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

My thoughts: It's not a proper album.

 

Ah, just put those things in a big Paul McCartney rarities box set and be done with it. I'm tired of getting these kind of things dribbled out a few at a time every year or so.

I say we storm Hog Hill Mill and liberate these tunes for THE PEOPLE !!

Are ya with me Ben ??

 

Honestly though, I've grown to appreciate the album more than I did previously. The middle is weak, but I think all in all DR could have made a fantastic 40 minute or so album.

 

Overall, I am very keen on it, although I do wish that it had been culled in length, and that Paul had spent a bit more time recording it, because a few of the vocal takes could have been improved.

Still, the core of the album is strong: 'Your Loving Flame', 'About You', 'Lonely Road', 'Your Way', 'Magic', 'Heather' and 'From A Lover To A Friend' are all good-to-great, whilst the title song is also very good in live form and the bass on the album sounds fantastic throughout. I am also pleased at the experimental edge that he brought to the album, which shines through on songs like 'Rinse The Raindrops' and 'Jaipur'.

 

I certainly am; I only live about 35 minutes away from Paul by car, so we should all meet up at my house and form a mob!

 

In the past we've had 2-4 little sets between the big ones so I'd expect a pair of little ones next. It'd be really surprised if we didn't get WL/RRS or LT/BTTE.

After listening to FitD last night I was thinking about how great Russian Album/Unplugged sets could be. That's a pair I'd really enjoy seeing too, but I'd prefer to get the 70s done with first.

 

Wild Life / Red Rose Speedway or Flaming Pie (but also London town / Back to the egg will be fine)...

 

I'll gladly read this sure-to-be long and winding, nonsensical, rambling thread.

 

I posted in the Flowers thread that I can see the reasoning behind no set title on the 'coming soon' card being that Capitol is still cementing its comprehensive plan towards the whole catalogue and there is a need to figure out how the two interact.

Given that the Sgt. Pepper anniversary edition looks to be pushed until the Christmas season — where it can be a popular gift item and therefore increase sales — I'd like to see something like:

• Summer 2017: Capitol birthday vinyl editions, including Beatles LP and one by each of them solo
• November 2017: long-awaited animated feature with soundtrack
• December 2017: Sgt. Pepper anniversary edition
• March 2018: Paul McCartney album collection vol.1 (1970-1973), featuring McCartney, Ram, Ram (mono), Wild Life, Wings Over Europe, Red Rose Speedway, Band On The Run, and one CD of singles cuts/bonus tracks
• April 2018: RSD release of "Live And Let Die" on picture disc for its 45th anniversary
• May 2018: new McCartney LP
• Summer 2018: Capitol issues remastered single and double CDs of McCartney, Ram and Band On The Run under their label, as well as remastered individual disc Wild Life and Red Rose Speedway — but with the announcement that Archives Collection editions of Wild Life and Red Rose Speedway are coming in the fall
• September 2018: Wild Life and Red Rose Speedway Archives Collections — both 2 CD + 1 DVD in a book
• November 2018: The Esher Demos are released as part of the 50th anniversary of The Beatles
• March 2019: Paul McCartney album collection vol. 2 (1974-1977), featuring One Hand Clapping, Venus And Mars, Speed Of Sound, Wings Over America (2 CD), Thrillington, London Town, and one CD of singles cuts/bonus tracks
• April 2019: RSD release of Wings Over Europe
• May 2019: Wings Over Europe gets a separate, expanded release (now a 2 CD)
• Summer 2019: Capitol issues remastered single and double CDs of Venus And Mars, Speed Of Sound and Wings Over America under their label, as well as remastered individual disc Thrillington and London Town — but with the announcement that Archives Collection editions of London Town and Back To The Egg are coming in the fall
• October 2019: London Town and Back To The Egg Archives Collections — both 2 CD + 1 DVD in a book
• November 2019: Get Back is issued as a CD featuring the Glyn Johns' mixes in anticipation of the 50th anniversary of Let It Be
• April 2020: RSD release is of two tracks from The Backyard
• May 2020: One Hand Clapping gets a separate release, expanded with a bonus disc containing The Backyard
• July 2020: Paul McCartney album collection vol. 3 (1978-1983), featuring Wings' Greatest, Back To The Egg, Wings' Last Flight (2 CD), McCartney II, Tug Of War and Pipes Of Peace, along with a CD of b-sides/bonus tracks
• September 2020: Capitol issues single and double CDs of McCartney II, Tug Of War and Pipes Of Peace under their own label
• November 2020: expanded release of Wings' Greatest so it now contains hits from the entire Wings period
• December 2020: Let It Be is finally released on DVD/bluray
• February 2021: Wings' Last Flight gets an individual 2 CD release
• April 2021: RSD release of a live single from Wings' Last Flight
• May 2021: Paul McCartney album collection vol. 4 (1984-1990) featuring Give My Regards To Broadstreet, Press To Play, All The Best!, Choba B CCCP, Flowers In The Dirt, Tripping The Live Fantastic with a bonus disc of b-sides/bonus tracks
• October 2021: archive editions of Give My Regards To Broadstreet and Press To Play accompany Broadstreet on bluray
• April 2021: RSD release of "All My Trials" single (b-side is the Lennon tribute)
• May 2021: new McCartney LP
• July/August 2021: Archives Collection edition of Tripping The Live Fantastic
• November 2021: Capitol reissues Flowers In The Dirt and makes their own Choba B CCCP release, announces the album collection series returns in 2022 with vol. 5 (1991-1997)
• November 2021: Concerts For The People Of Kampuchea makes a surprise CD/DVD release
• 2022: the next set leads to the Archive editions of Off The Ground, Unplugged/Paul Is Live, and then Flaming Pie — while, meanwhile, there is anniversary performances of The Liverpool Oratorio to help space it out and the rest of the album boxes (by which time he will be likely looking to renew his contract)

Granted, that's a tad ambitious and pricy, but we can all dream right?

 

Don't want to rain on anyone's parade, but -- as I've said a couple of times over in the 'Flowers' thread -- I just can't see Paul wanting to do deluxe editions for albums like Wild Life, BTTE and Press To Play. They didn't sell well, and were bereft of hits. By and large, they are not well critically regarded (though PTP did get some good reviews at the time, which people tend to forget). As a result of those two things, Paul has always been dismissive of them and tends to airbrush them out of the story (hence they were scarcely represented on 'Pure McCartney'). Paul loves talking up his successes, and sidesteps the flops -- it's the way he's wired. Honestly, can you see a deluxe book showcasing the sessions for Wild Life, or waxing lyrical over Press to Play (with all the attendant disputes with Padgham and Stewart)? With neither of those cracking the US top ten, his spin machine would really have its work cut out to sell them as classic albums.

By the same token, although they had hits and sold fairly well, I can't see him giving the deluxe treatment to Red Rose Speedway or London Town or Off The Ground, either. He would've done them by now. Okay, I know the ads for FITD talking about the 'on-going' Archive Collection (if it does continue, my money's on Flaming Pie next) and Scott Rodger vaguely said Wild Life and RRS were possibilities, but the fact that a new label is now in the driving seat and there is no "Coming Soon" card, makes me sceptical. A lot may hinge on the sales of FITD but, either way, I think Capitol may want to make more money out of Paul's catalogue. And as Scott Rodger hinted, the deluxe sets only just break even.

We'll see. Whatever happens, I think it will be a while -- Paul will want to clear the decks for his new album next, I suspect.

 

You certainly are dreaming.

 

I want the series to wrap up his first 20 years as a solo artist before going onto Flaming Pie. After Flowers, he became a different artist, trading more on nostalgia. His first 20 years had more swagger and personality and was more vital. I like the still young and arrogant post Beatles Paul best. Old guy Paul starts at Flaming Pie.

 

A series of multi-album box-sets might be the only way that these albums get reissued at this point, maybe in a sort of semi-deluxe version, but nothing like the large box-sets like WOA and FITD.

I can imagine that 'PTP', 'WL', 'RRS', 'London Town' and 'BTTE' would benefit the most from being remastered out of all of his solo/Wings catalogue.

 

Seriously........Give me RedRose and Wildlife. I'm old. I'm gonna die.
Please take my money before I am gone.

 

That Day Is Done.

 

I absolutely agree. I don't think he's been the same writer since Flaming Pie. Still very good - sometimes great - but I prefer the younger Paul.

Still pumped for his new album, though.

 

“Paul McCartney Archive Collection” is perhaps the strangest and most ridiculous back catalog reissue campaign of a major artist. I was 38 years old when it started, and I’m turning 46 this November… Hopefully there can be one or two more classic McCartney albums in print before I turn 50, but I don’t believe that I would live that long in order to have them all…Hopefully Paul himself will be able to see the collection completed, after all he’s vegetarian and could live longer…

But seriously, if the reissues continue in the same manner, many loyal McCartney fans that started to enjoy collecting these releases from the beginning will die of natural causes before all McCartney albums from the past century are re-released.

 

If "Old guy Paul" started with Flaming Pie, then I'd say his body would have to be decomposing by now ...

 

Yesss no one beat me to it:

 

New theory: There will be no deluxe edition for any album that Paul hasn't performed one track from since he started touring again in '89.

I think that covers the three albums mentioned. Does it cover any others?

 

Would love the rest of the Wings albums, but we'll probably see the Fireman before that happens...

 

I second that. Wild Life and Red Rose Speedway deserve a super deluxe edition.

 

Ah, cool. My favorite late Paul album (next to Chaos And Creation)!

 

It covers Pipes of Peace, which has already had a deluxe edition.

 

Okay but let's include the film as well then, please.