Wings Greatest

The album was compiled after McCartney's decision to leave EMI's American label, Capitol, for a six-year stay with Columbia (United States and Canada only), though he remained with EMI worldwide during his US sabbatical from Capitol.

The album was originally intended as a double with the second LP being Cold Cuts: a collection of previously unreleased outtakes by Wings.{{cite web |title=Hot Hitz Kold Kutz – Ultimate Archive Collection (album) |url=https://www.the-paulmccartney-project.com/album/hot-hitz-kold-kutz-ultimate-archive-collection/ |website=The Paul McCartney project |access-date=6 January 2023}} The resulting album became Wings Greatest single LP. Not one song was excerpted from 1971's Wild Life or 1975's Venus and Mars.

Despite the album's name, it includes Paul McCartney tracks released before the establishment of Wings: "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" (credited to "Paul & Linda McCartney" from their 1971 album Ram) and "Another Day" (a 1971 non-album single recorded during the Ram sessions but credited to just "Paul McCartney"). All other tracks were credited as "Wings" or "Paul McCartney & Wings".

Four of the twelve tracks make their album debut with this compilation: "Another Day", "Junior's Farm", "Hi, Hi, Hi" and "Mull of Kintyre". "Live and Let Die" had previously appeared on the soundtrack album of the same name but did not appear on any previous McCartney albums.

The Bulgarian pressings of the album did not include the song "Live and Let Die".{{cite web|url=http://www.discogs.com/Wings-Greatest/release/1729764 |title=Wings (2) - Greatest (Vinyl, LP) at Discogs |year=1983 |publisher=Discogs.com |access-date=16 March 2013}}

The album was promoted by a TV commercial in the UK, which featured several members of the public (played by actors) singing Wings tunes in public places. At the end a dustman, waiting in his lorry at a set of traffic lights (in Abbey Road), sings to himself an out of tune rendition of "Band on the Run", at which point Paul, Linda and Denny pull up alongside and Paul shouts out "You're a bit flat mate!". The driver leans out his window and says "Funny, I only checked them this morning!"{{cite web|url=https://www.jpgr.co.uk/pctc256.html |title=Wings Greatest |publisher=Jpgr.co.uk |access-date=2011-09-09}}

Aubrey Powell and George Hardie of Hipgnosis are credited with the design, as well as Paul and Linda McCartney.[https://www.jpgr.co.uk/pctc256.html Wings Greatest] visited 2013-08-20

The front cover of Wings Greatest depicts a chryselephantine (gold and ivory) statuette created by famed Art Deco sculptor Demétre Chiparus.[http://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/art-deco-semiramis-figurine-chiparus-267828658 Art Deco Semiramis Figurine Chiparus Statue Sculpture] visited 2013-08-20 This antique statuette was purchased by Linda McCartney at a 1978 auctionMcCartney: Songwriter {{ISBN|0-491-03325-7}} p. 142 and Paul McCartney decided this statuette would be ideal as the cover for the band's forthcoming greatest hits album.

On 14 October 1978, the McCartney family flew to Switzerland, accompanied by a photographer named Angus Forbes, to arrange a photography session depicting the statuette in genuine snow. The snowdrift backdrop within the image was created with the assistance of a hired snow-plough, and the actual image upon the cover was an aerial photograph taken by helicopter.

The rear cover depicts the record covers of the twelve releases, mostly singles, from which each of the Greatest's songs were taken, in columns on either side of the album. In the middle is a photograph of Paul, Linda, and Denny Laine. The original photograph also had Jimmy McCulloch and Joe English, but both members had left the band by the time this greatest hits album was issued and, as a result, were airbrushed out.{{Citation needed|date=October 2016}} The background is another scene of the Alps.

The statuette also appears on the inner sleeves of the original vinyl, as well as on the record's labels. It can also be seen on the album cover of Wings' next (and last) studio album, Back to the Egg, in the background, on the mantlepiece.

{{tracklist

| headline = Side one

| extra_column = Performer

| title1 = Another Day

| extra1 = Paul McCartney

| length1 = 3:42

| title2 = Silly Love Songs

| extra2 = Wings

| length2 = 5:52

| title3 = Live and Let Die

| extra3 = Paul McCartney and Wings

| length3 = 3:11

| title4 = Junior's Farm

| extra4 = Paul McCartney and Wings

| length4 = 4:21

| title5 = With a Little Luck

| extra5 = Wings

| writer5 = P. McCartney

| length5 = 5:45

| title6 = Band on the Run

| extra6 = Paul McCartney and Wings

| length6 = 5:10

| all_writing = Paul and Linda McCartney except where noted

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{{tracklist

| headline = Side two

| extra_column = Performer

| title1 = Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey

| extra1 = Paul and Linda McCartney

| length1 = 4:48

| title2 = Hi, Hi, Hi

| extra2 = Wings

| length2 = 3:07

| title3 = Let 'Em In

| extra3 = Wings

| length3 = 5:09

| title4 = My Love

| extra4 = Paul McCartney and Wings

| length4 = 4:08

| title5 = Jet

| extra5 = Paul McCartney and Wings

| length5 = 4:06

| title6 = Mull of Kintyre

| extra6 = Wings

| writer6 = P. McCartney, Denny Laine

| length6 = 4:43

| all_writing =

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{{certification Table Entry|type=album|region=Canada|artist=Wings|title=Greatest Hits |award=Platinum|certyear=1979|relyear=1978|access-date=July 19, 2022}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Hong Kong|type=album|title=Wings Greatest|artist=Wings|award=Gold|relyear=1978|certyear=1979|access-date=July 19, 2022}}

{{certification Table Entry|type=album|region=United Kingdom|artist=Wings|title=Wings Greatest|award=Platinum|relyear=1978|certyear=1978|id=8282-1142-2|access-date=July 19, 2022}}

{{certification Table Entry|type=album|region=United States|artist=Wings|title=Wings Greatest|award=Platinum|certyear=1978|access-date=July 19, 2022}}

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Category:1978 greatest hits albums

Category:Paul McCartney and Wings compilation albums

Category:Albums produced by Paul McCartney

Category:Parlophone compilation albums

Category:Capitol Records compilation albums

Category:Albums recorded at Trident Studios