McCartney Archive Collection - Venus & Mars and Speed of Sound "Coming Soon"

The Anthologies and Let It Be Naked are, at least, still in print and available on CD. McCartney's catalogue is now out of print on CD due to the change of label, so it's a different situation.

 

No, it wasn't released to commercial radio. Paul brought along an acetate to the radio station and it was played on the air. I don't think the station even archived the song because it wasn't played again by them. So, it remained an unreleased track that happened to be played one time on the radio. No different than the song "Luxi" that was played on Radio Luxembourg back in the 70's or the original Get Back acetate played on US radio stations in 1969. A song or album played on the radio doesn't infer that it was released. As Arnie said, it was unreleased, but not, unheard. Ron

 

I think Paul H said it, but I'll take credit for any brilliant statements by anyone. I'm not shy... Arnie

 

It's the heat . Earlier this week it was so cold the heat came on... today is the first of four days of 90+ (what's that, 33/34 degree celcius for our friends across the pond?). Wacky. Ron

 

Can we blame you for the stupid ones, too?

 

I think it's pretty obvious they're going to reassess the reissues after these two come out, whenever that is, but I wouldn't lose hope of the reissues continuing beyond that. It's not a huge catalogue. Big, but not huge. I think the key is for them to revert back to book versions. If they can knock out V&M and ATSOS in 2014, after the solo album comes out, then give us WL and RRS late in 2014, they'll be on track.

I agree with many that this has been frustratingly slow but I suspect that's partly because the last two releases have been huge boxes. I love the Ram box, even though I could do without plenty of it, and have skipped WOA because of cost. If they really want to regain some momentum, I think they have to go to books, give us four in 12/18 months and charge no more than $75 for each, maybe even having a discount on the official site for buying two if they are released together.

As for bonus tracks, if we're looking at eight or so for each, I guess we shouldn't be too excited. There should be big emphasis on making these sound as good as possible. It would be pretty cool of they did a remaster of V&M, had a bonus disc of the singles, then had a remix of the album. Haven't all of these book/deluxe versions, except for Macca I, had three discs plus a DVD?

Incidentally, didn't some people claim Macca II was remixed?

 

Did they? I don't remember that...

 

I might be wrong. Probably am. Just recall some people claiming it. I never owned the album before that so I have nothing to say on the matter.

I do think it was just about the perfect handling of that album, except for the damn combined tracks.

 

I actually would agree that Carnival of Light was released. It was played publicly at the event it was officially composed and recorded for.

 

The single mix was released for sale to the public on 7". It wasn't a promo-only mix.

For those of you who don't own the 7", you can take a listen here (albeit with a slight skip or dropout during the opening organ glissando):

 

I think you're misunderstanding the meaning of the word "released" (or, at least, choosing a definition not consistent with that mostly used by others). In the sense of making songs available, "released" generally means "made commercially available, usually on physical formats but often via download by a record company". It can be stretched to include items serviced to radio in physical format, but I think you're on your own if you think "released" also means "played on the radio or in some other public place".

That'll be me *raises hand*

Now, back to the topic at hand. I'd very much welcome a return to the standard book format used for the first three releases. They may be more functional but they're no worse for that, and it would allow prices to drop to something more affordable for most and, I'd like to hope, allow the pace to quicken.

Am I concerned that there won't be anything post Venus & Mars and Speed of Sound? Yes, I am. I want ALL McCartney's albums to get the Archive Collection treatment because I want his whole catalogue mastered consistently, I want all the extant bonus material finally gathering up, I want as many outtakes as I can get and I believe that, for better or worse, EVERY McCartney album has a tale to tell that is worth the telling.

To have every album in McCartney's catalogue presented like, for example, the McCartney II deluxe would be an absolute treasure and a privelage to own.

Do I think it will happen? Sadly, no. I think the next two albums may well be it. By putting out the most commercial/critically well received albums first MPL has, by definition, embarked on a journey of diminishing returns. Would Tug of War be positively reappraised? Maybe. Would Flowers and Flaming Pie? Probably.

But how much would it matter in the overall scheme of things? I think that a large chunk of the reason for the reissue programme is to adjust the imbalance between McCartney's Beatle and solo artist reputations. By reminding the public how good Band on the Run is and garnering good reviews for Ram, McCartney II and hopefully Wings over America, McCartney has already created enough good notices to suggest that if he left this mortal coil tomorrow at least someone would say "and some of his solo work wasn't half bad either" in his obituary.

McCartney doesn't need to keep pushing for positive reviews once he's bagged a few, and his manager has already stated (in that oft-reposted-by-Sean quote) that part of the rationale is to help the licensing stream of his business. So the rhetorical questions are, does McCartney need further positive reviews to achieve his goal, and could he get any further boost to his licencing by reissuing further product?

My hope is that McCartney sees this as a project for the ages, something to define himself by, to point to on a shelf and say "that was me". For that to happen, he does need to keep issuing these things but I can't help but look at his post Tug Of War catalogue (brilliant though I think it is) and wonder who, beyond our little cabal, would be remotely interested in it.

 

You keep complaining about it, but listen to the boot of these songs before they were officially released in the McCartney II set. "All You Horseriders" and "Blue Sway" totally fit together. Always have, going by what we've had for years. You may have a little bit of something with "Mr. H Atom" and "You Know I'll Get You Baby," but that could still very well be how they were on the original master tapes. Bootleggers may have cut them up based on the proposed (but not final) tracklist of the double LP.

Have a listen to these tracks and tell me you don't hear them segue into each other exactly like the deluxe set.

All You Horseriders


Blue Sway
http://youtu.be/tLF10L10hH8

 

Yes, that's how I define "released" as well -- made available for acquisition by the public, whether by purchase, download or stream. To me, the "acquisition" part is important -- if I can hear something once and can never hear it again, it's not really "released," is it? The definition of "release" as a verb is to set something free, or to remove restrictions and make it more widely available. Playing something once at an event that no one recorded is pretty restricting in my book. But anyway...

I agree, and while the box sets are a spectacular assault on our senses (and wallets), the book editions are elegant and classy -- like the best Time/Life series ever produced. I'm actually kind of sad that "standard" book editions weren't issued for RAM and WOA, because they really are the most economical and practical way to issue a "deluxe" edition of these albums.

Totally agree, especially with the parts I bolded. The Archive Collection should be about telling the complete story of Paul's solo career, and not just "let's cash in on the most marketable handful of albums."

Beyond the sets we've been promised, I think that Tug Of War would definitely be welcomed beyond the small circle of hardcore lunatics, as would Flowers and Flaming Pie. All three have "hooks" for the general public -- Tug Of War was his "response" to John's death, and recorded with George Martin and Ringo; Flowers was his "comeback" and collaboration with Elvis Costello; and Flaming Pie taps into the whole Anthology / Jeff Lynne zeitgeist, and was the last album Linda was alive for. In hindsight, I think it was a mistake to launch this campaign with Band On The Run -- not only did he "waste" his most popular solo album right out of the gate, but it's also the album that has been reissued more than any of his others. They should have released them in chronological order, imo, and really focused on re-telling Paul's solo story. It's a story worth telling, and he shouldn't be hiding from any of it.

I sure hope so, but I think (and I know you and most of us here also agree) that there's also value in his "lesser" albums. I'll never think Wild Life is a "great" album in the conventional way, but there's an undeniable charm to it when you remove it from the crushing disappointment it was to many in 1971. Pair it with a live show from the 1972 gigs, and more than a few people will have to admit that it was a fun little time in Paul's career. Press To Play is another album that is ripe for re-evaluation, imo, a la McCartney II.

Did someone say my name?

"We've had higher chart positions than he's had in twenty years, with every project … our sales numbers are great, really healthy. Our catalog was all about … actually, just doing a refresher on all this great music that people don't know -- not sure of a certain age, you don't know about it … So we wanted to re-introduce that, and try and do about 8-10 -- at least -- classic Paul McCartney projects. And what that does, that just sort of … you know … it sends a real injection into the sort of publishing side of business, which he owns his owns and controls his own publishing … it's great for sync and licensing … So, when you look at -- you do 8-10 projects over four or five years, that's a really healthy small business -- and that's our sort of B-level business. ​

​

"And on the A-level business -- the front line business -- between Memory Almost Full, the Kisses album, there'll be a brand-new album coming out in the first quarter of next year that he's recording right now. We're working on Wings Over America and [the] Rock Show live film, which has never been seen in its entirety; it came out on Betamax and laserdisc in 1980, but there was only about 12, 14 songs. […] So we're going to release the Rock Show film, which was sort of live in 1976, and it's amazing -- it was one of the first big, proper stadium shows that was filmed. So we've got some fun stuff coming up end of year, next year. But we can just keep going…" [interviewer talks over this crucial last sentence]​

​

Scott Rodger, Paul McCartney's manager, June 2012​

​

http://thisweekin.com/thisweekin-music/twimusic-39-scott-rodger-manager-of-paul-mccartney/​

He can release all the Archive Collection sets he wants; Paul is not likely to see a boost in licensing for most of his solo work. What he CAN do is get well-mastered versions of ALL his albums on the shelves (real and virtual) so that fans who want them can buy them. It's not too much to ask, said the person willing to buy them all over again, for the third or fourth or fifth time...

Paul (and, by extension, his fans) can't fall into the trap of thinking "which of these remaining albums will be huge hits?" If the Archive Collection is truly a "project for the ages" -- and how can it NOT be with such a lofty title? -- then they have to release EVERYTHING, and let "the ages" sort out what was great, what was OK, and what was not-so-great. Paul, like a very few figures from the rock era (Elvis? Dylan?), has just about transcended beyond silly human concepts like "good" and "bad"; his work, ALL of it, is important enough to be available for enjoyment -- and if some of it isn't terribly enjoyable, then for study. Unfortunately, commerce plays a role here, and the cold, cruel numbers might make it hard to justify book editions for every single album, let alone some of the myriad box sets that were purportedly being planned a couple of years ago. For now, and for the indefinite future, though, I'll be keeping my fingers crossed.

 

I think the people who are expecting the deluxe editions to end after V&M and ATSOS are greatly underestimating the size of Paul's ego. If they stop before they've at least released all the 70's [McCartney 1 thru McCartney 2] albums, it'll be hard to spin the decision to stop as "Well that era was all we had planned to do". OK fair enough, Paul - but then why did you release all but two or three (or however many) leaving holes in that era?

If however they finish releasing everything from that era, he can make almost any excuse for stopping the series he wants, that would be at least somewhat believable, at least to the non-hardcore fans and critics anyway.

Well we stopped because that's the end of the "band era" and there's no longer sufficient bonus material because I became less active after breaking up Wings.

or...

There's no bonus video to create DVDs for those later albums because I wasnt touring or filming TV specials anymore.

or...

Well the bonus discs arent really needed any longer, because I stopped releasing non-lp singles by that time.

Although none of these examples are exactly true, they each do contain a (greatly exagerrated) kernel of truth which he could probably get away with.

However what could he possibly say if he leaves out Back To The Egg, for example. Each of the above potential excuses would then be seen as embarrasingly obvious lies.

However having to say - well we didnt bother finishing the 70s albums because they arent selling even though many other groups are releasing the same type of packages to healthy sales, would probably be at least as embarrassing for him, and something he probably wouldnt want to have to admit, even to himself .

I think he'll continue the series as is for all remaining 70s albums, then possibly have a rethink, if low sales really are an issue. Really it depends on what their sales expectations were/are.

He might release TOW & POP together, with a third shared bonus disc in the book version. He can easily rationalize it as both albums were from the same continuous set of sessions with the same producer. Heck, he can even add the Broadstreet soundtrack as a second bonus disc in the big book as well, since George Martin produced that as well, so that could be:

Standard 2CD - TOW & POP

Deluxe 4CD book:

CD3 - Broadstreet album

CD4 - early 80s George Martin era bonus disc.

He could probably get away with this approach going forward, AFTER finishing the 70s albums, without having to make any potentially embarassing lack of sales/fan interest admissions.

 

Some of the bonus tracks sound a little bit different to what we had on bootleg since the late 80's (for instance, the intro of "Mr H Atom").

 

'McCartney', and especially 'McCartney II', do not fall into the category of "commercial/critically well received albums" though.

If they can release a deluxe edition of McCartney II, there is always hope they will do the same for 'Pipes of Peace', 'Press To Play' et al.

 

True. I was looking for a simple catch-all phrase to sum up the releases so far. Perhaps that wasn't the one.

I agree up to a point. McCartney II was clearly issued a) because someone thought it was the right moment for it to get a positive reappraisal (that is, the general music world currently likes electronica), and b) because it tied in nicely with the debut album, giving a nice journalistic hook. I'm not sure the same can (currently) be said for Pipes of Peace or Press To Play.

Sean, an eloquent response as ever. And, as ever, I find myself agreeing with most all you say. I've highlighted the above because I want to analyse this a bit further. Rodger says (in the quote above ) that these issues send "a real injection" into the publishing side. As with all good quotes, much of Rodger's spiel says something and nothing, and the same is true for his comment about licensing. My reading of his comment is, though, that the licensing HAS had a boost. I agree that this isn't likely to continue as we delve further but that's my point. McCartney is rapidly reaching the point where he's doing this just for himself (or us). And that isn't a commercially sensible approach.

McCartney may be wealthy but that doesn't make him a charity. Besides, Concord has recently been sold and the new owners aren't likely to let McCartney throw their money away on vanity projects. So, while I agree that Macca shouldn't fall into the "trap" of wondering which albums will sell, that's the nature of the beast. He's issuing records through a record COMPANY not a record CHARITY Even though he's Paul McCartney he isn't above being told what he should or shouldn't release. (And haven't we always complained that he never had anyone to tell him what he should and shouldn't be doing? ).

By the way, I don't agree that he should release them in chronological order. Too boring, too obvious. People have favourite eras: those who don't like the 80's will just check out after Back To The Egg. Mixing things up allows the story to be told in a more interesting way, peeling back layers, knitting themes together (think of how boring the LOST story would have been if told in straight chronological order of events...) I think a non-chronological schedule increases the likelihood of fans being tempted to try out eras/albums they'd previously ignored. And isn't that the point?

 

I think it would make sense to release 'Tug of War' and 'Pipes of Peace' together. 'Broad Street' and 'Press To Play' are a little more tricky. I just wish they'd get everything out on CD, at least.

 

No, I don't know they weren't originally joined. They might well have been. It's a matter of taste whether they fit together anyway. I still think it's strange to have joined them without any explanation why and it annoys me.

It's McCartney's choice to present his music the way he wants. I'm just mystified by these two decisions.

 

I agree with Tug of War/Pipes of Peace but, from a journalists perspective, there's no story there. "So, you recorded two album's worth of material with the same producer, huh? Kewl. Bet no-one else ever thought of that..." It's not much of an angle, is it?

I agree wholeheartedly about getting everything out on CD (even though I have them all already so many many times...)

 

I posted this in the Wings Over America thread. Someone asked about the "Coming Soon" card only having Venus & Mars and Speed Of Sound on it, and was worried about future Archive releases. But the post probably belongs here, so I'm supplying it:

Don't fret. This series of Archive releases is on a snail's pace. And since "Coming Soon" really means "coming in about another 8-12 months or so (which really isn't "Soon" at all), I don't think that at this stage they want to advertise a new set that won't be due out until 2015-16. I too definitely believe that all of the remaining titles from the 1970s (Wild Life, Red Rose Speedway, London Town, and Back To The Egg) are coming, but just not "soon". Also, for example, Laurence Juber even said in an interview that an Archive version of Back To The Egg is being worked on, but it wouldn't be out for a few years (he said this about a year or so ago). Little tidbits like this provide hope, and they point to a continuation of the series. Changes might pop up --- for example, the new Standard edition of Wings Over America is in a much thinner and skimpier digipak, so future ones may match this. But in some physical form, they'll be coming. So hang in there.
Arnie

 

I wish I had even a small amount of your optimism, Arnie.

 

I like Time to Hide and Wino Junko as well. Good Album marred by a couple of super weak tracks. san ferry Anne and Cook of the House...

 

It's not just optimism: After Paul's new album comes out (later this year hopefully), even with some hypothetical Beatles 50th anniversary package in February 2014, and even with more random tour dates here and there, what else is Paul going to do with his time? These Archive reissues are perfect for Paul to keep his (solo) legend alive, and I don't foresee him stopping until it is all done. Again, I believe he's treating this like a museum project. Although sales may dictate the exact format and configurations of future sets, Paul wants them out there for posterity and re-evaluation. Get back to me in 2025 to thank me for believing.... Arnie

 

Laurence Juber said that Back To the Egg was being readied last year... but wouldn't be released for a couple of years. If we weren't fed a line by Scott Rodger, then I'd expect most of his solo/Wings albums to be released as Archive Sets over the next few years. BTTE has a wealth of unreleased material... both audio and video. It could be one of the best sets for that reason alone. Plus, I really like the album! Ron