Paul McCartney has announced plans to reissue four archival live collections in multiple formats on July 12 to coincide with the just-launched U.S. leg of his Freshen Up Tour.
The records — 1976’s Wings over America, 1988’s Choba B CCCP, 1993’s Paul Is Live and an expanded version of the 2007 Amoeba’s Secret EP titled Amoeba Gig — will be available on CD, and as black-vinyl and limited-edition colored-vinyl LP collections.
Wings over America, which topped the Billboard 200 in January ’77 and originally was released as a three-LP set, captured highlights from McCartney and his band Wings‘ 1975-76 tour.
Choba B CCCP, which is Russian for “Back in the USSR,” originally was issued exclusively in the Soviet Union before getting a worldwide release in 1991. The album features covers of 11 of Sir Paul’s favorite songs from the 1950s recorded live in the studio.
Paul Is Live features performances from McCartney’s New World Tour in 1993. The album ends with a trio of songs recorded during rehearsals for shows.
Amoeba Gig features the full 21-song set that McCartney played at an intimate 2007 free concert at the Amoeba Music store in Los Angeles. Only four of these performances previously received wide release, on the aforementioned Amoeba’s Secret EP.
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