The Paul McCartney Archive Collection is a project to remaster and reissue Paul McCartney's solo catalogue, including various albums released with Wings. These editions feature deluxe packaging and bonus rare tracks. Thus far, there have been 14 releases since the project began in 2010 (seven solo albums, six Wings albums, and one new Wings live album of previously unreleased material). They are overseen by McCartney himself and remastered at Abbey Road Studios. Albums reissued in this project are visually marked by a white stripe along the left side of the album cover that reads "Paul McCartney Archive Collection" and a copy of McCartney's signature.
The albums are typically released in a variety of formats: a "standard" edition that contains the original album digitally remastered on one CD; a "special" edition which contains additional discs of bonus tracks; and a "deluxe" edition which comes with extra features like bonus CDs or DVDs of unreleased material packaged in a hard-bound book. Some releases contain booklets, rare photos, interviews, artwork, promotional video clips, or documentaries. The "special" editions of the albums were also released as double LPs on 180 gram "audiophile vinyl", with the original album on one record and bonus material on the second. The records also come with a download card for MP3 versions of all tracks included. The special editions of the albums are available on streaming services worldwide.
Releases
Below is a list of albums that have been reissued so far.
| Album | Original release date | Archive reissue date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Band on the Run | 5 December 1973 | 1 November 20105 |
| 2 | McCartney | 17 April 1970 | 13 June 20116 |
| 3 | McCartney II | 16 May 1980 | 13 June 20117 |
| 4 | Ram | 17 May 1971 | 21 May 20128 |
| 5 | Wings over America | 10 December 1976 | 27 May 20139 |
| 6 | Venus and Mars | 27 May 1975 | 23 September 201410 |
| 7 | Wings at the Speed of Sound | 25 March 1976 | 23 September 201411 |
| 8 | Tug of War | 26 April 1982 | 2 October 201512 |
| 9 | Pipes of Peace | 17 October 1983 | 2 October 201513 |
| 10 | Flowers in the Dirt | 5 June 1989 | 24 March 201714 |
| 11 | Wild Life | 7 December 1971 | 7 December 201815 |
| 12 | Red Rose Speedway | 4 May 1973 | 7 December 201816 |
| - | Wings 1971–73 | Previously unreleased | 7 December 201817 |
| 13 | Flaming Pie | 5 May 1997 | 31 July 202018 |
Reception
The Paul McCartney Archive Collection received two Grammy Awards.19
References
Rasmussen, Anthony. "Paul McCartney's Archive Collection Series". liveabout. Dotdash. Retrieved 26 February 2020. https://www.liveabout.com/paul-mccartneys-archive-collection-series-3219896 ↩
"'Wild Life' And 'Red Rose Speedway' Join Paul McCartney Archive Collection". UDiscoverMusic. 19 October 2018. Retrieved 26 February 2020. https://www.udiscovermusic.com/news/wild-life-red-rose-speedway-join-paul-mccartney-archive-collection/ ↩
"Band On The Run - Archive Collection". The Paul McCartney Project. The Paul McCartney Project. https://www.the-paulmccartney-project.com/album/band-on-the-run-2010/ ↩
Rasmussen, Anthony. "Paul McCartney's Archive Collection Series". liveabout. Dotdash. Retrieved 26 February 2020. https://www.liveabout.com/paul-mccartneys-archive-collection-series-3219896 ↩
Loar, Christel. "Paul McCartney & Wings: Band on the Run (Special Edition)". Pop Matters. Pop Matters. Retrieved 26 February 2020. https://www.popmatters.com/132903-paul-mccartney-wings-band-on-the-run-special-edition-2496117114.html ↩
"McCartney and McCartney II reissue details announced". The Beatles Bible. The Beatles Bible. Retrieved 27 February 2020. https://www.beatlesbible.com/2011/04/27/mccartney-mccartney-ii-reissue-details-announced/ ↩
"McCartney and McCartney II reissue details announced". The Beatles Bible. The Beatles Bible. Retrieved 27 February 2020. https://www.beatlesbible.com/2011/04/27/mccartney-mccartney-ii-reissue-details-announced/ ↩
Lipp, Chaz. "Revisiting RAM: The Paul McCartney Archive Collection Reissue". The Morton Report. TMR. Retrieved 27 February 2020. http://www.themortonreport.com/entertainment/music/revisiting-ram-the-paul-mccartney-archive-collection-reissue/ ↩
"'Wings over America' Out Now!". Paul McCartney. MPL Communications Ltd. Retrieved 26 February 2020. https://www.paulmccartney.com/news-blogs/news/wings-over-america-out-now ↩
"Paul McCartney Archive Collection Reissuing Wings' "Venus and Mars" and "At the Speed of Sound"". Glide Magazine. 28 July 2014. Retrieved 26 February 2020. https://glidemagazine.com/121761/paul-mccartney-archive-collection-reissuing-wings-venus-mars-speed-sound/ ↩
"Paul McCartney Archive Collection Reissuing Wings' "Venus and Mars" and "At the Speed of Sound"". Glide Magazine. 28 July 2014. Retrieved 26 February 2020. https://glidemagazine.com/121761/paul-mccartney-archive-collection-reissuing-wings-venus-mars-speed-sound/ ↩
"Paul To Reissue 'Tug of War' and 'Pipes of Peace'". PaulMcCartney.com. MPL Communications Ltd. Retrieved 27 February 2020. https://www.paulmccartney.com/news-blogs/news/paul-reissues-tug-of-war-and-pipes-of-peace ↩
"Paul To Reissue 'Tug of War' and 'Pipes of Peace'". PaulMcCartney.com. MPL Communications Ltd. Retrieved 27 February 2020. https://www.paulmccartney.com/news-blogs/news/paul-reissues-tug-of-war-and-pipes-of-peace ↩
Marchese, Joe. "Paul McCartney Sets Archive Release of "Flowers in the Dirt" For March, Includes Elvis Costello Demos". The Second Disc. The Second Disc. Retrieved 27 February 2020. https://theseconddisc.com/2016/12/15/paul-mccartney-sets-archive-release-of-flowers-in-the-dirt-for-march-includes-elvis-costello-demos/ ↩
"'Wild Life' And 'Red Rose Speedway' Join Paul McCartney Archive Collection". UDiscoverMusic. 19 October 2018. Retrieved 26 February 2020. https://www.udiscovermusic.com/news/wild-life-red-rose-speedway-join-paul-mccartney-archive-collection/ ↩
"'Wild Life' And 'Red Rose Speedway' Join Paul McCartney Archive Collection". UDiscoverMusic. 19 October 2018. Retrieved 26 February 2020. https://www.udiscovermusic.com/news/wild-life-red-rose-speedway-join-paul-mccartney-archive-collection/ ↩
"'Wild Life' And 'Red Rose Speedway' Join Paul McCartney Archive Collection". UDiscoverMusic. 19 October 2018. Retrieved 26 February 2020. https://www.udiscovermusic.com/news/wild-life-red-rose-speedway-join-paul-mccartney-archive-collection/ ↩
Sinclair, Paul. "Paul McCartney / Flaming Pie reissue". Super Deluxe Edition. Super Deluxe Edition. Retrieved 11 July 2020. https://www.superdeluxeedition.com/news/paul-mccartney-flaming-pie-reissue/ ↩
Billboard Staff. "56th GRAMMY Awards: Full Winners List". Billboard. Billboard and MRC Media. Retrieved 30 November 2020. https://www.billboard.com/articles/events/grammys-2014/5885341/grammy-awards-full-winners-list-2014-complete ↩