All the Best [Ltd. Re-Issue] [Import]

For his post-Beatles career, Paul McCartney's work is basically intertwined between work that is credited what is considered "Paul McCartney Solo Work" and his work with Wings. When McCartney left the Beatles, he would release two solo albums "McCartney" and "Ram". While "Ram" would produce the classic song "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey", "Ram" would be trashed by the critics. It was at that point that McCartney formed the band Wings. Wings would basically be a "project" type of band by McCartney that would consist of himself, his wife Linda McCartney, vocalist Denny Laine, and a revolving door of studio musicians. Wings would eventually be dissolved in 1980 (and Laine would depart), and McCartney would return to recording under his own name (with wife Linda by his side). Despite the decade of recording under the "Wings" umbrella, no mistake would be made - Paul McCartney would still be in control and it would very much be his music. Therefore, Paul McCartney's 1987 greatest hits release "All the Best" basically is a snapshot of his post-Beatles career throughout 1984. This collection does a good job at providing this snapshot, however there are some omissions that hurt this collection.

I once heard an interview with Paul McCartney and he was asked basically what is the best song he ever wrote. I remember McCartney mulling the question and finally the song "Maybe I'm Amazed" came from his mouth. With all of the amazing work he has done throughout his career - including creating some of the most legendary songs with the Beatles, many might be surprised by this answer. However after thinking about it, I think one can make the argument that this song is in the upper echelon of his musical portfolio. Yet, when I look at the listing of tracks on this collection, "Maybe I'm Amazed" is no where to be found. I think this song has a major importance from McCartney's career because it was on that first post Beatles album - 1970's "McCartney". The bottom line is that I am completely shocked that this collection doesn't include this song. To a lesser extent, I am pretty disappointed that "Take it Away" is not included as well.

One positive thing about "All the Best" is that it includes several songs that were originally only released as singles. These songs include the popular theme song "Live and Let Die" (from the James Bond film), "Another Day", "Goodnight Tonight", "C Moon", and "Junior's Farm".

When looking at this collection, there are really two other Paul McCartney compilations to consider. Like "All the Best", these compilations basically include mixes of his work recorded under the Paul McCartney name and those recorded under the Wings umbrella (Note: These compilations are actually released under the "Wings" umbrella). The first of these is 1978's "Wings Greatest". This is a more dated collection (obviously including material only until 1978). All of the songs that are on "Wings Greatest" are included on "All the Best" with the exception of "Hi Hi Hi" and "Mull of Kintyre". Like "All the Best", this collection omits one of the most legendary McCartney songs - "Maybe I'm Amazed". "Wings Greatest" also doesn't contain 1975's "Listen to What the Man Said" that is included on "All the Best".

In 2001, a more comprehensive collection was released under the Wings umbrella that included both Wings and Paul McCartney "solo" material. This collection entitled "Wingspan: Hits and History" is two disc set. This collection contains all of the material on "All the Best" with the exception of two popular duets that McCartney recorded in the 1980s: "Ebony and Ivory" with Stevie Wonder and "Say Say Say" with Michael Jackson. (It is worth noting that McCartney recorded another duet with Michael Jackson - "The Girl is Mine", but this was released on Jackson's "Thriller" album and is not included on any McCartney compilation.) This collection doesn't miss the mark - it does include "Maybe I'm Amazed". It also includes the five songs listed above that were only released as singles.

As for "All the Best", it is also worth noting that there were actually two versions released, a U.S. version and a U.K. version. The songs exclusive to U.K. version are "Pipes of Peace", "Once Upon a Long Ago", "We All Stand Together" and "Mull of Kintyre" while the U.S. version contains "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey", "Goodnight Tonight", "With a Little Luck", and "Junior's Farm". There is a slight reordering of the tracks between the U.S. and U.K. versions.

When looking at a greatest hits collection, I normally prefer the tracks to be arranged in chronological order in which they were either released and/or recorded. This allows me to see how the artist has progressed over a period of time. One thing that also disappoints here is that the tracks are in a shuffled order. I really think this is a drawback - especially in the case of Paul McCartney where I find it interesting to track his post-Beatles career.

One thing that I found very positive were the liner notes. One thing that I found entertaining each of the songs on this collection is represented with a graphic illustration. Although these illustrations don't contribute anything to the musical experience, I still found this entertaining. One thing that is unusual about the liner notes is that they include the lyrics to all of the songs. The downside is that the corresponding albums (or denotations for songs that were listed only as singles) are not listed each song that is included in the collection. I also would have liked to have seen musician credits listed - particularly for the Wings songs.

Despite some of these shortcomings that are listed above, the bottom line is that this collection still contains enough good content to be a collection worth considering. This is a good collection, but some McCartney fans still may want to look to the "Wingspan" collection to get a more comprehensive collection.

This compilation came out in 1987, following the uneven Press To Play and as a stopgap between his next solo effort, Flowers In The Dirt. Key hits are included from Ram (1971) through Give My Regards To Broadstreet (1984). Strange that "Mull Of Kintyre" from 1977 was excluded, though it became the Wings' best-selling single. All the songs are winners in my book, but I'll just comment on a few.

"Band On The Run" the title track from the album that revitalized Macca's career, and "Jet", just as engaging as its sister track, are the first two songs here. The first is notable for its tripartite division, the languidly sung lyrics and melody, the mid-paced guitar, and the final explosion into its pop/rock splendour.

"Ebony And Ivory" was the first of three singles where he collaborated with an R&B artist. This one, with Stevie Wonder, is known for its extolling the virtues of interracial harmony. [Tug Of War]

The rambling melody of "Listen To What The Man Said" also has with it bits of sax. Funny how changing one word can give a totally different interpretation: "You can hear the people say that love is blind/Well, I don't know, but I say love is kind." Blind, kind. Makes a big difference. [Venus And Mars]

The ballad "No More Lonely Nights" from Give My Regards To Broadstreet, got to #2 in the UK, so he was still in top form in writing pleasant pop ballads like "My Love."

"Silly Love Songs," sporting a strong bassline, asks a time old question why we need those love songs. Apart from being silly, they can be trite, corny, and downright nauseating at times, but Macca's got it right-people can't get enough of those silly love songs-myself included. Piano, string and brass sections are also featured. [Wings At The Speed Of Sound] From that same album, the sociable side of Paul is revealed in "Let'em In." He lists a bunch of relatives, and says to open the door and let them in.

"Say Say Say" is an upbeat duet with Michael Jackson before the two fought over the Beatles catalogue rights. [Pipes of Peace]

"Live And Let Die" from Roger Moore's first Bond movie, proved that McCartney could still rock in top form, with racing strings and brass section. The original tops the GNR cover by leagues. Even out of context with the movie, the line "But if this ever-changing world in which we live in/makes you give in and cry/say live and let die" is applicable.

The dreary routine of an office girl who spends time alone in her apartment is described in "Another Day," a UK #2 song following in the heels of "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey," a medley of someone suffering from boredom and anxiety apologizing to the first title character for being insufferable. That languid number turns to the uptempo second part.

"Coming Up" was released after the resurrection of his non-Wings solo career. Again, cliched and trite lyrics that are nevertheless true: "You want some peace and understanding/so everybody can be free/I know that we can get together." [McCartney II]

"Goodnight Tonight" has simplistic lyrics, but it shows how he could construct a catchy rhythm around them.

"My Love" is an archetypal McCartney ballad, slow melodic vocals, produced strings, and a lovey dovey sound that one either loves to pieces or deems too cloying and corny. "My love does it good," sings McCartney, and this song did Red Rose Speedway good as well.

A nice one disk set of Macca's greatest hits, which will do well for people who don't want to invest in the Hits and History double CD, both of which roughly comprise the same era. The difference is that the duets are not included on the double CD. Me, I got both, so go figure!

Sir Paul McCartney is a living legend in the rock-n-roll community, and an icon of Western popular culture. This album, which came out in 1987, includes tunes from the beginning of Sir Paul's post-Beatles career right down to that date. This is an excellent compilation, featuring tunes made with Wings, with Stevie Wonder, with Michael Jackson, and just with Paul himself.

This is a fantastic album that is sure to please any fan of Paul McCartney, or Wings. Heck, if you just love hearing some of the best music that came out of the 1970 and 80s, then you will love this album. This is a great album, one that I highly recommend to everyone. Buy it!