"Cook of the House" | |
---|---|
Single by Wings | |
from the album Wings at the Speed of Sound | |
A-side | "Silly Love Songs" |
Released | 1 April 1976 (US) 30 April 1976 (UK) |
Recorded | 20 January 1976 |
Genre | Rock 'n' roll, rhythm and blues |
Length | 2:37 |
Label | MPL Communications (UK) MPL Communications/Capitol (US) |
Songwriter(s) | |
Producer(s) | Paul McCartney |
Wings at the Speed of Sound track listing | |
11 tracks
|
"Cook of the House" is a song written by Paul and Linda McCartney that was first released on Wings' 1976 album Wings at the Speed of Sound . It was also released as the B-side to the number 1 single "Silly Love Songs." The song was included on Linda McCartney's posthumous 1998 solo album Wide Prairie .
"Cook of the House" is a "1950s-style rock 'n' roll song." [1] Linda McCartney sings the lead vocal, her first lead vocal performance for Wings. [2] Paul McCartney plays the same double bass Bill Black played on Elvis Presley songs. [3] Other musicians on the song are Denny Laine and Jimmy McCulloch on guitar and Joe English on drums. [3] Either Thaddeus Richard or Howie Casey plays saxophone. [3] The song opens with the sound of bacon and chips frying in the key of E-flat. [2] [4] This sound effect is the only part of the song recorded in stereo; most of the track is in mono to enhance the retro feel. [2] [3]
"Cook of the House" was inspired during the McCartneys' stay at a rented house in Australia during their 1975 tour, and was written in November of that year. [2] [3] A plaque in the kitchen stated "Wherever I serve my guests, they like my kitchen best," which inspired some of the lyrics. [3] Most of the remaining lyrics came from the McCartneys looking at the food in the kitchen and listing the items in the song. [3]
The song was most likely recorded on 20 January 1976. [2]
"Cook of the House" was largely panned by critics. [1] Rolling Stone called the song a "celebration of scatterbrained wife-in-the-kitchen coziness." [5] Authors Chip Madinger and Mark Easter claim that Paul McCartney's double bass playing is the song's only redeeming value. [2] Author Robert Rodriguez calls it an "embarrassment," and author Tim Riley calls it a "feminist's nightmare." [5] [6] Paul McCartney biographer Howard Sounes praised the song's production values but called it a "weak song" which was not sung well. [7] Entertainment Weekly described it as a "simpleminded domestic anthem" and claimed it was "genuinely terrible." [8] On the other hand, Wings' guitarist Jimmy McCulloch was happy for Linda's lead vocal opportunity and considered the song a "tribute to her talent of whipping up a meal in no time." [8] Allmusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine found the song charming, though acknowledging that it is "awkwardly sung." [9] Paul McCartney biographer Chris Welch called it "one of the most popular items" on Wings at the Speed of Sound. [10]
"Cook of the House" appeared as the B-side of Wings' 1976 single "Silly Love Songs." [3] That represented the second time a singer other than Paul McCartney sang the lead vocal on a Wings' single, the first being Denny Laine's vocal on "I Lie Around," the B-side to "Live and Let Die." [8] Linda also sang "Cook of the House" live on Wings' 1979 UK tour. [2] [8] "Cook of the House" was included on Linda McCartney's 1998 posthumous solo album Wide Prairie . [11] The Eastmans covered "Cook of the House" on Love in Song: An Atlanta Tribute to Sir Paul McCartney. [12]
Paul McCartney and Wings, often billed simply as Wings, were an English-American rock band formed in 1971 in London by former Beatle Paul McCartney; his wife Linda McCartney on keyboards; session drummer Denny Seiwell; and former Moody Blues guitarist Denny Laine. They were noted for their commercial successes, musical eclecticism, and frequent personnel changes. They went through three lead guitarists and four drummers. The core trio of the McCartneys and Laine, however, remained intact throughout the group's existence.
Back to the Egg is the seventh and final studio album by the British-American rock band Wings, released in June 1979 on Parlophone in the UK and Columbia Records in North America. Co-produced by Chris Thomas, the album reflects band leader Paul McCartney's embracing of contemporary musical trends such as new wave and punk, and marked the arrival of new Wings members Laurence Juber and Steve Holley. Back to the Egg adopts a loose conceptual theme around the idea of a working band, and its creation coincided with a period of considerable activity for the group, which included making a return to touring and work on several television and film projects.
Red Rose Speedway is the second studio album by the English-American rock band Wings, although credited to "Paul McCartney and Wings". It was released through Apple Records on 4 May 1973, preceded by its lead single, the ballad "My Love". By including McCartney's name in the artist credit, the single and album broke with the tradition of Wings' previous records. The change was made in the belief that the public's unfamiliarity with the band had been responsible for the weak commercial performance of the group's 1971 debut album Wild Life.
Wings at the Speed of Sound is the fifth studio album by the British–American rock band Wings, released on 26 March 1976. Issued at the height of the band's popularity, it reached the top spot on the US album chart—the band's fourth consecutive album to do so—and peaked at number 2 on the UK album chart. Both singles from the album also reached the top 5 of the UK and US singles charts, with "Silly Love Songs" reaching number 1 in the US.
London Town is the sixth studio album by the British–American rock group Wings. It was released in March 1978, two years after its predecessor, Wings at the Speed of Sound. The album had a long and tumultuous gestation during which the band's tour plans for 1977 were cancelled, due to Linda McCartney becoming pregnant with her and Paul McCartney's fourth child and two members of Wings having departed, leaving the band as a trio comprising Paul, Linda and Denny Laine. Recording sessions were held intermittently over a period of a year, mainly at Abbey Road Studios in London and aboard a luxury yacht in the Virgin Islands.
Wide Prairie is a posthumous compilation album by Linda McCartney, compiled by her husband Paul McCartney and released in October 1998, roughly six months after her death due to breast cancer. The idea for the album was inspired by a fan who wrote Paul McCartney inquiring about "Seaside Woman", a song Wings released under the name Suzy and the Red Stripes featuring Linda on lead vocals.
"Listen to What the Man Said" is a hit single from Wings' 1975 album Venus and Mars. The song featured new member Joe English on drums, with guest musicians Dave Mason on guitar and Tom Scott on soprano saxophone. It was a number 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US the week of July 19, 1975 and reached number 1 in Canada on the RPM National Top Singles Chart. It also reached number 6 in the UK, and reached the top ten in Norway and New Zealand and the top twenty in the Netherlands. The single was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales of over one million copies.
"Letting Go" is a song credited to Paul and Linda McCartney and originally released by Wings on their 1975 album Venus and Mars. The song was remixed and released as a single on 4 October 1975 in the United States, and on 18 October 1975 in the United Kingdom. The song peaked at number 41 in the UK, 41 on the Cash Box Top 100 and number 39 on the Billboard Hot 100.
"Venus and Mars"/"Rock Show" is a medley of two songs written by Paul and Linda McCartney and originally performed by Wings that make up the first two songs of the album Venus and Mars. The single was released in the United States on 27 October 1975 and in the United Kingdom on 28 November 1975. The B-side is "Magneto and Titanium Man", another track from the album. The single version is considerably shorter than the album version of the songs; in the single "Rock Show" is cut by more than 3 minutes and "Venus and Mars" is cut by a few seconds. "Venus and Mars/Rock Show" peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US, but did not chart on the UK singles chart, the first McCartney penned single to do so. In the book The Rough Guide to the Beatles, Chris Ingham praised both songs, describing "Venus and Mars" as "atmospheric" and "Rock Show" as "barnstorming".
"Let 'Em In" is a song by Wings from their 1976 album Wings at the Speed of Sound. It was written and sung by Paul McCartney and reached the top 3 in the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada. It was a No. 2 hit in the UK; in the U.S. it was a No. 3 pop hit and No. 1 easy listening hit. In Canada, the song was No. 3 for three weeks on the pop chart and No. 1 for three weeks on the MOR chart of RPM magazine. The single was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales of over one million copies. It can also be found on McCartney's 1987 compilation album, All the Best! A demo of the song, featuring Denny Laine on lead vocal, was included as a bonus track on the Archive Collection reissue of Wings at the Speed of Sound.
The Wings Over the World tour was a series of concerts in 1975 and 1976 by the British–American rock band Wings performed in Britain, Australia, Europe, the United States and Canada. The North American leg constituted band leader Paul McCartney's first live performances there since the Beatles' final tour, in 1966, and the only time Wings would perform live in the US and Canada. The world tour was well-attended and critically acclaimed, and resulted in a triple live album, Wings over America, which Capitol Records released in December 1976. In addition, the tour was documented in the television film Wings Over the World (1979) and a cinema release, Rockshow (1980).
"Bluebird" is a song written by Paul and Linda McCartney and originally performed by the British rock band Wings, released on their 1973 album Band on the Run. According to author John Blaney, it was written during a vacation in Jamaica. However, author Vincent Benitez claims the song was written as early as 1970 or 1971, noting that Paul and Linda sang the song during a live interview in New York City in 1971. In Continental Europe it was also released as the B-side of the "Mrs. Vandebilt" single.
"Mamunia" is a song written by Paul and Linda McCartney that first appeared on Wings' 1973 album Band on the Run. It was also released as the B-side of the "Jet" single in the US, but was replaced by "Let Me Roll It" when "Mamunia" was being considered as a possible future A-side.
"Beware My Love" is a rock song credited to Paul and Linda McCartney that was first released on the Wings 1976 album Wings at the Speed of Sound. It was also used as the B-side of the single that included "Let 'Em In". A live version recorded on June 7, 1976, in Denver, Colorado, was included on the Wings' album Wings Over America and another live version from three days later in Seattle, Washington, was shown in the concert film Rockshow. An excerpt from the Rockshow performance was also included in the documentary Wings Over the World.
"Love in Song" is a song credited to Paul and Linda McCartney that was released on Wings' 1975 album Venus and Mars. It was also released as the B-side of Wings' number 1 single "Listen to What the Man Said." It has been covered by artists such as Helen Merrill and the Judybats.
"Must Do Something About It" is a song credited to Paul and Linda McCartney that first appeared on the Wings 1976 album Wings at the Speed of Sound.
"She's My Baby" is a song credited to Paul and Linda McCartney that was first released by Wings on their 1976 album Wings at the Speed of Sound. It is a love song sung by Paul directed at Linda. Critical opinion of the song has ranged from a description as Paul McCartney's "sweetest, daftest love song" to a suggestion that it deserves an "honor for sheer awfulness." In 1998, after Linda's death, Paul McCartney rearranged the song for string quartet to be played at memorial concerts for his late wife. This version was included on the 1999 album Working Classical.
"Tomorrow" is a song by the British–American band Wings from their debut album Wild Life, released in December 1971. It was written by band members Paul McCartney and Linda McCartney. In 1976, American singer David Cassidy had a hit with his cover version of the song.
"Deliver Your Children" is a song written by Denny Laine and Paul McCartney that was first issued on Wings' 1978 album London Town. It was also released as the B-side of Wings' single "I've Had Enough". In the Netherlands, it received enough airplay to be ranked on the national charts along with its A-side, and joint single reached No. 13. On some charts within the Netherlands "Deliver Your Children" was ranked alone on the single charts, and it reached No. 9 on the Stichting Nederlandse Top 40 chart. Laine also released solo recordings of the song.
"Backwards Traveller"/"Cuff Link" is a medley of two short songs written by Paul McCartney that was first released on Wings' 1978 album London Town. The medley was also released as the B-side of Wings' US No. 1 single "With a Little Luck". Both "Backwards Traveller" and "Cuff Link" were recorded in October 1977 and completed in January 1978. By this point in the London Town recording sessions, guitarist Jimmy McCulloch and drummer Joe English had left the band, so the songs were recorded by only McCartney, Linda McCartney and Denny Laine.