Listen To What The Man Said: “Pure McCartney” Career-Spanning Box Arrives In June

Pure McCartneyPaul McCartney has just announced a new, solo career-spanning anthology.  On June 10, Pure McCartney will arrive in 4-CD (67 tracks), 4-LP (41 tracks) and 2-CD (39 tracks) formats.  This non-chronologically sequenced compilation draws on solo and Wings material from 1970’s homemade McCartney through 2014’s “Hope for the Future,” featured on the Destiny video game.  The collection, curated by the legendary artist, includes both familiar hits and lesser-known album tracks as well as material from Macca’s side project The Fireman, and the 2015 remix of “Say Say Say” initially presented on a Record Store Day release.

Below, you’ll find the full press release for Pure McCartney as well as the tracklisting and pre-order links!

PRESS RELEASE – Paul McCartney and his music need no introduction. Together with three of his friends, he changed the cultural landscape forever.

And Paul’s accomplishments since then as a member of Wings and a solo artist make for a staggering body of work that stands proudly alongside those eight sensational years with The Beatles.

Pure McCartney, a new compilation of his solo, Wings and Fireman work, celebrates that fact, showcasing 67 highlights from one of the most-revered catalogues in music – from McCartney in 1970, his debut solo album, right through to “Hope for the Future”, his 2014 track taken from Destiny, the most-anticipated video game of the last decade. Not only is Pure McCartney a monumental mixtape of some of popular music’s most memorable moments from 1970 to the present day, it also features curios for the superfans and some of Paul’s personal favorites–all handpicked by the man himself..

“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,” Paul says of this project.

“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.”

As a songwriter Paul has never stood still, dipping his toe in countless genres and styles. Pure McCartney is testament to that fact. From the songwriting masterclass of “Maybe I’m Amazed” and adventurous, three-songs-in-one of “Band On The Run” to the irresistible groove of “Say Say Say” and ahead-of-its-time electronica of “Temporary Secretary”, described by NME when compiling a list of the greatest ever songs as “not so much ahead of its time, but out of it altogether”, Pure McCartney charts the unstoppable adventures of McCartney’s unique and eclectic songwriting talents and shines a light on his post-Beatles artistic achievements.

“The word ‘career’ is a bit misleading because to me it has been more like a musical adventure than a proper job,” says Paul, reflecting on the Pure McCartney tracklisting. “It pleases me, and often amazes me, that I’ve been involved in the writing and recording of so many songs, each of them so different from the others.”

Paul’s unparalleled career has seen his music break global chart records, win countless awards, fill stadiums around the world and become the soundtrack to millions of people’s lives across generations.

You can pre-order Pure McCartney, due on June 10 from MPL/Concord, at the links below!

Paul McCartney, Pure McCartney (4 CD Box) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

CD 1

  1. Maybe I’m Amazed
  2. Heart Of The Country
  3. Jet
  4. Warm And Beautiful
  5. Listen To What The Man Said
  6. Dear Boy
  7. Silly Love Songs
  8. The Song We Were Singing
  9. Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey
  10. Early Days
  11. Big Barn Bed
  12. Another Day
  13. Flaming Pie
  14. Jenny Wren
  15. Too Many People
  16. Let Me Roll It
  17. New

CD 2

  1. Live and Let Die
  2. English Tea
  3. Mull of Kintyre
  4. Save Us
  5. My Love
  6. Bip Bop
  7. Let ‘Em In
  8. Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five
  9. Calico Skies
  10. Hi, Hi, Hi
  11. Waterfalls
  12. Band on the Run
  13. Appreciate
  14. Sing The Changes
  15. Arrow Through Me
  16. Every Night
  17. Junior’s Farm
  18. Mrs Vandebilt

CD 3

  1. Say Say Say [2015 Remix]
  2. My Valentine
  3. Pipes of Peace
  4. The World Tonight
  5. Souvenir
  6. Dance Tonight
  7. Ebony and Ivory
  8. Fine Line
  9. Here Today
  10. Press
  11. Wanderlust
  12. Winedark Open Sea
  13. Beautiful Night
  14. Girlfriend
  15. Queenie Eye
  16. We All Stand Together

CD 4

  1. Coming Up
  2. Too Much Rain
  3. Good Times Coming/Feel the Sun
  4. Goodnight Tonight
  5. Baby’s Request
  6. With a Little Luck
  7. Little Willow
  8. Only Mama Knows
  9. Don’t Let it Bring You Down
  10. The Back Seat Of My Car
  11. No More Lonely Nights
  12. Great Day
  13. Venus and Mars/Rock Show
  14. Temporary Secretary
  15. Hope For The Future
  16. Junk

Pure McCartney (2 CDs) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

CD 1

  1. Maybe I’m Amazed
  2. Heart Of The Country
  3. Jet
  4. Warm And Beautiful
  5. Listen To What The Man Said
  6. Dear Boy
  7. Silly Love Songs
  8. The Song We Were Singing
  9. Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey
  10. Another Day
  11. Sing The Changes
  12. Jenny Wren
  13. Save Us
  14. Mrs Vandebilt
  15. Mull of Kintyre
  16. Let ‘Em In
  17. Let Me Roll It
  18. Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five
  19. Ebony and Ivory

CD 2

  1. Band on the Run
  2. Arrow Through Me
  3. My Love
  4. Live and Let Die
  5. Too Much Rain
  6. Goodnight Tonight
  7. Say Say Say [2015 Remix]
  8. My Valentine
  9. The World Tonight
  10. Pipes of Peace
  11. Dance Tonight
  12. Here Today
  13. Wanderlust
  14. Great Day
  15. Coming Up
  16. No More Lonely Nights
  17. Only Mama Knows
  18. With a Little Luck
  19. Hope For The Future
  20. Junk

Pure McCartney (4 Vinyl LPs) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

A1

  1. Maybe I’m Amazed
  2. Heart Of The Country
  3. Jet
  4. Warm And Beautiful
  5. Listen To What The Man Said
  6. Dear Boy

A2

  1. Silly Love Songs
  2. The Song We Were Singing
  3. Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey
  4. Another Day
  5. New

B1

  1. Mull of Kintyre
  2. Sing The Changes
  3. Jenny Wren
  4. Mrs Vandebilt
  5. Save Us

B2

  1. Let ‘Em In
  2. Let Me Roll It
  3. Ebony and Ivory
  4. Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five

C1

  1. Band on the Run
  2. Arrow Through Me
  3. My Love
  4. Live and Let Die
  5. Too Much Rain

C2

  1. Say Say Say [2015 Remix]
  2. My Valentine
  3. Goodnight Tonight
  4. The World Tonight
  5. Pipes of Peace

D1

  1. Dance Tonight
  2. Here Today
  3. Wanderlust
  4. Great Day
  5. Coming Up
  6. No More Lonely Nights

D2

  1. Too Many People
  2. Only Mama Knows
  3. With a Little Luck
  4. Hope For The Future
  5. Junk
Categories:
Joe Marchese
Joe Marchese

JOE MARCHESE (Editor) joined The Second Disc shortly after its launch in early 2010, and has since penned daily news and reviews about classic music of all genres. In 2015, Joe formed the Second Disc Records label. Celebrating the great songwriters, producers and artists who created the sound of American popular song and beyond, Second Disc Records, in conjunction with labels including Real Gone Music and Cherry Red Records, has released newly-curated collections produced and annotated by Joe from iconic artists such as Dionne Warwick, Diana Ross and The Supremes, Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, The Spinners, Johnny Mathis, Bobby Darin, Meat Loaf, Laura Nyro, Melissa Manchester, Liza Minnelli, Darlene Love, Al Stewart, Michael Nesmith, and many others.

Joe has written liner notes, produced, or contributed to over 200 reissues from a diverse array of artists, among them America, JD Souther, Nat "King" Cole, Paul Williams, Lesley Gore, Dusty Springfield, BJ Thomas, The 5th Dimension, Burt Bacharach, The Mamas and the Papas, Carpenters, Perry Como, Rod McKuen, Doris Day, Jackie DeShannon, Petula Clark, Robert Goulet, and Andy Williams.

Over the past two decades, Joe has also worked in a variety of capacities on and off Broadway as well as at some of the premier theatres in the U.S., including Lincoln Center Theater, George Street Playhouse, Paper Mill Playhouse, Long Wharf Theatre, and the York Theatre Company. He has felt privileged to work on productions alongside artists such as the late Jack Klugman, Eli Wallach, Arthur Laurents, Betty Comden and Adolph Green. In 2009, Joe began contributing theatre and music reviews to the print publication The Sondheim Review, and in 2012, he joined the staff of The Digital Bits as a regular contributor writing about film and television on DVD and Blu-ray.

Joe currently resides in the suburbs of New York City.

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19 thoughts on “Listen To What The Man Said: “Pure McCartney” Career-Spanning Box Arrives In June”

  1. Cool release – love the cover! Nice to see so many tracks plucked from ’97s “Flaming Pie” – “Calico Skies” is one of his most gorgeous “ditties”. Great “Arrow Through Me” is getting some love – now we just need the single mix of “Getting Closer” (no fade!) and we’re good!

  2. The omission of material from “Flowers in the Dirt” and “Driving Rain” is inexcusable. Eight songs from “Flaming Pie,” but they can’t provide a well-rounded mix with “Lonely Road,” “My Brace Face,” “Distractions,” “This One,” or “Hope of Deliverance”? I understand we have 4 discs to cover 46 years of a solo career, but totally ignoring such material leaves a big hole and makes this feel woefully incomplete.

    1. It may mean that that the Archive collection is already done, and that we won’t even get “Flowers in The Dirt”.

      The people who want a Greatest Hits collection don’t buy 4-CD sets, and the people that do buy 4-CD sets want some archival material and rarities.

      If you fans want McCartney to capitulate and hand over the “Flowers in The Dirt” boxed set, then we must ensure that the “Pure McCartney” hits collection becomes an utter commercial failure.

      McCartney and his management are totally out of touch with fan sentiment. I say Boycott the 4-CD hits set.

      1. Philip, Flowers in the Dirt is coming. I know this fortunately from the label as recently as yesterday. I can’t say more, but it’s an inaccurate assessment… though this collection may seem “out of the blue” the exact REASON no rarities are released is because the vault releases continue. It was simply time to remind people of McCartney “En Total” – minus The Beatles, of course. It’s just another set… relax.

  3. Cynic I may be, but could the absence of any tracks from “Flowers in the Dirt” be intentional, due to its upcoming release as an archive edition? The omission of “My Brave Face”, in particular, is glaring.

    For that matter, where the heck is “Take It Away”? Or how about something from the vaults never before released? Seriously, unless the mastering on this is revelatory, it may be the first Macca set I pass on in decades. I just can’t grasp what the actual point of this collection is.

  4. I always loved “My Brave Face” and “This One” – and of course they are not here………these were probably the two last songs of his that got decent radio airplay……..

  5. I agree with those disappointed with the omissions in this set. It is unforgivable to have left out My Brave Face and This One. 8 tracks from Flaming Pie? Most, if not all McCartney fans have that full CD in their collections already so what is the point of including so many tracks from that album? I too wish the single mix of Getting Closer was going to be included. Also, which version of Coming Up is in this set, the Live at Glasgow or the studio version? That said, there is still enough here to excite me and I will be buying the 4 CD set!

  6. Personally I have more of a problem with what ended in it, rather than with what was left out (it is an anthology after all, you’re going to leave things out).
    I’m might have considered this if it DIDN’T include thing like Ebony and Ivory, Pipes of Peace, Lonely Nights. It’s very much a mixed bag, there’s some daring chioces, and some very lame choices.
    I agree about the cover, it’s beautiful.

  7. I don’t really care if there is an impending “Flowers in the Dirt” release in the tank, that is NOT an excuse to leave at least “My Brave Face” off of a Macca career retrospective. I understand those that are saying this is not a greatest hits…but it IS a retrospective, and every album should be represented in one way or another, IMO.

    Happy to see “Arrow Through Me” get some love, finally. Hadn’t noticed the absence of “Take it Away”…that’s another big error.

    If I find this on the cheap, I’ll pick it up. Definitely not a Day 1 purchase for me. I’ll be sticking with Wingspan…

  8. I don’t understand what all the griping is about. Unless I misunderstand the press release, this isn’t supposed to be a career-spanning “best of” – it’s a set of fun mixes that Macca put together.

    So, while it’s surprising that ‘Flowers in the Dirt’ isn’t represented, given the sheer number of terrific tracks on it, contextually, it’s not as glaring an omission as some people seem to think.

    Maybe Macca just doesn’t dig that era of his career, for some reason? oO

    1. I’m not sure exactly what you mean by “fun mixes”. There’s nothing new in terms of songs and/or mixes here. Everything’s already been released (multiple times in most cases).

      1. I based myself on the Macca quote in the article above:

        “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.”

        Maybe I should have put “fun” in quotes?

        1. maybe “mixes”, in quote… 😉 …since no one has talked about mixes and in fact there’s no new mix here 🙂
          cheers

  9. Brad Skistimas

    Might have to get this on vinyl just for the cover. I don’t care what’s in it, mainly because I already have it all and (for me personally) any McCartney is good McCartney. That being said, I’m not a huge fan of jumping from a 1970s track to a 2000s track. I would prefer chronological order, or even reverse chronological, just so there’s some form. However, these days it’s all about Spotify playlists and Artist themed radio stations, which I think is what this will feel like when listening top to bottom.

    …man, what a revolutionary idea, a physical format Spotify playlist! 😛

  10. Whiterook1963

    At this point, I’d just be happy with a comprehensive singles anthology, and a nice rarities set. I’ve given up hope of getting the box set that Sir Paul and the fans deserve. . This collection doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me, and a lot of others folks as well it seems. But it does to Sir Paul, apparently.

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