Wings Over Switzerland 1972 (Misterclaudel mccd-40/41)
The Pavilion, Montreux, Switzerland – July 22nd, 1972
Disc 1: Bip Bop, Smile Away, Mumbo, Give Ireland Back To The Irish, 1882, I Would Only Smile, Blue Moon Of Kentucky, The Mess, Best Friend, Soily
Disc 2: I Am Your Singer, Henry’s Blues, Say You Don’t Mind, Seaside Woman, Wild Life, My Love, Mary Had A Little Lamb, Maybe I’m Amazed, Hi Hi Hi, Long Tall Sally
Wings Over Switzerland 1972 comes right from the middle of Wings’ second ever tour and first of Europe. While this tour wasn’t as spontaneous as the university gigs in England, it still was supposed to be laid back with minimal press coverage and the band traveling in a modified English double-deck bus.
The set list was similar in relying upon material from the first two McCartney solo LPs and the Wings’ first LP Wild Life along with the usual rock standards and, surprisingly, many tunes that were not released up to that point (“My Love”, “Seaside Woman” and “Hi Hi Hi”) or have never been issued (“1882”).
Misterclaudel utilizes the same very good audience tape that first appeared on Wings Over Switzerland (Mistral Music MM9110/11) released in 1991. It is clear although a bit distant from the stage. Everything is very well balanced and enjoyable and is one of the better tapes to exist from this era. The concert itself is very hit-or-miss. It begins with a strong version of “Bip Bop” and “Smile Away”.
Their current single “Give Ireland Back To The Irish” is played with conviction as is the epic blues dirge “1882” (it’s a shame it was never properly recorded and released). But the cool reception by the audience seems to affect the band in the latter half and the band seems to completely fall apart. “I Am Your Singer” is sung completely out of tune (ironically I know), “Mary Had A Little Lamb” sees the band missing time signatures.
We come to accept Linda’s off harmonies as a part of Wings, but Paul is the big culprit here. “My Love” is ruined, not only with the horrible singing, but Henry McCullough misses the cue for the famous guitar solo and flubs it when he does come in. Real pathetic.Despite the mediocre performance this title is recommended.
There aren’t too many really good tapes circulating from the early years of Wings and this is one of the best. The label has done their usual excellent work with the packaging, coming in a fatboy jewel case and a miniature reproduction of the tour programme. Misterclaudel titles are always worth a look by the collector and this is another great addition to their catalogue.
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