Tag Archives: Paul McCartney

yellowsubmarine.com (Plus a Few Other Things)

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I’ve been a bit slow in telling you about some of the supporting websites and background info around two of the latest Beatle-related releases – Paul McCartney’s “Ram” reissues, and “Yellow Submarine” which is now out on BluRay, DVD and CD.

So, here’s a bit of a catch-up:

(click on the image to go there)

On the Yellow Submarine site there is a wealth of interactive material like photos, games, movie dialogue, sounds and “making of” videos. Well worth a look.

There’s also a range of great things out on the web now about the reissue of Paul McCartney’s “Ram” album:

Paul’s people certainly have been busy in producing supporting web content for “Ram” with not one but two dedicated websites:

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In the Deluxe Box set of “Ram” you also get the 1977 orchestral/instrumental version of “Ram” that Paul put out under the pseudonym of Percy “Thrills” Thrillington:

(click on the image to go there)

There’s also a very interesting and insightful interview with McCartney by Paul Draper from the band Mansun. It’s not only about “Ram” but a wide range of other things. One great example is Paul talking about his early influences as a songwriter:

What I take the influence back to was A Teenage Opera. That was a very early record in the late 60s, by Keith West… it was his only, like, big hit. That was episodic, there was a bit and it went ‘buh-buh-bum’, then it went there, and there, and there [Sir Paul makes some stacking gestures with his hands]. I think that was the first record I heard, and we heard, and we thought ‘that’s interesting’. You can have a song here, then you can cut like a film to another song, and you can even cut the tempo and go slow and so on. That was really the one that was the biggest influence, and then lots of people started doing it. We’d do it a bit, prog-rock did it, Townshend started doing it a bit, The Who opera and all that. I think it was just that one record that made you realise that it didn’t have to be the same tempo or the same key all the way through, you could cut like a film.

You can read Part One here, and Part Two here. There are links to musical examples given throughout.

Finally, one cute little “Ram” publicity item – a “Ewe-Tube Map” – based on the London Underground train network:

(click for a larger version)

Oh, and this kind person has added a “Ram” Deluxe Edition “unboxing” video to YouTube:

“The Fireman” – One More Packaging Variation

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When I published a blog about all the different variations of Paul McCartney’s 2008 Fireman project “Electric Arguments” I thought I’d covered off just about everything….

Seems not because I’ve just received this variation which I’d never seen before – it comes in a clear plastic jewel case:

The standard single-disc CD in most major markets (e.g. the US, UK, and Japan) came out in a cardboard digipac cover. For example, here’s the Japanese cover (front and rear):

However, the seller I got the jewel case variation from was from Italy, and so I thought there might be a chance that is was unique to that country. Perhaps it is – but there’s nothing printed in this plastic jewel case version on either the booklet or the tray insert to say “Made in Italy”:

It all looks very generic inside and out and so this version of the packaging may also have turned up in other markets outside Italy. If you know anything about it then let us know too.

The CD itself is pressed in the UK and it is on the One Little Indian label:

Compare this to the original One Little Indian UK version from 2008:

If anyone knows anything more about it please use the comments box below.

Maybe it’s a lower cost version released more recently? I say this because the booklet is just 15 pages of photographs compared to the original release booklets which were very thick by CD booklet standards – they’ve got 46 pages. Here is the 15 page booklet from the jewel case version:

And here’s the cover of the 46 page booklet include in the original digipac editions from 2008:

The jewel case format therefore means that this cover of the booklet is unique. The black square with the album title, etc. and those coloured circles which look like stickers are actually printed onto the paper. On the original US and UK digipacs these were on a large clear plastic sticker attached to the outside of the shrink-wrap around the cardboard cover. You can see that here:

While I was trawling the web for photographs to help illustrate all the extensive variations McCartney produced for this project I came across what looks like one further intriguing packaging variation. It’s this one:

As you can see, it looks like a cardboard sleeve with a kind of folding envelope top where the CD is kept. If anyone also knows about the origins of this one let us know. Maybe it is a limited promo cover, or a prototype that never went into production?

McCartney’s “Ram” Deluxe – What’s Inside

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The forthcoming deluxe re-issue of Paul McCartney’s “Ram” [21st May (UK)/ 22nd May (USA/Rest Of World)] will be very different in the way it is packaged compared to the three previous deluxe reissues in the Archive series.

Another (Record Store) Day – McCartney

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This week (on Saturday) we once again celebrate the importance of independent record stores around the world. And once again there’s some Beatle-related treasure for collectors. Not as significant as the last Beatle release as part of Record Store Day’s Black Friday editions last year, however still collectable. This time there’s a Paul McCartney 45 on offer. It comes in the lead up to the numerous special McCartney Archive editions of “Ram” in May.

MPL/Hear Music/Concord are releasing a limited edition (just 2000 copies) of the 1971 single “Another Day/Oh Woman Oh Why“:

The Record Store Day site says: “A classic Paul McCartney vinyl single reissue manufactured exclusively for Record Store Day! “Another Day” was originally recorded in 1970, during the sessions for the album Ram. It was the first single of his solo career. It was originally released February 19, 1971 with “Oh Woman, Oh Why” as the B-side. Upon its release “Another Day”/”Oh Woman, Oh Why” reportedly sold over a million copies worldwide. It was a number one hit in France and Australia, in the U.K. it reached number two, in the U.S. it reached number five. This exclusive reissue single is taken from the forthcoming Paul McCartney Archive Collection edition of Ram coming this spring!”

You can read more about it here on the excellent Second Disc blog.

And it all leads to the next significant installment in the Archive Series – “Ram”. The Second Disc also has some info on this forthcoming release.

McCartney stated: “Ladies and gentlemen, this is an album from a long, long time ago, when the world was different. This is an album that is part of my history…it goes back to the wee hills of Scotland where it was formed. It’s an album called Ram. It reminds me of my hippie days and the free attitude with which was created. I hope you’re going to like it, because I do!”

There have been some great Beatles collectables associated with previous Records Store Days. I’ve already mentioned last year’s Beatles singles box; in 2010 there was a special re-issue of  Harrison’s “All Things Must Pass“; there was another McCartney limited edition single released as part of the McCartney Archive Series; there was also the Beatles “Paperback Writer“; and of course the great Lennon Singles Bag.


Not One But Three New Videos of “My Valentine”

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That’s right. Three new videos. You’re probably familiar with this, the first official release made during the photo shoot for the cover of “Kisses on the Bottom“:

But yesterday Paul McCartney launched not one, but three new versions of a video he directed himself of his song “My Valentine’. They each feature Natalie Portman and Johnny Depp. The first has both actors presenting the song using sign language:

Then there are two version variations – one with just Natalie Portman on her own:

The other has just Johnny Depp on his own:

If I’m not mistaken, that sounds like a slightly different guitar solo. Could it be Johnny Depp actually playing guitar? He’s a keen player.

The Mail Online has a feature on the making of the videos.

UPDATE:  paulmccartney.com has just issued a press release with more details about the new videos – which are based on an original idea by Paul’s daughter Stella McCartney and were premiered at an event held at the Stella McCartney store in Los Angeles. Two other interesting details from the release:

‘My Valentine’ is the second Paul McCartney music video Natalie Portman has starred in, the first being the Michel Gondry directed ‘Dance Tonight‘ in 2007.  For this new performance, she was exclusively dressed by Stella McCartney. Johnny Depp also plays guitar in his version and recorded the track’s guitar solo live.  His guitar take was then mixed and mastered into the final track.  The original guitar solo on the studio version of the song was performed by Eric Clapton.

Beatles With Records – Part Eight

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This is the latest in a series about the Beatles being photographed holding or being nearby LP records or CD’s. Of all the many thousands of photographs taken of the band (or of them as solo artists) there are not actually that many with them in close proximity to the product they sold so many of….

The other posts in this series are: The Beatles with Records Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 , 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17.

Readers have sent in some additional photos and so its time for maybe one more installment. This first one, which comes from Thomas Repetny, is an early shot taken on a stage decorated with record covers behind what is clearly an early incarnation of the group (i.e. no Ringo yet…):

Thanks for this one Tom – and check out Tom’s own zany site tomwantstoplaywithpaulmccartney.com and watch as he follows his dream.

In researching this photograph (to try to figure out the LP covers hanging up on the wall behind the Beatles) I found the same early stage shot taken from a couple of other angles:

Of the eight LP covers and one 45 that can be seen behind the band I can clearly make out just two. They’re both above drummer Pete Best. The first is right at the top and it’s The John Lasalle Quartet LP “Jumpin’ at the Left Bank”:

This jazz album was recorded live at the New York City nightclub of the same name. It was released in the early Sixties. Interestingly its on the Capitol label – which of course would soon become the Beatles own label in the United States.

The other album cover is just above Peter Best’s right shoulder. It’s an album by the legendary Belgian jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt – “The Art of Django”:

All the albums on this stage seem to be jazz-influenced. The only other title I can vaguely make out is “The (something) Jazz Quartet”. If anyone knows when and where this photograph was taken, and if anyone can identify any of the other record covers, please email us at beatlesblogger@gmail.com

There was another photograph sent in also with the Beatles playing on stage – this time with their own record “Please Please Me” enlarged as the backdrop:

Again, it’s quite an early shot – but there is Ringo, and there is the very early flowing script version of a Beatles logo on his bass drum. Clearly it’s just after the release of their very first LP in Britain because there behind them, plastering the rear of the stage is a large poster and many record covers for “Please Please Me”:

Once the band started to become famous the press wanted photographs of them at home and in more relaxed surroundings. Here’s one of those featuring Ringo with his Mum and stepfather – who both loved their music. He’s talking with them about the record he’s holding. It’s by James Ray:

You can see the rear of the cover in the photo above:

And this is the front cover image:

Nice. James Ray was an American R&B singer. There’s another Beatle connection here because in 1962 it was James Ray who recorded the original version of “Got My Mind Set on You” (you can see that on the rear cover track-listing from the album that Ringo is holding. See track 3). Much later (in 1987) the song became a number one hit for George Harrison. (To compare the two versions see: YouTube – James Ray and YouTube – George Harrison)

Signing albums has always been a task when in public for all the Beatles. Here’s Paul in what looks like the mid 1980s signing a copy of one of the Beatles most famous record covers – “Yesterday and Today”:

What you can see in the picture above is the rear cover:

Doing publicity for a new record that is out in the shops goes without saying – even for ex-Beatles:

Ringo’s “Y Not” was released in January, 2010.

As he would say: “Peace and love.”

And happy Easter everyone.

You can see the other parts in “The Beatles with Records” series here:  Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 , 6, 7, 9 , 10 , 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17.

McCartney “Kisses” Interview – Fresh Air on NPR

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One of my favourite podcasts is Fresh Air from National Public Radio (NPR) in the US.

They have just uploaded a really interesting and insightful interview with Paul McCartney about his recent release “Kisses On The Bottom“. NPR host Terry Gross interviews Paul from his East Sussex studios (Hog Hill Mill) in England. She finds him in a relaxed, expansive, and conversational mood. Paul is candid and open – and is sitting at his piano. He doesn’t perform but illustrates his points with it as he speaks about songwriting and music. It’s really worth a listen for any Beatles fan, or anyone interested in understanding why McCartney has released an album of pre-rock’n’roll songs. You can listen by going to the NPR site, or just click below:

At the end of the interview Paul describes his studio. To get a visual idea of what it looks like inside check out this video of him working in 2009 with Klaus Voormann at Hog Hill Mill:

Version Variations You Didn’t Know About

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Collecting Beatles recordings is sometimes a confusing business. You think you’ve got a particular CD or LP and then you find out (sometimes years later) that there’s a different version or variation available. That’s what happened to me while surfing the web the other day.

I’ve had for many years a vinyl copy of Paul McCartney’s “All The Best”, which is a two LP “best of” set featuring his greatest solo and Wings hits. It came out in 1987.  This vinyl edition has 20 tracks. The cover is a gate-fold looks like this:

Then, about 12 months ago I was browsing a second-hand book and CD sale in Sydney and found the CD of this same title. It was an Australian pressing (which is the same as the UK release) but I discovered it only has 17 tracks – as opposed to the 20 tracks on the double LP. It misses out on “Maybe I’m Amazed”, “Goodnight Tonight” and “With A Little Luck”. The CD was only $4.00 and so I figured I might as well get it. It’s different to the LP, and it has a slightly different cover:

OK.  So, as far as the collection goes I figure I’ve pretty much got this album. No need to bother with any other copies….

Until the other day when I accidentally notice on the web that the US compact disc version has a slightly different cover again…..and that it has a different song running order as well:

On the UK (and Australian) versions of the CD (released on EMI/Parlophone) you get “We All Stand Together”, “Mull of Kintyre”, “Pipes of Peace” and “Once Upon a Long Ago”.

On the US CD (out on Capitol Records) those songs are deleted and replaced with “Junior’s Farm”, “Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey”, “Goodnight Tonight” and “With A Little Luck”.  All the other songs are the same.

That got me thinking. Are there any other examples of this sort of thing out there?

One that immediately came to mind is the 2002 and 2003 versions of the McCartney double live CD’s “Back in the US” and “Back in the World”.

They have very subtle cover changes both front and rear:

A cursory look down the song lists for each would suggest that they’re exactly the same CD just with a slightly different title, but in fact they are different too.

“Back in the US” (released to the US market in 2002) gets the songs “Vanilla Sky”, “C’Moon” and “Freedom”.  However, those songs don’t appear at all on “Back in the World” (released in the UK in 2003). Instead it gets “Calico Skies”, “Michelle”, “Let ‘Em In” and “She’s Leaving Home”. Otherwise, all the other songs are the same – and in roughly the same running order.

Do you know of any further examples of this sort of thing? Let us know.

The Beatles Through the Years

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I know this is old, but it’s nice:

McCartney and Jack McCoy’s New Surf Film

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When Paul McCartney re-issued “McCartney II” last year one of the bonus tracks on the 2 CD Edition set (and as audio and video versions in the Deluxe Edition book), was the previously un-released song “Blue Sway”. See track 1 on CD 2 for the details:

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Its a great song and I wrote about this at the time because there was a fantastic YouTube video featuring “Blue Sway” doing the rounds at the time. The song, it turned out, had been officially licensed to accompany one of the amazing sequences from a forthcoming Jack McCoy surfing film called “A Deeper Shade of Blue”:

Well, after being well-received overseas the film is now about to get its first theatrical release in Australia – and its causing a round of renewed interest here:

While Jack McCoy is US-born he’s considered a local in Australia because he lives in one of Sydney’s northern beaches suburbs. Last week Jack was interviewed on Australian radio by Fran Kelly about “A Deeper Shade of Blue”. Click here for a link to ABC Radio National and have a listen – Jack talks about Paul McCartney’s substantial interest and involvement in the the film at about 4 minutes in.