My 13th nominee for Best Beatle Solo Album/1968-1980

My 13th nominee in the Beatles Solo Project is Venus and Mars, Paul's 4th album with Wings. Released in 1975 as the follow-up to Band on the Run, V&M wastes no time in opening with a two-part barnstormer, the title track paired with "Rock Show." The “Rock Show” part features new recruits Jimmy McCulloch on guitar, and Geoff Britton on drums. (McCulloch takes the lead vocal on “Medicine Jar.”) The album's biggest hit is the fun and lively "Listen to What the Man Said." Another hit is "Letting Go," which Paul has recently made a staple of his live concerts. “Magneto and Titanium Man” (another personal favourite) draws on Paul’s love of comic books, including the Marvel superheroes created by Stan Lee. V&M was recorded entirely in New Orleans, the birthplace of jazz. Wings even recorded tracks related to New Orleans that are now bonus tracks of V&M reissues. My favourite bonus track on the 2014 reissue is the song Paul wrote for Peggy Lee, "Let's Love." Paul's demo was recorded in 1974, and Peggy Lee's version was released later that year. The strange instrumental that closes the original release, “Crossroads,” is the theme to an old British TV soap opera.

Trivia: this is the first Wings album issued by Paul’s MPL (McCartney Productions Limited) label and not by Apple Records.