Paul McCartney Archive Collection
The Paul McCartney Archive Collection is an ongoing 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 thirteen releases since the project began in 2010. They are overseen by Paul 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 Paul 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 came with a download card for MP3 versions of all tracks included. The special editions of the albums are available on streaming services worldwide.
The project has also inspired a fan-driven project, called the "Ultimate Archive Collection", which has collected a greater number of McCartney and Wings albums, including bootlegs and unofficial albums. This was created as a response to the dissatisfaction among fans at the slow rate of releases, as well as the perceived low amount of bonus tracks included with each album.
Releases
Below is a list of albums that have been reissued so far. Paul McCartney has stated that Back to the Egg and London Town are slated for an upcoming release.Album | Original release date | Archive reissue date |
Band on the Run | 5 December 1973 | 1 November 2010 |
McCartney | 17 April 1970 | 13 June 2011 |
McCartney II | 16 May 1980 | 13 June 2011 |
Ram | 17 May 1971 | 21 May 2012 |
Wings over America | 10 December 1976 | 27 May 2013 |
Venus and Mars | 27 May 1975 | 23 September 2014 |
Wings at the Speed of Sound | 25 March 1976 | 23 September 2014 |
Tug of War | 26 April 1982 | 2 October 2015 |
Pipes of Peace | 17 October 1983 | 2 October 2015 |
Flowers in the Dirt | 5 June 1989 | 24 March 2017 |
Red Rose Speedway | 30 April 1973 | 7 December 2018 |
Wild Life | 7 December 1971 | 7 December 2018 |
Wings over Europe | Bundle as Bonus Live CD of the Both Deluxe Edition of Red Rose Speedway and Wild Life from Wings Over Europe Tour | 7 December 2018 |
Flaming Pie | 5 May 1997 | 31 July 2020 |