New reissues
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Hi there folks,
this is my first post on the Maccaboard (but I'm not new to website and I've been a fan for ages). Sorry that it's slightly negative.
Just wondering, is anyone else disappointed with the new reissue series? Why reissue two (relatively) recent albums? They're both strong albums, but are they in need of reissue yet? And the Wings' Greatest compilation is good but probably made redundant by Wingspan.
Meanwhile, many of us are waiting for deluxe reissues of Wild Life, Red Rose Speedway, London Town and Back to the Egg. Surely it's time for these records to get some attention - and all of them sold well back in the day.
Maybe it's just me, but I reckon there'd be a lot of fans out there waiting on those '70s albums.
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Personally I could live quite comfortably without any deluxe reissue of London Town & Back To The Egg but I certainly would love to see those first two Wings albums get the deluxe treatment,if only to have access to the films of that era.
Covering the period from August 1971 (the Wildlife recording sessions) to April 1973 (the release of Red Rose Speedway) there are the films of the ICA Rehearsals, concert footage of the final concerts of the 1972 European tour, the Bruce McMouse show, the James Paul McCartney tv special and of course all the promo videos for the singles.
Although I suspect the Wildlife sessions didn't produce much in the way of unreleased material, the Red Rose Speedway album certainly did so hopefully these will be the next two albums to get the deluxe treatment or at least reissued with bonus dvd / cd's.
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Jeffrey C wrote:
Hi there folks,
this is my first post on the Maccaboard (but I'm not new to website and I've been a fan for ages). Sorry that it's slightly negative.
Just wondering, is anyone else disappointed with the new reissue series? Why reissue two (relatively) recent albums? They're both strong albums, but are they in need of reissue yet? And the Wings' Greatest compilation is good but probably made redundant by Wingspan.
Meanwhile, many of us are waiting for deluxe reissues of Wild Life, Red Rose Speedway, London Town and Back to the Egg. Surely it's time for these records to get some attention - and all of them sold well back in the day.
Maybe it's just me, but I reckon there'd be a lot of fans out there waiting on those '70s albums.
Hi Jeffrey. I agree with you completely. I was particularly surprised when I saw that New was being reissued! Like you, I've been eagerly and patiently awaiting the resissues of the remainder of the earlier Wings and solo catalogue (Back to the Egg and Red Rose Speedway particularly) and was disappointed to see reissues of more recent stuff. The only thing I would say is that these reissues seem to be different to the Archive Collection series, which I hope is continuing and is more likely to take care of the albums you mentioned. The last one of those we got was Flowers in the Dirt in March last year, and I would like to think that maybe the next release in that collection is being worked on as we speak. Ive got everything crossed!
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The reissue of the latest four make perfect sense. They were released under the Concorde label and that deal is done. Releasing these with the Capitol label allows the new company to put these titles back on the shelves while creating a revenue stream for them. No different then last fall with the last batch. A no brainer for the record company. A large part of the reason they signed Paul was for his back catalog. We must all realize at his age, there won't be too many new albums in all probability but there will always be value in the catalog.
and although the pace of the series may not fit the fan expectations. When you compare Paul to other artists of his stature, the pace is actually better than average. Take Bruce Springsteen who started his sets prior to Paul and to date has only released 3 deluxe sets. I think Paul is at nine. Some other artist have gotten sets out quicker but those nowhere compare in complete packages. As fans, some love the books and all the bells and whistles while others would just prefer just the audio/video sans the box and books. Nobody is wrong here, but Paul has chosen to present his catalog in this manner. Makes sense for him when you realize how many photos and memorabilia they have accumulated.
from what I hear, we may be seeing the set continue rather soon so relax and enjoy the ride.
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I read this on another forum...
**Sources tell Beatlefan "Wild Life" and "Red Rose Speedway" are in the works for the next McCartney Archive reissues, scheduled for this fall. No official confirmation on that yet. In the meantime, an announcement of the release date of McCartney's new album is rumored to be coming in the next month or so, and additional concert dates, besides the recently announced Austin City Limits Festival, also are considered very likely.**
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I'm still a bit concerned that we didn't get a card in the Flowers Box promoting the next super deluxe release(s). We did with every other set. The sets were getting noticably more expensive and perhaps have not seen the expected return. Sincerely hope I'm wrong. I'd love to see all Paul's albums in super deluxe format. Other than the obvious Wild Life, Rose, Egg & London Town......wonder if there are any Press To Play songs in early demo mode (before the 80's production went on), any outtakes from the magnificent Pie, Rain & Chaos albums.....and what about a Fireman extravaganza? Here's hoping they continue and perhaps the focus for 2018 is on the 50th anniversary super deluxe White Album and the wonders it will bring.
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Thanks for your input on the new reissues, folks. I haven't heard anything about where the reissue series goes next, but from the sounds of some of your posts the older albums will get the deluxe treatment in time. Hope so.
And on this topic, I'm still waiting on a reissue of Let It Be (the movie). I wonder if that will ever happen. I get the impression that Paul's not too keen on the movie, but I could be wrong. It's certainly been completely ignored in all the Beatles' reissues.
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Jeffrey C wrote:
Thanks for your input on the new reissues, folks. I haven't heard anything about where the reissue series goes next, but from the sounds of some of your posts the older albums will get the deluxe treatment in time. Hope so.
And on this topic, I'm still waiting on a reissue of Let It Be (the movie). I wonder if that will ever happen. I get the impression that Paul's not too keen on the movie, but I could be wrong. It's certainly been completely ignored in all the Beatles' reissues.
Quite easy to get a bootleg copy of Let It Be movie on dvd from ebay. I picked up an old VHS bootleg as well many years ago that had extras (Peter Sellers on set + what appeared to be a late night avant garde jam with John on guitar, Yoko wailing, Paul on bass & Ringo on drums....guessing it was when George left for a few days...it was brilliant). You'd think it would have had an official release by now so maybe it's too unloved by the decision makers.
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Why reissue two (relatively) recent albums?
Probably because he wasn't pleased with the way the album turned out initially.
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Thanks daveross909, I do actually have a copy of the movie on DVD (with no extras).
But I'm still waiting on a deluxe reissue of some kind. As you point out, there was plenty of extra footage shot and I'm sure they could put together a fascinating "making of" doco. I realise the film itself is a documentary, but there was a lot going on behind the scenes.
Lots of extra music was recorded during those sessions too, including versions of Teddy Boy, Junk and All Things Must Pass, among many others. There might be footage of some of that.
And the James Paul McCartney TV special deserves a reissue too (perhaps it could be part of a deluxe Red Rose Speedway).
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Jeffrey C wrote:
Thanks daveross909, I do actually have a copy of the movie on DVD (with no extras).
But I'm still waiting on a deluxe reissue of some kind. As you point out, there was plenty of extra footage shot and I'm sure they could put together a fascinating "making of" doco. I realise the film itself is a documentary, but there was a lot going on behind the scenes.
Lots of extra music was recorded during those sessions too, including versions of Teddy Boy, Junk and All Things Must Pass, among many others. There might be footage of some of that.
And the James Paul McCartney TV special deserves a reissue too (perhaps it could be part of a deluxe Red Rose Speedway).
Yes, pretty please!!
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Nancy R wrote:
Jeffrey C wrote:
Thanks daveross909, I do actually have a copy of the movie on DVD (with no extras).
But I'm still waiting on a deluxe reissue of some kind. As you point out, there was plenty of extra footage shot and I'm sure they could put together a fascinating "making of" doco. I realise the film itself is a documentary, but there was a lot going on behind the scenes.
Lots of extra music was recorded during those sessions too, including versions of Teddy Boy, Junk and All Things Must Pass, among many others. There might be footage of some of that.
And the James Paul McCartney TV special deserves a reissue too (perhaps it could be part of a deluxe Red Rose Speedway).
Yes, pretty please!!
All they'll probably do is officially issue the bootleg versions.
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In order to release a quality Blu-Ray & DVD of the Let it Be film they'd have to find the original film negative and soundtrack and professionals would have to restore it frame by frame. (Same with the Paul McCartney TV Special, they'd have to find an original video tape to make a good copy from.) Seems like I read somewhere the film was originally shot in 16mm but then converted to widescreen 35mm or 70mm for the theatrical release.
The bootlegs that are out there now are second or third generation prints, film made from a film, with faded color and just adequate sound quality. If The Beatles did release Let it Be on Blu-Ray & DVD, they'd no doubt want to make it of the highest quality.
If the original negatives can't be found, that could be part of the problem as to why the film hasn't been re-released, but it seems most likely it would be with Apple somewhere.
Hopefully the Let it Be film and McCartney TV special are under consideration for a DVD/Blu-Ray release, and we'll get that sometime in the near future.
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LadyLeslie, I'm not sure how the film was shot, but it was a Beatles feature film so it would be strange if it was 16mm. However, I don't know for sure.
Regardless, it was The Beatles, so the original footage would definitely be available. They've revised and remastered every other film, including Magical Mystery Tour (which was shot on 16mm for TV and originally shown in black & white), so I don't doubt they would have access to all of the Let It Be footage. Some of it showed up in the Anthology series.
No, I would say that Paul is not fond of the movie as it pretty much shows the Beatles starting to break up, including the famous altercation with George. As we all know, he also disliked the finished album, particularly Phil Spector's post-production contributions (hence the release of Let It Be Naked).
Perhaps they're waiting for 2020, which will mark the 50th anniversary of its release. This year will be devoted to a White Album deluxe release.
The original film from James Paul McCartney might be harder to find as TV networks didn't always keep that stuff.
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Jeffrey C wrote:
LadyLeslie, I'm not sure how the film was shot, but it was a Beatles feature film so it would be strange if it was 16mm. However, I don't know for sure.
Regardless, it was The Beatles, so the original footage would definitely be available. They've revised and remastered every other film, including Magical Mystery Tour (which was shot on 16mm for TV and originally shown in black & white), so I don't doubt they would have access to all of the Let It Be footage. Some of it showed up in the Anthology series.
No, I would say that Paul is not fond of the movie as it pretty much shows the Beatles starting to break up, including the famous altercation with George. As we all know, he also disliked the finished album, particularly Phil Spector's post-production contributions (hence the release of Let It Be Naked).
Perhaps they're waiting for 2020, which will mark the 50th anniversary of its release. This year will be devoted to a White Album deluxe release.
The original film from James Paul McCartney might be harder to find as TV networks didn't always keep that stuff.
Hi JeffreyC,
I did some searching and found "Let it Be" was shot in 16mm. The internet movie database at
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0065976/technical?ref_=tt_dt_spec gives information that the film's negative is in 16mm format, and that it was "blown up" to 35mm. So there should be two negatives out there somewhere, 16mm and 35mm. Since there's videos of "outtakes" from the film on YouTube, there's probably cannisters of unused/cut footage somewhere as well.I've done work with historical film stock and know that Kodak color safety film (which most films were shot in) fades over time, but if the negatives have been kept in an unopened airtight container, without being used or disturbed, they should be in good condition.
Wish there could be a release of all the Paul McCartney and Wings specials that were on tv, and put together on one DVD/Blu-ray. I think Paul's fans would enjoy Having the 1973 special and the 1979 Back to the Egg Again etc. Clips and bootlegs of these are on YouTube so these programs were saved somehow.
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Yeah Wikipedia said this:
In early 1970 it was decided to change the planned name of the film and the associated album from Get Back to Let It Be, matching the group's March 1970 single release. The final version of the film was blown-up from full-frame 16 mm to 35 mm film for theatrical release, which increased the film's graininess. To create the wider theatrical aspect ratio, the top and bottom of the frame was cropped, necessitating the repositioning of every single shot for optimal picture composition.
More post-production info:
A rough cut of the movie was screened for the Beatles on 20 July 1969. Lindsay-Hogg recalled that the rough cut was about an hour longer than the released version: "There was much more stuff of John and Yoko, and the other three didn't really think that was appropriate because they wanted to make it a 'nicer' movie. They didn't want to have a lot of the dirty laundry, so a lot of it was cut down."[18] After viewing the released version, Lennon said he felt that "the camera work was set up to show Paul and not to show anybody else" and that "the people that cut it, cut it as 'Paul is God' and we're just lyin' around ..."[18]
Lindsay-Hogg omitted any reference to Harrison leaving the sessions and temporarily quitting the group, but managed to keep some of the interpersonal strains in the final cut, including the McCartney/Harrison exchange which he had captured by deliberately placing the cameras where they would not be noticed. He also retained the scene that he described as "the back of Paul's head as he's yammering on and John looks like he's about to die from boredom."[19]
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While not looking like we'll see Let It Be, it is looking like we are going to see a wonderful amount of riches for our collections
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Thanks LadyLesie and NancyR, no argument from me in regards to 16mm.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge and research. I reckon there would be plenty of usable extra footage and a deluxe version could certainly be compiled. It's been done with everything else The Beatles did.
As I said, if they managed to restore Magical Mystery Tour, it could certainly be done with Let It Be.
But it was an unhappy time for the band and I don't think Paul likes to revisit it (although engineer Glyn Johns, who's an honest, no-nonsense kind of guy, says he enjoyed the sessions because there was so much humour, particularly from John). It's part of history now and has been written about extensively, why not release footage that captures the tensions of those sessions?
I guess we'll have to wait and see if it gets some attention on the 50th anniversary, remembering it was filmed in early 1969 but not released until 1970.
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You’re welcome Jeff. As for the rest, from your lips to Paul, Ringo, Olivia and Yoko’s ears!
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Jeffrey C wrote:
Thanks LadyLesie and NancyR, no argument from me in regards to 16mm.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge and research. I reckon there would be plenty of usable extra footage and a deluxe version could certainly be compiled. It's been done with everything else The Beatles did.
You're welcome, Jeffrey C! It would be great if there was a 50th Annniversary edition next year. I'd be happy too if they even chose to do an entirely new film from the 1969 footage, that could show nothing but the good times and laughter they shared during the recording sessions, with a new title. That would take some time I suppose but would be worth it.
Even though they had their problems, business wise, with Apple and all, I'm sure they had their good times too, and that could be emphasized, rather than the bad. They always had a special bond, and were like brothers.
