Paul McCartney Wings / England, UK 02.09.1972 Upgrade

This year has been one of the rarest Beatles recording discoveries in recent years. Following "Bournemouth & Walthamstow 1963: Definitive Edition" and "Essen 1966 Soundboard," Wings' University of Nottingham recording has now been unearthed. Their tour of universities shortly after their formation ultimately turned into a tour, but in reality, it was a spontaneous process of visiting universities in their local areas, negotiating appearances on the spot, and realizing the live performances. It's a complete departure from the typical live tour, so much so that it's almost miraculous that recordings even exist. The two most significant recordings from this period are the University of Hull and the University of Nottingham. While Hull's recordings received a stunning upgrade with "University of Hull 1972," Nottingham's recordings have been plagued by poor-sounding audience recordings that were common 25 years ago. Despite the harsh conditions of the performance and hiss being at the same level, enthusiasts were still grateful for the recording of the legendary university live performance. However, the sound quality of this Nottingham recording is incredibly good, surpassing even the previous Hull recording. In fact, it's far easier to listen to than any other audience recording capturing Wings in 1972. I never imagined such a clear, close-sounding sound source had been sleeping until now... With such good sound quality, I assumed this Nottingham recording was a new one. However, I was amazed to discover that this recording and the previous recording are the same. Indeed, comparing the two, the audience excitement and cheers, especially in the latter half of the concert, are identical. Even so, the difference in sound quality is so stark. This is no longer a matter of "the fog has cleared" or "the veil has been lifted." It's like listening to an echo at the foot of a mountain, but rather a dramatic difference in sound quality, comparable to listening to an echo at the top of a mountain. First of all, the previous version was extremely muffled. What's more, the hiss is intense, audible at the same level as the music. It's no surprise that previously released items had to be heavily equalized before release. Even compared to "NOTTINGHAM UNIVERSITY 1972 RAW TAPES: SPEED CORRECTED," which deliberately recorded the original sound in its original form, the difference in sound quality is so great that it almost feels like a different recording. The enthusiast who made this historic excavation and upgrade available on YouTube provided the original files before YouTube, achieving a quality truly worthy of a high-quality CD. Moreover, the slow pitch of the original recording has been adjusted, and the jacket also features a photo of the Nottingham stage performance on the day. Such an extreme upgrade makes it clear just how degraded the previous version was. It's no longer low-key, but high-key. This recording features several cuts in the latter half of the live performance, such as "Lucille" and "Long Tall Sally," which reminds us that the previous versions were actually tweaked when the copies were layered. The previous version was riddled with problems. But above all, the energy of Wings' performance is truly amazing when heard with the crisp, clear sound quality. Of course, they were just forming, and one of the members was a musical novice. Their performance was truly rough, but the passion that came through was truly amazing. Paul's determination to pull off this first live performance, a new band he'd assembled from scratch, was clearly apparent, and the lively presence of the college students watching them was also heartwarming. That's why the repertoire is centered around three-chord blues and covers, likely arranged by Paul to allow the entire band to play without straining themselves. Linda, however, is incredibly reliable, performing with such enthusiasm. In "The Mess," an early arrangement features Paul and Linda singing in a call-and-response style. Her energetic, New Wave-inspired delivery is endearing, but these moments were difficult to hear on the previous recording due to the poor sound quality. I never thought the day would come when I would be able to hear Wings' college live performance with their shocking upgrade that jumped from "Poor" to "Excellent"...I'm so glad to be alive! Portland Building Ballroom, Nottingham University, Nottingham, UK 9th February 1972 PERFECT SOUND SUPER UPGRADE!!! (53:59) 1. Blue Moon of Kentucky 2. Give Ireland Back to the Irish 3. “Help Me” (Blues Jam) 4. Thank You Darling 5. Wild Life 6. Bip Bop 7. “Shuffle Blues” (Blues Jam) 8. The Mess 9. My Love 10. Give Ireland Back to the Irish 11. Lucille 12. Long Tall Sally 13. Outro Paul McCartney - Vocal, Bass, Guitar, keyboards Linda McCartney - Vocal, Keyboards Denny Laine - Vocals, Guitar Henry McCullough - Vocal, Guitar Denny Seiwell - Drums