As expected, the two new deluxe sets in the “Paul McCartney Archive Series” will be the first two Wings album: 1971’s Wild Life and 1973’s Red Rose Speedway. The material features the earliest incarnation of the group including co-founders Paul and Linda McCartney, Denny Laine, and Denny Seiwell. Guitarist Henry McCullough joined Wings in January 1971. McCartney sidestepped issuing a press release for the project, instead just offering the Paul McCartney & Wings – 1971-73 Limited Edition Box Set containing both collections in one package via his PaulMcCartney.com website for a cool $399. Although available for pre-order, no release date has been announced.
The Daily Beatle posted extensive details on the set, which reads:
The four-disc (three CD and one DVD) limited deluxe edition of Wild Life features the full album remastered at Abbey Road Studios plus 25 bonus audio tracks including rough mixes of the album, original single edits, B-sides, home recordings and other previously unreleased material across three CDs.
The set’s DVD features rare footage of acoustic home videos, rehearsals and more. The Wild Life deluxe package includes a 128-page book written by David Fricke telling the story behind the album – including track-by-track information and new interviews with Paul and key album personnel, a 48-page scrapbook of tour diaries, lyrics and set lists, unpublished Polaroids, lyrics, notes and memorabilia from the MPL archives. Wild Life’s download redemption card will provide access to all audio in HD 24/96kHz unlimited high-resolution versions.
The Red Rose Speedway limited deluxe edition features three discs of audio including the original album remastered at Abbey Road Studios, no less than 35 bonus audio tracks, including a reconstruction of the originally conceived double album version of Red Rose Speedway, singles, B-sides, alternate mixes and previously unreleased tracks.
The two DVD and Blu-ray portions of the deluxe are packed with rare and previously unseen footage, including the James Paul McCartney TV Special, interviews and music videos, as well as the never before seen film The Bruce McMouse Show — fully restored and remixed in stereo and 5.1 surround sound.
The package includes a folio containing 14 replica hand drawn original character sketches by Paul and facsimile dialogue sheets for the film, a 128-page book containing many previously unpublished images by Linda McCartney, expanded album and single artwork from the archives and story behind the album — including new interviews with Paul McCartney, and key album personnel — and track-by-track information, written by Amanda Petrusich, five replica handwritten lyric sheets and photo print, a 64-page ‘Wings In Morocco’ photo book, all housed in a numbered outer slipcase. The Red Rose Speedway download redemption card will provide access to all audio in HD 24/96kHz unlimited high-resolution versions.
The massive box, featuring both the sets combined — along with a newly created live album from the era — comes with a deluxe book of Linda McCartney’s photos from the ’72/’73 tours and the original 1972 tour program.
Denny Laine was the sole member of Wings to span the band’s decade-long run. He recalled, to Pulse, the early summer 1971 phone call from McCartney asking him to help form the group: “Y’know, he was looking for people he could get on with and people who would go on in the future with new ideas. So he just called up and said, ‘Paul here, do you fancy getting a band together?”
Paul McCartney told Pulse that late wife Linda weathered the critical beatings from the rock press for the sole reason that she loved the music: “It’s a cheap shot to criticize her. It was real easy, ’cause she was taking the place of either John, George, or Ringo. And, obviously, being a musician who was just learning, she obviously couldn’t compare with those guys. And y’know, the other thing is, you gotta remember this was before ‘girl power,’ and there were not many women holding down such an important position in a band, so it took a lot of courage to do it.”
SIDE NOTES
The tracklistings to the latest “Paul McCartney Archive Series” collections are:
WILD LIFE (1971)
Disc One – Remastered Album
Mumbo (2018 Remaster)
Bip Bop (2018 Remaster)
Love Is Strange (2018 Remaster)
Wild Life (2018 Remaster)
Some People Never Know (2018 Remaster)
I Am Your Singer (2018 Remaster)
Bip Bop Link (2018 Remaster)
Tomorrow (2018 Remaster)
Dear Friend (2018 Remaster)
Mumbo Link (2018 Remaster)
Disv Two – Rough Mixes
Mumbo [Rough Mix]
Bip Bop [Rough Mix]
Love Is Strange (Version) [Rough Mix]
Wild Life [Rough Mix]
Some People Never Know [Rough Mix]
I Am Your Singer [Rough Mix]
Tomorrow [Rough Mix]
Dear Friend [Rough Mix]
Disc Three – Bonus Audio
Good Rockin’ Tonight [Home Recording]
Bip Bop [Home Recording]
Hey Diddle [Home Recording]
She Got It Good [Home Recording]
I Am Your Singer [Home Recording]
Outtake I
Dear Friend [Home Recording I]
Dear Friend [Home Recording II]
Outtake II
Indeed I Do
When The Wind Is Blowing
The Great Cock And Seagull Race [Rough Mix]
Outtake III
Give Ireland Back To The Irish
Give Ireland Back To The Irish (Version)
Love Is Strange [Single Edit]
African Yeah Yeah
DVD – Bonus Video
Scotland, 1971
The Ball
ICA Rehearsals
Give Ireland Back To The Irish (Rehearsal)
RED ROSE SPEEDWAY (1973)
Disc One – Remastered Album
Big Barn Bed (2018 Remaster)
My Love (2018 Remaster)
Get On The Right Thing (2018 Remaster)
One More Kiss (2018 Remaster)
Little Lamb Dragonfly (2018 Remaster)
Single Pigeon (2018 Remaster)
When The Night (2018 Remaster)
Loup (1st Indian On The Moon) (2018 Remaster)
Medley: Hold Me Tight, Lazy Dynamite, Hand Of Love, Power Cut (2018 Remaster)
Disc Two – “Double Album”
Night Out
Get On The Right Thing
Country Dreamer
Big Barn Bed
My Love
Single Pigeon
When The Night
Seaside Woman
I Lie Around
The Mess [Live At The Hague]
Best Friend [Live In Antwerp]
Loup (1st Indian On The Moon)
Medley: Hold Me Tight, Lazy Dynamite, Hand Of Love, Power Cut
Mama’s Little Girl
I Would Only Smile
One More Kiss
Tragedy
Little Lamb Dragonfly
Disc Three – Bonus Audio
Mary Had A Little Lamb
Little Woman Love
Hi, Hi, Hi
C Moon
Live And Let Die
Get On The Right Thing [Early Mix]
Little Lamb Dragonfly [Early Mix]
Little Woman Love [Early Mix]
1882 [Home Recording]
Big Barn Bed [Rough Mix]
The Mess
Thank You Darling
Mary Had A Little Lamb [Rough Mix]
1882 [Live In Berlin]
1882
Jazz Street
Live And Let Die [Group Only, Take 10]
DVD One – Bonus Video
Music Videos
James Paul McCartney TV Special
Live And Let Die [Live in Liverpool]
Newcastle Interview
DVD Two – Bonus Film
The Bruce McMouse Show
5.1 Surround Dolby Digital, 16bit 48kHz /PCM Stereo
Blu-Ray – The Bruce McMouse Show
5.1 Surround DTS-HD Master Audio, 24bit 96kHz/PCM Stereo 24bit 96kHz
