.Bridge on the River Suite *
14.Sally G *
* CD Bonus Track
It may surprise some to learn that At the Speed of Sound, upon its release in 1976, was one of the best-selling solo albums from any former Beatle — an immediate commercial triumph. Critical reception, however, was far less enthusiastic, then and now. The album's upbeat, cheerful tone proved a sticking point for many commentators, who remained more comfortable with Lennon’s fire and fury than with McCartney’s seemingly inexhaustible good cheer. For the permanently grim-faced music critic, this record was simply too happy to take seriously.
And yet, there’s something admirably defiant about McCartney’s choice to embrace the light. Silly Love Songs, the album’s biggest hit — and McCartney’s highest-selling single as a solo artist — is itself a direct rebuttal to Lennon’s digs, a melodic shrug in the face of cynicism. He was accused of writing lightweight material, and rather than change course, he doubled down. The result? An international chart-topper that has remained oddly enduring. It may be lightweight, but it floats.
The other major single, Let ’Em In, follows in similar fashion. It’s a charmingly repetitive affair — less a song than a polite knock at the door — and has been likened, perhaps unfairly, to something written for a school assembly. Still, it's memorable in that way only McCartney’s lightest work can be: easy to hum, impossible to forget. The only real departure from this sunny mood is the excellent Beware My Love, a powerful rocker with a genuine sense of urgency and drama. Its omission from the broader McCartney canon remains baffling.
Much like Venus and Mars before it, At the Speed of Sound makes a visible effort to present Wings as a functioning band rather than Paul McCartney’s backing group. Other members are permitted their moment at the mic, but it’s hard to shake the feeling that Paul could have just sung these parts himself. The Note You Never Wrote, sung by Denny Laine, is a perfectly serviceable track that sounds exactly like something McCartney would have written and, perhaps, should have sung. Likewise, Wino Junko — a silly title for a catchy tune — is almost indistinguishable in tone and construction from the McCartney-led numbers.
Linda McCartney is once again given a lead vocal on Cook of the House, and while her enthusiasm is not in doubt, the results are unfortunately forgettable. At barely two and a half minutes, it passes quickly and is best considered a minor indulgence. The remainder of the album follows a reliable formula: light, melodic, unpretentious pop. The closing ballad, Warm and Beautiful, is a gentle piano piece in McCartney’s most romantic style. It deserved more attention than it ever received.
The CD reissue added a handful of bonus tracks, which, depending on your tolerance for McCartney's genre experiments, either improved or diluted the experience. Walking in the Park with Eloise, written by Paul’s father and performed with a Dixieland swing, shows that musical talent did indeed run in the family. The other standout, Sally G, is a tongue-in-cheek foray into country-western territory, executed with just enough charm to win over even the skeptics.
At the Speed of Sound is not McCartney’s most profound work, nor is it trying to be. It’s an album full of agreeable melodies and polished performances — a portrait of an artist content to entertain rather than provoke. And there’s nothing silly about that.
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