Paul McCartney is back on the road again! Last night, he kicked off the North American leg of his Freshen Up tour, with dates currently scheduled through July 13. This morning, the legendary artist announced a look back at his past live performances with four new titles: reissues of Wings Over America, Choba B CCCP, and Paul Is Live, plus the world premiere of the complete Amoeba Gig. All four albums will be released on July 12 from MPL/Capitol/UMe in digital formats, on CD, and on both black and limited edition color vinyl.
The following descriptions have been provided by Macca:
Amoeba Gig:
Amoeba Gig is the first full length commercial release of Paul's surprise free concert at Hollywood's Amoeba Music on June 27, 2007. To date only four songs have seen wide release as the Amoeba's Secret EP, two of which were nominated for Grammy Awards in 2008: "That Was Me" for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance and "I Saw Her Standing There" for Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance. A few years later in November 2012, an extended 12-song excerpt of the Amoeba show titled Live in Los Angeles - The Extended Set was made available free to PaulMcCartney.com premium members for a limited period. And come July 12, 2019, a full 21-song recording documenting possibly the most intimate L.A. show Paul has ever played will be made available to the public for the first time. The millions of people not among the luckier than lucky few hundred rubbing elbows with the likes of Ringo Starr and Woody Harrelson during that once in a lifetime in-store set will be able to experience those performances of Beatles classics "The Long And Winding Road," "I'll Follow The Sun" and "I've Got A Feeling," Flaming Pie's "Calico Skies," plus Carl Perkins' "Matchbox," Jan Garber's "Baby Face" and an emotional rendition of "Here Today." Additionally, the LP will include an exclusive soundcheck recording of "Coming Up."
Amoeba Gig has been newly remixed by Paul's engineer Steve Orchard and will be available in configurations including CD, 2 x 180g black vinyl, and limited edition color vinyl (LP1 - clear, LP2 - hazy amber transparent).
Paul Is Live:
Recorded during the U.S. and Australian swings of the tour in support of 1993's Off The Ground, Paul Is Live is Paul's fifth live album. Originally released that same year, the album is famous for the multiple meanings and clues embedded in its title and cover art, all of which play on the "Paul Is Dead" conspiracy/hoax. In addition to a wealth of Wings and Beatles classics, covers of Roy Brown's "Good Rockin' Tonight" and Leiber and Stoller's "Kansas City" and more, Paul Is Live also offers a peek behind the curtain: Three songs improvised on the spot and exclusive to the album, all recorded during rehearsals in various locations over the course of the tour.
Paul Is Live has been newly remastered at Abbey Road Studios and will be available in configurations including CD, 2 x 180g black vinyl, and limited edition color vinyl (LP1 - opaque baby blue, LP2 - plush peach white opaque).
Choba B CCCP:
The live-in-studio Choba B CCCP (Russian for "Back In The USSR") was released in the Soviet Union in 1988, making Paul the first Western artist to issue an album exclusively for that market. In a conscious decision to get back to his roots, Paul spontaneously spent two days covering his favorite hits from the 1950s. The sessions produced 22 songs in total (and one of the outtakes being a version of The Beatles' "I Saw Her Standing There"). Choba B CCCP was a deeply personal album and a way to acknowledge fans who had supported him and The Beatles since the start. "When I was very young I asked my dad if people wanted peace," Paul explained at the time. "He said to me, 'Yes, people everywhere want peace - it's usually politicians that cause trouble.' It always seemed to me that the way The Beatles' music was admired in the USSR tended to prove his point, that people the world over have a great deal in common. In releasing this record exclusively in the Soviet Union, I extend the hand of peace and friendship to the people of Russia." Choba B CCCP was released in the rest of the world following the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union.
Choba B CCCP has been newly remastered at Abbey Road Studios and will be reissued as the original 11-track Russian release. It will be available in configurations including CD, 180g black vinyl, and limited edition opaque yellow vinyl.
Wings Over America:
Rare No. 1-charting triple live album, Wings Over America is a document of one the most sophisticated and dazzling rock shows of the 1970s or any decade. Paul and the band would eventually perform to more than 600,000 people at 31 shows in the US and Canada, ending with three historic nights at The Forum in Los Angeles. It's no exaggeration to say that the excitement that greeted Paul McCartney & Wings (Linda McCartney, Joe English, Denny Laine and Jimmy McCulloch) in the spring of 1976 as they embarked on what would become their one and only North American tour was overwhelming. Having released four consecutive chart-topping albums -- Red Rose Speedway, Band on the Run, Venus and Mars and At The Speed Of Sound - not to mention 1973's Academy Award-winning James Bond theme "Live and Let Die" - Wings' career was in full flight... and as Paul's first U.S. tour since The Beatles, the sheer joy of both the band and its fans were off the charts throughout the 90 hours of recordings distilled into this triple album. Wings Over America was last reissued in 2013 as part of the Paul McCartney Archive Collection series winning the Grammy Award for Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package.
Wings Over America will be available in configurations including double CD, 3 x 180g triple vinyl, and limited edition color vinyl (LP1 - transparent red, LP2 - transparent green, LP3 - transparent blue) and both come with original souvenir poster.
All four titles are available on July 12 from MPL/Capitol/UMe! You'll find track listings and pre-order links below!
Paul McCartney, Amoeba Gig (MPL/Capitol/UMe, 2019)
CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Links TBD
- Drive My Car
- Only Mama Knows
- Dance Tonight
- C Moon
- The Long And Winding Road
- I'll Follow The Sun
- Calico Skies
- That Was Me
- Blackbird
- Here Today
- Back In The USSR
- Nod Your Head
- House Of Wax
- I've Got A Feeling
- Matchbox
- Get Back
- Baby Face
- Hey Jude
- Let It Be
- Lady Madonna
- I Saw Her Standing There
LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Link TBD
Side A:
- Drive My Car
- Only Mama Knows
- Dance Tonight
- C Moon
- The Long And Winding Road
- I'll Follow The Sun
Side B:
- Calico Skies
- That Was Me
- Blackbird
- Here Today
- Back In The USSR
- Nod Your Head
Side C:
- House Of Wax
- I've Got A Feeling
- Matchbox
- Get Back
Side D:
- Baby Face
- Hey Jude
- Let It Be
- Lady Madonna
- I Saw Her Standing There
- Coming Up [Soundcheck] (Exclusive to LP)
Paul McCartney, Paul Is Live (Parlophone CDPCSD147, 1993 - reissued MPL/Capitol/UMe, 2019)
CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Links TBD
- Drive My Car
- Let Me Roll It
- Looking For Changes
- Peace In The Neighbourhood
- All My Loving
- Robbie's Bit (Thanks Chet)
- Good Rockin' Tonight
- We Can Work It Out
- Hope Of Deliverance
- Michelle
- Biker Like An Icon
- Here, There And Everywhere
- My Love
- Magical Mystery Tour
- C'mon People
- Lady Madonna
- Paperback Writer
- Penny Lane
- Live And Let Die
- Kansas City
- Welcome To Soundcheck (link)
- Hotel In Benidorm (soundcheck)
- I Wanna Be Your Man (soundcheck)
- A Fine Day (soundcheck)
LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Link TBD
Side 1:
- Drive My Car
- Let Me Roll It
- Looking For Changes
- Peace In The Neighbourhood
- All My Loving
- Robbie's Bit (Thanks Chet)
Side 2:
- Good Rockin' Tonight
- We Can Work It Out
- Hope Of Deliverance
- Michelle
- Biker Like An Icon
- Here, There And Everywhere
- My Love
Side 3:
- Magical Mystery Tour
- C'mon People
- Lady Madonna
- Paperback Writer
- Penny Lane
- Live And Let Die
Side 4:
- Kansas City
- Welcome To Soundcheck (link)
- Hotel In Benidorm (soundcheck)
- I Wanna Be Your Man (soundcheck)
- A Fine Day (soundcheck)
Paul McCartney, Choba B CCCP (Original Russian release, 1998 - reissued MPL/Capitol/UMe, 2019)
CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Link TBD
- Kansas City
- Twenty Flight Rock
- Lawdy, Miss Clawdy
- Bring It On Home To Me
- Lucille
- Don't Get Around Much Anymore
- That's All Right (Mama)
- Ain't That A Shame
- Crackin' Up
- Just Because
- Midnight Special
LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Link TBD
Side 1:
- Kansas City
- Twenty Flight Rock
- Lawdy, Miss Clawdy
- Bring It On Home To Me
- Lucille
- Don't Get Around Much Anymore
Side 2:
- That's All Right (Mama)
- Ain't That A Shame
- Crackin' Up
- Just Because
- Midnight Special
Wings, Wings Over America (MPL PCSP 720, 1976 - reissued MPL/Capitol/UMe, 2019)
CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Link TBD
CD 1:
- Venus And Mars / Rock Show / Jet
- Let Me Roll It
- Spirits Of Ancient Egypt
- Medicine Jar
- Maybe I'm Amazed
- Call Me Back Again
- Lady Madonna
- The Long And Winding Road
- Live And Let Die
- Picasso's Last Words
- Richard Cory
- Bluebird
- I've Just Seen A Face
- Blackbird
- Yesterday
CD 2:
- You Gave Me The Answer
- Magneto And Titanium Man
- Go Now
- My Love
- Listen To What The Man Said
- Let 'Em In
- Time To Hide
- Silly Love Songs
- Beware My Love
- Letting Go
- Band On The Run
- Hi, Hi, Hi
- Soily
LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Link TBD
Side 1:
- Venus And Mars / Rock Show / Jet
- Let Me Roll It
- Spirits Of Ancient Egypt
- Medicine Jar
Side 2:
- Maybe I'm Amazed
- Call Me Back Again
- Lady Madonna
- The Long And Winding Road
- Live And Let Die
Side 3:
- Picasso's Last Words
- Richard Cory
- Bluebird
- I've Just Seen A Face
- Blackbird
- Yesterday
Side 4:
- You Gave Me The Answer
- Magneto And Titanium Man
- Go Now
- My Love
- Listen To What The Man Said
Side 5:
- Let 'Em In
- Time To Hide
- Silly Love Songs
- Beware My Love
Side 6:
- Letting Go
- Band On The Run
- Hi, Hi, Hi
- Soily
RichD says
No bonus tracks on any of the 4.......unbelievable.......man does McCartney know how to milk his fans.....
Sam Stone says
I agree it would have been nice to see some bonus material on The Russian Album, Paul Is Live, or Wings Over America, but I'm glad that they've included all those extra tracks from the Amoeba gig which are making their first appearance ever. Only four tracks from that show have ever been released on physical media, so those 17 extra songs are most welcome!
Shaun says
The Amoeba gig!
I’ve had the iTunes tracks for ages, but having the full show released is awesome! Definitely in for that one.
The others? Already have Choba and WOA. Never did get Paul Is Live... I’ll think about it, but the Off the Ground songs left me underwhelmed both then and now. No bonus tracks on any of those.
But Amoeba. That one’s a treat!
Ernie (Not Bert) says
Tripping the Live Fantastic???
Bill says
It will be interesting to see how "improved" these new versions are soundwise. The original releases sounded pretty good as is. Wings Over America was re-released in 2013, I can't see how it is much of an improvement. The Amoeba gig is the only one of interest.
Joe Marchese says
Based on the information above, it appears that WINGS OVER AMERICA is *not* being remastered (having already been remastered for the Archive set). CHOBA and PAUL IS LIVE, however, have been newly remastered for these editions.
Dave says
Shaun already said what I was thinking... I've got Choba and WOC, and have zero interest in Paul Is Live. (Used to own it; looks like I no longer do.) I could possibly go for the Amoeba set.
But jeez, Paul... don'tcha think it might be nice to get the rest of the Archive editions out before starting to reissue them YET AGAIN???
Brendan Cooke says
The Amoeba gig is the only one I would buy right now. It’s a great release. With no extra tracks, WOA is rather superfluous. The 1991 CD of CCCP had 14 tracks (omitted a song on Last Temptation of Elvis, It’s Now Or Never which could have been added) so this is a real dud. Paul is really bleeding his ageing fans of their money with this release. I bought his last bundle but this time it’s a big No!
Greg Dabelstein says
I can’t believe his best live set, Tripping The Live Fantastic, is not included in this. I wonder what the issue is with that?
Zubb says
CD Japan has these in Mini LP CD packaging. Wings Over America in the tri-gate fold cover replicating the original UK first pressing LP design. Also comes with the poster, booklet and lyrics. Does anyone know if this is how it is being issued everywhere or is this packaging exclusive to the Japanese market?
Joe Marchese says
My understanding is that the cardboard sleeve packaging is unique to Japan, but we will confirm as soon as possible.
Michael C. Marchese says
I see Wings Over America is not a new remaster but the one previously used for the 2013 reissue. I already have that with bonus Cow Palace disc. This does seem very redundant