Paul McCartney Archive Collection - 'Forthcoming Releases' [TBC]

I see what you are saying and, as usual, tend to agree with your perspective. Neither of us can or should try to answer for Paul McCartney as to why he chooses the releases that he does and what the thought process is behind them. He's perfectly capable of doing that for himself, though I wish he were more forthcoming about it and more willing to share his thoughts with us. He doesn't owe us an explanation. But it would be nice to hear his own take on it just the same. I'd be curious to know if he tells interviewers that he doesn't want to discuss the series in depth beyond the individual reissues when they come out, or if they somehow don't think to ask what, to me anyway, are some pretty obvious big-picture questions.

If I were speaking to Sir Paul, and if he were listening to me, I'd say this: there doesn't have to be a "reason" to re-release the back catalogue other than that there are people out there who still want to listen to and buy the albums. Few if any listeners are demanding that they have some kind of significant meaning. As with any other prominent artist, it is sufficient to say that they were works that you did and that they are part of your canon. Yes, some are better than others. Some got better reviews than others. Some sold better than others. Some have aged better than others. But each one is a signpost along the road of your career. The entire picture is best seen with all of the pieces in place. And each album has something to it that enticed people to buy it in the first place, and each has something about it that keeps us wanting more, to hear it again and to buy it anew in an updated format. That should be good enough. We don't expect that each one has earth-shattering importance. Whatever it means to you, keep in mind that it also means something to your listeners, as a soundtrack of sorts to important moments in their lives and as a way to get to know you better through your music, and where you too were at various points in your own life. Each in our own way, we all shared in that ride, and we listeners want to enjoy it again from time to time and to celebrate those special relationships.

Sometimes I wonder if McCartney, for all of his fame and success over the years, isn't something of a prisoner of that to some extent, at least in his own mind. I get the feeling that he believes that if certain albums and other projects don't measure up to the stature that he is supposed to have attained, then they are better left forgotten, and that if he does something, it has to be different from what someone/anyone else has done, or else it shouldn't be attempted. Lacking his input to the contrary, I don't see why he can't or won't just put out all of the reissues and keep his entire back catalogue in print, as is the case with most if not all of his peers. And why he can't or won't put out stand-alone releases of archival materials such as unreleased song collections; outtakes, alternates, and demos packages; and live tour recordings (1972, 1973, and 1979 most notably, but also full concerts of recent vintage as a download option for those who were there or wanted to be), as if it is beneath him to do that sort of thing or that it might somehow tarnish his legacy (which, of course, is quite secure at this point)? Clearly from reading these pages alone, never mind elsewhere, there is demand for it all. So, why not do it? And what is the plan for the future? Inquiring minds want to know.

 

I mean... hear hear!!! total no brainer.. if you're at MPL what ELSE could be on the agenda. two of mccartney's biggest hits "My Love" on RRS "With a Little Luck" on London Town. Fourtieth Anniversary of London Town's release! The end of the CD is nigh...the getting will never get more good! A decent remaster of these albums would be much appreciated. Surely ONE of these albums could be reissued with the colored vinyl! THRILLINGTON? REALLY??? Just makes no bloody sense... but you watch.. it'll be Press to Play/Off the Ground!

 

It makes perfect sense. Why do a straight reissue on coloured vinyl if you’ve got a deluxe box set planned for the future? We know work has been done on the remaining Wings albums, so in my mind they’re essentially ‘ready’ to be finalised and released, but the constant delays to the new studio album are pushing everything else back.

These latest reissues needed very little work, so they were probably a quick project to fill the gap. If MPL had known sooner that the new album wouldn’t make the first half of the year, I’m sure we would have had some more Archive sets. It’s very frustrating for us, because we’d all love new Wings reissues. Sadly it seems Paul isn’t happy with the new studio work, and everything else must suffer.

 

Excellent post, as ever, Freddie. I've highlighted the above because I think you've hit the nail on the head. Furthermore, I think this is compounded by his desire to continue to compete commercially. He doesn't just want to put stuff out there for the sake of having it out there, he wants each thing he does to be News. Sometimes, conversely, that manifests itself in works that deliberately go out under the radar (the RSD release of Hope for the Future or the pseudonymous works he's issued) in order to generate "buzz" but by and large he appears to want everything to be The Next Big Project.

This is, of course, frustrating because we just want the product and aren't bothered by the "business need" side of things but I think it needs to be understood and at least acknowledged.

 

Unless he sneaks out an archive deluxe set (or two) late this year it seems likely that the next "Archive" release will be something totally unexpected and not a previously released album. If this "archive project" does in fact appear next year sometime then it will be fascinating to see how Paul will "promote" this item given that hopefully the majority of its contents (both audio & video) will never have been heard or seen ever before. This release will truly be his first full archives release and not just a remastered/enhanced re-issue. All I can say is that the real die-hard fans will absolutely love it especially if it is released in its full potential and if they do go all out it will make all previous releases, seem inconsequential. But remember we are talking Paul & MPL here so the best laid plans.... fingers crossed though.

 

Ooh, a teaser. I like teasers Gives us something to talk about...

Perhaps Capitol has persuaded McCartney to abandon the idea of drip feeding old albums to us (given that we're now down to the "lower tier" albums) and has instead encouraged him to properly open his vaults. Hurrah if true.

 

Oh no off we go again , into orgasmic speculative mode !!


peace and love✌Dave

 

If the 1970s Wings albums have already been "prepared" for Archive Collection release, and Paul's new album is not to be released in the near future, why then is there no Archive Collection release planned for the Spring to fill in the gap until the new album is ready? Makes no sense and leads to all kinds of wild speculation if only for the apparent lack of a plan at MPL.

 

My guess is that releasing those albums now isn't part of their plan, so doing so would involve flexibility and a desire to react to changing circumstances. Something big companies - especially in the music biz - aren't especially good at.

 

I suspect we will see a new album in June or July. No inside info on my part, just suspicion

 

I guess reissuing them 4 vinyls outside of the "archive collection" frame is a strategical move: MPL can still re-release them in "archive collection mode" in the foreseeable future, and at the same time, it gathers a bit of momentum for Paul's next release (hopefully the new record).

It is nice that the re-releases branches various sides of Paul's solo career: the musician-in-a-band Paul (wings greatest), the eccentric Paul (thrillington), the I-dont-need-a-band Paul (chaos & creation), the contemporary Paul (new).

 

We do?

 

In an unscientific way, yes, we do. As I recall it, various sources have reported that many/most/all of the early albums were in progress toward an eventual release, although the details are unknown -- or at least those who know aren't talking with any specificity. (Because, after all, there is that unwritten rule that any Beatles-related or ex-Beatle project has to be treated as if it were a state secret, worthy of being a CIA covert paramilitary operation.) And I can say personally that, in speaking with Denny Laine after a show of his a few years ago, he said that he had contributed materials toward each of the projects, including interviews, and when I asked him which albums from the Wings era that included, and would be released, he said "all of them," although he readily admitted that at the end of the day, it was up to Paul and he (Laine) did not know what McCartney's exact plan was for them. So there's that.

 

It makes a lot of sense that they would bring Denny in once and interview him on all the albums and store them away until if and when they decide to release them.

 

That doesn't quite mean they are definitely coming or that any substantial work has been done on the 70's albums. Looks like a whole lotta wishful thinking. In fact, the Scott Rodger interview/ no interview with SD clearly says they work on one project at a time. Where it would make sense to me to always be working ahead, there is no data to support that is being done.

Also makes sense to interview all the Wings guys all at once with the albums they were on and store them away. All of these guys are getting older and who knows at the pace of these things if they'd still be alive when the eventually got to them.

 

If McCartney put out Back to the Egg today as a new release, what would people think of it?

 

Summer is a release dead spot so I doubt that we will see it during that time. Hell, another picture of Paul in the studio last week so who knows where they are at.

 

They'd say his vocals sound better than his last album ...

 

I would think it was the best album he's done in the past 39 years.

 

Listen to The McCartney Interview, which was released for a short period on vinyl in 1980. It's probably the most telling of all Paul's interviews, especially when he talks about how his opinion of Wild Life: he didn't care much for the album until someone told him how good it was, at which point he changed his mind. Same with Venus And Mars, which he heard praised at a party. Paul is very influenced by what others think — which explains a lot of what he's done in the decades since. Heck, the fact that he's focused a lot of attention towards the new LP on the producers' ability to get awards follows (at least to my mind) along the same need for validation from the industry that he sought with Chaos & Creation In The Backyard.

And, when you factor in the fact that Paul is determined to play it safe so as not to lose the audience he has, it makes even more sense that the back catalogue is treated the way it is. Band On The Run came first because it's his most celebrated and a guaranteed seller; McCartney was the next one — just as they were when he first tried putting his catalogue out on CD.

Never forget that he talked about the push for getting a promotional film collection out in 1998's Rushes Internet special — which then took ten years and a change in record companies to get out as The McCartney Years. Even if the management was pressing him to get another Archives set out, he may take his time in deciding whether to get it out or not.

Right now, there's also another factor to take into account: the Capitol deal. Capitol's announcement includes mention of a new handling of the entire back catalogue, which suggests MPL is working with the record company to get the catalogue handled in a different way than HearMusic. It also makes mention of an upcoming album. And based on the 2012 actions, when Paul had both coming soon, the new album always took precedence.

Paul has also not announced any tour stops for the spring and summer yet that I am aware of, so what I think is most likely the case is that he's in the middle of not only doing final edits but rehearsing material with the band. Then it's likely we'll get…
1) the new LP at the end of August/early September, so that he can promote it on major television shows like Saturday Night Live early,
2) a catalogue box set released at the end of October for Christmas release that covers the early Wings era (a la Bowie's Five Years set),
3) The Beatles 50th anniversary edition in November,
4) February Record Store Day release of the missing box set discs on coloured vinyl,
5) April release of the next Archives editions,
6) summer for either a re-release of the new album with bonus tracks or a special album that's missing from the first set

The reason I suggest Bowie's Five Years as a model is that it makes a lot of sense when compared to Paul's releases: take a certain number of albums and then add to them with bonus discs of singles, a few tracks not released yet on other sets. In Paul's case, imagine: McCartney, Ram (stereo), Ram (mono), Wild Life, Red Rose Speedway, Band On The Run and Band On The Run audio documentary packaged with a bonus pair of CDs that have bonus tracks through Band On The Run.

 

Record Store Day is still in April.

 

I thought you might say something like, "How'd they get Linda's vocal on there?"

 

I've concluded that what Paul says about his work is influenced by what others think. However, what he actually thinks is quite distinct, and almost always favorable. What I've noticed over the years is that if the opportunity to discuss the "lesser" songs and albums is presented, he has plenty to say. He remembers the details. The is most noticeable on his commentary in the McCartney Years DVD, and he talks up things like Press To Play, when he usually brushes that one off. He can talk about any album like it's Sergeant Pepper, but only if he thinks it's safe to do so - that is, if he won't be ridiculed. When there begin to be favorable comments about albums that were once criticized (Ram, McCartney II), Paul has plenty to say. If/when people begin to talk up Wild Life as a "lo fi masterpiece", Paul will be ready for that. He doesn't often defend work that is out of favor, but I think he loves all of it. He may have a criticism or two around the edges, but I think he loves every album as much as Band On The Run.

 

That isn't Linda. It's Nancy ...

 

I agree. Paul holds his cards close to the vest. He only shows his hand when the end-result is going to be favorable.