Back catalogue releases related to McCartney's 2016 move back to Capitol - First releases announced*

Glad to hear yours arrived! I've listened to my copy a couple of times now and love it. Enjoy!

 

Yes Wild Life. Better than most of these records.

 

Exclusive Colour Vinyl Bundle

This was out of stock awhile ago, but is apparently back in stock at this moment. Cheapest price you’ll find for the set. Use code WELCOME for, I think, 15% off. It’s about $205 US total...

 

No, Wild Life is not a part of this campaign. In fact, the last time it was issued physically at all was in 1993 and that was CD.

 

Absence makes the heart grow fonder?

 

Fortunately for you, Wild Life is readily available on eBay on vinyl for under $10 and on CD at around $14.

 

Thanks, but I'm all set for now. I have a pretty beat-up early pressing and as well as a pristine Fame repress from the 80's. I would spring for a vinyl reissue and a deluxe CD/DVD set without hesitation though.

 

I'd love to see a reissue of the "Backyard" album on vinyl.
Or isn't it weird that Paul hasn't released a live album since 2009 and except for the jazzy "Bottom" blu-ray there is no Blu-Ray of a concert of Paul as solo artist out there.

 

Paul's lack of official news and information regarding anything other than lame questions people submit to him is quite dumbfounding. I wounder who's manning the ship while Paul continues to tour the world? Family? Friends?

 

I think it's his grandkids who are in charge. We get coloring pages, word searches, and questions about his favorite TV shows and foods.

 

Nothing has changed at all for decades in regards to info released. Only difference is now as we get further into the age of the Internet and the demand for immediate news, Paul's people have not really adjusted. But in all fairness, the music industry as a whole is still behind in this regard. Everything is still a secret. In fact when I've been sent opinion polls from pm.com, I have always criticized the fact that fans are left to get their "real time" news from fan sites instead of Paul McCartney's official page, that in my opinion is very sad. Some artists are better than others but most still fail miserably at keeping fans informed of things going on right now

It really wouldn't take a lot to fix but it does not seem the will to change is there.

 

Anyone have any opinions on pipes of peace or tug of war 2015 us vinyl?
I know pressing quality varies so much so before I buy I like to get information on any issues.
I notice both have 1 vinyl and 2 vinyl options
Both show 2015 but only the 2 lp versions show half speed mastering at Abbey Road.

Thanks

 

Tug of War is the remix, and sounds inferior to the original LP. However, the pressing quality of these discs is fantastic: flat, perfectly centered, quiet. My copies are not US vinyl, but we’re pressed in Germany, I believe by Optimal.

Also of note: it is obvious that the reissue went back to the original artwork elements and did not merely scan old albums to create the reissue artwork—for example, EMI (or Warner, Sony, or whoever) did this for the Lennon LP reissues and it was painfully obvious, with the LP’s looking washed out and even blurry. In McCartney’s case, the reissue artwork is crisp and clear, with vibrant colors, and even sharper than originals in some instances (for example, compare the reissue gatefold of McCartney II to the US original, or the reissue Tug of War inner sleeve photo to the original inner sleeve).

 

Wow
This is great to hear.

 

Why remix Tug?

 

Back To The Egg Deluxe announcement by Easter?

dyeing eggs, coloring pages, etc...Arnie you might be on to something!

​

 

Good question.

I think the answer is that the master tape went missing. Apparently, they found it after the remix had already been ordered (or even completed), but the remix was still used for the reissue CD and LP. The Super Deluxe Archive Edition box set contained the remix on one CD and the “blackface” mastering of the original mix on another CD. I think the “blackface” is the best mastering of the CD, even beating the black triangle which is mastered at too low a level, IMHO.

Anyway, there is a thread about it:

Tug of War Remix

 

Also, wasn’t the album originally mastered digitally at a fairly low resolution? Necessitating a remix to get a 24/96 Master?

Same with POP but I guess Macca didn’t think that album deserved the same treatment.

 

Where might one track down this "blackface" remaster or even the original "blackface" disc? I've never heard of it.

 

The blackface disc is in the Deluxe book version of the Tug Of War Archive release, but it is not a remaster. It is my preferred digital version of the album.

 

So then is "blackface" just another way of saying original mix/master?

What's the black triangle version?

Mark

 

I have the Deluxe edition, and yes, it's my favourite version too. I don't like the remix and the 93 CD uses too much noise reduction.

 

They refer to early CD versions/masterings, identified by the appearance of the disc itself.

The blackface is as shown here: Paul McCartney - Tug Of War

The black triangle is here: Paul McCartney - Tug Of War

 

Yes, this is the actual reason why they remixed Tug Of War -- the album was recorded on analogue tape but mixed and mastered at 16/44, so in order to offer a high-res download they remixed it. There are a few details about the process in the book, and it was discussed in other interviews when the Archive version was released in 2015. It should be noted that not everyone hates the remix, although that certainly seems to be the majority opinion around here. I think it's maybe a bit louder than it needed to be, but I don't mind the remix itself at all -- and there are a few songs that I think they actually improved.

Unfortunately not. That album (imo) actually could have used a remix more than Tug.

 

I might be wrong about this, but I’ve had the impression that the original master for POP was not digitally limited to 16/44. All the marketing and press at the time singled out TOW as having this problem/thus needing the remix.

There was a few years between these albums so it’s not a crazy thought that a different mastering process/equipment was used. Do the golden eared here hear the 24/96 unlimited downloads of POP from 2015 as being uprezzed from CDQ?