Wild Life (Wings album)

Wild Life
An image of four individuals—three men and one woman—standing in a country creek. One of them is standing in the water holding a guitar, while the other three sit on a fallen tree branch.
Studio album by
Wings
Released7 December 1971 (1971-12-07)[a]
Recorded24 July – 16 October 1971
StudioEMI, London
GenreRock, pop[1]
Length37:43
LabelApple
ProducerPaul McCartney
Wings chronology
Wild Life
(1971) 		Red Rose Speedway
(1973)
Paul McCartney chronology
Ram
(1971) 		Wild Life
(1971) 		Red Rose Speedway
(1973)

Wild Life is the debut studio album by the British-American rock band Wings and the third studio album by Paul McCartney after the break-up of the Beatles. The album was mainly recorded from 24–30 July 1971, with additional overdub sessions in September and October, at EMI Studios (now Abbey Road Studios) in London. The line-up consisted of McCartney, his wife Linda, session drummer Denny Seiwell, whom the duo had worked with on their previous album Ram, and guitarist Denny Laine, formerly of the English rock band the Moody Blues. Paul McCartney's goal for the album was to record the songs quickly, in a few takes and with minimal overdubs.

The album features a mix of rock songs and ballads. It includes a reggae cover of the 1957 Mickey & Sylvia song "Love Is Strange" and "Dear Friend", McCartney's attempt at reconciliation with his former bandmate John Lennon. The album cover was shot by Barry Lategan in Osterley Park, West London, and depicts the band members in a country creek. Originally scheduled for release in November 1971, Wild Life's release was delayed to early December after an LP disc label dispute with Apple Records.

Upon release, Wild Life peaked at number 11 in the UK and number 10 in the US, where it was certified gold by January 1972. Critical reception was generally negative, reflecting the animosity the music press had towards McCartney following the Beatles' break-up. Many agreed that Wild Life fell short of the standards set by McCartney's work with the Beatles. McCartney has held mixed opinions on the record. The album was reissued with bonus tracks in 1993 as part of The Paul McCartney Collection, and again as an expanded box set in 2018 as part of the Paul McCartney Archive Collection.

Background

Following the release of Ram in May 1971, Paul McCartney decided to form a band to perform live. He included his wife Linda, as she had sung backing vocals on his debut solo album McCartney (1970), the "Another Day" single, and Ram, which was credited to the McCartneys.[2] Paul had insisted from the beginning of their marriage that Linda be involved in all of his musical projects, despite her lack of musical experience.[3] Paul explained that musicians are typically expected to leave their wives and kids at home when out on the road, but as a newlywed, he wanted to "stick together and play music at the same time".[4] Linda was hesitant at first, given her lack of experience, but Paul eventually taught her how to play keyboards.[5]

In late June 1971, McCartney asked drummer Denny Seiwell and guitarist Hugh McCracken, who played on Ram, if they wanted to join the band. Seiwell accepted, but McCracken declined due to other musical and family commitments.[6] In mid-July, McCartney invited Denny Laine, former guitarist of the Moody Blues whom McCartney had known since the early 1960s, to join. Laine, working on a solo album at the time, dropped the plans for the album and accepted.[7][8]

Recording

Initial sessions

McCartney's goal for Wild Life was to use a modified version of the recording template used by the Beatles for the Get Back sessions, recording the songs quickly in a few takes with minimal overdubs. He cited Bob Dylan's quick recording schedule for his album New Morning (1970) as an inspiration for the sessions.[9][10] McCartney said: "We heard he had been in the studio and done an album in just a week. So, we thought of doing it like that, putting down the spontaneous stuff and not being too careful."[11]

Rehearsals for the album took place at McCartney's recording studio in Scotland, dubbed Rude Studio, on 22 July 1971. The line-up for the band, still unnamed, was the McCartneys, Laine and Seiwell.[12][13] The group demoed some of the songs from the 1970 Ram sessions, including "Tomorrow" and "I Am Your Singer", and new songs such as "Bip Bop" and "Wild Life".[12]

After the rehearsals at Rude, the recording moved to EMI Studios in London on 24 July 1971.[14] The band were booked under the pseudonym Sam Browne in the hope of avoiding press detention.[15] The sessions were engineered by Tony Clark and Alan Parsons,[b] and produced by Paul.[c][14] Clark remembered the sessions being "very relaxed, mavellous and very enjoyable".[17] According to Seiwell, five of the eight recorded tracks were done in one take.[18] Paul had lead vocal parts on all tracks, sharing those duties with Linda on "I Am Your Singer" and "Some People Never Know".[19] "Tomorrow" features background vocals from Laine and Linda McCartney.[20]

On the first day, the band recorded "Bip Bop", "I Am Your Singer", "Dear Friend" and "Half Past Ten", a reggae-style jam which evolved into a cover of "Love Is Strange" by Mickey & Sylvia; Linda made her debut on keyboards on the latter.[d][22] Discussing the first day, Laine stated that Paul "wanted to be in a band in a sense. He wanted equality as musicians in the studio [but] he would still have the final call."[23] Parsons remembered Paul micro-managing Laine, dictating every note he played.[10] The second day, 25 July, the band focused on the Ram demo "Some People Never Know" and overdubs, as well as recording a jam called "African Rhythm", featuring African instruments that were being used by the multi-instrumentalist Fela Kuti and his band Africa '70.[24]

The following day, 26 July, the group recorded "Wild Life", "Tomorrow", "Mumbo" and an untitled jam. Paul McCartney told the New Musical Express that "Mumbo" was not rehearsed, saying, "It was just something I'd done on piano, and they just fell in."[25] According to Clark, they were jamming and he decided to start recording. McCartney, upon noticing, shouted "Take it, Tony" and started ad-libbing lyrics.[18] Following a few days' break, overdub sessions took place from 29–30 July. The first day featured the Dolmetsch Consort adding recorder overdubs to "I Am Your Singer", while 30 July saw vocal overdubs on "Some People Never Know", "Wild Life", "I Am Your Singer", "Bip Bop" and "Tomorrow".[26] After the group and Clark had left, Parsons created experimental mixes of the songs recorded. He explained, "I was fairly new to engineering at that time. ... [I] did a mix of 'I Am Your Singer' while no one was there, partly for my own amusement, and partly because they wanted some reference copies."[27]

Later sessions

The group took a break from recording throughout August, after which they reconvened on 31 August for further overdub sessions, which took place on 1 September ("Mumbo" and "Tomorrow") and 4 September ("Some People Never Know").[28] Recording halted again as Linda gave birth to the McCartneys' daughter, Stella, on 13 September. Her birth led to the naming of the band, Wings; according to Seiwell, "Paul said that she was delivered like on the wings of an angel or something. He took the word 'Wings' from that experience."[e][30]

A further ten overdub and mixing sessions were carried out from 2–15 October. Tracks worked on included "Love Is Strange", "Wild Life", "Tomorrow", "Mumbo", "Some People Never Know" and "Little Woman Love". Also devised was "Bip Bop Link", a fingerpicked guitar piece that acted as a transition between two album tracks. It was recorded as a test while Clark was setting up microphones.[31] Another link was created from "Mumbo" after that track was completed, as McCartney wanted an "acoustic" link and an "electric" link.[32] On 16 October, the orchestration for "Dear Friend" was recorded, conducted by Richard Hewson.[33] Clark revealed to author Luca Perasi that "There was some discussion about the orchestra being too overpowering, but with a phasing effect and subtle level on the mix it seemed to work."[34] Album sequencing took place shortly thereafter.[35] Mastering was done by Peter Tacklet at EMI on 20 October.[36]

Music and lyrics

The first side of the album is taken up with rock numbers. We did that on purpose, ... so it can be played at parties. One side for when you want to get up and dance and the second side for the girls, when they want to smooch around.[17]

—Linda McCartney, 1971

Wild Life is noted for its raw production.[37][38] The music is divided into two sides: a "fast, rock side" and a "slower, ballad side".[39] This was done deliberately; according to Kozinn and Sinclair, the "looser" songs were placed on side one and the "more complex" songs on side two.[35] Rock songs include "Mumbo" and "Bip Bop",[40] the latter of which Billboard magazine's Morgan Enos describes as a "faux-blues throwaway".[37] Its guitar-playing was compared to the stylings of Merle Travis.[1][39] McCartney later said poorly of "Bip Bop": "It just goes nowhere. I still cringe every time I hear it."[41] Wings' rendition of Mickey & Sylvia's "Love Is Strange" is influenced by reggae,[20] to which McCartney explained: "Reggae is the newest and best beat around. There are more possibilities with reggae than anything at the moment."[42] Side one concludes with the title track, which expresses McCartney's support for the preservation of wild animals.[39] The song dates back to 1966, when Paul McCartney went on a safari to Kenya, visiting several national parks. He witnessed a road sign that said animals have the right of way, which directly inspired the song.[43]

Side two begins with "Some People Never Know", a soft, melodic ballad about love, featuring vocals from Linda.[39][42] Paul's requited love for Linda inspired the song, as well as the subsequent track "I Am Your Singer", a duet between Paul and Linda.[42] "Bip Bop Link" and "Mumbo Link", the latter of which appears at the end of the album, were initially unlisted tracks on the original LP; they were named for the album's CD reissue.[42] The McCartney's relationship inspired "Tomorrow",[42] a piano ballad[44] about celebrating relaxation and freedom from responsibilities normally associated with Sunday.[39] It was based on the chord changes of Paul McCartney's Beatles song "Yesterday" (1965).[20] Author Tom Doyle likens "Tomorrow" to "Yesterday", as McCartney reveals his insecurity and "plead[s] with his lover not to let him down".[45] "Dear Friend" was an attempt at reconciliation with John Lennon. It followed Lennon's attack on McCartney in the song "How Do You Sleep?", from the album Imagine (1971),[21][46] which had been in retaliation for McCartney's perceived digs at Lennon in "Too Many People" on Ram.[47][48] Music critic Ian MacDonald cited "Dear Friend" as a counter-argument to the caricature of McCartney as an emotional lightweight.[49]

Album cover and packaging

Simplicity is a great thing. Just a very simple thought, from the heart. [...] It's a place that the photographer knew just outside London, and it was kind of like a stately home. So he suggested we aim here. We liked the idea of just such a nice photograph, just being able to use it clean.[50]

—Paul McCartney, Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run, 2025

The album's cover photograph, depicting the members of Wings in a country creek, was shot by Barry Lategan in Osterley Park, West London, on 1 October 1971.[51][52] Linda suggested Lategan after witnessing a photograph of the model Marie Helvin in British Vogue, in which Helvin sits on a fallen tree limb above a lake. According to the authors Allan Kozinn and Adrian Sinclair, Paul and Linda believed the setting offered "an idealized version of the image they wanted to project to the public about that life [they were pursuing]."[52] Lategan used the same location as the Helvin shot, but shot the band members at a further distance and in several configurations. In the final shot, Seiwell is sitting on the left, smiling at a dove flying between him and Paul McCartney, who is standing in thigh-high water, strumming his Epiphone Texan FT-79 acoustic guitar, while a dove and Linda's hand rest on his shoulder. Linda sits next to Paul, staring straight ahead while a dove flies to her left, and Laine sits on the far right, balancing on the log, smiling while gazing at Paul.[53] Although the image's setting suggests a personification of the song "Wild Life", the album title was not yet decided when the cover was taken.[53]

Unlike the packaging for McCartney and Ram, Wild Life did not feature a gatefold sleeve nor accompanying photographs by Linda. The cover photograph did not feature the band's name or album title on the front; instead, it appeared on the spine and back cover, printed in a large Bauhaus font. The eight song titles appeared on the back in two rows.[54] For its American release, Capitol Records added a sticker reading "WINGS WILD LIFE" in yellow.[55] The accompanying liner notes were written by "Clint Harrigan",[56] a pseudonym for Paul, who also sketched the band wearing angel wings.[54] Unlike McCartney's previous releases for Apple Records, Paul scrapped the label's signature Granny Smith vinyl labels, wanting Wings' debut album to be distinct from the Beatles' brand. The vinyl labels were replaced by close-up photographs of Paul and Linda for sides one and two, respectively; Paul has a poppy on his face, and Linda is emerging from a swimming pool, wiping water from her face.[54]

Release

After the criticism of McCartney, I put so much into Ram to try and please myself and the critics. With Wings I don't care if people don't like it. I like it. I've got an awful lot to live up to, that's the problem. But I know I'm good. If I'm in the right mood I can write a solid gold hit.[57]

—Paul McCartney to Disc & Music Echo, 1971

After announcing the band's formation to the media on 2 August 1971,[21] the group's name was announced in early October.[58] Throughout October, the McCartneys made the final preparations for Wild Life, anticipated for release on 15 November, and prepared the release of Thrillington, an instrumental cover album of Ram by Paul, recorded in June.[36] On 8 November, the group held a press party at the Empire Ballroom in Leicester Square, London, announcing both the group and Wild Life.[58][56] Nicknamed The Ball, the event featured eight hundred guests, including Elton John and members of the Who, Faces and Led Zeppelin.[58] At the same press party, in an interview with Melody Maker, McCartney said that the group should soon be performing live.[21] Two days later, McCartney invited various critics to a Wild Life listening session and interview at EMI Studios.[59] He spoke at length about then-legal troubles with his former Beatles bandmates, and plans he had for Wings, including possible touring.[60] He declared he was proud of Wild Life and did not care what critics thought.[61] Nevertheless, his former bandmate George Harrison voiced his disapproval of the record in an interview with Record Mirror,[62] to which McCartney replied: "Any criticism hurts me, especially from George."[63]

Pushback from EMI about the missing Apple logo on the disc labels led to the album's delay; a compromise was reached where the words "An Apple Record" appeared in very small text on each label.[36] Eventually, the album was released in early December,[56] sometime between 3 and 13 December;[a][64] modern sources list the release date as 7 December.[11][67][51] Kozinn and Sinclair write that the album's delay led to diminished fanfare from the November press party, leading its eventual December release to be a "whimper" rather than the "explosion of excitement" McCartney hoped for.[68] Commercially, Wild Life reached number 11 in the UK,[69] only spending nine weeks on the chart.[68] In the US, it peaked at number 10,[70] selling 500,000 copies by January 1972 and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[71] Stickers labelling the artist and album name were reportedly attached to the cover in hopes of attracting buyers and increasing sales.[41] No singles were released from the album in the UK or the US.[55] A promotional single, "Love Is Strange" b/w "I Am Your Singer", was distributed in the UK by Apple in December 1971,[f] but the commercial release was cancelled due to poor album sales.[21][72]

On 17 December 1971, the Ram outtake "Breakfast Blues" was mixed by Paul and Linda at A&R Studios in New York City,[21] retitled "The Great Cock and Seagull Race", with overdubs by the rest of Wings.[73] Wings introduced the song during a promotional interview with CBS disc jockey Ed Williams, announcing a potential single release; this release never occurred. An earlier mix of "The Great Cock and Seagull Race" by engineer Dixon Van Winkle was released on the 2012 special edition of Ram, while the Wings version appeared on the 2018 reissue of Wild Life.[74]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStar[67]
Christgau's Record GuideC−[75]
The Essential Rock Discography4/10[76]
MusicHound2.5/5[77]
QStar[78]
The Rolling Stone Album GuideStarStar[79]

Following Ram's poor reception, Wild Life was also greeted with negative reviews from music critics;[80][81][82] sentiments towards McCartney had been generally negative in the music press following the Beatles' break-up.[83][84] In Rolling Stone, John Mendelsohn wondered whether the album may have been "deliberately second-rate", writing that Wild Life is "largely high on sentiment but rather flaccid musically and impotent lyrically, trivial and unaffecting", but nevertheless "unpretentious".[1] More negatively, in The Beatles: An Illustrated Record (1978), Roy Carr and Tony Tyler called the album "rushed, defensive, badly timed, and over-publicized" and wrote that it showed McCartney's songwriting "at an absolute nadir just when he needed a little respect".[85] In The Beatles Forever (1978), Nicholas Schaffner said Wild Life was "sloppily performed, musically listless, and lyrically excruciating".[86]

Many agreed that Wild Life fell short of the standards set by McCartney's work with the Beatles.[87] In Melody Maker, Roy Hollingworth disregarded McCartney's claim that Wild Life was music to dance to, writing that it is "a dream album for airline hostesses", further saying that, musically, it has "too many maracas" and "not enough balls".[88] Sounds magazine's Steve Peacock found some of the songs too long and believed McCartney worked best with people "who can spur him".[89] Critics like Peacock and Lew Harris of the Chicago Tribune considered Wild Life an improvement over McCartney and Ram, while they and Robert Hilburn held out hope that McCartney could one day produce an album equivalent in quality to his Beatles work.[89][39][40] In his scathing review, Harris, calling McCartney the "idiot child of rock", snidely remarked: "At this rate, he should match the quality of Imagine, All Things Must Pass and Beaucoups of Blues sometime in mid-1976."[40] Speaking with Paul Gambaccini for the 1976 book In His Own Words, McCartney said of Wild Life:[51]

I must say, you have to like me to like the record. I mean, if it's just taken cold, I think it wasn't that brilliant as a recording. We did it in about two weeks, the whole thing. And it had been done on that kind of buzz we'd been hearing about how Dylan had come in and done everything in one take. I think, in fact, often we never gave the engineer a chance to even set up a balance."

Nevertheless, not all reviews were negative.[90] In a review for the NME, Richard Green called Wild Life a "good, solid album" that should "draw forth favourable criticism from even the most biased quarters".[91] In Disc & Music Echo, Peter Gavin described the album as "an appealing mixture of fun, melody and excitement".[92] Writing for Record Mirror, Mike Hennessey found Wild Life "unquestionably Paul McCartney's best solo album [sic] to date", highlighting "Tomorrow" and "Dear Friend" as "classic, vintage McCartney, sharply bringing into focus his flair for melody and harmony". However, Hennessey believed that the album, although good, "falls a long way short of the masterpiece Paul has the capacity to produce".[93]

Decades later, Wild Life continues to receive mixed reviews; it has appeared at the bottom in several lists ranking McCartney's albums from worst to best.[94][95] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic believed the album's "featherweight" material made for a "bizarrely fascinating" record, writing that McCartney made something that "sounds easy ... and that's what's frustrating and amazing about it".[67] The author Chris Ingram, in his book The Rough Guide to the Beatles (2009), said of Wild Life: "Though the album has its apologists from those who enjoy their McCartney rough and ready, this one really is only for the curious who have got everything else."[20] The author John Blaney wrote that the album contains songs that are "as good as anything [McCartney's] written", despite a few throwaways.[80] In 2016, Nick DeRiso of Ultimate Classic Rock described Wild Life as a "throwaway project", one that featured a lack of "resonant" material, albeit naming "Tomorrow" and "Dear Friend" as the album's highlights.[51] The same year, Classic Rock magazine's Max Bell referred to the album as "much maligned but decent".[96] Two years later, Billboard magazine's Morgan Enos argued that the album, and its follow-up Red Rose Speedway (1973), are enjoyable for what they are, with the latter being "warm and inviting as an easy chair".[37]

Track listing

All tracks written by Paul and Linda McCartney, except "Love is Strange" written by Mickey Baker, Sylvia Vanterpool, and Ethel Smith (later revealed to be Bo Diddley).

Side one

  1. "Mumbo" – 3:54
  2. "Bip Bop" – 4:14
  3. "Love Is Strange" – 4:50
  4. "Wild Life" – 6:48

Side two

  1. "Some People Never Know" – 6:35
  2. "I Am Your Singer" – 2:15
  3. "Bip Bop (Link)" – 0:52
  4. "Tomorrow" – 3:28
  5. "Dear Friend" – 5:53
  6. "Mumbo (Link)" – 0:46

Additional tracks on the 1993 CD reissue

  2. "Give Ireland Back to the Irish" – 3:44
  3. "Mary Had a Little Lamb" – 3:32
  4. "Little Woman Love" – 2:07
  5. "Mama's Little Girl" – 3:45

Notes: "Bip Bop (Link)" and "Mumbo (Link)" are unlisted on pressings of the album released before 1987.[42] Track two, "Bip Bop", is a monaural recording. It was first released in stereo on the "Rough Mixes" CD, inside the Archive Collection edition of Wild Life.

Reissues

Wild Life was first released on CD by EMI's budget Fame label, on 5 October 1987.[g] In addition to naming the previously hidden tracks ("Bip Bop Link" and "Mumbo Link"),[42] this edition added "Oh Woman, Oh Why" (the B-side of "Another Day"), "Mary Had a Little Lamb" and the Ram outtake "Little Woman Love" as bonus tracks.[97] A remastered CD edition on Parlophone and Capitol was released on 20 June 1989.[55] In 1993, Wild Life was remastered and reissued on CD as part of The Paul McCartney Collection series with the 1972 non-album singles "Give Ireland Back to the Irish" and "Mary Had a Little Lamb" as well as the B-sides "Little Woman Love" and "Mama's Little Girl".[98]

Wild Life and Red Rose Speedway were reissued and remastered as part of the Paul McCartney Archive Collection on 7 December 2018, both separately and as a deluxe package titled Wings 1971–73.[99] The deluxe package included a 128-page book written by David Fricke telling the story behind the album, a 48-page scrapbook, previously unpublished Polaroids, lyrics, notes and memorabilia from the MPL archives. The bonus tracks included the 1972 singles "Give Ireland Back to the Irish", "Mary Had a Little Lamb", and "Hi, Hi, Hi" / "C Moon", along with their respective B-sides, a promo single edit of "Love Is Strange" and numerous home demos and studio outtakes.[100][101]

To mark the album's 50th anniversary, a limited-edition, half-speed mastered vinyl pressing by Miles Showell at Abbey Road Studios from the original master tapes was released in 2022.[102] Beatles author Kenneth Womack called it a "powerful" and "ear-popping" remaster that turned the album into a "hidden gem", further calling "Dear Friend" a "veritable showstopper" and "a singular work of lasting beauty".[103] Record Collector's Jamie Atkins was also positive, giving the remaster four out of five stars and calling it "a raw, brilliantly sloppy and human album that sounds a lot like freedom".[104] In Goldmine magazine, John M. Borack said that the album received an "aural upgrade" from the remaster, describing an "overall crispness and freshness" the original master lacked.[102]

Personnel

  • Paul McCartney – lead vocals, bass guitar, electric guitar, piano, keyboards, recorder, percussion
  • Linda McCartney – co-lead vocals ("Love Is Strange", "Some People Never Know", "I Am Your Singer"), keyboards, piano, percussion, backing vocals
  • Denny Laine – guitars, bass guitar, percussion, keyboards, backing vocals
  • Denny Seiwell – drums, percussion

Technical[98]

  • Paul McCartney – producer
  • Alan Parsons and Tony Clark – engineering

Charts and certifications

Notes

  1. ^ a b According to Kozinn and Sinclair, contemporary British sources list the date between 3 and 10 December, and American sources list the date between 6 and 13 December.[64] In their official discography, the authors list 3 December in the UK and 6 December in the US, but state that these cannot be confirmed due to a label dispute.[65] The 2025 Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run lists the first release date as 3 December.[66]
  2. ^ Clark had previously worked with the Beatles on their fan-club exclusive Christmas records, while Parsons had worked on Abbey Road (1969) and engineered the Get Back sessions with Glyn Johns.[15]
  3. ^ According to Clark, "There was no actual producer in the box." He contributed to the studio setup and ensured comfort amongst the band members, after which he returned to the booth. When the band were jamming and "felt it was happening", Clark would instruct Parsons to press record.[16]
  4. ^ Footage of McCartney playing "Bip Bop" and the outtake "Hey Diddle" from around this time was later included in the made-for-TV film Wings Over the World.[21]
  5. ^ McCartney did not want the band to have a "The" in the name to avoid comparisons with the Beatles.[29]
  6. ^ Catalogue number Apple R 5932[55]
  7. ^ UK Fame CD-FA 3101/CDM 7 52017 2

References

  1. ^ a b c Mendelsohn, John (20 January 1972). "Wild Life [US Bonus Tracks]". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 28 February 2024. Retrieved 10 February 2026.
  2. ^ Kozinn; Sinclair 2022, p. 263
  3. ^ Lewisohn 2002
  4. ^ Bonici, Ray (September 1980). "How Paul McCartney Has Spread His Wings". Look Now. p. 26.
  5. ^ Kozinn; Sinclair 2022, p. 264
  6. ^ Kozinn; Sinclair 2022, pp. 274–276
  7. ^ Kozinn; Sinclair 2022, pp. 278–281
  8. ^ Miles; Badman 2001
  9. ^ Kozinn; Sinclair 2022, p. 282
  10. ^ a b McGee 2003, p. 19
  11. ^ a b Badman 2009, p. 72
  12. ^ a b Kozinn; Sinclair 2022, p. 281
  13. ^ McCartney 2025, p. 84
  14. ^ a b Kozinn; Sinclair 2022, p. 284
  15. ^ a b McCartney 2025, p. 93
  16. ^ McCartney 2025, p. 95
  17. ^ a b Badman 2009, p. 73
  18. ^ a b Fricke, David (2018). Wild Life 128-page essay. MPL Communications.
  19. ^ Perasi 2023, p. 94
  20. ^ a b c d Ingham 2009
  21. ^ a b c d e f Miles; Badman 2001
  22. ^ Kozinn; Sinclair 2022, pp. 284–287
  23. ^ Doyle, Tom (June 2010). "The Great Escape". Q. pp. 96–97.
  24. ^ Kozinn; Sinclair 2022, pp. 287–288
  25. ^ Kozinn; Sinclair 2022, pp. 290–291
  26. ^ Kozinn; Sinclair 2022, pp. 293–294
  27. ^ Cummings, Howard (October 1976). "Alan Parsons". Recording Engineer. pp. 29–32.
  28. ^ Kozinn; Sinclair 2022, pp. 301–302
  29. ^ McCartney 2025, pp. 97–98
  30. ^ Kozinn; Sinclair 2022, pp. 303–304
  31. ^ Kozinn; Sinclair 2022, p. 308
  32. ^ Kozinn; Sinclair 2022, p. 309
  33. ^ Kozinn; Sinclair 2022, pp. 310–311
  34. ^ Perasi 2023, p. 96
  35. ^ a b Kozinn; Sinclair 2022, p. 312
  36. ^ a b c Kozinn; Sinclair 2022, p. 314
  37. ^ a b c Enos, Morgan (5 December 2018). "In Defense of Paul Mccartney & Wings' 'Wild Life' And 'Red Rose Speedway'". Billboard. Archived from the original on 30 November 2024. Retrieved 11 February 2026.
  38. ^ Elliott, Paul (27 August 2025). "Nine Paul McCartney albums you should listen to, but none of them are by the Beatles". Louder. Archived from the original on 28 January 2026. Retrieved 11 February 2026.
  39. ^ a b c d e f Hilburn, Robert (12 December 1971). "McCartney's Third Disappointment". Los Angeles Times. p. 56. Retrieved 11 February 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  40. ^ a b c Harris, Lew (19 December 1971). "Pity Poor Paul, 'Idiot Child of Rock'". Chicago Tribune. p. 26. Retrieved 11 February 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  41. ^ a b McGee 2003, p. 21
  42. ^ a b c d e f g Blaney 2007, p. 58
  43. ^ McCartney 2025, pp. 89–92
  44. ^ Rodriguez 2010, p. 372
  45. ^ Doyle 2013, p. 49
  46. ^ Perone 2012, p. 143
  47. ^ Brown; Gaines 2002, p. 351
  48. ^ Perone 2012, p. 148
  49. ^ MacDonald 2005, p. 128
  50. ^ McCartney 2025, p. 99
  51. ^ a b c d DeRiso, Nick (7 December 2016). "When Paul McCartney Introduced Wings With 'Wild Life'". Ultimate Classic Rock. Archived from the original on 25 January 2026. Retrieved 10 February 2026.
  52. ^ a b Kozinn; Sinclair 2022, pp. 305–306
  53. ^ a b Kozinn; Sinclair 2022, p. 306
  54. ^ a b c Kozinn; Sinclair 2022, p. 313
  55. ^ a b c d Blaney 2007, p. 59
  56. ^ a b c McGee 2003, p. 20
  57. ^ Petrie, Gavin (20 November 1971). "McCartney: I Know I'm Good. If I'm In The Right Mood I Can Write A Solid Gold Hit". Disc & Music Echo. p. 3.
  58. ^ a b c McCartney 2025, p. 100
  59. ^ Kozinn; Sinclair 2022, pp. 319–320
  60. ^ Peacock, Steve (20 November 1971). "Trying to Keep Things Loose". Sounds. p. 14.
  61. ^ Kozinn; Sinclair 2022, p. 321
  62. ^ Hennessey, Mike (18 December 1971). "Pop Now Is Very Boring". Record Mirror. p. 3.
  63. ^ Orsted, Knud (19 August 1972). "McCartney—I'm Boycotting Apple". Record Mirror. p. 11.
  64. ^ a b Kozinn; Sinclair 2022, p. 315
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allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_Life_(Wings_album)