| Wingspan: Hits and History | |
| Type: | greatest |
| Artist: | Paul McCartney |
| Cover: | Wingspan.albumcover.jpg |
| Recorded: | 1969 – 1984 |
| Released: | 7 May 2001 |
| Genre: | Rock |
| Length: | (UK version) (US version) (Japanese version) |
| Label: | Parlophone |
| Producer: |
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| Prev Title: | Liverpool Sound Collage |
| Prev Year: | 2000 |
| Next Title: | Driving Rain |
| Next Year: | 2001 |
Wingspan: Hits and History is a compilation album by English musician Paul McCartney, featuring material spanning his first solo album McCartney in 1970 to the 1984 Give My Regards to Broad Street movie soundtrack. It features songs recorded with Wings in addition to solo material.
Wingspan is separated into two distinct sets: the "Hits" disc features commercially successful material, while "History" showcases lesser-known songs from the same period. American and British editions of the album vary slightly, as the UK edition contains the studio version of "Coming Up", while the US edition contains "Coming Up (Live at Glasgow)", which was more popular there. The Japanese version of the album also includes "Eat at Home", which had been issued as a single in Japan.
Released in 2001 in conjunction with a prime time TV documentary, similarly called Wingspan, the associated soundtrack was a commercial success. In the United States, it went straight to number 2 on the Billboard 200 with sales of 221,000 copies in the first week of its release.[1] The album charted there for 14 weeks, selling approximately 970,000 units as of 2005.[2] Wingspan has been certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, and also reached gold status in the UK, Australia and New Zealand.[3] A DVD release of the broadcast documentary – which dealt with McCartney's relationship with Linda Eastman and their eventual marriage, the traumatic final year of the Beatles' career and his own role in their break-up, and the story of Wings' formation and career through the 1970s towards their dissolution in 1980 – was produced by Mary McCartney, who also interviewed her father in the film.
Notes:
| Chart (2001) | Position | |
|---|---|---|
| Canadian Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)[4] | 86 | |
| UK Albums Chart[5] | 152 | |
| US Billboard Year-End[6] | 126 |