News

Way back in February, our pals at MusicTAP passed along the news that Hear Music would continue Paul McCartney’s catalogue reissue series on May 24 with three new titles, 1999’s Run Devil Run, 2001’s Driving Rain, and 2005’s Chaos and Creation in The Back Yard. This trio will arrive in advance of the June 7 deluxe reissues of McCartney (1970) and McCartney II (1980). Both of those titles are part of The Paul McCartney Archive Collection and will contain extensive bonus material similar to last year’s reissue of 1973’s classic Band on the Run. Now, pre-order links have finally arrived confirming the May reissue of the three late-period Macca titles.

Amazon U.S. is currently showing the titles as imports (with a release date, as per Amazon’s usual, of one week later domestically) but it’s highly likely that this designation is in error, and the three Hear Music reissues will indeed hit stores in the U.S. on May 24. Although there are certainly enough B-sides, interview tracks and additional material to justify expansion (and perhaps that will be addressed down the road), these will be straight reissues of the past EMI releases which were on the Capitol label in the U.S.   It’s hard to be certain whether McCartney would wish to spend much time revisiting Driving Rain (with its ode to “the queen of my heart, Heather”) but the back-to-the-Cavern rock-and-roll sound of Run Devil Run resulted in one of the most easily-underestimated albums in the McCartney catalogue. Chaos is marked by some of the composer’s most felicitous melodies in years, expertly produced by Nigel Godrich.

In the meantime, hit the jump for track listings and pre-order information, won’t you?

Paul McCartney, Run Devil Run (Capitol/MPL CDP 7243 5 22351 2 4, 1999 – reissued Concord/Hear Music, 2011)

1. Blue Jean Bop
2. She Said Yeah
3. All Shook Up
4. Run Devil Run
5. No Other Baby
6. Lonesome Town
7. Try Not to Cry
8. Movie Magg
9. Brown Eyed Handsome Man
10. What It Is
11. Coquette
12. I Got Stung
13. Honey Hush
14. Shake a Hand
15. Party

Paul McCartney, Driving Rain (Capitol/MPL CDP 7243 5 35510 2 5, 2001 – reissued Concord/Hear Music, 2011)

1. Lonely Road
2. From a Lover to a Friend
3. She’s Given Up Talking
4. Driving Rain
5. I Do
6. Tiny Bubble
7. Magic
8. Your Way
9. Spinning on an Axis
10. About You
11. Heather
12. Back in the Sunshine Again
13. Your Loving Flame
14. Riding Into Jaipur
15. Rinse the Raindrops
16. Freedom

Paul McCartney, Chaos and Creation in the Backyard (Capitol/MPL CDP 0946 3 38304 2 4, 2005 – reissued Concord/Hear Music, 2011)

1. Fine Line
2. How Kind of You
3. Jenny Wren
4. At the Mercy
5. Friends to Go
6. English Tea
7. Too Much Rain
8. A Certain Softness
9. Riding to Vanity Fair
10. Follow Me
11. Promise to You Girl
12. This Never Happened Before
13. Anyway