Concord Music Group gets Paul McCartney Back Catalogue

Where would you place Wonderful Christmastime? Would still seem out of place on McCartney II imo, even though it has more of the same synth-vibe...

 

One of the bonus discs : the rare promo-only dedicated mono mix of "Ram" should also be there (along with the dedicated mono mixes of "Another Day" and "Oh Woman Oh Why").

 

I'm extremely happy about these albums being reissued. I'm looking forward to this much more than I looked forward to the Beatles remasters. It's a shame the press release is not very clear about what we're getting...but I'm sure someone on this board is in the know of things to come! Share!

 

Yes.

 

I agree, although I doubt they will. But with the crappy McCartney Collection titles in print I guess you can't go that much downhill from there.

 

Well, quality (or lack thereof) wasn't my point so much as at least its available and would make chronological sense. Probably best to make that a limited edition bonus 3rd disc in the Super Duper Deluxe version of Ram along with all the Brung To Ewe tracks.

As for a double disc Ram (which I would love as its one of the better albums of his solo/Wings career) they could have stereo on disc one and mono on disc two as well as the singles Another Day/Woman O Why, Little Woman Love (I think is from the Ram sessions), outtakes which were later released, stripped of their later Wings overdubs to reflect their state at the time of the Ram sessions - A Love For You/Get On The Right Thing/Little Lamb Dragonfly/Dear Friend (I think is from the Ram Sessions), and of course any as yet unreleased tracks/alt versions.

That's far more exciting to me than the chronologically random live tracks and interview bits we got in 1999, and which I fear we will get again!

 

Last month he played it for the first time, and it's in his setlist right now .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQd2W1p66Wc

 

Yes, of course McCartney II, since it has the same instrumentation and sound, but probably even more importantly, since it was recorded during (or nearest to) the McCartney II recording sessions.

Rudolph The Red Nose Reggae is more problematic. Should it stay with its single (and thematic) partner, or go where it chronologically belongs which would be the immediate pre Venus and Mars, Junior's Farm/Sally G era?

 

With Paul's long and winding discography, this problem will occur quite a few times...
Where should tracks such as "My Carnival", "Same Time Next Year", "Mama's Little Girl", "Lunch Box/Odd Sox" go ?

Ditto with many b-sides from the 6 (!) different "Flaming Pie" singles from "Flaming Pie"... should tracks such as "Squid", "Love Come Tumbling Down", "Same Love" or "Love Mix" become bonus tracks on "Flaming Pie"
(1997), or become bonus tracks on "Press To Play" (1986) and/or "Flowers In The Dirt" (1989) or, more funnily, bonus tracks on a a 1987 album that never existed in the first place?

And there's the even more problematic case of "A Love For You", finally published in 2003 on "The In-Laws" soundtrack, recorded in late 1970/early 1971(with Denny Seiwell), featuring overdubs from 1981 (with, I think, Laurence Juber and/or Steve Holly) and finally completed in early 2003 with mixing by David Kahne... where should this hybrid track go ?????

 

Ram. Mono mix.

 

When you can't sell new music, sell the same stuff everyone has already purchased multiple times. It's a sure fire sale.

Of course, I'll be getting them too!

 

Couldn't agree with you more my friend. Most of Paul's solo catalogue is either out-of-print in the US or is only available via those terrible 1993 remasters. There's NO reason for Concord Group to acquire his back catalogue (at quite the pretty penny I'm sure) and release crappy, thrown-together CDs. I'd look for all sorts of fun things. Perhaps 5.1 mixes, B-sides a-plenty and some outtakes. I'd also fully expect that boxset of rarities that a few of our members know details about.

As for Band On The Run bonus tracks and such... There's a few period B-sides that need to be included, there's the live-in-studio versions of 1985, Band On The Run, Jet and others (from the 1974 One Hand Clapping film), all sorts of film things like the cover shoot for the LP, live versions of songs from 1975, 1976, 1979 and later and promo films for the singles. There's also a wealth of things that have rarely, if ever, been booted, such as Wings 1975 tour rehearsals (heard way back when on a fanzine flexidisc). Demos may be scare as we know, but alternate mixes exist for most of the songs. Seems silly to be talking about mastering, packaging and content at this point. Ron

 

I'm not really bothered about live stuff. Outtakes and alternate mixes please.

 

And let's not forget that Denny Seiwell has confirmed, in his lenghty interview to Beatlefan, that a tape recorder was operating when Wings, then still with Seiwell and McCullough, rehearsed songs for next album in Scotland in July 1973.
But then, it may be that tape that got stolen in Nigeria...

 

Well if there is not much additional material for a deluxe edition of Band On The Run, Paul could actually show his commitment to this campaign by creating some. Now by that, he could either finish off/rework some material left on the cutting room floor like Jagger has done on the new Stones Exile set or better still, do what Paddy McAloon of Prefab Sprout did for the deluxe edition of Steve McQueen and record a bonus disc of the material as a new all acoustic version. Okay, its playing fast and loose with history but might be a nice little bonus for that album.

 

Considering that these albums are being prepared for release as both downloads & CDs, personally, I am a bit concerned about sound quality. Memory Almost Full was pretty much universally slammed for its sound quality. And yet The Beatles remasters have received lots of praise...as was his Fireman album.

Hopefully, Concord will realize that downloads & CDs are 2 different markets & customer groups.

Dexter

 

Paul didn't leave anything on the cutting room floor for this album. Basically, he would record simple backing tracks (acoustic guitar, piano) then add layers using Linda on synth, Denny on rhythm guitar, Paul on lead guitar, keyboards, drums, etc... and all on backing vocals. I suppose there's some rough mixes available with different instrumentation or vocal tracks, but there wouldn't be a fully produced backing track lacking a lead vocal. Ron

 

I'm still baffled how the '93 remasters included every B-side except for I'll Give You A Ring, Rainclouds, It's Not True & Ode To A Koala Bear! If you're gonna do something, do it right!

 

I'm happy with the DCC discs... do NOT need the new butchered reissues.

 

butchered? do you have inside information or something?

 

and don't forget the cool instrumental "Hanglide" and the solo version of "Ebony And Ivory".

 

Forgot about Hanglide, and I guess you could include Party Party as well, although I doubt anyone would miss that one. At least the solo version of Ebony And Ivory, or should we just call it, Ivory, did get released later on on iTunes.

 

"Coming Up (Live At Glasgow)", "Ode To A Koala Bear", "The First Stone", "I Wanna Cry", "Long & Winding Road" (Put It There version) and "Same Time Next Year" were also missing.

 

I too am wondering what this will do to the fate of the box sets? I sure hope we still get those...

 

And think about the nightmare that the multiple mixes/edits of tracks like "Say Say Say", "Spies Like Us", "My Carnival", "Press", "Pretty Little Head", "Angry", "Once Upon A Long Ago", "Où Est Le Soleil"... will represent