Video: 'At The Speed Of Sound (Remastered 2014)' (11 videos)

(Thursday, March 25, 1976) — Wings, the British-American rock group led by former Beatle Paul McCartney, today released its fifth studio album, Wings at the Speed of Sound, in the USA (Apr. 2, 1976, in the UK) at a time when the band is enjoying its greatest commercial success.

The album would immediately climb to the top of the U.S. album chart, marking Wings’ fourth consecutive No. 1 release in the United States.

In Britain, it would rise to No. 2. Both singles released from the album also found strong chart success on both sides of the Atlantic, with “Silly Love Songs” reaching No. 1 in the United States and ranking among the top five singles in the United Kingdom.

The release comes during Wings’ ongoing Wings Over the World tour, one of the most successful concert runs of the year. Several new songs from the album have already been incorporated into the group’s live performances, including “Let ’Em In,” “Time to Hide,” “Silly Love Songs” and “Beware My Love.” Live versions of those tracks would appear on Wings Over America, a concert album scheduled for release later this year.

Wings at the Speed of Sound also appears to answer critics who have suggested the group exists primarily as a showcase for McCartney. Each member of the band takes a turn as lead vocalist on at least one track, and two of the album’s songs were written or co-written by band members other than Paul and Linda McCartney.

With strong sales, chart-topping singles and a global tour drawing large crowds, Wings’ latest release further cements the band’s status as one of the dominant rock acts of the mid-1970s.