Paul McCartney And Wings* – Wild Life

This is imo the best sounding Wings half-speed master (not including RAM). There’s big bass energy on this unlike some of the other half-speeds. It just sounds very natural and smooth on top but with great clarity.

Top shelf best audio quality you’ll get from this on vinyl

Not my favourite Macca/Wings album by any stretch, but this definitely is the best version of it I have heard.

An overall great pressing of this very good album.
One of the best Wings albums in my opinion.

Definitely not as good as ram, but over hated by some people

The best way to describe the 50th Anniversary Half Speed is neutral sounding. That’s doesn’t mean it’s a bad or boring pressing. It sounds close to the 1972 UK pressing but there is more detail in the 50th Anniversary pressing than on the UK original (see Wings (2) - Wild Life). The approach is closer to the master tape than a typical pop album of the era. Whether that’s your cup of tea – is up to you.

Comparing the two, there were some key differences I noticed, particularly in the EQ choices. The overall sound is more toward the modern ear, than a 1970’s pop audience playing back on a cheap turntable. The hi-mid range isn’t as boosted as the original 1970’s pressing, which you can hear in the vocals. The bass has more sub in the kick drum & bass guitar and stereo image nice and clean. That said, the UK is now slouch in that department either.

There is more tape noise noticeable on some tracks on the 50th, but it’s not distracting and may even give you some reassurance that this release hasn’t had the top end sucked out by noise reduction. There has clearly been some cleaning work done to the sibilance on “Some People Never Know”, with the line “out SHHHINE the rest” being repaired in the same way the distortion on the 2009 remaster of Abbey Road’s “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” had the crackle removed from John’s “Yeah!” scream. The album was mastered from a High Resolution file transfer. So it's likely repairs were made in DAW (most likely) to the file or they sourced an early generation master without the distortion (less likely as EMI engineers would have never of allowed a “glitch” like that at the mastering stage). Speaking of "glitchs", yes, the extra drum beat that was on the end of "Love Is Strange" on the 2018 Archive Series release, is on here too. So it's more than likely, the same master used for the 2018 Wings (2) - Wild Life release, but it's still unknown if that beat IS a digital editing glitch or it's on the tape and they forgot to edit it out like the original releases (note - the 2018 remaster also has the sibilance in "Some People Never Know" repaired).

The quality of the pressing is outstanding, flat, clean with next to no pops. Although, have an anti-static sleeve handy, as the record is packed with a cardboard sleeve. The images on the artwork look great and the card used on the sleeve is of high quality.

Overall, if you’re thinking of getting a copy, I’d strongly recommend it. I doubt, we’ll see another audiophile pressing of Wings Wild Life anytime soon. If you'll miss that sibilance on "Some People Never Know" or want that old school EQ, go with the 1972 original (either UK or the Australian which is an even hotter press!). But be aware, although this album was a common stable of the bargain bins back in the day, NM and VG+ are getting up there in price.

I've got it yesterday as a present. Fantastic pressing. Five stars.

This is the best mastering difference I've seen in a Macca album. It's just a beauty.

This pressing sounds fantastic! I have been listening to this album since it first came out and this is the best there is and maybe ever will be. I cannot believe it's from a digital source.

Great! Flawless record. Wish every album would be issued with such dedication. An LP really worth its money and the space on your shelves.