Paul McCartney - 'New' CD Review (Hear Music)

STREAM: Paul McCartney - "New"

Paul McCartney’s sixteen solo disc outside of Wings, New (Hear Music), was released on Oct. 15th and this is his first album of new material since 2007’s Memory Almost Full. After 2012’s reflective covers album, Kisses on the Bottom, New is a welcome return to McCartney’s rock roots as the disc’s 13 tracks touch upon the sounds of later-period Beatles and McCartney’s work with Wings. There is also little of the sentimental schmaltz that weighted down some of McCartney’s solo work in the 80’s.

The key facet of the new disc which immediately jumps out of the speakers is that McCartney seems revitalized and the songs have a new sense of urgency. There is also a nod to Macca’s past as many songs contain multi-layered loops and effects which bring to mind the effects on The Beatles’ Revolver and/or early Pink Floyd albums. McCartney embraces a variety of styles across this disc and the strongest tracks are the rockers (which were also the first singles from the disc). Producer Paul Epworth gives the disc opener “Save Us” and “Queenie Eye” a post-punk edge that more than justifies anyone who questioned Macca’s work with the surviving members of Nirvana. The final Epworth track, “Road”, has a completely different sound as this is full-sounding, hazy number that bears more than a passing resemblance to the ‘urban cool’ of the early 90’s trip-hop bands.



Producer Mark Ronson produced the tracks that sound the most like classic McCartney – “New” and “Alligator”. “New” sounds somewhat ‘Beatle-ish’ with its multi-tracked array of sounds, bouncy rhythms and big hooky vocals and this song proves Macca still has the chops to turn out those perfect AM Radio hits. “Alligator” is a uptempo rocker which combines some great bluesy guitar lines with harpsichord and other instrumentation over which Paul expresses his need for “someone who can save me”.



McCartney seems to lose steam on some of the slower numbers, two of which were produced by Ethan Johns. While “Early Days” seems to be about Paul and John’s pre-Beatles friendship, it seems to be a schmaltzy walk through a bygone era and the only reason that the song doesn’t go completely off the rails is the painful and raw emotion in Paul’s falsetto vocals. “Hosanna” is measurably more interesting and, outside of the song’s hazy veneer, this tale of romantic brittleness is very similar to songs on almost all of Paul’s previous albums.

The remainder of the disc was produced by Beatles’ producer George Martin’s son Giles. Some of the more interesting of these tracks include “On My Way to Work”, a commuter’s tale of the daily grind of riding the bus to work but waiting/hoping for dreams to come true and this number sounds like it could have come out of The Beatles’ back catalog. “Appreciate” is a dance club number with an industrial beat which is the most adventurous that I’ve heard Macca in years. The disc ends with the hidden track “Scared”, which is a stripped-down piano ballad where Paul seems to be afraid of telling his new love how much she means to him: “Afraid to let you see/ That the simplest of words won’t come out of my mouth, though I’m dying to set them free/ Trying to let you see/ How much you mean to me.”



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Paul McCartney Premieres 'Queenie Eye' - First Official Music Video from 'New'

Paul McCartney's 24th studio album, New, came out on October 15th and this disc is McCartney's first album of brand "new" solo material in six years. After unveiling a video of an impromptu acoustic performance of the disc's title track "New", McCartney has now released the first official music video from the new disc, which is for the song "Queenie Eye".

Earlier this month, McCartney played a surprise concert in Times Square and performed four songs from New - "New", "Save Us", "Everybody Out There" and "Queenie Eye". At this impromptu show, Paul commented "We only get fifteen minutes up here. Andy Warhol predicted that I would get 15 minutes of fame. This is it!" He also took time to thank the NYPD for allowing him to perform in such a busy and iconic part of the city.





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The Beatles Announce the Release of 'On Air - Live at the BBC Volume 2' on Nov. 11th

In 1994, The Beatles’ Live at the BBC was released to worldwide acclaim - hitting number one in the U.K., number three in the U.S. and selling more than five million copies within six weeks. A new companion to The Beatles’ first BBC collection, On Air – Live at the BBC Volume 2, will be released Monday, November 11 in 2CD and 180-gram vinyl packages with a 48-page booklet. On Air’s 63 tracks, none of which overlaps with The Beatles’ first BBC release, include 37 previously unreleased performances and 23 previously unreleased recordings of in-studio banter and conversation between the band’s members and their BBC radio hosts.

In the studios of the British Broadcasting Corporation, The Beatles performed music for a variety of radio shows. On Air - Live at the BBC Volume 2 presents the sound of The Beatles seizing their moment to play for the nation. Thrilled to hear these exciting recordings again, Paul McCartney said, “There’s a lot of energy and spirit. We are going for it, not holding back at all, trying to put in the best performance of our lifetimes.”

Ten of On Air’s songs were never recorded by the group for EMI in the 1960s, including two making their debuts with the new release: The Beatles’ direct-to-air performance of Chuck Berry’s “I’m Talking About You” and a rocking cover of the standard “Beautiful Dreamer.” On Air also includes different versions of six rarities heard on the 1994 BBC collection: Little Richard’s “Lucille,” Chuck Berry’s “Memphis, Tennessee,” Chan Romero’s “The Hippy Hippy Shake,” Ray Charles’ “I Got A Woman,” and two songs they learned from records by Carl Perkins, “Glad All Over” and “Sure To Fall.”



The Beatles’ tribute to the BBC’s most important pop show of the early ’60s – “Happy Birthday, Dear Saturday Club” – is another surprise. As John Lennon recalled in 1980, “We did a lot of tracks that were never on record for Saturday Club – they were well recorded, too.” Paul remembers, “We’d been raised on the BBC radio programs. One of the big things in our week was Saturday Club – this great show was playing the kind of music we loved, so that was something we really aspired to.”

Between March 1962 and June 1965, no fewer than 275 unique musical performances by The Beatles were broadcast by the BBC in the U.K. The group played songs on 39 radio shows in 1963 alone. Ringo Starr said in 1994, “You tend to forget that we were a working band. It’s that mono sound. There were usually no overdubs. We were in at the count-in and that was it. I get excited listening to them.” On their busiest BBC day, July 16, 1963, The Beatles recorded 18 songs for three editions of their Pop Go The Beatles series in fewer than seven hours.

The group played 88 distinct songs in their BBC sessions – some were recorded many times; others performed just once. At the time, three national BBC stations provided all daytime radio broadcasting in the U.K. Only the Light Programme network might occasionally play a record. Most broadcast music was live music. Consequently, to promote their releases, The Beatles had to play live at the BBC. “Everything was done instantly,” remembered George Harrison, “But before that, we used to drive 200 miles in an old van down the M1, come into London, try and find the BBC and then set up and do the program. Then we’d probably drive back to Newcastle for a gig in the evening!”

On Air also features BBC recordings of 30 well-loved songs from The Beatles’ catalogue, including five number ones and other favorites such as: “I Saw Her Standing There,” “Twist And Shout,” “Do You Want To Know A Secret,” “Boys,” “Please Mister Postman,” “Money,” “And I Love Her,” and “If I Fell.”

Like its critically acclaimed predecessor, On Air - Live at the BBC Volume 2 includes audio of The Beatles talking to DJs Brian Matthew and Alan Freeman and Pop Go The Beatles hosts Lee Peters and Rodney Burke. When first broadcast, pop fans were amazed to hear such witty irreverence on the rather formal BBC and it is great fun to hear these extracts now. In addition, On Air releases, for the first time, the group’s candid interviews for the Pop Profile series recorded in November 1965 and May 1966.

Newly remastered for reissue on November 11, The Beatles’ first Live at the BBC album sounds and looks better than ever. This collection of the group’s BBC sessions mixed versions of their hits with a treasure trove of 30 songs The Beatles performed on air but never released on record in the 1960s. The compelling track list ranged from a rare performance of the little known Lennon-McCartney original “I’ll Be On My Way” to covers of classic rock ’n’ roll and contemporary rhythm and blues songs. At the time of its release, Live at the BBC was hailed by Rolling Stone as “an exhilarating portrait of a band in the process of shaping its own voice and vision.” It earned a Grammy Award nomination for Best Historical Album.

Live at the BBC was assembled by George Martin in 1994 and On Air - Live at the BBC Volume Two was compiled and researched by producers Kevin Howlett and Mike Heatley. Both albums have been meticulously mastered by engineers Guy Massey and Alex Wharton at Abbey Road Studios. The booklets for both collections include Kevin Howlett’s essays on the history of The Beatles’ BBC radio sessions and his detailed commentaries on all of the tracks.

Digital Pre-Order
Live at the BBC 1
On Air- Live at the BBC 2

CD Pre-Order
Live at the BBC 1
On Air- Live at the BBC2

LP Pre-Order
Live at the BBC 1 – 3LP
On Air- Live at the BBC2 – 3LP at Amazon

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Paul McCartney Posts Impromptu Acoustic Performance of "New" (Title track from new disc -

STREAM: Paul McCartney - "New"

Last month, whilst getting ready to go on stage at Regina, Paul McCartney was caught on camera performing an impromptu version of "New". This quickly turned into an acoustic performance when Paul was joined by the rest of his band for a run-through the song.

New comes out in the US on October 15th and this will be McCartney's first album of brand "new" solo material in six years. The title track of the new album was produced by Mark Ronson and the other producers who worked with McCartney on this new album include Paul Epworth, Ethan Johns and George Martin's son Giles Martin. New is available as a 12-track "standard edition" and a 14-track "deluxe edition" - the later is listed on Amazon at a pre-order price of $17.04.



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Paul McCartney and Wings - 'Wings Over America' CD Review (Hear Music / Concord Music Group)

On May 28th, the deluxe edition of Paul McCartney and Wings’ 1976 3x LP concert album, Wings Over America, was released as part of the Paul McCartney Archive Collection reissue series. In addition to this disc being one of the greatest live albums of all time (in my humble opinion), Wings Over America showcases McCartney at his creative best. The last comment isn’t to disparage Macca’s more recent output but rather to point out that Wings Over America could easily serve as a greatest hits collection.

Wings Over America was the last of five consecutive Wings’ albums to reach #1 in America and the addition of drummer Joe English and lead guitarist Jimmy McCulloch (both of whom joined with 1975’s Venus and Mars) seemed to add a spark to the band. Listening to the band perform live, Wings sounds like a tightly integrated unit (as opposed to Macca’s current backing band of faceless hired guns) with each of the members establishing their own identity by making distinct contributions to the live show. Multi-instrumentalist Denny Laine (x-Moody Blues) is a veteran performer, Jimmy McCulloch is probably the best of McCartney’s guitarists and Joe English, in addition to being a great drummer, looks like he is having the time of his life in the accompanying DVD.

Wings Over America’s 28 tracks reflect the band’s setlist from their 1976 North American tour but the individual tracks were compiled from a number of different stops on the tour. The set list pulls from all of the Wings’ albums, with an emphasis on Venus and Mars (9 of the 13 tracks are performed live) along with five Beatles song, which was a big deal for the fans as Macca had refused to play Beatles numbers on his earlier UK tours. The set list also includes a cover of the Moody Blues’ chestnut “Go Now”, Simon and Garfunkel’s “Richard Corey” (both sung by Laine) and the (then) unreleased Wings’ track “Soily”, which first surfaced during the Band on the Run sessions.



With the standard edition of this reissue, the original three albums are now spread across 2 CDs, with Sides 1 -3 on the first CD and Sides 4 – 6 on the second CD.

Wings Over America Track List
1. "Venus and Mars/Rock Show/Jet" – Recorded 5/27/76
2. "Let Me Roll It" – Recorded 5/27/76
3. "Spirits of Ancient Egypt" – Recorded 6/10/76
4. "Medicine Jar” – Recorded 5/27/76
5. "Maybe I'm Amazed" - Recorded 5/29/76
6. "Call Me Back Again" – Recorded 5/27/76
7. "Lady Madonna” - Recorded 5/7/76
8. "The Long and Winding Road" – Recorded 5/29/76
9. "Live and Let Die" – Recorded 5/22/76
10. "Picasso's Last Words (Drink to Me)" – Recorded 5/22/76
11. "Richard Cory" - Recorded 6/23/76
12. "Bluebird" – Recorded 5/27/76
13. "I've Just Seen a Face" - Recorded 6/23/76
14. "Blackbird" - Recorded 5/22/76
15. "Yesterday" - ??
16. "You Gave Me the Answer" – Recorded 6/23/76
17. "Magneto and Titanium Man" – Recorded 5/22/76
18. "Go Now" – Recorded 6/23/76
19. "My Love" – Recorded 5/21/76
20. "Listen to What the Man Said" – Recorded 5/29/76
21. "Let 'Em In" – Recorded 6/23/76
22. "Time to Hide" - Recorded 5/25/76
23. "Silly Love Songs" – Recorded 5/25/76
24. "Beware My Love" – Recorded 6/7/76
25. "Letting Go" – Recorded 5/29/76
26. "Band on the Run" – Recorded 6/7/76
27. "Hi, Hi, Hi" – Recorded 6/7/76
28. "Soily" – Recorded 6/7/76

Here is where keeping up with the bonus discs get a bit tricky – the “Deluxe Edition Box Set” includes “the original 28-track album, a bonus tracks disc, DVD of the TV documentary Wings Over the World, 112-page book, assorted memorabilia, 60-page photograph book, 80-page sketch book and download link to all of the material”. The bonus CD contains eight live tracks recorded at The Cow Palace in San Francisco. Wings played two shows there on 6/13-14/76 but, as I don’t have this bonus disc, I have no clue as to which show these tracks came from.

Wings Over San Francisco Track List
• "Let Me Roll It"
• “Maybe I'm Amazed"
• "Lady Madonna"
• "Live and Let Die"
• "Picasso's Last Words (Drink to Me)"
• "Bluebird"
• "Blackbird"
• "Yesterday"

Adding to the different options – the Best Buy edition of Wings Over America contains the Wings Over San Francisco disc ($16.99). If you are interested though – grab this one quick as this edition is sold out in stores and is only available on the shelf in whichever stores still have copies.

The bonus DVD, Wings Over the World, runs just over 75 minutes and contains some great footage from Wings’ American tour. While this documentary traces the evolution of Wings and starts with early rehearsal footage of the McCartneys with Denny Laine along with footage of the McCartneys on their farm in Scotland, the focus is on the ‘75/’76 world tour. This disc contains 15 complete performances from the Wings Over the World tour. Between each of the songs is ‘behind the scenes’ footage that ranges from press interviews to backstage footage and relevant snippets from the band’s travels. What is particularly amusing is an Australian interviewer commenting that Macca may be a bit old for rock and roll now that he is 33. Other footage includes Ringo joining the band backstage, Elton sitting next to Cher at the show at the Forum in Los Angeles, Macca carefully working with the venue sound engineer on the sound check and more.

The size of the crowds lined up outside these venues is also amazing – the big general admission shows (which I assume this is) were before my time so I can’t really imagine being a part of the body-to-body lines. My experience with arena rocks shows is at the Madison Square Gardens, which is less than 1/3 the capacity of the Seattle Kingdom, which was where “Soile” was filmed. The disc ends with Wings leaving the stage and Macca’s final comment was “See you next time”. This is a great documentary as this was Macca’s one-and-only trip to the States with Wings and it would be thirteen years before he returned to the US.

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Paul McCartney Reissues Radio-Only Promo of 'Maybe I'm Amazed' (Live) as a Ltd. Edition 12" for Record Store Day (Tomorrow)

Paul McCartney's triple-LP Wings Over America (documenting the band's 1976 "Wings Over America" tour) has always been on my list of Top-10 live albums of all time and a deluxe reissue of the disc is due out on May 28th.

For the vinyl geeks, tomorrow (for Record Store Day) Paul McCartney will be issuing "Maybe I'm Amazed" on 12" vinyl. This live version of “Maybe I’m Amazed” was originally serviced as a radio-only promotional 12" vinyl single back in 1976 to herald the release of Wings Over America. Newly reissued exclusively for Record Store Day, it faithfully reproduces the treasured Paul McCartney collectible and features both stereo and rare mono mixes of the classic track only available here.





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Paul McCartney - "RAM" Special Edition CD Review

STREAM: Paul McCartney - "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" (from RAM)

When reviewing deluxe reissues, I generally don’t attempt to review the original album as, most often, there is little to add to the hundreds of reviews that have already been written. That being said, I don’t think I had heard Paul McCartney’s second solo LP RAM (originally released in 1971) before and was taken aback by how well this disc stacks up against today’s indie-pop music. It seems such a contradiction in terms to mention Sir Paul and “indie-pop” in the same sentence but…there are definitely elements on this disc (layered production, orchestral elements) that are heard on modern releases from bands like Arcade Fire and Of Montreal.



To provide some background on the original recording of RAM, Paul composed the songs (with input from Linda) while on an extended holiday on McCartney’s farm on the Mull of Kintyre, Scotland. A number of the videos on the bonus DVD were filmed on the McCartney’s farm during this period. RAM was recorded in New York and Los Angeles and the McCartneys’ backing band was recruited via open auditions. The RAM sessions were prolific and a number of the songs not included on the original 12-track disc ended up as b-sides and on later Wings’ releases.

According to the online “Paul McCartney Sessionography”, twenty-three tracks were recorded:

The "RAM" Sessions (Late January - Late February 1970)

Released as a Single in Advance of RAM but Not Included on the Original LP
Another Day (RAM bonus track)
Oh Woman, Oh Why (RAM bonus track)

Original Issue of RAM
Too Many People
3 Legs
Ram On
Dear Boy
Uncle Albert-Admiral Halsey
Smile Away
Heart of the Country
Monkberry Moon Delight
Eat at Home
Long Haired Lady
RAM On (Reprise)
The Back Seat Of My Car

RAM Bonus Tracks
A Love for You
Sunshine, Sometime (also on Rupert the Bear soundtrack)
Hey Diddle
Rode All Night

Unreleased Tracks from the RAM Sessions
Dear Friend
Little Lamb Dragonfly
Get On The Right Thing
Now Hear This Song Of Mine
When The Wind Is Blowing

Musicians:
Paul McCartney - Vocals, guitar, bass, piano, keyboards
Linda McCartney - Vocals, keyboards
Dave Spinoza - Guitars
Hugh McCracken - Guitars
Denny Seiwell - Drums, percussion

The remaining two bonus tracks – “Great Cock and Seagull Race” and “Little Woman Love” – were respectively recorded at the Wild Life sessions in 1971 and “The First Singles Session” in Spring 1972.



My review copy came with bonus DVD from the Deluxe Edition (and this set includes 2 extra CDs - the remastered Mono edition of RAM and the Thrillington CD along with a 112 page book). The playing time on the DVD runs about 25 minutes. While I would have like more material, the likely reality is that the footage used is all that exists from this time period as Macca didn’t tour until 1972 with Wings.

The features on the bonus DVD are:

1 – Ramming – The Story of the Album: This is a current-day audio interview with Macca (backed by studio shots of the recording session which are presumably were shot by Linda) where he reflects on working with Linda in the studio, hiring the band and he also talks about the impetus behind some of the songs. (Note: Macca states that “Dear Boy” was directed at Linda’s x-husband – not, contrary to popular belief, John Lennon)

2 – “Heart of the Country” & “3 Legs”: Both of these are promo videos which combine video footage of the McCartney family at home (and at play) in Scotland with the studio versions of these songs.

3 – “Hey Diddle”: This is an “impromptu” acoustic live performance of Paul and Linda sitting outside of their farmhouse singing this song, backed by Paul’s acoustic guitar.

4 – “Eat at Home” On Tour: This is an early promo video that combines live footage (from Wings 1972 tour) interspersed with tour bus and ‘day in the life’ footage of the band



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Paul McCartney Played "My Valentine" at The Grammys / Posts Video from "Kisses On the Bottom" Photo Shoot

(Photographer: Mary McCartney)
Earlier this month, Paul McCartney released his first new disc in five years, Kisses on the Bottom. The disc takes its name from a lyric in the Fats Waller song “I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter” and McCartney’s cover of this song serves as the lead-off track on his new disc. This new disc is predominately comprised of little-heard cover songs and Paul’s approach to this disc is similar to his 1999 disc Run Devil Run on which he covered 50’s rock and roll songs and wrote some originals in the style of that era.

Paul played "My Valentine" from the new album on The Grammys earlier this week (along with a medley of his back catalogue hits) and posted a video from the Kisses On the Bottom photo shoot.







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Paul McCartney - "Kisses on the Bottom" CD Review (Hear Music)

“I always thought artists like Fred Astaire were very cool. Writers like Harold Arlen, Cole Porter, all of those guys - I just thought the songs were magical. And then, as I got to be a songwriter I thought it’s beautiful, the way they made those songs.” – Paul McCartney

(Photographer: Mary McCartney)
On Feb. 7th, Paul McCartney is releasing his first new disc in five years, Kisses on the Bottom. The disc takes its name from a lyric in the Fats Waller song “I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter” and McCartney’s cover of this song serves as the lead-off track on his new disc. This new disc is predominately comprised of little-heard cover songs and Paul’s approach to this disc is similar to his 1999 disc Run Devil Run on which he covered 50’s rock and roll songs and wrote some originals in the style of that era. The fourteen tracks on Kisses on the Bottom offer a glimpse into “the songs which inspired the songs”; twelve songs are Tin Pin Alley era covers and Macca wrote two new originals that fit perfectly with the music of that era. The impetus for this release is that Paul believes it is about time “the songs me and John based quite a few of our things on” received the recognition they deserve.

On Kisses on the Bottom, McCartney is backed by Diana Krall and her band and orchestral accompaniments are added to some songs courtesy of the London Symphony Orchestra. All of the songs have a soft jazz flair that is accentuated by Tommy LiPuma’s open-sounding and organic production. This disc marks the first time that Paul performed exclusively in the vocal booth without any instruments and his warm and lo-key vocals set the emotional tone for each song. Macca described this album as “very tender, very intimate…an album you listen to at home after work, with a glass of wine or a cup of tea.”

Songs range from the bouncy jazz of “I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter” and “My Very Good Friend the Milkmen” to the orchestral “Bye Bye Blackbird” to smoky jazz torch songs ( Irving Berlin’s “Always” and “Home (When Shadows Fall)”). Macca stays true to the original versions of the twelve cover tunes and the stellar production brings out the piano, brushed drums and open bass notes. For the two originals, Eric Clapton adds some blues riffs and an understated solo to “My Valentine” and Stevie Wonder plays soulful harmonica on “Only Our Hearts”.



While I prefer McCartney’s rock numbers (and am waiting impatiently for more of the Wings’ reissues), kudos to Macca for pulling off such a stylistic leap without it sounding dated or “retro”.

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Paul McCartney Releases First Single, "My Valentine", From Forthcoming Album

My Valentine - Paul McCartney by PaulMcCartney

While many a musician is often asked about the tunes that have influenced their songwriting, it is not a question Paul McCartney ordinarily gets to answer – until now. Paul is about to offer a glimpse into “the songs which inspired the songs” with the upcoming release of a brand new album of those standards he grew up listening to in his childhood—plus two brand new McCartney compositions: the album, which is currently untitled, will be released on Hear Music/Concord Records on February 7th 2012.

With the help of Grammy Award-winning producer Tommy LiPuma and Diana Krall and her band—as well as guest appearances from Eric Clapton and Stevie Wonder, McCartney’s new album is a deeply personal journey through classic American compositions that, in some cases, a young Paul first heard his father perform on piano at home. As authentic and daring a musical statement as he could make, this is the album Paul has been thinking about making for more than 20 years - and probably the last thing his fans are expecting. “In the end it was ‘Look, if I don’t do it now, I’ll never do it,” he says. In short, Paul believes it is about time “the songs me and John based quite a few of our things on” received the recognition they deserve. Moreover, the record also features a couple of new original McCartney compositions in the spirit of those classics.

“When I kind of got into songwriting, I realised how well structured these songs were and I think I took a lot of my lessons from them,” Paul explains. “I always thought artists like Fred Astaire were very cool. Writers like Harold Arlen, Cole Porter, all of those guys - I just thought the songs were magical. And then, as I got to be a songwriter I thought it’s beautiful, the way they made those song’.”

Determined to approach the record in a new and unique manner, Paul enlisted the help of LiPuma and Krall and her band—who delivered ultra-high quality musicianship and were completely in tune with Paul’s restraint and feel for the music. In the studio, the recording of this album was also a new challenge for Paul who, for the first time ever, performed exclusively in the vocal booth without no instrument – no guitar, no bass, no piano - which led to a vocal performance like no other in his career.

Paul said, “It was very spontaneous, kind of organic, which then reminded me of the way we’d work with The Beatles. We’d bring a song in, kick it around, when we found a way to do it we’d say ‘Okay, let's do a take now’ and by the time everyone kind of had an idea of what they were doing, we’d learnt the song. So that’s what we did, we did the take live in the studio. It was important for me to keep away from the more obvious song choices so, many of the classic standards will be unfamiliar to some people. I hope they are in for a pleasant surprise.”

The album was recorded at the legendary Capitol Studios in Los Angeles, New York and London throughout 2011. It also features guest musicians Eric Clapton and Stevie Wonder, respectively, on the original compositions "My Valentine" and "Only Our Hearts".

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Paul McCartney: "McCartney II" Deluxe Edition CD Review

Following last year's deluxe reissue of Band on the Run, MPL and the Concord Music Group are pleased to announce McCartney and McCartney II as the next releases in the Paul McCartney Archive Collection on June 14th, 2011.

McCartney II will be made available as a 2 CD "Special Edition" featuring the original remastered album plus eight bonus tracks including B-Sides and alternative versions. The bonus audio CD includes the #1 hit “Coming Up (Live At Glasgow, 1979)” and holiday perennial “Wonderful Christmastime.”

There is also a 4 disc (3 CD, 1 DVD) "Deluxe Edition" of McCartney II that includes an exclusive bonus DVD featuring rare and previously unseen footage (including performances of "Coming Up" and the new video for the unreleased track "Blue Sway") but includes an additional seven rare bonus audio tracks exclusive to this edition. Additionally, the McCartney II deluxe edition contains an extraordinary 128-page hard bound book featuring many previously unpublished photos by Linda McCartney, original album and single artwork, downloadable hi-res audio versions of the remastered album, an illustrated history of the making of the album, and expanded track by track information for all three audio discs plus detailed historical information on the film content.

McCartney II was recorded in July of 1979 as a one-man solo project in-between Wings' Back to the Egg album and their aborted 1980 tour of Japan. After McCartney disbanded Wings in 1980, McCartney II was released in May of that year. Sharing a 'spiritual' similarity with McCartney (Paul's first solo disc), McCartney II shows Paul almost completely breaking from his past and fully embracing new wave through experiments with synthesizers and electronic beats. The original disc's thirteen tracks are an eclectic but compelling assortment and show Paul getting out in-front of the budding synth-pop movement.

Here is what is on the set:
(Note: A copy of the third audio disc wasn't included in the review package I was sent)

CD 1 - Original Album [11 tracks / 39 minutes]
As I'm more familiar with McCartney II than Paul's first solo disc, I can hear the difference that the remastering made. This remastering at Abbey Road Studios has added more sonic depth to the disc and one can hear more of the nuances in both the vocals and the instrumentation.

CD 2 - Bonus Audio Tracks [48 Minutes]
Note: "Urban legend" is that McCartney II was originally intended to be a double-album and a number of these bonus tracks come from what is known as "The Lost McCartney II Album".

1. "Blue Sway” [From "The Lost McCartney II Album"]
This track has late 70's style "urban cool" vibe (think Steely Dan)

2. "Coming Up” [From Wing’s final concert: Glasgow, December 17, 1979]
B-side of the studio recording of "Coming Up"

3. "Check My Machine [B-side of "Waterfalls" single]

4. "Bogey Wobble" [From "The Lost McCartney II Album"]
Companion piece to "Bogey Music"

5. "Secret Friend" [B-side of "Temporary Secretary" single]

6. "Mr H Atom / You Know I'll Get You Baby" [From "The Lost McCartney II Album"]
"Mr H Atom" features Linda on vocals

7. "Wonderful Christmastime"
Originally released as a solo single in 1979 b/w "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reggae"

8. "All You Horse Riders / Blue Sway"
"All You Horse Riders" is from "The Lost McCartney II Album"; I don't believe that I've ever heard the mostly instrumental version of "Blue Sway" that follows.

DVD - Bonus Film [55 Minutes]
1. "Meet Paul McCartney"
Includes the "Coming Up" video and an in-depth interview conducted by Tim Rice where Paul goes into detail about the motivation behind and the recording of McCartney II.

2. "Coming Up"
3. "Waterfalls”
4. "Wonderful Christmastime”
Music videos (which were heavily played on MTV at the time)

5. "Coming Up” [Live at Concert for the People of Kampuchea - December 29, 1979]

6. "Coming Up” (from a 1979 rehearsal session at Paul's farm)
A nice intimate recording filmed with a single camera

7. "Making the Coming Up Music Video"
Paul narrates the making of the "Coming Up" video while the video plays behind his voice-over

8. "Blue Sway” Promo Video
Set to Jack McCoy's underwater/surf footage





Links:
Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney: "McCartney" Deluxe Edition CD Review

Following last year's deluxe reissue of Band on the Run, MPL and the Concord Music Group are pleased to announce McCartney and McCartney II as the next releases in the Paul McCartney Archive Collection on June 14th, 2011.

McCartney will be made available as a 2-disc (2 CD) Special Edition featuring the original remastered album plus seven bonus audio tracks including the previously unreleased outtakes “Suicide” and “Don’t Cry Baby” plus a rare live 1979 recording of “Maybe I’m Amazed”. For collectors, the reissue will also be made available as a lavishly packaged 3 disc (2 CD, 1 DVD) Deluxe Edition which includes an exclusive bonus DVD featuring rare and previously unseen footage, an extraordinary 128-page hard bound book containing many exclusive and unpublished photos by Paul and Linda McCartney, original album artwork, downloadable hi-res audio versions of the remastered album and bonus audio tracks, an illustrated history of the making of the album, and expanded track by track information for the two audio discs as well as detailed historical information on the film content.

McCartney was Paul McCartney’s first solo outing which was originally released in 1970, immediately prior to the release of The Beatles’ final studio disc Let It Be. McCartney dropped a ‘bombshell’ with this release when he publicly announced his departure from the Beatles in the form of a Q & A package included in advance copies of the album.

Except from Q&A
---------------------------------------------------------
Q: "Is this album a rest away from the Beatles or the start of a solo career?"

PAUL: "Time will tell. Being a solo album means it's 'the start of a solo career...and not being done with the Beatles means it's just a rest. So it's both."

Q: "Is your break with the Beatles temporary or permanent, due to personal differences or musical ones?"

PAUL: "Personal differences, business differences, musical differences, but most of all because I have a better time with my family. Temporary or permanent? I don't really know."

Q: "Do you foresee a time when Lennon-McCartney becomes an active songwriting partnership again?"

PAUL: "No."
---------------------------------------------------------
Both George Harrison and John Lennon took some swipes at this album when it was originally released but they seemed to have missed the point that this was a cathartic album for McCartney as he was trying to come to grips with his new post-Beatles life. The tracks on this release aren’t the rich, fully produced songs of Wings or later-day McCartney solo work; Paul played all the instruments on this disc and these are stripped-down demos that have been built up into full songs through multi-tracking. While this disc contains the McCartney concert staple “Maybe I’m Amazed” (and George Harrison commented at the time of this album’s release that “That Would Be Something” was “great”), the disc also contains a number of experimental tracks and instrumentals.

Here is what is on the 2CD/DVD set:

CD 1 - Original Album [13 tracks / 35 minutes]

CD 2 - Bonus Audio Tracks [26 Minutes]
1. "Suicide” [Outtake]
More of a "work-in-progress" take than an outtake with a lot of improvisational/scat lyrics and a couple run-throughs of the same verse

2. "Maybe I'm Amazed” [From the "One Hand Clapping" Video – Abbey Road 1974]
Video included in the Band on the Run deluxe edition but previously unreleased as an audio track

3. "Every Night"
4. "Hot As Sun"
5. "Maybe I'm Amazed"
Tracks 3-5 from Wing’s final concert: Glasgow, December 17, 1979

6. "Don't Cry Baby” [Outtake - Instrumental version of "Oo You"]

7. "Women Kind” [Demo - Mono]
I'm not sure where/how this fits in with Macca's first solo disc as this take sounds like it is from the "Piano Tapes" session (and resultant bootleg) which is believed to have been recorded in late '73/early '74.

DVD - Bonus Film [32 Minutes]
1. "The Album Story" [A “making of the album” vignette with some brief reflections by Paul and some great still footage of The Beatles and McCartney]

2. "The Beach" [Home movie/still shot in 1970 in Scotland]

3. "Maybe I'm Amazed” Promo Video

4. "Suicide" [from the "One Hand Clapping" Video – Abbey Road 1974]

5. "Every Night” [Live at Concert for the People of Kampuchea - December 29, 1979]

6. "Hot As Sun” [Live at Concert for the People of Kampuchea – December 29, 1979]

7. "Junk” [MTV Unplugged - January 25, 1991]

8. "That Would Be Something” [MTV Unplugged – January 25, 1991]



Links:
Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney: Upload Your Cover of "Maybe I'm Amazed" and Win CDs

Hmmm...I'm not sure what would be more interesting - a band like The Canon Logic could probably do a dead-on cover or, on the other hand, one of the local black metal bands doing a complete deconstruction of the song. Anyway, below are the details of the contest.



Following the huge success of last year’s Band on the Run competition, MPL and Concord Music Group are very excited to offer fans another chance to win a host of Macca goodies with the brand new "Maybe I’m Amazed Cover’s Competition" in celebration of the upcoming deluxe reissue release of McCartney & McCartney II on June 14th.

Whether you’re a part-time guitar twiddler, a karaoke crooner or a serious music maker in a band, all are welcome! Just film your cover of Paul’s track "Maybe I’m Amazed", upload it to YouTube and follow the simple steps below to enter. Then get all of your friends to ‘like’ your video. The video with the most ‘likes’ wins! Good luck!

Follow the steps below for your chance to win:

Steps:
1. Record your own Cover version of "Maybe I’m Amazed".
2. Visit Paul’s YouTube Channel
3. Log in and submit your response to the official "Maybe I’m Amazed" music video.
4. Get as many of your friends to like the video in order for it to win!
5. The winner will be the video with the most likes.


Dates:
The competition starts on the 26th May 4pm. (GMT) Only videos uploaded to YouTube and submitted to the competition between these dates will be valid. (please don’t submit videos that have been already loaded onto YouTube) The competition will close for new entries: 16th June 4pm. Votes will still count until the competition fully closes on the 23rd July.
Competition Ends: 23rd June 2011 4pm

Prize:
The winner will receive the deluxe reissue editions of McCartney, McCartney II and Band on the Run.

The lavishly packaged 3 disc (2 CD, 1 DVD) McCartney Deluxe Edition includes an exclusive bonus DVD featuring rare and previously unseen footage, an extraordinary 128-page hard bound book containing many exclusive and unpublished photos by Paul and Linda McCartney, original album artwork, downloadable hi-res audio versions of the remastered album and bonus audio tracks, an illustrated history of the making of the album, and expanded track by track information for the two audio discs as well as detailed historical information on the film content.

The 4 disc (3 CD, 1 DVD) Deluxe Edition of McCartney II not only includes an exclusive bonus DVD featuring rare and previously unseen footage (including performances of "Coming Up" and the new video for the unreleased track "Blue Sway") but includes an additional seven rare bonus audio tracks exclusive to this edition. Additionally, the McCartney II deluxe edition contains an extraordinary 128-page hard bound book featuring many previously unpublished photos by Linda McCartney, original album and single artwork, downloadable hi-res audio versions of the remastered album, an illustrated history of the making of the album, and expanded track by track information for all three audio discs plus detailed historical information on the film content.

The 4 disc (3CD, 1 DVD) deluxe edition of Band on the Run includes an extraordinary 120-page hard bound book containing many unseen and unpublished photos by Linda McCartney and Clive Arrowsmith, album and single artwork, downloadable hi-res audio versions of the remastered album and bonus audio tracks, a full history of the album complete with a new interview with Paul and expanded track by track information for all four discs. The deluxe edition also includes a special Band on the Run audio documentary (originally produced for the 25th Anniversary edition.)

Links:
Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney: Deluxe Editions of "McCartney" and "McCartney II" Due Out June 14th

Following last year's deluxe reissue of Band on the Run, MPL and the Concord Music Group are pleased to announce McCartney and McCartney II as the next releases in the Paul McCartney Archive Collection on June 14th, 2011.

McCartney was Paul's solo debut which was originally released in April of 1970 and yielded the concert staple “Maybe I’m Amazed.” McCartney II originally issued in May of 1980 was McCartney’s return to solo work after nine years touring and recording with Wings. Reaching #1 in the UK, and #3 in the U.S., the album produced the singles “Coming Up,” “Waterfalls,” & “Temporary Secretary.” Paul McCartney personally supervised all aspects of these two reissues and the remastering work was done at Abbey Road using the same team who recently remastered the complete Beatles’ catalogue.

McCartney will be made available as a 2-disc (2 CD) Special Edition featuring the original remastered album plus seven bonus audio tracks including the previously unreleased outtakes “Suicide” and “Don’t Cry Baby” plus a rare live 1979 recording of “Maybe I’m Amazed”. For collectors, the reissue will also be made available as a lavishly packaged 3 disc (2 CD, 1 DVD) Deluxe Edition which includes an exclusive bonus DVD featuring rare and previously unseen footage, an extraordinary 128-page hard bound book containing many exclusive and unpublished photos by Paul and Linda McCartney, original album artwork, downloadable hi-res audio versions of the remastered album and bonus audio tracks, an illustrated history of the making of the album, and expanded track by track information for the two audio discs as well as detailed historical information on the film content.



McCartney II will also be made available as a 2-disc (2 CD) Special Edition featuring the original remastered album plus eight bonus tracks including B-Sides and alternative versions. The bonus audio CD includes the #1 hit “Coming Up (Live At Glasgow, 1979)” and holiday perennial “Wonderful Christmastime.”

The lovingly packaged 4 disc (3 CD, 1 DVD) Deluxe Edition of McCartney II not only includes an exclusive bonus DVD featuring rare and previously unseen footage (including performances of ‘Coming Up’ and the new video for the unreleased track ‘Blue Sway’) but includes an additional seven rare bonus audio tracks exclusive to this edition. Additionally, the McCartney II deluxe edition contains an extraordinary 128-page hard bound book featuring many previously unpublished photos by Linda McCartney, original album and single artwork, downloadable hi-res audio versions of the remastered album, an illustrated history of the making of the album, and expanded track by track information for all three audio discs plus detailed historical information on the film content.



MCCARTNEY TRACKLIST:

CD 1 – Remastered Album
01. The Lovely Linda
02. That Would Be Something
03. Valentine Day
04. Every Night
05. Hot As Sun / Glasses
06. Junk
07. Man We Was Lonely
08. Oo You
09. Momma Miss America
10. Teddy Boy
11. Singalong Junk
12. Maybe I’m Amazed
13. Kreen-Akrore

CD 2 – Bonus Audio Tracks
01. Suicide [Out-take]
02. Maybe I’m Amazed [From One Hand Clapping]
03. Every Night [Live At Glasgow, 1979]
04. Hot As Sun [Live At Glasgow, 1979]
05. Maybe I’m Amazed [Live At Glasgow, 1979]
06. Don’t Cry Baby [Out-take]
07. Women Kind (Demo) [Mono]

DVD – Bonus Film
01. The Album Story
02. The Beach
03. Maybe I’m Amazed Music Video
04. Suicide [from One Hand Clapping]
05. Every Night [Live at Concert for the People of Kampuchea]
06. Hot As Sun [Live at Concert for the People of Kampuchea]
07. Junk [MTV Unplugged]
08. That Would Be Something [MTV Unplugged]

MCCARTNEY II TRACKLIST:

CD 1 – Remastered Album
01. Coming Up
02. Temporary Secretary
03. On The Way
04. Waterfalls
05. Nobody Knows
06. Front Parlour
07. Summer’s Day Song
08. Frozen Jap
09. Bogey Music
10. Darkroom
11. One Of These Days

CD 2 – Bonus Audio 1
01. Blue Sway [With Richard Niles Orchestration]
02. Coming Up [Live At Glasgow, 1979]
03. Check My Machine [Edit]
04. Bogey Wobble
05. Secret Friend
06. Mr H Atom / You Know I’ll Get you Baby
07. Wonderful Christmastime [Edited Version]
08. All You Horse Riders / Blue Sway

CD 3- Bonus Audio 2 (DELUXE 3 CD – 1 DVD EDITION ONLY)
01. Coming Up [Full Length Version]
02. Front Parlour [Full Length Version]
03. Frozen Jap [Full Length Version]
04. Darkroom [Full Length Version]
05. Check My Machine [Full Length Version]
06. Wonderful Christmastime [Full Length Version]
07. Summer’s Day Song [Original without vocals]
08. Waterfalls [DJ Edit]

DVD – Bonus Film
01. Meet Paul McCartney
02. Coming Up Music Video
03. Waterfalls Music Video
04. Wonderful Christmastime Music Video
05. Coming Up [Live at Concert for the People of Kampuchea]
06. Coming Up’ [taken from a rehearsal session at Lower Gate Farm, 1979]
07. Making the Coming Up Music Video
08. Blue Sway

Links:
Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney – Band on the Run 2CD/DVD Review

The 2010 reissue of Band on the Run marks the first in Hear Music/Concord Music Group’s series of deluxe reissues of Paul McCartney’s back catalogue. The packaging of this set is beautiful and recreates the experience of owning the original album. The set comes in a tri-fold cardboard package and contains a booklet with song lyrics and photos, which were part of the original vinyl release, along with a reflective essay by Paul Gambaccini, who had interviewed Macca for Rolling Stone at the time of the album’s original release. The sound is crystal clear but I can’t comment on how this compares to any of the previously issued CD versions of Band on the Run as I never replaced my vinyl version. To provide a frame of reference for the audio purists, the remastering was supervised by the same team who remastered the Beatles catalogue last year.

The first disc of the set is the nine song UK version of Band on the Run. The song “Helen Wheels”, which was always part of the US pressing, has been moved to disc two. The other studio tracks on disc two are the non-LP b-sides “Country Dreamer” (b-side to “Helen Wheels”) and “Zoo Gang” (b-side to “Band on the Run”). The remainder of disc two is comprised of six tracks from Macca’s previously unreleased TV Special “One Hand Clapping” which was filmed live in the studio at Abbey Roads. While it is great to finally see the often bootlegged “One Hand Clapping” get a legitimate release, I would have loved to have seen all fifteen tracks from this session included in the audio portion of this set.

The DVD includes the original pre-MTV music videos for "Band on the Run", “Helen Wheels and “Mamunia”. As a side note, I don’t think I’ve ever seen the “Band on the Run” video prior this release and was intrigued with the use of “Yellow Submarine-ish” Beatles imagery within the video. Also on the DVD is a video promo for the album, silent B&W footage from the recording sessions in Lagos which is backed by an alternate version of “Band on the Run” and the complete “One Hand Clapping” TV Special.

There are a number of different versions of this release which include a 3-CD/1-DVD Deluxe Edition where the additional CD contains an audio documentary originally produced for the album's 25th Anniversary release in 1999. The Deluxe Edition also comes with a 120-page hard-bound containing photos by Linda McCartney and Clive Arrowsmith.



Links:
Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney Reissues Deluxe Edition of "Band on the Run" (Concord Music Group)

STREAM: Paul McCartney - "Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five"

Paul McCartney's 1973 disc Band on the Run was reissued last week in a variety of formats.

There is the single disc, digitally remastered, 9-track standard edition. The three disc (2CD, 1 DVD) special edition, which features nine bonus audio tracks (including the top 10 smash “Helen Wheels”), rare footage of the McCartneys in Lagos and behind-the-scenes at the famous album cover shoot, original Band on the Run promotional video clips, the "One Hand Clapping" television special (highlighted by studio performances filmed at Abbey Road in 1974) all with beautifully enhanced packaging. For collectors, there is the four disc (3CD, 1 DVD) deluxe edition which adds an extraordinary 120-page hard-bound book containing many unseen and unpublished photos by Linda McCartney and Clive Arrowsmith, album and single artwork, downloadable hi-res audio versions of the remastered album and bonus audio tracks, a full history of the album complete with a new interview with Paul and expanded track by track information for all four discs. The deluxe edition also includes a special Band on the Run audio documentary (originally produced for the 25th Anniversary edition.) The original remastered album and bonus audio content will also be issued in a 2-disc 180gm audiophile vinyl edition that comes with an MP3 download of all 18 tracks. Lastly, the standard and deluxe versions of Band on the Run will be available digitally worldwide.

Intrigued with recording abroad in the summer of 1973, McCartney searched for a list of studios around the world. Spotting one in the remote location of Lagos, Nigeria, he became enthralled with the idea of recording in Africa. Days before departure, lead guitarist Henry McCullough and drummer Denny Seiwell quit the band leaving the entire project to the three core members, Paul, his wife Linda McCartney and band-member Denny Laine (along with recording engineer Geoff Emerick). Recorded in August and September of 1973 (with further work done at AIR Studios in London in October 1973), they persevered through a tumultuous, yet creatively invigorating 2 month recording process battling difficult studio conditions, oppressive heat and a dangerous mugging at knife point. The thieves made off with the demo tapes (among other valuables), forcing the band to record the entire album from memory.

Band on the Run marks the first release from the Paul McCartney Archive Collection and Paul McCartney personally supervised all aspects of the Band on the Run reissue. The remastering work was done at Abbey Road using the same team who recently remastered the complete Beatles’ catalog. This release is also the initial physical release of the recently announced agreement between McCartney’s MPL and Concord Music Group to globally market and distribute McCartney’s solo and Wings catalog.

Links:
Paul McCartney

Rusty Anderson: "Born On Earth" CD Review (Megaforce/RED)

DOWNLOAD: Rusty Anderson - "Where Would We Go"

I wish that I could claim that I was hip enough to have known who Rusty Anderson was prior to receiving a copy of his second CD but that wasn't the case. For those in a similar position, Anderson is probably best known as being Paul McCartney's lead guitarist. Going back a few years, Anderson was the guitarist in the band Animal Logic (which was made up of Anderson, Stewart Copeland and Stanley Clarke) and the post-grunge band Ednaswap (who originally penned "Torn" which was later covered by Natalie Imbruglia.) In addition to these starring roles, Anderson has played with a who's who list that ranges from Elton John to Miley Cyrus.

Anderson describes his sophomore disc, Born on Earth, as a loosely conceptual look at modern life and what it's like, as individuals and in communities, to be alive in this era and on our planet. Musically, the disc ranges from power-pop to mellow So. California rock. After listening to this disc, it is little surprise that Anderson has spent the better part of the last decade recording and touring with Macca as you can hear The Beatlesque/McCartney influence loud and clear.

Similar to artists like The Beatles and Steely Dan, Born on Earth benefits from a rich production where each instrument is clear and distinct in the mix. The song arrangements are also fairly complex and switch gears mid-stream on some occasions. A prime example is the lead-off title track which starts with orchestral strings before heading into Macca-style power pop but with a harder-edged guitar sound. This track is then followed by the dream-pop tune "Timed Exposure". While this is an easy disc to get comfortable with, there is enough gear-shifting to keep the listener engaged. Lyrically, Anderson's songs are mini vignettes which are predominately focused on love, loss and romantic fantasy.



As I'm preferential to the rockers on this disc, "Under A White Star" is one of the tracks that immediately caught my ear with its 60's style power pop sound.



Links:
Rusty Anderson

The Beatles - Digitally Remastered Catalogue Released Today

This is likely to be one of the biggest releases of the year -

The Beatles' catalogue has been digitally remastered (for the first time) and packaged with a replica of the original UK album art, which includes expanded booklets containing original and newly written liner notes and rare photos. For this initial release, each CD will also include a brief documentary film about the album. Adding to the flurry, new stereo and mono box set collections will also be released tomorrow.



The remastering process took place over a four year period at Abbey Road Studios in London.

"The re-mastering process commenced with an extensive period conducting tests before finally copying the analogue master tapes into the digital medium. When this was completed, the transfer was achieved using a Pro Tools workstation operating at 24 bit 192 kHz resolution via a Prism A-D converter. Transferring was a lengthy procedure done a track at a time. Although EMI tape does not suffer the oxide loss associated with some later analogue tapes, there was nevertheless a slight build up of dust, which was removed from the tape machine heads between each title.

From the onset, considerable thought was given to what audio restorative processes were going to be allowed. It was agreed that electrical clicks, microphone vocal pops, excessive sibilance and bad edits should be improved where possible, so long as it didn’t impact on the original integrity of the songs.

In addition, de-noising technology, which is often associated with re-mastering, was to be used, but subtly and sparingly. Eventually, less than five of the 525 minutes of Beatles music was subjected to this process. Finally, as is common with today’s music, overall limiting - to increase the volume level of the CD - has been used, but on the stereo versions only. However, it was unanimously agreed that because of the importance of The Beatles’ music, limiting would be used moderately, so as to retain the original dynamics of the recordings.

When all of the albums had been transferred, each song was then listened to several times to locate any of the agreed imperfections. These were then addressed by Guy Massey, working with Audio Restoration engineer Simon Gibson.

Mastering could now take place, once the earliest vinyl pressings, along with the existing CDs, were loaded into Pro Tools, thus allowing comparisons to be made with the original master tapes during the equalization process. When an album had been completed, it was auditioned the next day in studio three – a room familiar to the engineers, as all of the recent Beatles mixing projects had taken place in there – and any further alteration of EQ could be addressed back in the mastering room. Following the initial satisfaction of Guy and Steve, Allan Rouse and Mike Heatley then checked each new re-master in yet another location and offered any further suggestions. This continued until all 13 albums were completed to the team’s satisfaction."

The collection of remasters comprises all 12 Beatles albums, with track listings and artwork as originally released in the UK, along with the US version of Magical Mystery Tour. Rounding out the set, Past Masters Vol. I and II are now combined as one title, for a total of 14 titles over 16 discs. This release marks the first time that the first four Beatles albums will be available in stereo in their entirety on compact disc.

Links:
The Beatles

The Beatles - Rock Band Advance Coverage (Release Date: Sept. 9th)

I played The Beatles: Rock Band earlier today and the game completely surpassed all of my expectations. I can easily see this title winning numerous gaming awards.

A number of the game's features are currently under embargo but here is what I can tell you....

There are 45 songs available on the game disc and now 25 of these songs have been announced:

“I Saw Her Standing There”
“I Want To Hold Your Hand”
“I Feel Fine”
“Taxman”
“Day Tripper”
“Back In The USSR”
“I Am The Walrus”
“Octopus’s Garden”
“Here Comes The Sun”
“Get Back”
“Twist And Shout” (New)
“Do You Want To Know A Secret” (New)
“Can’t Buy Me Love” (New)
“I Wanna Be Your Man” (New)
“Eight Days A Week” (New)
“Paperback Writer” (New)
“And Your Bird Can Sing” (New)
“Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” (New)
“With a Little Help from My Friends” (New)
“Within You Without You / Tomorrow Never Knows* (New)
“Yellow Submarine” (New)
“Revolution” (New)
“Birthday” (New)
“Dig A Pony” (New)
“I’ve Got A Feeling” (New)

One of the cool new features in The Beatles: Rock Band is that you now have the ability to sing in three-part harmony. While The Beatles' vocals were recorded on a single stereo track, Rock Band provides you with "guide vocals" using keyboard tones. If you are singing harmonies, the guide vocals are "greyed out" where there is only a lead vocal. There is a robust training mode where you can practice any and all parts of the vocal lines of a song. The nice thing is that in story mode, the harmony vocals can only add to your score (they aren't destructive).

Check out the screen shots below!



I'll be able to release more details about the game as it gets closer to the launch date. In the interim, check out The Beatles: Rock Band web site.