Pure McCartney - How Pure Is It?

Pure McCartney: So pure, you might need a bit of Lennon, Harrison & Starkey afterwards. (Image: MPL)

The answer is, pretty bloody pure!

Paul has announced his new album...well....it's not really new as it's a compilation of 67 tracks of Macca's previously released material. From his debut solo album in 1970 right through to last year's 'Say Say Say' remix. All hand picked by Paul himself.

Why did Paul decide to do this? Here's a quote from him telling us... 

"Me and my team came up with the idea of putting together a collection of my recordings with nothing else in mind other than having something fun to listen to, maybe it's to be enjoyed on a long car journey or an evening at home or at a party with friends? So we got our heads together and came up with these diverse playlists from various periods of my long and winding career." 
Basically, Paul was at home one night in his pyjamas going through his songs on his computer, creating the ultimate playlist of his songs and he figured he'd turn it into an album. Why not, eh?

If you have all of McCartney's albums then you could probably create this one yourself. A few fans on social media have expressed disappointment that this was not a new body of work, some even were annoyed that there were no rare tracks and there's surprise that there is little from his late 80s period.

So, if you want to buy 'Pure McCartney' it's available to pre-order through his website and it will be fully released on the 10th June 2016. If you don't? Enjoy the albums!

Macca during sessions for Ram in NYC, 1971. (Image: MPL)

Still Beatles After All These Years.

A little mock up of what the cover of the Black Album might look like.

Listening to NPR this morning, they were talking about the recent film, Boyhood, and how Ethan Hawke's character gives his son this 3-CD compilation of solo Beatles work he titled, The Black Album.  Apparently Hawke did this in real life for his daughter and director, Richard Linklater decided to use the actual album Hawke complied in the film.  You can hear audio about how listening to each of these songs back to back, rather than an entire album of one Beatle's solo work, shows that they were "still" the Beatles, even after the Beatles.  Listen to the conversation here: https://www.wnyc.org/radio/#/ondemand/395332

Here's the track listing for the Black Album:

Disc 1:
1. Paul McCartney & Wings, “Band on the Run”
2. George Harrison, “My Sweet Lord”
3. John Lennon feat. The Flux Fiddlers & the Plastic Ono Band, “Jealous Guy”
4. Ringo Starr, “Photograph”
5. John Lennon, “How?”
6. Paul McCartney, “Every Night”
7. George Harrison, “Blow Away”
8. Paul McCartney, “Maybe I’m Amazed”
9. John Lennon, “Woman”
10.Paul McCartney & Wings, “Jet”
11. John Lennon, “Stand by Me”
12. Ringo Starr, “No No Song”
13. Paul McCartney, “Junk”
14. John Lennon, “Love”
15. Paul McCartney & Linda McCartney, “The Back Seat of My Car”
16. John Lennon, “Watching the Wheels”
17. John Lennon, “Mind Games”
18. Paul McCartney & Wings, “Bluebird”
19. John Lennon, “Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)”
20. George Harrison, “What Is Life”

Disc 2:
1. John Lennon, “God”
2. Wings, “Listen to What the Man Said”
3. John Lennon, “Crippled Inside”
4. Ringo Starr, “You’re Sixteen You’re Beautiful (And You’re Mine)”
5. Paul McCartney & Wings, “Let Me Roll It”
6. John Lennon & The Plastic Ono Band, “Power to the People”
7. Paul McCartney, “Another Day”
8. George Harrison, “If Not For You (2001 Digital Remaster)”
9. John Lennon, “(Just Like) Starting Over”
10. Wings, “Let ‘Em In”
11. John Lennon, “Mother”
12. Paul McCartney & Wings, “Helen Wheels”
13. John Lennon, “I Found Out”
14. Paul McCartney & Linda McCartney, “Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey”
15. John Lennon, Yoko Ono & The Plastic Ono Band, “Instant Karma! (We All Shine On)”
15. George Harrison, “Not Guilty (2004 Digital Remaster)”
16. Paul McCartney & Linda McCartney, “Heart of the Country”
17. John Lennon, “Oh Yoko!”
18. Wings, “Mull of Kintyre”
19. Ringo Starr, “It Don’t Come Easy”

Disc 3:
1. John Lennon, “Grow Old With Me (2010 Remaster)”
2. Wings, “Silly Love Songs”
3. The Beatles, “Real Love”
4. Paul McCartney & Wings, “My Love”
5. John Lennon, “Oh My Love”
6. George Harrison, “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)”
7. Paul McCartney, “Pipes of Peace”
8. John Lennon, “Imagine”
9. Paul McCartney, “Here Today”
10. George Harrison, “All Things Must Pass”
11. Paul McCartney, “And I Love Her (Live on MTV Unplugged)”

John Schaefer mentions how, in his opinion certain songs like John Lennon's "Whatever Gets You Through The Night" and George Harrison's "Living in the Material World" are obviously missing, but you obviously can't include ALL of each of their solo work.  That got me thinking: What would your perfect compilation album look like?  Which songs would you include?  Which would you leave out?  Why?  Which song should segue into which next song and why?  Really interesting to think about.
    

The Beatles Live At The BBC Volume 2

Coming almost 20 years after the release of the two CD compilation that comprised live recordings and interviews with the band at BBC studios all over Britain between 1962 and 1965, Apple is set to release The Beatles Live at the BBC Volume 2.

This is reported to have more unreleased material that the BBC have dug up from their archives and it was previously thought to be lost due to the narrow minded policy that the BBC had of wiping and re-using tapes. This policy was upheld in BBC television too and has resulted in the loss of many hours of material, including the Beatles and John Lennon's solo appearances on Juke Box Jury and the Beatles last live appearance on music show Top of The Pops in 1966. It is really quite despairing that, without the use of a DeLorean fitted with a flux capacitor, we will never get to see this wonderful material.

The reported cover art for the second volume of BBC recordings.

 The Beatles, due to the constant pressures of fame, touring and studio work stopped giving live radio appearances on the BBC in 1965, despite promises from Brian Epstein, their manager, that they would continue. As their worldwide fame increased, radio was something that they had outgrown and didn't need anymore.

But at least the BBC have found something that we can at least listen to and I for one am looking forward to hearing some wonderful unreleased material that has been gathering dust all these years. Along with the new CD will be a book 'The Beatles: The BBC Archives: 1962-70' written by Kevin Howlett, who has authored two other books about the Beatles at the British Broadcasting Corporation.

The Beatles Live at the BBC Volume 2 goes on sale October 10th.