Wings - Venus And Mars

Venus And Mars is the fourth studio album by British rock band Wings, originally released in May 1975 via Capitol Records.

Band On The Run was a commercial success, but even if it was billed as a Wings effort, it was primarily recorded by Paul, Linda, and Denny Laine. So, it was time to once again turn Wings into a genuine band, adding Joe English and Jimmy McCulloch to the line-up and even letting the latter contribute a song. This faux-democracy isn't what signals that this is a band effort, it's the attitude, construction, and pacing, which Paul McCartney acknowledges as much, opening with an acoustic title track that's a salute to arena rock, leading to a genuine arena rock anthem, "Rock Show".

From that, it's pretty much rocking pop tunes, paced with a couple of ballads and a little whimsy, all graced with a little of the production flair that distinguished ‘Band On The Run’. But where that record was clearly a studio creation and consciously elaborate, this is a straightforward affair where the sonic details are simply window dressing.

McCartney doesn't really try anything new, but the songs are a little more varied than the uniform, glossy production would suggest.

He dips into soft-shoe music hall shuffle on "You Gave Me The Answer", gets a little psychedelic with "Spirits Of Ancient Egypt", kicks out a '50s rock & roll groove with "Magento And Titanium Man", and unveils a typically sweet and lovely melody on "Listen To What The Man Said".

These are a slight shifts on an album that certainly feels like the overture for the arena rock tour that it was, which makes it one of McCartney's more consistent listens.

This album is a 2023 repress on 180 gram audiophile black vinyl housed in a gatefold sleeve with a printed inner sleeve, poster, stickers, download and remastered audio, pressed in Germany via Capitol Records.