More classic albums from Paul McCartney and Wings (plus a special Percy Thrills Thrillington album) are set to be released on Decmeber 6 as Japanese SHM-CDs. The first batch was released on September 20.
McCartney has shared that Wings albums Venus And Mars, Wings At The Speed Of Sound, Wings Over America, and Wings Greatest will be released in the special format, in addition to Percy Thrills Thrillington’s Thrillington.
Released in 1975, Venus And Mars was the first of two albums to feature what many (Paul included) regard as the perfect Wings lineup, with the McCartneys and Denny Laine joined by guitarist Jimmy McCulloch and drummer Joe English. Recording was done in New Orleans and Los Angeles. This album encompasses the 2014 remaster and includes two miniature posters, three stickers, an innersleeve and booklet, which features the Japanese translations of the lyrics.
Wings At The Speed Of Sound was rreleased in 1976 and reinforced by months on the road. The cohesion of a settled lineup was much in evidence on Wings At The Speed Of Sound, the band’s fifth album. Each band member had at least one lead vocal performance, including Linda’s “Cook Of The House” and Denny Laine’s “Time To Hide.”
Made at Abbey Road Studios, it was Paul’s first album to be recorded in Britain since Red Rose Speedway. The album was another massive success, peaking at No.2 in the UK (where it was the fourth biggest album of the year) and topping the charts in the US, spending nearly a year in the Top 100. This is also the 2014 remaster and includes the innersleeve and booklet featuring the Japanese translations of the lyrics.
Released in 1976 and selected from 90 hours of recordings, Wings Over America is a faithful account of the 1975-76 world tour that captured the band at its peak. It was taped at several of the US shows, but mixed as if it were a single performance. Paul combined old Beatle favorites with highlights from a solo catalog that was achieving stature.
Though an expensive triple disc on vinyl (it had been planned as a double, but a rival bootleg version encouraged Paul to expand it), sales were remarkable and it remains one of very few live albums to make No.1 in America—incidentally becoming the band’s fifth No.1 album in a row. This 2013 remaster includes a miniature poster and booklet, plus three innersleeves and a booklet featuring the Japanese translations of the lyrics.
Released in 1977, The mysterious Thrillington was an instrumental cover version of Wings’ 1971 album RAM, recorded that same year at Abbey Road Studios, under the pseudonym of Percy “Thrills” Thrillington. Paul produced the album while Richard Hewson (who had previously worked on The Beatles’ Let It Be) arranged and conducted. Thrillington was shelved following the formation of Wings and finally appeared, after a teaser ad campaign in the press, in 1977. This reissue of the 2012 remaster includes an innersleeve and booklet featuring the Japanese translations of the lyrics.
Lastly, released in 1978, Wings Greatest was the first official retrospective of Paul’s post-Beatles career and included many of his single-only releases since 1970 including “Live And Let Die,” “Hi Hi Hi,” and “Mull Of Kintyre.” Despite there being enough hits to fill a double album, the decision was made to slim it down to one disc, even at the expense of a US Number No.1, “Listen To What The Man Said.” This edition is taken from latest remastered album and includes the innersleeve and booklet featuring the Japanese translations of the lyrics.
Order the Japanese SHM-CD releases of Paul McCartney and Wings albums here.