Venus and Mars (Wings album)

Venus and Mars is the fourth studio album by the British–American rock band Wings, and the sixth album by Paul McCartney after the break-up of the Beatles in 1970. Released in May 1975 as the follow-up to Band on the Run, Venus and Mars continued Wings' run of commercial success and provided a springboard for a year-long worldwide tour. The album was McCartney's first post-Beatles album to be released worldwide by Capitol Records rather than Apple.

For other uses, see Venus and Mars (disambiguation).

Venus and Mars
Studio album by
Wings
Released27 May 1975
Recorded5–13 November 1974, 20 January – 20 February 1975
StudioAbbey Road, London; Sea-Saint, New Orleans; Wally Heider, Los Angeles
GenreRock
Length43:10
LabelCapitol
ProducerPaul McCartney
Wings chronology
Band on the Run
(1973)		 Venus and Mars
(1975)		 Wings at the Speed of Sound
(1976)
Singles from Venus and Mars
  1. "Listen to What the Man Said"
    Released: 16 May 1975
  2. "Letting Go"
    Released: 4 October 1975
  3. "Venus and Mars/Rock Show"
    Released: 27 October 1975

After recording Band on the Run as a three-piece with wife Linda McCartney and guitarist Denny Laine, McCartney recruited guitarist Jimmy McCulloch and drummer Geoff Britton to the band in 1974. Recording sessions for the album took place in London, New Orleans and Los Angeles in November 1974 and early 1975. During the sessions, personal tensions caused Britton to quit after six months, forcing the band to recruit American drummer Joe English to finish the album. Venus and Mars also contains songs that are linked together, in a style reminiscent of the Beatles' 1969 album Abbey Road.

Preceded by the single "Listen to What the Man Said", Venus and Mars peaked at number 1 in the US, the UK and other countries around the world. It also received mostly favourable reviews from music critics but was ultimately considered inferior to its predecessor. The album was reissued with bonus tracks in 1987 on CD and in 1993 as part of The Paul McCartney Collection. It was later remastered in 2014 and released as a deluxe edition with bonus tracks and unreleased material.

Background and recording

After recording Band on the Run (1973) as a three-piece with wife Linda and guitarist Denny Laine, McCartney added Jimmy McCulloch on lead guitar and Geoff Britton on drums to the Wings line-up in 1974. Having written several new songs for the next album, McCartney decided on New Orleans, Louisiana as the recording venue, and Wings headed there in January 1975. Before the departure to New Orleans, Wings had recorded three songs at Abbey Road Studios in London in November 1974: "Letting Go", "Love In Song" and "Medicine Jar", all overdubbed later at Sea Saint Studios between January and February.[1]

As soon as the sessions began, the personality clash that had been evident between McCulloch and Britton during Wings' 1974 sessions in Nashville became more pronounced, and Britton – after a six-month tenure – quit Wings, having only played on three of the new songs. A replacement, American Joe English, was quickly auditioned and hired to finish the album.[2]

The sessions proved to be productive, not only resulting in a finished album, but also several additional songs, including two future McCartney B-sides, "Lunch Box/Odd Sox" and "My Carnival". McCartney also decided to link the album's songs together much like the Beatles had on Abbey Road to give Venus and Mars a more continuous feel.[3]

John Lennon, often in a nostalgic mood during his "Lost Weekend" period, had told May Pang (his then girlfriend) that they would visit the McCartneys during the recording sessions for Venus and Mars, and considered writing with him again. Lennon's planned visit never happened due to his reunion with Yoko Ono.[4]

Wings' interpretation of the theme to Crossroads, a British soap opera, was sometimes used to end the television programme in place of the regular theme tune, usually when there was a cliffhanger ending with a hint of sadness involved.

Release
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
Christgau's Record GuideB+[6]
Classic Rock8/10[7]
The Essential Rock Discography6/10[8]
Mojo[9]
MusicHound2/5[10]
Q[11]
Record Collector[12]
Rolling Stone(unfavourable)[13]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[14]

Preceded by the single "Listen to What the Man Said" in May 1975, Venus and Mars appeared two weeks later to generally favourable reviews and brisk sales.[15] The album reached number 1 in the United States, the United Kingdom and other countries around the world (as did "Listen to What the Man Said" in the US) and sold 4 million copies worldwide.[7] The reaction, though mainly positive, was less than what had greeted Band on the Run a year earlier.

The album cover, which Paul summed up as "a package that would be nice to get, and also something recognizable" was photographed by Linda, depicting two billiard balls in a black background, which are yellow and red to fit the colours of the planets Venus and Mars.[16] To fit the title, the inside photographs of the Wings were shot in the Mojave desert to capture a group photograph in an outerworldly location.[17] Hipgnosis did the art design, incorporating billiard balls and cues in the lettering and illustrations by George Hardie.[18]

Two additional singles, "Letting Go" and "Venus and Mars/Rock Show", were released. Although the latter almost reached the US top ten,[19] it did not chart at all in the UK.

In September, Wings began what would be their year-long Wings Over the World tour in the UK,[20] with concerts in Australia, Europe, the US and Canada to follow. Songs from Venus and Mars featured heavily in the concert setlist.

The album was first issued on compact disc by Columbia Records in 1984, although early pressings were pressed in Japan by CSR Compact Disc, which was etched in the inner ring. In 1993, Venus and Mars was remastered and reissued on CD as part of "The Paul McCartney Collection" series with "Zoo Gang" (a UK television theme that was the UK B-side of "Band on the Run" in 1974), "Lunch Box/Odd Sox" (B-side of "Coming Up" in 1980) and "My Carnival" ("Spies Like Us"' B-side in 1985) as bonus tracks. In 2007, the album was reissued in digital form on iTunes with the same bonus tracks, plus the extended "party mix" of "My Carnival"; however, this version has since been replaced by the 2014 reissue.

In 2014 the album was re-issued by Hear Music/Concord Music Group as part of the fifth set of releases, alongside Wings at the Speed of Sound, in the Paul McCartney Archive Collection. It was released in multiple formats.[21] The reissue was accompanied by the Record Store Day exclusive edition of "Letting Go" single.[22]

The album was also originally released in 4-channel quadraphonic. In 1996 the quadraphonic version of the album was issued on compact disc in the DTS 5.1 Music Disc format.

Track listing

All songs written by Paul and Linda McCartney (listed as "McCartney"), except where noted.

Side One
No.TitleLength
1."Venus and Mars"1:16
2."Rock Show"5:35
3."Love in Song"3:04
4."You Gave Me the Answer"2:15
5."Magneto and Titanium Man"3:16
6."Letting Go"4:33
Side Two
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
7."Venus and Mars (Reprise)"  2:05
8."Spirits of Ancient Egypt" Denny Laine3:04
9."Medicine Jar"McCulloch, AllenJimmy McCulloch3:37
10."Call Me Back Again"  4:57
11."Listen to What the Man Said"  3:57
12."Treat Her Gently – Lonely Old People"  4:21
13."Crossroads Theme"Tony Hatch 1:00

All tracks are written by Paul & Linda McCartney.

Bonus Tracks for 1987 CD edition & 1993 The Paul McCartney Collection
No.TitleLength
14."Zoo Gang" (Theme from the UK TV series The Zoo Gang)2:01
15."Lunch Box / Odd Sox" (Previously released as B-side of a single "Coming Up" in 1980)3:50
16."My Carnival" (Previously released as B-side of "Spies Like Us" in 1985)3:57
iTunes exclusive track
No.TitleNotesLength
17."My Carnival (12" Party Mix)" (Previously released on 12" maxi-single of "Spies Like Us")Remixed by Gary Langan6:02

2014 remaster
  • Standard Edition 2-CD; the original 13-track album on the first disc, plus 14 bonus tracks on a second disc.
  • Deluxe Edition 2-CD/1-DVD;
    • the original 13-track #1 album remastered at Abbey Road Studios in London;
    • a bonus audio disc with 14 tracks including the hit single "Junior's Farm" and rare and previously unreleased songs;
    • a 128-page numbered hardbound book featuring new interview with Paul McCartney, rare and previously unpublished photographs by Linda McCartney and Aubrey Powell (entitled "Nashville Diary 1975"), inserts of archive material (including a facsimile of Paul's original handwritten lyric "scroll"), expanded track-by-track annotation and full history of the album, a deck pass "Paul and Linda McCartney – Venus and Mars", a complete illustrated history of the making of Venus and Mars and a poster and a flyer "Wings in concert at Elstree";
    • a DVD featuring previously unreleased and exclusive content including the original TV commercial for the album (directed by Karel Reisz), footage of the band in New Orleans ("Recording My Carnival" and "Bon Voyageur") and rehearsing the songs from Venus and Mars at Elstree Studios ("Wings At Elstree");
    • an access to downloadable 24bit 96 kHz high-resolution audio versions of the remastered album and bonus audio tracks.
  • Remastered vinyl The albums will also be available on special gatefold vinyl editions (vinyl editions include a download card).
  • High Resolution Digital album will be made available as both standard and deluxe versions – including Mastered for iTunes and Hi-Res formats.

Disc 1 The original 13-track album.

Disc 2 – bonus tracks

  1. "Junior's Farm" – 4:23
  2. "Sally G" – 3:40
  3. "Walking in the Park with Eloise" (Jim McCartney) (credited to the Country Hams) – 3:10
  4. "Bridge on the River Suite" (credited to the Country Hams) – 3:11
  5. "My Carnival" – 3:59
  6. "Going To New Orleans (My Carnival)" – 2:07
  7. "Hey Diddle [Ernie Winfrey Mix]" – 3:51
  8. "Let's Love" – 2:05
  9. "Soily [from One Hand Clapping]" – 3:57
  10. "Baby Face [from One Hand Clapping]" (Harry Akst, Benny Davis)– 1:43
  11. "Lunch Box/Odd Sox" – 3:55
  12. "4th of July" – 3:49
  13. "Rock Show [Old Version]" – 7:09
  14. "Letting Go [Single Mix]" – 3:36

Disc 3 – DVD

  1. "Recording My Carnival"
  2. "Bon Voyageur"
  3. "Wings at Elstree"
  4. "Venus and Mars TV Ad"

Additional download tracks available via paulmccartney.com

  1. "Letting Go [Extended Version]" – 5:39
  2. "Love My Baby [from One Hand Clapping]" – 1:16
  3. "Rock Show [New Version]" – 6:31

Personnel

Charts

Certifications and sales
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[43] Platinum 100,000^
Japan (Oricon Charts) — 152,000[28]
United Kingdom (BPI)[44] Platinum 300,000^
United States (RIAA)[45] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

Footnotes

    Citations

    1. Perasi 2013, pp. 123–125
    2. Wingspan, 2001
    3. "McCartney & Wings – Venus And Mars". Superseventies.com. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
    4. Pang, May (2008). Instamatic Karma: Photographs of John Lennon. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-0-312-37741-0.
    5. Venus and Mars at AllMusic
    6. Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: W". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved 9 March 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
    7. Sexton, Paul (October 2014). "Wings Reissues". Classic Rock. p. 97. Missing or empty |url= (help)
    8. Strong, Martin C. (2006). The Essential Rock Discography. Edinburgh, UK: Canongate. p. 696. ISBN 978-1-84195-827-9.
    9. Doyle, Tom (November 2014). "Wings Venus and Mars". Mojo. p. 111. Missing or empty |url= (help)
    10. Graff; Durchholz 1999, p. 731
    11. Nicol, Jimmy (October 1993). "Re-releases: Paul McCartney The Paul McCartney Collection". Q. p. 119.
    12. Staunton, Terry (October 2014). "Wings Venus and Mars / Wings at the Speed of Sound". Record Collector. p. 99.
    13. Nelson, Paul (31 July 1975). "Venus and Mars | Album Reviews". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
    14. "Paul McCartney: Album Guide". rollingstone.com. Archived from the original on 4 July 2014. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
    15. McCartney: Songwriter ISBN 0-491-03325-7 p. 117
    16. McGee, Garry (2003). Band on the Run: A History of Paul McCartney and Wings. New York: Taylor Trade Publishing. p. 81. ISBN 0-87833-304-5.
    17. VENUS AND MARS
    18. Thorgerson, S: Hipgnosis • Walk Away René, page 40. Paper Tiger, 1978.
    19. "Paul McCartney singles". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
    20. McCartney: Songwriter ISBN 0-491-03325-7 p. 118
    21. http://www.paulmccartney.com/news-blogs/wings-reissue-venus-and-mars-and-at-the-speed-of-sound
    22. "Wings - Letting Go". paulmccartney.dk. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
    23. Kent 1993
    24. "Top Albums/CDs – Volume 23, No. 22". RPM. 26 July 1975. Archived from the original on 6 March 2014. Retrieved 1 May 2013.
    25. "dutchcharts.nl Wings – Venus and Mars". dutchcharts.nl (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved 1 May 2013.
    26. "InfoDisc : Tous les Albums classés par Artiste – Choisir Un Artiste Dans la Liste : Wings" (in French). infodisc.fr. Archived from the original on 7 May 2013. Retrieved 1 May 2013.Note: user must select 'Wings' from drop-down.
    27. "Hit Parade Italia – Gli album più venduti del 1975" (in Italian). hitparadeitalia.it. Retrieved 1 May 2013.
    28. Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
    29. "charts.nz – Wings – Venus and Mars". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved 1 May 2013.
    30. "norwegiancharts.com Wings – Venus and Mars". Retrieved 1 May 2013.
    31. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
    32. "Swedish Charts 1972–1975 (in PDF-files)" (PDF) (in Swedish). Hitsallertijden. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
    33. "Artist: Paul McCartney". Official Chart Company. Retrieved 15 March 2014.
    34. "Venus and Mars – Charts & Awards – Billboard Albums". Allmusic. Retrieved 1 May 2013.
    35. "Album Search: Wings – Venus and Mars" (in German). Media Control. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
    36. "RPM Top 100 Albums of 1975". RPM. 27 December 1975. Archived from the original on 24 July 2013. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
    37. "Dutch charts jaaroverzichten 1975" (ASP) (in Dutch). Retrieved 2 April 2014.
    38. "Les Albums (CD) de 1975 par InfoDisc" (in French). infodisc.fr. Archived from the original (PHP) on 11 July 2013. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
    39. 年間アルバムヒットチャート 1975年（昭和50年） [Japanese Year-End Albums Chart 1975] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
    40. "The Official UK Charts Company : ALBUM CHART HISTORY". Archived from the original on 16 December 2007. Retrieved 16 December 2007.
    41. "Top Pop Albums of 1975". Billboard. Retrieved 11 February 2012.
    42. "Top Pop Albums of 1976". Archived from the original on 26 September 2007. Retrieved 26 September 2007.
    43. "Canadian album certifications – Wings – Venus and Mars". Music Canada.
    44. "British album certifications – Wings – Venus and Mars". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type Venus and Mars in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
    45. "American album certifications – Wings – Venus". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 

    Sources

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